 "Ever
since I was a very young girl, I have loved books. In fact, I still have some
of the very first books I ever owned - and yes, most of them are about horses.
"Some of them are classics that you probably have read such as Black Beauty
and My Friend Flicka but others are lesser known books such as those by
that great cowboy writer, Will James and others.
"Breaking
and Training the Stock Horse is the first horse training book I ever read.
I was given a first edition copy in 1957 by one of my mentors, a cowgirl who worked
on the King Ranch in Texas. "Charles Williamson wrote about horsemanship
and feel and encouraged readers to observe the horse and to think - way back in
the 1950s - before today's Natural Horsemanship movement. Williamson encouraged
trainers to be light and balanced in their riding. One of the cornerstones of
his ground training and mounted training was the turn on the forehand which many
modern clinicians claim is the key to their methods - today it is called by many
names such as disengaging or breaking loose the hindquarters or yielding,
but it is actually a turn on the forehand. "Some of the restraint
methods in Williamson's book (which were used in the movie, "The Horse
Whisperer") are not necessary for normal horse training but here is one
of the few books that does discuss them. So for historical interest, this is a
legendary book. "I credit Williamson's book with starting me on the
right track - influencing my training philosophies and style to listen to the
horse, to work with the horse and not against him, to develop a thorough
ground training program. I will try to keep copies of this hard-to-find (out of
print) classic available on my website so you too can benefit from Williamson's
good advice. "Other horse books, such as Beery, Biggle
and Gleason are included here for their collectible interest and value.
When reading these books, many of them over 100 years old, you'll see some horsekeeping
and training methods similar to modern practices. However, you will also read
about some veterinary and training procedures that are truly from the dark ages.
I know many horse owners and readers, like me, are fascinated with these earlier
works, so I offer them for the sake of their historical interest."
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