Know Better to Do Better: Mistakes I Made with Horses (So You Don't Have To) Kindle Edition

This book continues Emerson’s “How Good Riders Get Good,” but in a different vein. Here, he talks about choosing the right horse, schooling, rider character and fitness, and building knowledge, all of it framed by illuminating confessions of what Emerson would have done differently with individual horses and why.Reading the book is a bit like sitting at the kitchen table with one of the truly great and durable American three-day event and endurance riders who is in a very chatty mood. There is much to be learned from him about humility, insight, good management, and giving the horse a chance to succeed.Emerson has earned his strong opinions about human fitness (“we have made inactivity a habit”), and the art of building on good basics (“when I started jumping in 1961, I had bad basics. In 1975...I was still bad.”), and on this last topic he has the pictures to prove it. It’s weirdly exhilarating, but the message is crystal clear: Do the best you can, as long as you can, and do it this way.Even if you don’t aspire to top-tier eventing or Tevis Cup endurance riding, Emerson wants you to aspire to being always better, wiser, fitter, and more competent in your discipline, and he also wants you to ride out in the wet and cold every day without sniveling. Yes, he can be bossy, and yes, his insistence on high, thoughtful standards can make some riders a little uncomfortable, but what he mainly wants is that we all learn from his seventy years of varied, valuable, profoundly direct experience.

Growing up as I have in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire, Denny Emerson is something of a legend. As such, his persona looms large in my horsewoman's mythology and was relegated to an almost untouchable class of rider. With this book, (and no small growth in my own maturity) he gives an honest and accessible perspective for those of us who strive to enjoy, learn, and grow with their horses. Most salient to me, in this moment, is the idea that through thoughtful, consistent, "dabbling" we might arrive at some greater destination, but definitely will come away with a happier horse and happier self. It is a call to action; be there, show up, be kind, and have fun!

I love Denny's humility, and his faith that we can all do better for our horses and ourselves if we resolve to make the effort. The photos are wonderful.

I’ve never read a book with so much horse sense, and I’ve read a lot of horse books. It is brimming with the wisdom of hard earned lessons, sympathy for the equine partner and humbled hindsight. I can not say enough good things about this and I think it should be mandatory reading for every horse person. Our horses will thank us.

I follow the author on facebook, and suggested that he put some of these stories together for a book. He sent me a link to his book.duh!This has many vignettes about horses in his life, how he trained them, and some insights on how he could have done better. Page 83 got to me, as I had an explosive mare, and really wish I had read this page three years ago. Might have saved me a few bruises.

I read Denny's first book years ago when it came out and still reference it. I was excited that he wrote another one, and highly recommend it to any equestrian, of any discipline. We can always improve, and we owe it to our horses to keep learning and growing. Thank you, Denny, for continuing to share your insights with us.

I follow Denny Emerson on Facebook and always look forward to reading what he has to say. This book is full of information on horse psychology, humor and what to do and what not to do. It's not preachy but a very enjoyable read. I heartily recommend it to every horse person.

Not as much actual riding facts as I would like. Very good read, as far as entertaining. Little information as far as technical direction is given. It is inspiring to hear people’s stories. Thanks for sharing! This is very general info.

You won’t find better than Denny Emerson anywhere and boy will he tell it to you straight!

Everything to like - nothing to dislike. The distilled experience of a lifetime with horses, and 50 continuous years of competing at the highest levels as easy-to-read-and understand knowledge.

Read this book front to back in a few sittings and will read it again. I appreciated his honest appraisal of where he and horse training has been over the past several decades and where it is, should be and why. Lots to learn and lots of reassurance that my instincts are worth trusting when I question them against existing rigid discipline. This has become the favourite on my horse book shelf.

Arrived with the jacket cover torn. It looks like it got caught on the inside of the box and shifted/ripped while being shipped.Not as insightful as I'd hoped. It can be summed up as "be kind and empathetic to your horse, sometimes less is more and learn as much as you can from everyone.".

This is a nice book to read but my money would gave been better served on a book with more specific advice. Denny has a lot of wisdom, and there are some great pieces of advice in this book, but it is all quite generic.