Horse Fixin': Forty Years of Working with Problem Horses

by Frankie McWhorter

Book Overview

"Horses aren't born with bad habits. They learn them from people." --Frankie McWhorterIn this memoir, Frankie reminisces about horses and horsemen he has known and discusses his innovative, unconventional approach to horsemanship. Founded on intelligence, compassion, experience, and a profound practical understanding of a horse's mind, his methods derive also from the cowboy tradition in which he was schooled and can be read as western folklore.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0896723062
• ISBN13: 9780896723061
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Texas Tech University Press
• Length: 73 Pages
• Weight: 2.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Amusing truths

This little book provides both humor and truths about riding and training horses.

The absolute truth about fixing bad habits and more

If you don't know much about true horse nature or how a horse actually thinks, you aren't going to like this book. You will think the author is too crude. However, if you are looking for "real" answers to horse behavior problems, this book will give you some ideas that really work. This author knows horses and he's had a lot of experience dealing with dangeruous habits. His advice is probably the most "honest" I've read in a long time. Seems like nobody wants to admit that to change a horse's habit of behavior, you have to make the "bad behavior" very uncomfortable and the "good behavior" very rewarding. The author of this book gives several good examples of this.The forward of this book, states the author's methods may be outdated and are not appropriate for our modern times. That's not true. Every top trainer I know uses the same kind of logic explained in this book. Why? Because it's the truth.If you are interested in learning training techniques that really work, go to my web site and read my "training tips". Go to www.HorseTrainingVideos.comLarry Trocha

Experience Talks

I loved this book. Granted a lot of the advice is old fashioned and by today's standards harsh, but if you look at the "cause and effect" reasoning behind the methods they are mostly sound. Throughout the book the author does acknowledge how times have changed, and does not expect people to accept everything. Mostly he is telling horse stories from his life. The advice for handling horses that buck and rear was invaluable. Simple methods for correcting and fixing behavior is much more valuable than the cliche "a horse never misbehaves on purpose" which most authors hang on. Or the old "does your saddle fit" sidestep.

Old Timer Wisdom

Although the author admits (several times) that alot of the techniques he used in the past are no longer acceptable, he does give a lot of very useful information in a humourous way. For example, one thing he mentions is that a horse can only think of one thing at a time. If he is doing something wrong, get his mind on something else to stop the bad behavior. Maybe some of the techniques are outdated, but alot of the thoughts behind them are VERY useful. I learned alot from this elder horseman. I only wish the book was longer. (thus 4 stars)