True horsemanship is about understanding horses, how they evolved, their anatomy, physiology, digestion, how they see, smell and feel and of course how they think and respond. If you know these things about horses you will understand how you should handle and look after them.

If you understand how and why a horse responds the way it does, you have more chance of becoming an effective and accomplished rider rather than just an ordinary rider.

Knowing why you do some things and not others will not only make you a more effective rider, it will also make you a true horse person.

You do not need to own a horse to achieve a certain level of horsemanship — you just need to be willing to learn about them and to look at the world from the horse’s point of view, not just your own.

If you really want to understand horses, we would suggest that you have a look at all the articles in Horse Facts, Inside and Out and Horse Care. After you have read these you will understand why they are a ‘flight rather than fight’ animal most of the time, as well as how and why they respond the way they do.