No comments about Pennsylvania - Standard Railroad of the World Volume 1 (1).

1 comments about Training Hunters, Jumpers, and Hacks..

1. This is simply the best book I have ever read on the subject of training hunters and jumpers. Chamberlin provides a detailed explanation of conformation of the hunter-type horse, methods of breaking from the colt stage with emphasis on resistance-free training, and more detailed information on how to bring about a true hunter with training proper. I have ridden and owned horses for several years, have read countless books on this subject, and find Brig. Gen. Chamberlin's approach refreshing and right on target. This is an "old style" approach to riding hunt seat and jumping, but valuable nonetheless and enlightened, particularly concerning the forward seat in the saddle and movement of the horse. I find these elements missing in many more modern books on the subject. To conclude, anyone who desires to ride hunt seat or jump should read and analyze this particular book - it will be of immense help.

5 comments about Album of horses.

1. I picked up ALBUM OF HORSES at a school book fair in the fifth grade and have since read this book numerous times. There is detailed information about breeds and the history of horses. The illustrations are gorgeous and this is a great book to add to any horse fan's collection.



2. Okay, if you are looking for a book that just has facts, no history about the breed, nothing interesting to it then don't get this book. If you are looking for some breed history and a fun read with that classic touch of Marguerite Henery then this is great. I still love reading it over and over. Henery doesn't write boring books about facts, she writes stories about horses, I have no idea why people expect this to be any different. If you want a book strictly about facts then I recommend Horses by Smithsonian Handbooks, if you want stories about breeds and history get this one.



3. I had owned this book when I was a kid. I loved it because it gave you so much information about the different breeds of horses and the pictures were wonderful for me to look at back then. I bought this book because I don't know what happened to the original and it made me sad. Out of nostalgia for the past experience I had when I had the book as a kid, as an adult, I wanted the book back. I was so thankful that it was possible to even get a copy because I know it is an older book. Even though the reading is not geared for an adult I still find the book heart-warming to own.



4. When I bought this book, it looked pretty good and since it had more than a hundred pages, i thought i would enjoy it but i didnt.
   This book starts of with a story of a horse, then goes into some boring history. You dont get very many good facts from this book, so if you are looking for a book that has a lot of facts about horses in it, dont buy this one!



5. I haven't read the new edition, but I have an old, 1960s hardcover from an antique store and it is beautiful! Henry's breed descriptions turn the history of a horse into a captivating story. Best of all, it is all factual! Dennis's amazing horse pictures illuminate the book and give it a charming touch. Being a devoted Appie lover and owner, I was particularly fond of the chapter on the Appaloosa! All the stories and accompanying artwork peices are spectacular, though, and it is my opinion that every junior rider worth her salt should have a copy of this book on their shelf.

1 comments about Veterinary Care for the Perfect Horse (John Lyons Perfect Horse Library Series).

1. This book is gr8 to have around for the basics. Keeps you up-to-date on all the information you need to know regarding wormer information, yearly shot information, diseases, etc. Also references regarding temps, resp, etc. My friends love it that I can refer to this book first before I have to call them. = ) Gr8 book to have on hand for every horse owner.

4 comments about Horseman's Scrapbook: His Handy Hints Combined in Our Handy Reference.

1. I have read this book over a dozen times. It is priceless . If you work on a farm ranch or just have stock such as cows, horses or just raise Lamas this book is a must have. I train exotic animals world wide for a living. This book has come in handy in Africa as well as Thailand . It helps you learn to improvise when making tack or fixing fences or just throwing together some rigging. It covers the basics and advanced knots for making halters,tying horses or just splicing a rope. I have used it for training camels believe it or not. The various diagrams on laying a horse down have all but been forgotten. If you are a down to earth scavenger like myself you will love this book . It will pay for itself over and over.
   Army Maguire



2. The book was introduced to me by a next door neighbor. I found that once i picked it up i couldnt set it down. I was amazed at the endless ideas in this wonderful book. As a horseman myself im always looking for ways to make new stuff, and fix old stuff. To my suprise i had most of the stuff on hand, and having a machines shop at my home i spent more time in the shop. My neighbor and myself have built most of the farm yard ideas, and its fun to look around and see the improvments. I recomend this book for anyone who is a do it yourselfer, or just a cowboy at heart. Ive had fun with it and i hope you do too...



3. This is a collection of Randy Steffen's best horse owner's tips from his 40 years of tips in The Western Horseman magazine.

   Each tip is described and illustrated in a very clear and concise way.

   The book is organized by sections (trailers, tack room, training, etc). It's very easy to find neat ideas for any area of horsemanship (whether you are a cowboy or dressage enthusiast).

