The Mind of the Horse

The Mind of the Horse

R. H. Smyth

• What makes a horse panic?
• Does t want to be “boss”?
• What does it look at when it jumps?
• Why does it learn?
• Does it have extra-sensory perception? 

These are among the many questions answered by a distinguished veterinary surgeon and authority on animal psychology as he discusses  the sense and brain of the horse, showing how an understanding of equine mental processes are essential to horsemanship.

First, Dr. Smythe describes the horse’s instincts as a herd animal, and cites the adjustments it is required to make in carrying out patterns of behaviour entirely opposed to its natural impulses.

He then examines the horse’s sensory advantages and handicaps, many of which even accomplished riders often fail to appreciate fully. His chapter on vision examines te make-up and placement of the eye in various breeds and, with the aid of excellent diagrams and photographs, explains how a horse’s actions are governed by what it is able to see. Equally enlightening are his sections on equine hearing, smell and taste, tactile sensations, emotions and motivations. His discussion of extra-sensory perception offers a fascinating explanation for much that is mysterious in a horse’s behavior. 

Here is a book for anyone who is interested in horses and particularly for those who wish to put knowledge of this animal’s mentality to practical use. Dr. Smyth is highly readable, with a lively feeling for controversy, as he asks the readers to take a new look at that lovable, gallant, simple yet complicated companion –the horse. 

Hardcover (with dustjacket) -123 pages

UK 1997

As new condition