Finding the Missed Path ― The Art of Restarting Horses

Just like people, horses often grow up with holes” in their training and education. And again, just like people, they sometimes learn the wrong kinds of things (bad habits”) as they mature. Unfortunately, both issues are usually due to parallel holes and habits in the individuals who handle and ride them: inexperience, ignorance, or both can, over time, fracture a horse's confidence, leading to problems in the relationships he attempts to form with a human partner. When this kind of breakdown occurs, the horse may need to be restarted”that is, given a second chance to begin anew. In order to do this successfully, his trainer needs to know how to retrace the steps the horse's education has taken, ready to find the path missed the first time around. Internationally renowned horseman Mark Rashid has made it is his life's work to pinpoint the causes of equine distress that perhaps make his life in the company of humans difficult. In this book, the first of the expansive library of books penned by Rashid to include over 100 full-color photographs, readers are guided through practical steps for restarting horses, using Rashid's simple, quiet techniques derived from years of study of martial arts. And, in true Rashid storytelling style, dozens of anecdotes entertain while gently revealing important lessons integral to every horseperson's journey.

Mark Rashid (pronounced RASH-id) is an internationally acclaimed horse trainer known for his ability to understand the horse’s point of view and solve difficult problems with communication rather than force. He began working with horses at age ten, when he met the old man,” who taught him to work with horses, not against them, and to listen to what the horse is trying to say. Mark’s clinics center on one-on-one work with horse and rider and are immensely popular with people around the world.

When Mark decided to study the martial art of aikido as a way to improve his horsemanship, he brought the same quiet determination to it that he exhibits in his work with horses. After years of practice, he has earned a second degree black belt in Yoshinkan aikido and now teaches the way of harmony” in the local dojo.

Mark worked full time on ranches for many years gathering herds, managing stock, and training horses. When time permits, he still enjoys working on ranches near his home in Estes Park, Colorado.

Mark has been a guest on NPR’s The Horse Show and was featured on the Nature series on PBS. He is the author of nine books -Considering the Horse, A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color; Horses Never Lie; Life Lessons from a Ranch Horse; Horsemanship Through Life; Big Horses, Good Dogs, & Straight Fences; A Life With Horses; Whole Heart, Whole Horse; and his latest, a novel,Out of the Wild. He also has a solo music CD Song of the Prairie and enjoys singing and playing guitar with a local band The Elktones.

Skip Ewing lives in Nashville, TN.