Difficult Horse

Book excerpt: The Difficult Horse provides many insights as to why a horse may develop unwanted behaviours. 'Problem' behaviour is usually more of a problem for the handler than the horse, which is likely to have established patterns of behaviour as a way of helping him feel safe in situations he finds mentally and/or physically stressful. As well as explaining the reasons for a horse's reactive and sometimes dangerous responses, this book suggests a number of practical exercises that can help to address a wide range of commonly encountered issues. Even if you consider your horse to be problem-free, these exercises will still be invaluable in helping you and your horse to develop a closer, more pleasurable and successful relationship.Topics covered include: The causes of stress; Lifestyle and stress management; Reading a horse's 'body language'; Addressing phobias; Uses of TTouch and NLP. An invaluable guide to discussing why a horse may develop unwanted behavioural problems. Suggests practical exercises that can help address a wide range of common issues. Aimed at all horse owners and riding instructors. Superbly illustrated with 120 colour photographs.Sarah Fisher is a TTouch Instructor and animal behaviour counsellor and Karen Bush is a BHS Intermediate Teacher.