Horse, Follow Closely: Native American Horsemanship (R) (CompanionHouse Books) Traditional Methods of America's First Great Horsemen; Understand Your Horse and Create a Bond with Relationship Training

A very thorough guide to developing a relationship with your horse and and of nature.

Nice quality for my coffee table

I've been on a bend, reading as many books on horses that I can find so I can understand my horse, and this book has turned out to be one of my favorites. There's learning about horses, and there's making a spiritual connection, Gawani Pony Boy does that latter. He teaches a rider who to think like horse, rather than thinking of a horse as human and making them act in ways that humans act(two-leggeds as Pony Boy would say). While this might sound trite, we humans try to put human traits onto our animals all the time, from dressing up our dogs, to expecting a horse to react to our vocal commands while our bodies are saying something different.Pony Boy explains how horses are herd animals and they need a strong, competent and wise leader to follow, and if that's not you, the horse will not respect you. Pony Boy tells us how to explain things to a horse in their language. How to observe your horse to see his likes and dislikes, things no one can tell you because maybe no one else knows. He explains how the Natives discovered horses and within a couple of hundred years, became horsemen that were unparalleled in the world.What I loved most about this book is how Pony Boy shows the reader how you can become 'one' with your horse, getting him to move where you want with nothing more than focus. I loved how he explained why horses move to one side when you shift your weight. Pony Boy suggests you put a child on your shoulders to feel what a horse feels when weight it shifted from one side the other.I could tell that this man has a great love and respect for his brother the horse, and it made me understand these magnificent beings a little more. Horses were not just beasts of burdens to the Natives, but a spiritual partner. Besides the wonderful lessons, the photos in this book are just breathtaking, even in my Kindle Paperwhite, that I just had to see them on my IPad. The photos are even more amazing in color. I can even tell what some of the markings painted on these ponies mean now after reading this book. If you love horses, you'll love this book.

This was a gift for a horse lady. It was loved!

I thought this was a beautiful book,crammed full of great horse sense. I only wish I would have had it when growing up with my horse in Montana 85 years ago. Our relationship was very similar, and ALWAYS riding bareback!

Of all the horse books in my bookcases, this is my favorite by far. Gawani Pony Boy has captured my values and my beliefs about horses. I am anything but a horse trainer but I get many horses in my rescue to do things for me without "formal" training. This book emphasizes the importance of one's relationship with a horse and the importance of "listening" to horses. This book validated my experience and my belief that horses have rights, feelings, and preferences that should be honored and respected. For those who are looking for training skills without an emphasis on the relationship with the horse, another book would probably be more suitable. For those who only want a result and do not care what it does to a horse to get the result, this is not the book they will appreciate.I first received this book as a gift and have been purchasing it as gifts for others. If I could only take 12 inches of book material with me to be deserted on an island this book would be included.

This is a must read for anyone longing to build a stronger relationship with their horses.

I gave this as a gift to a dear friend who is always looking for ideas to improve her horsemanship. While there were few really original ideas (or maybe these were the original ideas on horsemanship in the Americas), the photography and writing was inspiring. It's also a nice book to have in a collection to remind us that many cultures adore horses.

What a refreshing view on horse training, however, I expected all the exercise to happen outside the arena which is why the title only received 4*. Either way it’s well worth reading

I adore horses and Native American culture, this made me closer to the horses I ride, it made me feel like I am riding my best and made me feel more confident on the saddle. The bond between me and horses I ride is now more stronger than ever! I totally recommend this to new riders and even experienced riders!

I chose this book because it was to do with the most natural way of training horses and I was'nt disapointed

Ich habe das Buch bereits seit langem und war begeistert. Diesmal wollte ich es für einen Freund kaufen. Leider war die dazugehörige DVD nicht dabei. Der Umtausch ging schnell vonstatten, aber der Ersatz enthielt wieder keine DVD. Nach meiner Beschwerde erhielt ich die Antwort, dass nachgeforscht würde, weshalb das passiert ist. Leider habe ich bis heute nichts erfahren. Wenn ich sicher sein könnte, dass die DVD wieder enthalten ist, würde ich das Buch sofort kaufen.Zum Buch selbst: Gawani Pony Boy ist ein interessanter Mensch, was er sagt, kommt glaubhaft herüber. Wenn man sich für Natural Horsemanship interessiert, weiß man dass sich ja letztendlich alles ähnelt, was man darüber zu hören bekommt, sei es Parelli, Brennaman oder eben Gawani, denn es basiert alles auf der Sprache der Pferde. Dennoch ist es interessant, die unterschiedlichen Persönlichkeiten kennen zu lernen, und dieser Umgang mit den Pferden ist einfach sehr beeindruckend. Das Buch selbst bekommt 5 Sterne, wegen den Umständen kann ich nur drei vergeben.

wunderschönes buch und wunderschöne DVD.Für Horsemanshipbefürworter ein Muss , damit man sehen kann wie man auf der Ebene der Pferde arbeitet. Manche dinge würde ich so jetzt nicht umsetzen , weil ich etwas emotionaler bin , aber man kann Dinge gut umsetzen und die Beziehung zu seinem Pferd vertiefen indem die Kommunikation verbessert wird. Sehr empfehlenswert!