Equitation science [Kindle Edition]
Author: Paul D. McGreevy Andrew N. McLean | Language: English | ISBN: B006H50CF0 | Format: PDF, EPUB
Direct download links available Equitation Science for everyone book 4shared, mediafire, hotfile, and mirror link
Equitation Science is one of those rare books that is going to change the way we train and manage horses forever. It brings together a fundamental understanding of the way horses think and behave and presents a system of modern training that has the welfare of the horse at its core – it must be the foundation work for the next generation of professional and amateur riders and trainers. Riders will ride better, trainers will train better and we will have happier, healthier horses.
—Wayne Channon, International Grand Prix Rider
Written by two internationally recognised experts, Equitation Science is the first book to draw together the principles of this emerging field into a much-needed coherent source of information.
The goal of equitation science is to enhance our understanding of how horses think and learn, and to use their natural behaviour to train, ride or compete with them in as fair a manner as possible. The welfare consequences of training and competing horses under different protocols are explored. Drawing on traditional and emergent techniques, this book incorporates learning theory into an ethical equine training system suitable for all levels. It also focuses on evidence-based approaches that improve rider safety.
I found this a very interesting and enlightening book. Equitation Science will help anyone involved with horses to understand them more and to be more effective in their training and education. The knowledge this brings to anyone involved with horses should help to make the horses’ lives easier and therefore allow the partnership between humans and equines to flourish.
—Yogi Breisner, British Eventing Performance Manager
Equitation Science is an ambitious and thorough look at an enormous range of areas, approaches and factors concerning the training of horses. The authors have an underlying theme to their text of scientifically assessing and then also promoting the use of ethical and humane methods of horse training to increase all sport horses’ welfare and happiness within their sporting requirements. Equitation Science also provides an invaluable insight as to how and why what we do with our horses actually works.
—Paul Tapner, Professional International Advanced Eventing Rider, Badminton CCI**** 2010 Winner
- File Size: 10162 KB
- Print Length: 328 pages
- Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (November 28, 2011)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B006H50CF0
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
- Lending: Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,553 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #26 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Medical eBooks > veterinary Medicine > Equine Medicine
For many decades, I've trained horses and people using behaviorist learning theory, the core of McGreevy and McLean's _Equitation Science_. While their presenting habituation, desensitization, and classical and operant conditioning almost as if they were NEW annoyed me, I agree with most of what these authors say. Yet I cannot recommend their book because it violates my two most sacred principles: Write with clarity and vigor and STAY OFF THE MOUTH!
Review of the WRITING in _Equitation Science_
Like many academic writers, McGreevy and McLean lean on jargon and other tired academic conventions. I teach academic writing so I'm all too familiar with this impersonal (boring), abstract (fuzzy--and boring), noun heavy (slow and ponderous--and boring) style. Using mostly verb-driven sentences, top science writers prune jargon, clarify difficult concepts, and create reader interest with specific examples, even humor. In contrast, McGreevy and McLean take freshman psychology material and grind it until it sounds like string theory, causing me to swear.
This book incited so much swearing from me, I tangentially recommend science writer Steven Pinker's Google Talk as an example of lively academic work:
youtube.com/watch?v=hBpetDxIEMU
This neurobiologist, psychologist, and linguist displays the style of top notch academic presentation. (Warning: the section on swearing starting around 20:07 is an academic version of George Carlin's Seven Dirty Words and almost as funny.)
For anyone interested in academic writing, I recommend _Stylish Academic Writing_ by Helen Sword.
I started reading this kindle e-book based on a great review on this forum. I was really impressed with the large amount of content and the detailed look at many aspects of horse training and welfare. I thoroughly agree with the precepts of the book in using what we do know in science and trying to establish if what we do with horses works within that framework. A huge dose of learning theory and clear ideas of how things should be done were helpful.
Make no mistake this book is a serious read, through most of the content I was taking about an hour to read 5%, given a few sections that one doesn't read totaling about 20% that means the book took me about sixteen hours to read. I'm a faster reader with a BSc who reads "New Scientist" for enjoyment, so it's likely a number of people will take a lot longer.
I wasn't very impressed with the Kindle formatting, there are multiple tables which are practically unreadable. The index, which comprises 8% of the book while it is a nice list of words doesn't refer back to the content. Prior to the index the References start at 84%. This is generally expected in published works, but given the format, some more effort could have been made to directly link to the prior works or research (there were 8 links). This would have also provided the book with some value above the paper copy.
Many words are hyphenated (I assume imported from the book), which isn't used for line splitting on the Kindle and results in some odd word formations 'rein-forcements'?
I noticed a lot of self referencing for the references, it would have been good to see some more independent references (that weren't used in the negative).
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