Dancing with Your Dark Horse: How Horse Sense Helps Us Find Balance, Strength and Wisdom

I ran across this book in the bookstore and since I read almost any book about horses, I bought it. I found it hard to put down. The startling opening scene where the author, who is a natural horseman, ends up first heading for the bottom rung of a round pen and then surprisingly whipping a mare severely (the antithesis of natural horsemanship) that most of his audience left. He wondered if he had a career left and more than that, what could have possessed him to violate his own principles? He recovered his career and the book is largely an examination of human behavior along with some horse training examples. To the reviews who felt that he had two many references to himself in the book, you need to remember that he violated his principles, a very disturbing event for any one. And the mistreatment of Stella (the mare) indicated to him that underneath his exterior existence was a "black horse," symbolic for attitudes and emotions that can come to the surface and explode before you realize that they are there. Much of the book is the author's attempt to deal with his black horse. Despite the use of his life as an example, he is trying to warn other people that they may be dealing with a black horse themselves and need to examine their actions. If they don't, it may appear when they least expect it and ruin relationships, horse or human. I was associated with a talented natural horseman who bought copies of this book for all his trainers, calling it "the best book on horse training" that he had ever read.

Absolutely inspirational and insightful! Chris offers a look into the deeper more meaningful understanding of how we influence both good and bad behavior in our horses.

Very honest and useful for anyone who shares a love of horses

I also love the writing by Chris Irwin. He is well spoken, humble and willing to help horse enthusiasts with his vast knowledge and experience. Plus, he cares that the horse is treated with respect and therefore can retain dignity through the promise of partnership.

Chris Irwin is an excellent clinician and writer. If you want to learn more about the connection with horses, using their body language and ours to mimic their inherent way of being, this is the book for you.

Amazing insights in this easy-read book! Also, I highly recommend his first book "Horses Don't Lie"

I loved some of the insights and it's worth reading. However, I thought the Author could have been more focused on the overall picture and less focused on himself toward some of the later chapters.

Chris has a gift not just with horses but an ability to share his personal story and inspire those who listen to face their fears.

I purchased this book on the advice of a fellow equestrian. It was a mistake. Having owned, trained and been around horses basically all of my life, I found the contents of this book useless at best and perplexing in many instances. It reads as a diatribe of a seemingly somewhat confused person who has been unsuccessful in his personal relationships, regrets not having had a formal education and is still searching fire who he is. It is also repetitive. Believe me, the book will add little to one's knowledge of the world. Perhaps it might resonante with a few lost cowboys...

Der Autor bringt es auf den Punkt. Solange der Mensch nicht selbstsicher, ruhig, besonnen, gradlinig ist und fokussieren kann, braucht er sich nicht zu wundern, dass sein Pferd ihm nicht sein volles Vertrauen schenkt. Ich kann jedem das Buch empfehlen, der mehr über sich selber erfahren und sich weiter entwickeln möchte. Zum Wohle der Welt und des Pferdes!

This book is both informative and entertaining. Chris takes us through his life's journey as he learns about the nature of horses - and humans - and how they interact. Although he does share his techniques for training your horse, I found the most interesting aspect is that he digs deeper into the reasoning behind his methods and how they grew organically from his observations of the nature and behaviour of horses. I highly recommend this book.

Very good read can’t put it down

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to get to "understand" horses in a un unique and authentic way. Be prepared to begin to "understand" your faults and failings too. This book will help you become a better person if you allow it!