   Terrific book.




4. If you have horses or a farm of any kind, you NEED this book! Very entertaining, and lots of invaluable hints!

4 comments about Make Money With Horses.

1. I purchased this book in 2001 when I was starting out in the Thoroughbred Horse Racing business. It is now April 2, 2006 and I still quote this book. So much so that my trainer is purchasing 5 copies for his other owners. It is really good for people who are just getting into the business; do not have a lot of money or having problems making a profit. So far I have not loss a dime on any horse I have owned. I often refer to it as my "Racing Bible". Need I say more?



2. This book has some great ideas, with alot of percentages for examples, but it is primarily for the individual that wishes to go into the horse racing business. Theres not too much info for the person that wants to make money having a riding facility, or giving trail rides. Basically its for someone that wants to make a quick profit buying horses and fastly turning around and selling them. I would not recommed this book for the person wishing to start a nice casual back yard business.



3. This book is an excellent source of information. The material is presented in a down-to-earth way that can be understood and put to practical use.



4. As I started skipping through the book I found some subjects that caught my eye. The chapters on stallions and trainers are absolutely great. Because of the interest in these two, I went back to the beginning, and low and behold, you can apply quite a bit of this information to a wide variety of situations (it refers mostly to racing). In particular, the recommended method of evaluating horses could be useful when looking at any type of horse. This book is one I'll keep in my library.

   Editor, Alaska Horse Journal

No comments about Classical Horsemanship for Our Time: From Basic Training to the Highest Levels of Dressage.

5 comments about Wild About Horses: Our Timeless Passion for the Horse.

1. Just read - agree with Monika - (review written in '04 (I believe) too much tales of abuse, murder, maiming of horses for my taste. What was this author (compiler) thinking about in getting this stuff together? I wonder how many books this has really sold. I also wonder about the other reviewers who gave this five stars? Lots of info left out - something started then left hanging. "Epic Rides" - terrible, deplorable. Overall not a good effort. Scanlan - how much of a horse lover is he, really? Makes you wonder. Wish I could get my $15.00 back.



2. I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. Whether you are an expert horseperson or just a horse lover this book is for you! The chapters cover horses throughout history in war, sports, Hollywood, Greek mythology, and even where we get some of our common sayings (pass the buck, lucky horseshoe, getting on your high horse). I will definitely read this book more than once!



3. The author, Lawrence Scanlan, is something of a 'born-again' horse lover, by his own proclamation. He admits that for much of his life he failed to see the overwhelming appeal that many people find in horses. But as an adult, in preparation for his job as co-author of "Riding High" with show jumping champion Ian Millar, Scanlan started to take riding lessons. Soon he was hooked. Although he still does not have horses of his own, he now loves riding and spending time in the company of our equine companions. As he read more and more about the equine creature, he became fascinated with the intertwined histories of humans and horses. This is what led him to write "Wild About Horses," a collection of [mostly true, some fictional] stories celebrating this inter-species bond.

   Scanlan does not really have a central thesis, but rather explores the numerous ways in which horses have participated in and impacted humans throughout history and into the present day. His writing is fluid and to the point. The book is divided into ten chapters, each with a slightly different theme, covering such stories as the following (these are not the only stories he addresses, but just a sampling to give you an idea):

   Horses in rituals and sacrifices through history; Pegasus; the Trojan Horse; Scanlan's own horseback trip in Wyoming; the history of mustangs; Wild Horse Annie; the evolution of the horse; the domestication of horses; horses as a food source; Xenophon; Native American horsemanship; trainer John Solomon Raney in the 1850s; trainers Monty Roberts and Tom Dorrance; Alexander the Great and Bucephalus; the history of warhorses; the Huns and Mongols; Medieval knights; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Comanche and the Battle of Little Bighorn; Napoleon and Marengo; Wellington and Copenhagen; Roy Rogers and Trigger; Eadweard Muybridge's motion photography; the Lone Ranger and Silver; the books "Black Beauty," "Misty of Chincoteague," "My Friend Flicka," and "Smoky the Cow Horse"; the movie "National Velvet"; author and former jockey Dick Francis; equine athletes Ruffian, Northern Dancer, Secretariat, Phar Lap, Man O'War, Big Ben, Halla, and Arkle; cattle drives; Scanlan's own stay at a working ranch; A.E. Tschiffley's 10,000 mile ride across the Americas; Barbara Whittome's 2,500 mile ride across Russia; Welsh Pony breeders Dick & Adele Rockwell; the Pony Express, and Buffalo Bill Cody; Snow Man, a horse rescued from slaughter that went on to become a champion jumper; Marocco the 'dancing horse'; Clever Hans; horse psychic Fred Kimball; and the bonds horses form with other animals.

