There are No Problem Horses, Only Problem Riders

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Summary: I have retuned this book
Review: If I could give it no stars I would. How anyone can advocate the use of a nail in the fist to stop a horse biting,beats me.There are many good books available now on natural horsemanship, a much more enlightened way to treat these wonderful animals.Merrilyn Deimos

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Summary: THE One to Read
Review: If you don't have this book, your horse library is not complete. I've found most horse trainers concerned with either the horse or the rider. Ms. Twelveponies is one of the few I've encountered who knows and cares about both. I started a youngster using her principles and avoided most of the problems I had heard or read about. She uses the the term "respectful." This is the correct path between beating and coddling. By the time you finish the book, you'll have a better insight into her horses and yours. Refer to it often.

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Summary: A long standing classic on horsemanship
Review: In thirty odd years of experiences with horses, I can tell you that the principles and techniques used in this book are very practical for the average horse owner to implement on a daily basis. Not everyone can afford the expensive trainer or round pen and so many horse owners are left to thier own devices. So what do you do when your horse is not responding? You must communicate and redirect the horses thinking to the fact that you are the dominate herd member. This book will help provide techniques on how to accomplish this. It is written so that even the hardest problems have a solution. It teaches you how to obtain obedience through basic herd behavior and the natural tendecy of horses to follow the dominate one without being abusive to the horse or owner. Keep in mind that horses are much more abusive to one another than most people realize. There are NO problem horses...And with the help of this book there will be fewer problem riders...

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Summary: Easy to understand and use the techniques given.
Review: Mary Twelveponies explains problems horses have that have begun by riders. She explains ways to undo the damage and have a re-union of horse and rider. Another good book by her is "The Complete Book of Horses and Ponies".

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Summary: A lot of useful information & easy to read
Review: Mary Twelveponies obviously loves horses and she shares her experience with the reader in a very catching and easy to read way. I am sorry one of the reviewers says she advocates to use a nail in the fist against biting. She does not! A nailed fist is a fist that does not move.

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Summary: Techniques are too harsh!
Review: The title of the book sold me on it, but I quickly learned that you can't judge a book by its title. It's clear that Ms Twelveponies doesn't believe the title's statement -- she seems to think that most problems can be solved by striking the horse and bullying him into obeying orders. This is completely contrary to the advice I've been given by other trainers. Ms Twelveponies needs to learn (and teach) patience. And readers serious about building good relationships with their horses should not buy this book.

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Summary: The worst thing you could do to horses
Review: The worst thing you could do to horses is to follow the advice of Mary Twelveponies. This book and her philosophies are based on the principle: eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. She often refers to the holy book. Maybe she seeks an excuse when she hit horses with nails if they bite. She likes to punish horses with a whip if they don't obey. She says serveral times: you have to be the boss. So you whip a horse on the foreleggs firmly if he does'nt listen? When I finished the book I was alsmost shaking because of disgust. Unbelievable that these kind of people may spread their word in print. This book should be put into a huge bonfire. I am relieved that there are other authors like John Lyons and Pat Parelli. Those persons deserve respect.

Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners or experienced riders.
Review: This book is easy to read and to understand. It gives help for the beginning rider and also for the more advanced rider who may be having problems with a new or seasoned horse. Mary Twelveponies gives information on how to understand your horse as well as how to help your horse overcome bad habits or fears. She tells the reader how to keep both rider and horse safe.

Rating:
Summary: very helpful!!!
Review: this book is very helpful! it tells you how to control a horse so that he respects your postition as boss. if your horse is being stubborn, it gives you #1 ways to get the horse responding again.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed Feelings.
Review: This book seems a mixture of harsh ideas and sensible ones. On one particular page, the author used to phrase 'hit my horse' over and over again and in general made me cringe. On the other hand she has sensible answers to somebody's problems with a pony that was being pushed too far, too fast. My guess is that the apparent harshness is partially a matter of language, and that she means well.