Reviews
"I first observed Dr. Miller in Texas in the early 80's while I was a veterinary student. He would travel the country, giving demonstrations of tube worming" (passing a long plastic tube through a horse's nose into the stomach) in less than cooperative horses. He would take any horse presented to him, rearing, striking, and/or biting, and patiently and methodically demonstrate the procedure using desensitization and counter-conditioning. That was in the days before Karen Parelli Hagen coined the term natural horsemanship" and during a time when instruction of equine behavior was lacking, or only minimally covered in veterinary curricula. Dr. Miller has been a life-long student of animal (and human) behavior, and his passion for horses is palpable. Natural Horsemanship Explained is an easy and entertaining read that elucidates the behavioral science behind the effective training methods popular today. With his keen sense of observation, decades of experience riding and working with horses in his veterinary practice, his wonderful sense of humor, and his obsession with understanding how horses behave, Dr. Miller's book will be a useful addition to the library of anyone who is a horse lover, professional or student, working to improve their skills at reading behavior, communicating, riding or simply enjoying horses. --Sharon J. Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis, "I first observed Dr. Miller in Texas in the early 80's while I was a veterinary student. He would travel the country, giving demonstrations of "tube worming" (passing a long plastic tube through a horse's nose into the stomach) in less than cooperative horses. He would take any horse presented to him, rearing, striking, and/or biting, and patiently and methodically demonstrate the procedure using desensitization and counter-conditioning. That was in the days before Karen Parelli Hagen coined the term "natural horsemanship" and during a time when instruction of equine behavior was lacking, or only minimally covered in veterinary curricula. Dr. Miller has been a life-long student of animal (and human) behavior, and his passion for horses is palpable. Natural Horsemanship Explained is an easy and entertaining read that elucidates the behavioral science behind the effective training methods popular today. With his keen sense of observation, decades of experience riding and working with horses in his veterinary practice, his wonderful sense of humor, and his obsession with understanding how horses behave, Dr. Miller's book will be a useful addition to the library of anyone who is a horse lover, professional or student, working to improve their skills at reading behavior, communicating, riding or simply enjoying horses. --Sharon J. Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis, "I first observed Dr. Miller in Texas in the early 80's while I was a veterinary student. He would travel the country, giving demonstrations of "tube worming" (passing a long plastic tube through a horse's nose into the stomach) in less than cooperative horses. He would take any horse presented to him, rearing, striking, and/or biting, and patiently and methodically demonstrate the procedure using desensitization and counter-conditioning. That was in the days before Karen Parelli Hagen coined the term "natural horsemanship" and during a time when instruction of equine behavior was lacking, or only minimally covered in veterinary curricula. Dr. Miller has been a life-long student of animal (and human) behavior, and his passion for horses is palpable. "Natural Horsemanship Explained" is an easy and entertaining read that elucidates the behavioral science behind the effective training methods popular today. With his keen sense of observation, decades of experience riding and working with horses in his veterinary practice, his wonderful sense of humor, and his obsession with understanding how horses behave, Dr. Miller's book will be a useful addition to the library of anyone who is a horse lover, professional or student, working to improve their skills at reading behavior, communicating, riding or simply enjoying horses. --Sharon J. Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis, "I first observed Dr. Miller in Texas in the early 80's while I was a veterinary student. He would travel the country, giving demonstrations of "tube worming" (passing a long plastic tube through a horse's nose into the stomach) in less than cooperative horses. He would take any horse presented to him, rearing, striking, and/or biting, and patiently and methodically demonstrate the procedure using desensitization and counter-conditioning. That was in the days before Karen Parelli Hagen coined the term "natural horsemanship" and during a time when instruction of equine behavior was lacking, or only minimally covered in veterinary curricula. Dr. Miller has been a life-long student of animal (and human) behavior, and his passion for horses is palpable. Natural Horsemanship Explained is an easy and entertaining read that elucidates the behavioral science behind the effective training methods popular today. With his keen sense of observation, decades of experience riding and working with horses in his veterinary practice, his wonderful sense of humor, and his obsession with understanding how horses behave, Dr. Miller's book will be a useful addition to the library of anyone who is a horse lover, professional or student, working to improve their skills at reading behavior, communicating, riding or simply enjoying horses. --Sharon J. Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIMProfessor, School of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of California, Davis