Nature

Naturalist and environmental educator Mary Holland’s visually astounding book Naturally Curious promises a walk in the woods (or a field or wetland) will never be the same. With boundless enthusiasm and a lifetime’s-worth of natural history knowledge, Holland escorts you through the New England seasons, month by month—in sun, rain, and snow; along roadsides and riverbanks; above burrows and under treetop nesting sites. By deftly melding the practical field guide we all need with the kind of book we all want to sit back and read, Holland does New England—and those who live in it, visit it, and love it—an immense service. Adults and children alike are sure to be fascinated by the natural world in this book, in their backyard, and even further afield. Naturally Curious is truly an “into this world” experience.

• Take a guided tour through the seasons a month at a time: begin with March and its early stirrings of life "awakening" after a long cold winter, and end in February as survival becomes the sole focus of all plants and creatures, great and small.
• Dive into hundreds of fascinating “Nature Notes” along the way: bite-size nuggets of fact-based information about a species’ actions in a particular month—whether courting, breeding, singing, burrowing, migrating, or caching food.
• In addition, find pertinent lists of the amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects and arachnids, and plants and fungi you might expect to see or hear from as the weeks go by.
• Each month culminates in specially chosen essays, where Holland gets up-close-and-personal with New England plant and animal life and some of their more intriguing peculiarities.
• See the many exciting and varied "worlds" of the Northeast explode on the page, in an unmatched visual display of full-color photographs. This is the region and its inhabitants like you've never seen them before!

An exquisitely personal exploration of the often painful process of facing down tradition while putting down roots of a whole new way of viewing and doing things.

“If we train and work with our horses without any tools or food rewards,” says horsewoman Elsa Sinclair, “they have the freedom in every moment to tell us how comfortable it is for them. If it’s not comfortable, they simply walk away.”

The idea when working with horses is we can develop our feel and timing “within the comfort zone of the horse.” Allowing the horse the freedom of choice is at the core of Sinclair’s Freedom Based Training® method. The techniques she uses and teaches were first developed as she spent a year with an untouched Mustang mare, seeking to discover whether, without any ropes or halters or treats or sticks, she and her horse could develop a language and a way of deciding to do things together—a collaborative effort rather than one that plays by the rules of horse training tradition. 

Sinclair’s exploratory project with her Mustang Myrnah became the documentary film Taming Wild, viewed by thousands from around the world, and opening new avenues for Sinclair to share her discoveries. 

But Sinclair’s journey began 30 years before Taming Wild, and the lessons and contrasts and hard questions she faced as a lifelong rider and a talented horse trainer, which she bravely shares in these pages, are rich in value for all those considering their own life with horses. Sinclair dares to show how—despite her successes and her ability to make a living and her constant search for different means of handling the inevitable conflicts that arise when two species struggle to communicate—the way things “were done” just didn’t sit right. She dreamed of something else, something different—for some other way for humans to be with horses. 

Sinclair’s style is to teach through storytelling, and the result is the reader walks away from these pages with not only an understanding of why a quest for a more insightful, more collaborative training method was needed, but also how to begin to incorporate the basics of Freedom Based Training in a modern life with horses. Sinclair knew when she started her project with Myrnah that their story might potentially be bigger than just the two of them. Taming Wild, the movie, began a movement, and now her book continues it. Together we will move the needle of horsemanship closer to an ideal, where human expectations are in step with the horses we ride, rather than the other way around. 

The first complete reference to help equestrians make the changes needed to ensure social license and the ability to ride and compete horses for years to come.

Renowned wild horse ecologist and equine behaviorist Mary Ann Simonds provides a practical soup-to-nuts manual for understanding how horses think, feel, learn, communicate, and interact with each other and with humans. Integrating over 30 years of field research, identifying functional social behaviors in wild horses with her lifelong professional practice working with equestrians solving equine behavioral issues, Simonds helps readers gain a strong foundation into the emotional and cognitive lives of horses and explore various horse-human relationships. She provides numerous tools for assessing personalities, communicating with horses, and understanding how horses learn, with an emphasis on improving care and reducing stress in competitions and sports.

In three parts, each introduced by top researchers and scientists in the equestrian field, readers will: 

• LEARN the natural history and social ecology of free-roaming wild horses.

• UNDERSTAND the instincts, learned behaviors, gender differences, social roles, and social bonds that are the driving factors in horse culture.
• DISCOVER how adaptable horses really are, and how that makes them an ideal species to share their social lives with humans.
• FOCUS on horse-human relationships applying the knowledge from Part One to reduce equine stress and improve communication in the management and training of all horses.
• EXPLORE how to better assess the horse’s personality and emotions, understand his learning style, and use various communication channels to establish trust, improve friendship, and enhance performance.
• ADDRESS the ethics of horse sports and ask the questions needed to ensure horse welfare in all the disciplines.
• CONSIDER dozens of changes related to horse management and competition recommended by respected industry professionals.
• BE EMPOWERED to be an influencer to improve the lives of horses, whatever the profession, breed, or sport.

