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Think Harmony with Horses: An In-depth Study of Horse/Man Relationship
“When you ask your horse to do something it should be his idea he wants to do it, he likes to do it, he understands how to do it, and he does it.” These words are typical of the way Ray Hunt expresses his philosophy of the ideal relationship between man and horse.
That philosophy is discussed in this book, in a manner that makes the reader feel as if he is listening to Ray talk. It is persuasive talk— gently persuasive; this man’s ideas make a lot of sense, and the success he has achieved with those ideas is impressive.
Ray Hunt travels around the country working with groups of riders who are interested in his philosophy of harmony with horses.
As Gene Lewis says in his Foreword to the book, Ray’s theory is “to unite the horse and rider into one working unit of both mind and body. He has developed a language that most western people can understand and has become a wonderful teacher [and] demonstrator.”
Included in the book is an interpretation of the “Ray Hunt method of schooling a horse,” written by Vincent W. Carpenter, who attended one of Ray’s clinics. He tells amazing stories that Ray might not tell about himself and summarizes the whole philosophy in a clear and objective way.
Also included is a question and answer section, in which a number of the most commonly asked questions are answered in detail. And throughout the entire book runs the simple, basic idea: think harmony.
That philosophy is discussed in this book, in a manner that makes the reader feel as if he is listening to Ray talk. It is persuasive talk— gently persuasive; this man’s ideas make a lot of sense, and the success he has achieved with those ideas is impressive.
Ray Hunt travels around the country working with groups of riders who are interested in his philosophy of harmony with horses.
As Gene Lewis says in his Foreword to the book, Ray’s theory is “to unite the horse and rider into one working unit of both mind and body. He has developed a language that most western people can understand and has become a wonderful teacher [and] demonstrator.”
Included in the book is an interpretation of the “Ray Hunt method of schooling a horse,” written by Vincent W. Carpenter, who attended one of Ray’s clinics. He tells amazing stories that Ray might not tell about himself and summarizes the whole philosophy in a clear and objective way.
Also included is a question and answer section, in which a number of the most commonly asked questions are answered in detail. And throughout the entire book runs the simple, basic idea: think harmony.
83 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 21, 2024
A very nice book, I liked most of the concepts:) Ray Hunt seems like a very pleasant trainer
July 7, 2021
This is a timeless piece of wisdom. Ray Hunt speaks plainly but with intention and gentle authority. The themes are repetitive but that’s as they were intended to be. He hammers on the points most people miss. It’s a short read. It’s an enjoyable read. And it’s a read you will want to come back to. I really enjoy tapping into a little of Mr. Hunt’s wisdom before I ride my horse and I think my horse appreciates it too.
January 6, 2021
Make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy...
August 29, 2018
This is a book for horse lovers. It could be read by anyone and there would be advice that would help you deal with workplace dynamics, personal relationships, anger, and general day to day human behavior; but maybe a non-horse person would not recognize how this advice would be pertinent. It would be interesting, though, to hear back from a non-horse person who reads and ponders the words in this book. It gets 5 stars because I just love the content.
March 21, 2020
Awesome book!
December 7, 2024
Great wisdom for everyone who is involved in working with or owning horses.
January 16, 2020
Good insight I guess light read.
August 22, 2011
what i appreciate about ray hunt is his easy way of writing, and the way he feels everything truly boils down to knowing where your horse's feet are.
it's such a simple concept - if you can't master something at the walk, how can you expect to do it at the canter (or lope), but it is so skipped over especially by the up and coming generation of riders.
the other thing i appreciate about ray hunt is that he was a horseman, first and foremost. he had his own horses that he didn't sell, but he trained other people's horses for them as well. the horses themselves were not his business. the people were. that he tried to listen to the horse, to "dance" with it, give it options -
in a way, everything written in this book is applicable toward parenthood as well. it is a careful, genuine book full of respect, and i am proud to know that i can always tell you what hoof is hitting the ground when i'm riding, even in a western saddle. (more leather). and basically i just want to spend a day at the walk again, and remember all there is to learn, and keep learning.
it's such a simple concept - if you can't master something at the walk, how can you expect to do it at the canter (or lope), but it is so skipped over especially by the up and coming generation of riders.
the other thing i appreciate about ray hunt is that he was a horseman, first and foremost. he had his own horses that he didn't sell, but he trained other people's horses for them as well. the horses themselves were not his business. the people were. that he tried to listen to the horse, to "dance" with it, give it options -
in a way, everything written in this book is applicable toward parenthood as well. it is a careful, genuine book full of respect, and i am proud to know that i can always tell you what hoof is hitting the ground when i'm riding, even in a western saddle. (more leather). and basically i just want to spend a day at the walk again, and remember all there is to learn, and keep learning.
November 6, 2017
3 stars for the actual writing which is conversational and not very well organized. 5 stars for the horse philosophy which I feel is simple on initial presentation but very important for anyone who wants to develop a true working partnership with their horse.
Unfortunately if you are looking for a step by step guide to achieve this, this book is not for you. Hunt has a great approach to horsemanship but he is not a very effective writer. His style could best be described as folksy. There are great insights in there, but I wonder if I would have picked up on them as well if I hadn't been exposed to them in other contexts?
Worth reading if you are interested in other philosophies of horsemanship.
Unfortunately if you are looking for a step by step guide to achieve this, this book is not for you. Hunt has a great approach to horsemanship but he is not a very effective writer. His style could best be described as folksy. There are great insights in there, but I wonder if I would have picked up on them as well if I hadn't been exposed to them in other contexts?
Worth reading if you are interested in other philosophies of horsemanship.
August 20, 2016
The first book I've ever rated 5* despite obvious shortcomings. It could have been edited a lot better but the content is SO strong it makes up for that. It's a training-philosophy book but moved me to tears, it is a love letter to the horse.
M. Hunt may not be around any more but I am here to witness his (and the Dorrance's) legacy lives on in the likes of Buck Brannaman, Warwick Schiller, Pat Parelli and many many more. Including, in a small, clumsy way, in myself and my Peanuts.
M. Hunt may not be around any more but I am here to witness his (and the Dorrance's) legacy lives on in the likes of Buck Brannaman, Warwick Schiller, Pat Parelli and many many more. Including, in a small, clumsy way, in myself and my Peanuts.
January 27, 2015
There's a lot of meat in this little book. Ray's philosophy about horses shines here, and I enjoyed getting to know them as he's kind of the father of much of the gentle-yet-firm-when-necessary horsemanship trainers out there. I'll need to re-read again to digest it all.
January 18, 2013
I desperately wanted to love this little book, because I agree with Ray Hunts's horse training philosophy, but it's terribly written and edited. It's stream of consciousness writing and incredibly repetitive. It did get the point across, however, and there is some great training wisdom here.
June 28, 2015
A great book for any horse owner to read, even a practical gentle no nonsense approach to horse training. I liked the way it was written, just as Ray spoke, in may not be fancy or polished but it did get his point across.
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September 27, 2010Nice book...(Laura Lee done good 8)...
August 7, 2011
One of the best horse books I have ever read. Ray Hunt was one of the Master Horsemen of our time. His down to earth, thought driven training style can teach anyone to understand horses better.
August 11, 2008
currently rereading
If i remember not well written but full of wisdom.
If i remember not well written but full of wisdom.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews