Recognizing the fact that owning a horse is one of the greatest commitments you can make, demanding dedication, time, hard work, and money, The Horse Owner's Survival Guide is designed to help you survive and improve the bad times and get maximum pleasure from the good ones. This comprehensive work offers many varied ideas that you can tailor to your individual circumstances, whether you are an owner with years of experience or a rider wondering whether taking on your first horse is a feasible idea. Starting from the basic question of choosing the right kind of horse for your lifestyle and abilities (thus helping to prevent a costly mistake), The Horse Owner's Survival Guide goes on to cover such vital issues as: outlining the costs and ways to cut them down; reducing the risk of expensive veterinary fees; setting up the stable; tack and clothing; feed and grooming; bedding, bathing, and fencing; safety and insurance; Bursting with practical advice and problem-solving ideas, this guide reduces the intimidating concerns of horse owning and teaches you everything you need to know to keep yourself sane and your horse fit, healthy, and happy. (7 1/4 x 9 3/4, 160 pages, b&w photos)

There is something about horses that draws humans in a way nothing else can. Their elegance, their kindness, and their humor are often unexpected and always weave a spell. Sometimes the attraction seems elemental and irresistible. For those moments when it seems a horse is likely to find its way into your life for the first time, this book is the ideal guide, shield, and source of solace. No matter how hard we try to avoid it, for some of us, horses simply happen! Friedman offers realistic and well-researched suggestions for what to do when one happens to you and advice on how to keep laughing while your mind slips silently away at the end of a lead rope.

A guide to planning and budgeting which explains how you can cut costs and save time while still maintaining a high level of care for your horse. It also discusses topics such as horse sharing, keeping your horse at livery or managing on your own.

Horse Owner's Guide to Toxic Plants is a must-have, exclusive reference book for all horse owners, and the first of its kind on the subject of equines and plants. Keep this book in the medicine cabinet in the barn. Walk around the pastures with the book in hand, especially in late spring or early summer. Or pack it with on a trail ride. It just might save your horse's life. Horse Owner's Guide to Toxic Plants is organized according to types of plants—trees, bushes, shrubs, and vines, ferns and plants, weeds and wildflowers, and grasses and horsetails. Since visuals are very important for correct identification, clear color photographs are shown, including wherever possible a close-up photograph and line drawing to better identify each plant. Horsewoman Sandra McQuinn has researched and compiled information on more than 100 more common but toxic plants that grow in backyards, pastures, and on the range and trail. Also included is advice from a veterinarian on how to recognize the symptoms of poisonings in your horse and what steps you or your own veterinarian should take if you suspect your horse has eaten a toxic plant. Brimming with pertinent information and expert advice, Horse Owner's Guide to Toxic Plants is a must-have for all equine aficionados. No horse owner should be without it, including those who board their horses.

Horse lovers know all too well that keeping a horse is practically a full-time job-with lots of fun and, well, goof-ups. For those new horse owners who sometimes wonder if their horse is smarter than they are, Horse Sense and Nonsense is a great reminder that the "joys" of owning a horse are universal. This refreshing spoof of the usually staid horse owner's manual blends common-sense advice with side-splitting spins on the issues of horses and horse ownership. Whether nodding your head in agreement or giving a hearty horse laugh, you'll delight in reading Horse Sense and Nonsense.

The Basset Hound Owner's Survival Guide will delight every Basset Hound aficionado with its light-hearted look at this quirky breed of dog. Filled with charming stories, photos and drawings of Bassets, this book also provides the reader with Basset care essentials and a history of the breed. A must-have for every lover of the inscrutable Basset. A Howell Dog Book of Distinction

When people first began to ride horses, their only piece of equipment was a rudimentary bridle. It was a very long time before the arrival of the saddle, and longer still before the appearance of the stirrup. Nowadays, there is a vast array of equipment and the choice available can make the job of buying tack a daunting one. Here is a comprehensive guide to tack and horse clothing for riders at all levels of horsemanship. With a photographic directory-style approach, the book looks at the complete range of horse equipment item by item: the saddle; the bridle and bit; training aids and gadgets; clothing and protective equipment. Photographs of the available models for each item and clear descriptions of usage help you make an informed choice about what to buy. Different riding activities necessarily make varied demands from the saddlery and equipment, and the appearances and functions of all the different styles are outlined in this book so whatever horse riding activity you hope to pursue, you and your horse have everything you need to ride with safety and success. For novice riders, there are how-to step-by-step sequences on fitting and removing the saddle, bridle and bit, rugs and boots, and instructions on how to care for them to ensure they remain in top condition for many years. Full of expert advice and fascinating historical information, Complete Saddlery & Horse Equipment is an invaluable reference manual for all horse riders.

This book details everything from ongoing daily activites to social interaction among horses to abnormal behaviors. Each behavior is further explained by original line drawings, photographs or both.

In this fascinating best seller, Cherry Hill explores the way horses think and how it affects their behavior. Explaining why certain smells and sounds appeal to your horse’s sensibility and what sets off his sudden movements, Hill stresses how recognizing the thought processes behind your horse’s actions can help you communicate effectively and develop a trusting relationship based on mutual respect.

It is no secret that speed, stamina, jumping ability, and athletic prowess depend on the horse’s physical ability to perform. However, the world has seen many ‘great’ athletic bodies, human and horse, fail to reach their true potential, while others, perhaps thought to be less great in form and function, reach the pinnacle of their sport or discipline. In the world of human athletes, we might claim hard work, ‘grit’, or ‘heart’ as the force greater than muscle that propels them to the top. But the horse doesn’t have performance goals in the way we do, so what is it that motivates one racehorse to leave the rest of the field behind to cross the finish line first?In these pages, Kerry explains how it is possible - initially by using an Emotional Conformation Profile - to determine if a horse has what it takes inside him to make what he has on the outside great. Can your racing prospect handle distance? Does your event horse have the ‘finish’ to clear that last enormous cross-country obstacle when his legs are tired? Is your horse capable of maintaining focus in the face of large crowds and multiple distractions? More importantly, he tells you how to develop specific training protocols towards given goals, thus enabling a horse to perform at his very best.