Filled with hundreds of color-coded tips and beautiful photos, and backed by science, personal stories, and unique insights, readers have multiple ways to quickly find useful information and apply it to their own horse-human situations. Whether preparing for a horse show, working with young stock, riding on the trails, adopting a wild horse, running a rescue, or just hoping to improve your communication and relationships with all horses, this book is a catalyst for much-needed change in the equine industry. 

An engaging book for horse people of all disciplines and experience levels.  You will learn how to earn your horse’s trust and cooperation using methods that are gentle, effective, and make intuitive sense to horses. 

Horses want to feel safe.  When you meet a horse’s need for security, it is easier than you think to create a trusting bond and build his confidence.  This is the foundation of a reliable partnership.  Certified riding instructor Lynn Acton demonstrates practical handling, riding, and training skills using color photos and step-by-step instructions. For less than half the cost of a single lesson, these are some of the many things you will learn how to do:

• Start earning a horse’s trust the moment you meet him.
• Catch an “uncatchable” horse by showing him he will be safe with you.
• Understand what your horse’s body language is telling you.
• Use your body language in ways that horses can easily understand.
• Respond constructively to your horse’s emotions.
• Turn pressure into clear communication instead of a source of stress.
• Engage your horses’ innate intelligence.
• Encourage your horse to seek your guidance when he is anxious.
• Build your horse’s confidence by encouraging curiosity (Investigative Behavior).
• Improve your horse’s reliability with positive experiences.
• Identify underlying causes of unwanted horse behavior to resolve issues quickly.
• Discourage unwanted behavior without punishment.
• Recognize unwanted behavior that is a sign your horse is thinking like a partner.

 These skills significantly improve your connections with horses, reduce horses’ stress and anxiety, and make training more efficient. Lynn refers to this type of horsemanship as Protector Leadership because you are your horse’s Protector.  This leadership approach has been used successfully for centuries by people of all backgrounds and skill levels, with horses at all levels of training.

Lynn combines extensive horse experience and an academic background in social dynamics with in-depth research.  She interprets and cites the scientific findings that explain why Protector Leadership works and offers valuable insights into equine psychology while exposing myths that are sources of problems.  Each chapter ends with a list of “Things to Try”: fun and easy-to-implement exercises that help you engage your horse as a thinking partner.

The narrative also follows Lynn's progress with her own horses, including mistakes and hindsight, and especially the transformation of the book’s "cover girl" Brandy from dangerous to trusting, confident, and reliable.  Clear, detailed photos show the subtle body language of horses and people, and illustrate dynamics that make a real difference in our relationships, communication, and training. 

Join the growing number of readers who are enjoying dramatic improvements in their interactions with their horses!

A compassionate, fact-based examination of the incredibly complex and extraordinarily divisive issue of too many horses, not enough homes.

Any horse, but for a change of circumstances, can become unwanted.

The unwanted are racetrack rejects, excess ranch stock, foals that did not live up to their breeder’s expectations. They are aged Amish cart horses, horses with chronic lameness issues, the pony a child outgrew. They are show horses, pleasure horses, the pretty horses and the plain. They come in all colors, sizes, and shapes. 

The US equine industry consistently produces more horses each year than the number of appropriate homes, leaving thousands of animals with nowhere to go. Recently, as many as 150,000 of these horses have shipped annually to equine slaughterhouses in Canada, Mexico, and abroad. Others are sold at auction, given away, starved, abused, and abandoned. Just over 1,000 rescues and municipal organizations across the country equipped to handle horses at risk report they are consistently close to or at capacity. Most are stretched to the breaking point when it comes to finances, material resources, and human power. 

Horsewoman and journalist Christina Keim, a veteran of the equine industry, believes the unwanted horse crisis urgently needs our collective voice and attention. Solving it, she suggests, requires a sea change in the face of not just fundamental values and beliefs, but also hard economic realities and deeply held cultural attitudes. In her meticulously researched study of this devastatingly real and present problem so many choose to ignore, she travels the country, bringing readers to livestock auctions, rescues, and therapy centers, describing work and life behind the scenes, and the animals who find themselves there. Keim interviews industry experts, including veterinarians, lawmakers, welfare advocates, and shelter workers, and reviews published data to help separate unwanted horse facts from fantasy. She works to dispel common myths and misconceptions surrounding the “slaughter pipeline,” without taking away from the harsh reality horses face once “in it.” And perhaps most importantly, she showcases the work of many dedicated individuals and groups who are collectively helping to carve out a new niche for the horse that both honors his heritage and can help to preserve his future. 

The Unwanted asks all of us to examine our unconscious and deeply held beliefs about horses, while suggesting ways to better understand how that perspective shapes our opinion about how they—and other non-human animals—should be treated. For there to be hope for a restorative and harmonious solution to the unwanted horse crisis, Keim professes, we must be ready to come to the table well informed, open-minded, and prepared to work for the horse’s best interests, rather than our own.