You are here: Home / Articles / Book reviews
Understanding Horse Behaviour
11 March, 2008
Understanding Horse Behaviour by Lesley Skipper explores how the natural, evolved behaviour of horses can be affected by the demands of domesticity, management, training and competition.
It examines the ethical and moral responsibilities of the thinking horse owner and horse lover. I enjoyed the writing style, which assumes that the reader is an intelligent adult on a quest for improved understanding. The author provides arguments that are well evidenced and thought provoking.
The book starts with a review of wild and feral equids and how various natural stress factors affect behaviour. It moves on to consider the natural behaviour of horses and how today's domesticated horses deal with the demands made upon them.
The reader is taken on a journey of discovery as the author separately considers management and the need for the horse to be a social animal, training methods and discipline and how owners and riders can help horses, through a variety of methods, to be content and useful working animals.
The extensive sections on training continue the evidence-based challenges to the reader, covering everything from classical riding to "natural" training methods that are currently popular in some circles. All disciplines are covered and considered in depth.
Unfortunately the section on breed behaviour has a strong American focus and it lacks any reference to recent British animal welfare legislation or the "Five Freedoms", which would so aptly have supported the author's arguments.
Despite these minor irritations I would describe this book a delight to own, being of very high quality and beautifully produced with good colour photographs, and should be compulsory reading for all owners.
Related articles:
- Record numbers to attend Golden Horseshoe Ride
- Prince Philip receives Queen's Award for Equestrianism
- Mark Todd's placed on first run back in Britain
- Nicolas Touzaint and Hildago De L’Ile win Badminton Horse Trials
- First-timer's Badminton Horse Trials diary: day four
- Badminton Horse Trials blog: first-timers and France’s first winner?
- Four horses have been withdrawn from Badminton Horse Trials
- Nicolas Touzaint leads Badminton Horse Trials cross-country
- Badminton Horse Trials blog: this is Badminton at its best
- First-timer's Badminton Horse Trials diary: day three
Subscribe to Horse & Hound and Save
Enjoy all the latest equestrian news and competition reports delivered straight to your door every week.
Click here to subscribe now