   While I did enjoy reading this book, I have a few criticisms. First and foremost, Scanlan seems to have borrowed heavily from the book "The Man Who Listens to Horses" by Monty Roberts (for which Scanlan wrote the introduction and afterword). He has used material both from his own contributions to the book, as well as Roberts's own writing, often using identical phrasing. This parroting was especially evident since I have only just finished reading Roberts's book, and was somewhat disappointing. The sense of repetition is also furthered by the fact that most of these stories are very common ones, and I've heard about 75% of them before. They're not bad stories, but I do wish Scanlan had dug a little deeper for some less commonly heard-of accounts to include.

   Furthermore, Scanlan's coverage is not balanced. He leaves out vast areas of the horse world. The book has plenty of material on riding horses and ponies, but almost nothing on draft horses. The "Sport Horse Legends" chapter focuses almost entirely on Thoroughbred racehorses. There are a few jumpers thrown in, but no Western horses at all. When he talks of horse trainers, he talks a great deal about Monty Roberts, and a little bit about a couple others, but does not even mention many of the most influencial trainers of the last few decades. At times I also questioned the author's analytical skills, particularly when he dismissed a story as false on the basis that the horse involved, reported to be a palomino, had a Spanish name that translated to Cinnamon (which he said was too dark a color for palomino). However, this does not seem so far-fetched to me, as my father once owned a small black dog named Big Red...

   And finally, his writing is not completely focused on the supposed subject of the book - why humans love horses. He has included an overwhelming number of stories about horse abuse, and most don't even lead into more uplifting stories. In the "Epic Rides" chapter, he even commends several long-distance riders known for riding horses to death. Even more strange to me was the fact that, although much of the first chapter talks mildly and even respectfully about the ways horse skins and heads were used to adorn ancient holy spots, Scanlan later launches into a tirade against equine taxidermy and condemns horsemen such as Roy Rogers, who chose to have Trigger preserved and mounted.

   However, despite its faults, I did like the book. It was not perfect, but it was enjoyable. I did find some of the stories to be new and quite interesting, and Scanlan's extensive list of recommended further reading has lengthened the list of books I plan to read. If you're a connoisseur of horse lore, "Wild About Horses" may not hold any surprises for you, but it is nevertheless a nice collection. It's easy reading, and the text is interspersed with many black-and-white photographs. This would be nice for a personal treat or a gift for a friend.




4. My mother bought this book for me when she worried that her online purchase "The Tao of Horses" might not arrive on time (It did! Amazon.com always comes through!) This was the only book on horses in the entire used book store where she loves to shop... so she was apologetic about having to get me 'any old horse book' as a substitute for the one I'd wanted.

   I'm so happy she found this book.. I might never have found it on my own. I find it extremely easy to read, and quite informative in its' historical pieces. I love 'horse lore', but if it is written tediously, I don't often have the energy left to read it after a long day of teaching.

   This book is a delight!




5. I gave "Wild About Horses" four stars instead of five because I'd already heard or read most of the stories in my fifty years of being 'wild about horses'. They're good stories though, and well worth repeating. Scanlan reports a variation on 'The Pacing Mustang' (one of my all time favorites): the wild stallion who threw himself off of a cliff rather than endure capture by men. He includes a chapter on 'Epic Rides' which made me want to just saddle up and go (one of his riders, A.F. Tschiffely rode 10,000 miles from the tip of South of America to Washington D.C. in two and a half years. Anyone game for a trip from Texas to Alaska?).

   'Wild About Horses' would be an excellent book to give to your horse-crazy teen-ager. It's all about relationships (between horses and humans, in this case) and is written in a laid-back, New Age style that is easy to read. Scanlan talks about his own experiences with horses, and if you're a beginning rider you'll empathize with him!

No comments about Smart Horse: Understanding the Science of Natural Horsemanship.

5 comments about Sketches from the Ranch: A Montana Memoir.

1. Montana has produced so many fine writers. Here's another one. Aadland is the son of a Lutheran minister, growing up in south central Montana between the Beartooth Mountains and the Crow Reservation. His "memoir" is mostly about the present, with flashbacks to the past, which include stories of his wife's forebears, who emigrated from Norway in the late 19th century to set themselves up as ranchers. And there are memories of his boyhood, working as a hired hand, a tour of duty in Vietnam as a marine, and raising a family.

