Archive for It's About The Horse The Free Forum for those Doing Parelli - and a whole lot More! "Anything forced and misunderstood can never be beautiful." Xenophon (430-355 B.C.),
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ElaineW
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Book Review!I am thinking of ordering Buck Brannaman's ground work book..
Who all has this book, and is it easy to follow the techniques?
Thanks!
Oh, I do also have True horsemanship through feel, it's a great book..
Thanks!
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PasoBaby_CarolU
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I didn't know there was a book, but there is a DVD that I bought and it is quite good.
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cheerios
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Book gets 2 thumbs up from me.
Maybe 3, but I don't have 3 thumbs.
Anyways, it's short, terse and to the point.
91 pages, big text, and most chapters are more pictures than text.
If you're looking for a step-by-step how to guide, this definitely isn't it.
However, it is packed with a lot of information.
I think it compliments the groundwork DVD really nicely. I tend to like things in print rather than DVD, so it's nice having the book as well as the DVD.
You will get the most out of the book if you are familiar with Buck's style and have seen some of his DVDs or work, particularly the groundwork DVD.
I'm enjoying the book, and have been working through some of the stuff in the first half of it with some of our youngsters.
Basically the book is an explanation of what (in Buck's eyes) his groundwork should look like. So, I take the words, go play with the horses, then come read the words again and try to figure out what we did well and what went astray.
At any rate, I think it's worth the $19.99.
Let me go find my copy and I'll type up the table of contents.
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cheerios
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Table of Contents
Lass Rope Work p. 1
Halter Work p. 12
Hooking On p. 24
Changing Eyes p. 29
Driving p. 33
Sacking p. 37
Bridling Preparation p. 40
Leading by Front Feet p. 44
Roping a Hind Foot p. 49
Cinch Preparation p. 56
More Flag Work p. 64
Horse Roping p. 66
Saddling p. 70
Moving Off Stirrups p. 80
Fence Work p. 82
***In several parts the book does assume that the read is fairly confident and competent in their ability to rope.
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cheerios
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Here is the chapter on moving off stirrups, so you can get an idea of the writing style.
| Quote: | It's good to teach your horse to move forward off of your stirrups to resemble what it might be like when you work your legs from the saddle.
Begin by having the horse on the fence, both of you facing the same direction. Very quietly bump his ribs with the stirrup for a couple of seconds then if you don't get a response, firm up by increasing the bumping to an amount that will get a change forward. There may be some concern on the horse's part at first. Keep asking till you get a change.
Continue doing this until you offer a subtle suggestion to move and he responds. At first you will only get a shift forward or a step, reward this. Work your way up to where you are getting several steps forward, only working the stirrup when he needs more "leg." Go both directions with your stirrups bumping him. After a short time you should be able to trot with him down the fence. If he gets scared and jumps past you, break his hindquarters away and lead him past you, back into the correct position and start again. |
That's the whole chapter. (There's a picture too.)
Short, sweet and to the point.
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whisperingwindfarms
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I love this book. But then again my attention span for reading nowadays rivals a gnat's.
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alexwein
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Re: Book Review! | ElaineW wrote: | I am thinking of ordering Buck Brannaman's ground work book..
Who all has this book, and is it easy to follow the techniques?
Thanks!
Oh, I do also have True horsemanship through feel, it's a great book..
Thanks! |
Have seen the dvd but not the book. Bill Dorrance's book is my 'bible' and it was the only birthday present I wanted (I'd been borrowing it from the local library and someone finally wanted it back! How rude!!). It IS a great book!!
I loved Mark Rashid's books too, though not a lot of specifics about techniques.
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ElaineW
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Re: Book Review! | alexwein wrote: | | ElaineW wrote: | I am thinking of ordering Buck Brannaman's ground work book..
Who all has this book, and is it easy to follow the techniques?
Thanks!
Oh, I do also have True horsemanship through feel, it's a great book..
Thanks! |
Have seen the dvd but not the book. Bill Dorrance's book is my 'bible' and it was the only birthday present I wanted (I'd been borrowing it from the local library and someone finally wanted it back! How rude!!). It IS a great book!!
I loved Mark Rashid's books too, though not a lot of specifics about techniques. |
alex..
What Mark Rashid book would you suggest to start with?
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cynthia peterson
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I love Bill Dorrance's book too, Horsemanship Through Feel.
I love Buck's groundwork DVD and book. I would certainly say they go hand and hand. This is the very biggest thing I got out of it. The whole reason for groundwork and the roundpen is to get the horse to LOOK at you, SEAK you, ASK QUESTIONS of you. I know Parelli taught that too in some ways. And the way Pat has you have the horse watch you is b/c you will smack the HQs if they don't. Bend over and threaten. But, it starts right here to do it right. Buck more less has you stop anything else but get that attention. Not yanking like Clint Anderson does either, but step ahead of the horse if it doesn't respond, and it must respond. You want it to "hook on", and not b/c your gonna' smack it. Right there when the horse ignores you is the seed of everything else. Do you remember the first time you did the circling game and your horse tried to stampede off or rear at some point? Almost every Parelli person has that happen. That's b/c Pat never stressed how important it was to get that attention. And it is there in Bill's book too. Most certainly Pat knows it and teaches it, but it is one of those things he kinda' leaves out the whole deal of it so you will keep coming back to learn from HIM to fix (use the stick, use the stick this way, etc, no that;s in Level 2, L&B,---whatever you haven't already bought.)
