Books: The Western Horse

Sometimes bargain book bins can hold some pleasant surprises. I recall traipsing through the UF bookstore's sale section and finding "The Western Horse: Advice and Training" by Dave Jones. This is one of those books where, even after looking at the blurb on the back cover, you still have little idea of what you're going to get inside (the book was sealed in plastic wrap, so I couldn't thumb through the pages). I ponied up the six dollars and took the book home.

Now, I've never spent any time whatsoever around horses or other working animals, so it was completely foreign (and fascinating) reading about the gentling of a colt. Stuff like this is great for anyone with a curious mind - you'll learn where the stifle and the gaskin are on a horse, you'll learn which hobbles and reins work best in what situations, and you'll also come out with all sorts of anecdotes about what it's like to train horses.

Jones writes in a practical, easygoing manner that speaks of years of experience. While the book is obviously not detailed enough to make you a master horseman (no book ever is), it does an admirable job of taking you through the entire process - sizing up a horse, buying it, training it, caring for it. The book is packed with detailed black-and-white illustrations and photos that aren't just window dressing, but are marvelously edifying.

It might be an out-of-the-way topic nowadays, but you just never know when knowledge like this might come in handy.