   The particular achievement of the book is its description of daily life on a modern-day ranch. Of the many books on ranching, this one conveys better than most the seasonal routines of labor from spring calving and breeding to fall roundup, sale barns, and feeding during the months of snow. There are descriptions of haying, fieldwork, irrigation, keeping machinery running, and visits from the vet. The book also describes well the evolution of ranchwork from when ranchers used horses and hired men to get the work done, and neighbors pitched in to help each other with harvesting. Today, much of the work is mechanized, ranchers work alone, and the undependable seasons, slow markets, and razor-thin profit margins require second incomes for both rancher and spouse. Besides raising cattle, Aadland and his wife are school teachers. He travels 60 miles each way to the high school in Bridger (pop. 724), and in winter months sees the ranch in sunlight only on weekends.

   He's also a horseman, raising and training walking horses, and much of the book is devoted to this subject. There are descriptions of patiently working his horses, including a team he uses to harrow a field for no other reason than to experience the pleasure of this old-fashioned method of farming -- no deafening engine to block out the sounds of the natural environment, or to damage hearing. He's a literate rancher, quoting Robert Frost and Thoreau, and both thoughtful and articulate. He's also informative. You learn about practices of breeding horses and cows and how a vet tests for pregnancy. You learn the tentative relationship between weather forecasts and the timing of cutting and baling hay. He has a steady eye and a sense of pacing that makes his book a graceful and unhurried cycle through the seasons. You become so intimately involved in Aadland's life that the sudden tragedy that occurs in the final chapters is both a jolting surprise and thoroughly heart-breaking

   It should also be mentioned that this is a handsomely designed book, illustrated with many fine drawings of ranch life by artist Nik Carpenter. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in working ranches, the Big Sky country, horses, and the making of not just a living but a life. As a companion volume, I suggest "Some Horses" by Thomas McGuane, another Montana writer, as well as Linda Hasselstrom's "Windbreak," which recounts a year on a cattle ranch in South Dakota.




2. Sketches From The Ranch: A Montana Memoir is an engaging compilation of the thoughtful writings of Dan Aadland. Sketches From The Ranch is about living on a western American ranch (which was founded in 1892), experiencing the turn of the seasons, rejoicing in the birth of colts and calves, embracing simple means of life even as Thoreau did at Walden. Superb black-and-white sketches by artist Nik Carpenter add a visual and emotional touch to this moving memoir.



3. Sketches From The Ranch: A Montana Memoir is an engaging compilation of the thoughtful writings of Dan Aadland. Sketches From The Ranch is about living on a western American ranch (which was founded in 1892), experiencing the turn of the seasons, rejoicing in the birth of colts and calves, embracing simple means of life even as Thoreau did at Walden. Superb black-and-white sketches by artist Nik Carpenter add a visual and emotional touch to this moving memoir.



4. I am an unlikely reader of a book about ranching, a city professional within minutes of the Mall of America. Yet, Dan Aadland brought me intimately into his world and not only let me taste the experience of ranching, but like all good writing, let me feast on life. The sensual quality of the author's writing moved me to respond with my senses. For example, I found that I most enjoyed reading the book on my deck overlooking the woods, feeling the breeze against my face. It was in this setting that I read about cattle buying. Here is a subject I definitely would not have pursued on my own. But Aadland brought the scenes and participants to life and had me so engaged, it was one of my favorite "sketches." I relished his description of the feast he prepared on his private moose hunt. As he wrote about storytelling over Yukon Jack and grapefruit juice, I was compelled to pour my personal version: Cuervo Gold on the rocks with lime juice. I sipped as he told his stories. Dan Aadland not only illuminated the world around him. He effectively brought me into his private world of thought and emotion. I felt right with him as I read his disclosure, "I wonder what I would be psychologically without this space around me, shudder, and force myself to think happier thoughts." I shuddered with him. His emotional honesty was particularly striking as he describes an emotional catharsis toward the end of the book. Aadland's ability to expose the most private--and enlivening--aspects of human experience helped me to identify with him and feel less alone. This was particularly poignant when I recently experienced an emotional reaction similar to the author's. I called up the experience of the author and felt soothed. The isolation-breaking quality of Aadland's writing is a real gift to his readers. I came away from Sketches with a deep respect for ranching, and for a life well lived.



5. Dan Aadland's memoir includes many wonderful stories of hard work accomplished in the beautiful ranchlands of Montana. I enjoyed learning about the true bravery required to bring a string of ponies hundreds of miles over wild terrain. The joys and sorrows of daily ranch life are artfully depicted, along with the history and culture of southern Montana. An excellent read.