Well, that's just MHO.
Way back in the first BB DVD, trailer loading and Problem solving, Buck had that keen insight (he mentions which way the horse will go) And that's one thing about BB, I feel he always had the knowledge and isn't just picking it up as they go along like some clinicians. I have never talked to anyone who didn't think Buck was one of the greatest horsemen alive. Dr Deb Bennett says you must see Harry Whitney and Buck Brannaman.
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alexwein
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Re: Book Review! | ElaineW wrote: | | alexwein wrote: | | ElaineW wrote: | I am thinking of ordering Buck Brannaman's ground work book..
Who all has this book, and is it easy to follow the techniques?
Thanks!
Oh, I do also have True horsemanship through feel, it's a great book..
Thanks! |
Have seen the dvd but not the book. Bill Dorrance's book is my 'bible' and it was the only birthday present I wanted (I'd been borrowing it from the local library and someone finally wanted it back! How rude!!). It IS a great book!!
I loved Mark Rashid's books too, though not a lot of specifics about techniques. |
alex..
What Mark Rashid book would you suggest to start with? |
I've only read two of them, and really liked them both. Whole Heart, Whole Horse puts together a lot of the ideas present in the earlier books. It's a very easy read and covers a lot of ground, but in a general way.
Horses Never Lie focuses more on the qualities of what he calls 'passive leadership,' which he admits is a kind of misnomer.
Hard to way which one I'd start with. I started with Whole Heart, Whole Horse, and I think perhaps that one is more inclusive and includes what you'd get in the others to a degree.
They are both very easy reads. He includes stories from his time with the "Old Man," who was formative in his very early years with horses. What I like about the books is how clearly the concepts and ideas he presents are communicated through the stories. Not a lot of specifics, but I still found a lot of it informative and reinforcing. Plus, they are really enjoyable to read!
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cheerios
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Re: Book Review! | alexwein wrote: | .
Horses Never Lie focuses more on the qualities of what he calls 'passive leadership,' which he admits is a kind of misnomer.
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Horses Never Lie is excellent.
I definitely recommend reading it!!
I've had to buy several copies, because I keep giving them away to people...
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ElaineC
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I highly value Buck's groundwork book. Can't add much to whats already been said - its short, to the point, and compliments the DVD very well, but it also stands on its own very well. I found its straightforward approach clarified quite a bit for me, sometimes simple is better!
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jackspark
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I'd start at the beginning and go in order if I intended to read them all. They are ALL great. Considering the Horse, followed by A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color......... and move on from there 
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alexwein
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| jackspark wrote: | | I'd start at the beginning and go in order if I intended to read them all. They are ALL great. Considering the Horse, followed by A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color......... and move on from there |
Definitely cannot go wrong with reading them all. I'm in the middle of re-reading Whole Heart, Whole Horse. I love his stories and how he teaches through them. A wonderful teaching style.
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AlythLong
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I have read a couple of Mark Rashids books - borrowed from the library. While they were interesting and easy reading I did not find them instructive. Certainly not "how to" or "what to" do books, more of his life story. So I decided against purchasing them, not my type of learning I'm afraid.
Alyth
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jackspark
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Rashid's books are intangible.......they teach feel and a state of mind.
Edit: I got to thinkin about how different people are affected by different books.............I got my "feel" from these books and got nothing from Bill's book, odd don't ya think?
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becdubie
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I agree with you jackspark, when reading a mark rashid book, I get the feel of what he is talking about too, plus they are entertaining.
I haven't read bills book, but maybe I'll go pick it up today.
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alexwein
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I think there is a huge difference in the way things are conveyed in these books. Mark R. tells stories and goes back and forth between his time as a kid with the Old Man and the 'current' horse he's dealing with in a clinic situation or whatever. Teaching through stories is very different than a narrative didactic form of instruction, i.e., Bill's way of describing exercises to do.
The 'feel' is very much there in Bill's book. I have come to tears reading his book, believe it or not. There is something in the way he talks about horses that I find extremely moving and makes me love this man. I have used the exercises in his book quite a bit.
MR's books, you are right, they teach a feeling, or maybe I should say awaken a feeling inside me.
These are two very distinct modes of teaching, through descriptive stories and through a more didactic type of description. We are different kinds of learners, so we are naturally drawn to the teachers that teach in our style of learning!
I'd say with MR it's more intuitive and with Bill's book it's more on the rational, mental level. Both are really good. I tend to learn in both modalities, which is why I love both. But not so for everyone.
Anyway, that's all to say that they are both amazing teachers and great books to read, but you may find yourself more drawn to one or the other. Both MR and Bill's book have moved me to tears, just because I felt such resonance with what they were saying and what I was feeling. It's been so moving for me to find that there are such people in the world who not only love and respect horses so deeply but can teach ME what I yearn to know. A lifelong yearning, I might add, to find teacher such as this.
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