Alternatives to Dominance-based Horsemanship

Back cover: Best Friends Brandy & Sapphire Front cover: Brandy who used to be dangerous

The main elements of dominance-based horsemanship are: 1. The faulty assumption that horses accept and trust dominant leaders 2. The use of Negative Reinforcement and repetition as the sole or main means of communication and training 3. The horse’s obedience as the measure of success

An alternative based on horses’ natural social order, intelligence, and cooperative nature would look like this: 1. A relationship based on trust, which the human must earn because it cannot be “taught” or demanded 2. The use of learning modes and communication that engage a horse’s innate intelligence, including Positive Reinforcement, Investigative Behavior, and Social Learning 3. Success measured by a horse’s trust and confident cooperation

This alternative is what I was looking for when I fostered a little bay mare whose 30 days with a dominant trainer had left her dangerously defensive. Nowhere could I find a resource that explained HOW to achieve it. Determined, I researched and pieced together bits of information from countless sources. Brandy’s transformation from “dangerous” to confident and reliable showed me it worked better and faster than I had dared to hope. I came to think of this relationship as Protector Leadership because the foundation of it is showing horses they are safe with us. I still could find no book that explained HOW to be a Protector Leader, so I wrote my own. What Horses Really Want: Unlocking the Secrets to Trust, Confidence, and Reliability explains how and why Protector Leadership works, and how you can make it work for you. It is full of practical examples, referenced research, photographic demonstrations by my own horses, and nearly 100 suggested “Things to Try”. The story of Brandy’s recovery is woven throughout. For less than the cost of a single lesson, you can learn to:
• Earn a horse’s trust starting the moment you meet him
• Communicate clearly with your body language
• Interpret your horse’s body language and emotions accurately so you can solve and avoid problems while maintaining a mutually trusting relationship
• Engage his innate intelligence with Investigative Behavior and Social Learning
• Provide positive experiences that build his confidence and reliability
• Protect him from unnecessary stress instead of being the source of it


What Horses Really Want is available in both paperback and ebook format.
US: Trafalgar Square Books or Amazon
Both Trafalgar and Amazon show the Table of Contents and a sample chapter.
UK and Europe: Quiller Publishing
Australia and NZ: Horse Books
Polish language edition Galaktyka
This article explains why we badly need alternatives to dominance-based horsemanship. References included. How a Flawed Study of Captive Wolves Changed the Horse World