Book Review by Leigh Ballard
Paul Belasik’s book, Nature, Nurture and Horses: A Journal of Four Dressage Horses – From Birth Through the First Year of Training, focuses on the training process and results of four horses bred at his farm, siblings by the same sire, raised and nurtured together. After an initial description of each horse’s birth and babyhood, the book follows them during their third year, chronicling their first training year as dressage horses.
What is notable about the training is Belasik’s insight into how each horse’s personality and response to training methods varies from one to the other, and from their full siblings in previous training years. Belasik has the benefit of having bred, raised and trained a series of horses, all of the same bloodlines and raised in the same environment. He has been using the same classical methods for many years. Because of this continuity, he is able to witness and comment on the power of both nature and nurture in a young horse’s development. In parallel research, reported in an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air in July, “Unraveling The Genetic Code That Makes Us Human,” Sam Kean author of The Violinist’s Thumb, concluded: "The more that I looked at DNA, the more I realized it was nature and nurture. It's how genes and your environment work together to produce the person you are.” Undoubtedly, the same principle applies to horses.
The book is in journal form and includes thoughtful musings on horses, life, character, and culture. Classical dressage technique and philosophy are explained, but this not a book to teach the reader how to train a dressage horse. It is more a book of understanding the fine points of individuality in horses.
Excerpts from each week of training describe each of the four horses’ response to the training for the week. We learn each horse’s moods and attitudes, acceptance or resistance to the training event of the week, and the trainers’ patience and flexibility in their demands on the horses. While each horse makes individual progress at different speeds and with different responses, they all end up at about the same place in their education after a year, even though they didn’t necessarily arrive there the same way. This interesting book would be a good read for those interested in learning about the importance of individuality and sensitivity in horsemanship.
Editor’s Note: In parallel research, reported in an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air in July, “Unraveling The Genetic Code That Makes Us Human,” Sam Kean author of The Violinist’s Thumb, concluded: “The more that I looked at DNA, the more I realized it was nature and nurture. It’s how genes and your environment work together to produce the person you are.” Apparently, the same principle applies to horses.
Paul Belasik’s book, Nature, Nurture and Horses: A Journal of Four Dressage Horses – From Birth Through the First Year of Training, focuses on the training process and results of four horses bred at his farm, siblings by the same sire, raised and nurtured together. After an initial description of each horse’s birth and babyhood, the book follows them during their third year, chronicling their first training year as dressage horses.
What is notable about the training is Belasik’s insight into how each horse’s personality and response to training methods varies from one to the other, and from their full siblings in previous training years. Belasik has the benefit of having bred, raised and trained a series of horses, all of the same bloodlines and raised in the same environment. He has been using the same classical methods for many years. Because of this continuity, he is able to witness and comment on the power of both nature and nurture in a young horse’s development. In parallel research, reported in an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air in July, “Unraveling The Genetic Code That Makes Us Human,” Sam Kean author of The Violinist’s Thumb, concluded: "The more that I looked at DNA, the more I realized it was nature and nurture. It's how genes and your environment work together to produce the person you are.” Undoubtedly, the same principle applies to horses.
The book is in journal form and includes thoughtful musings on horses, life, character, and culture. Classical dressage technique and philosophy are explained, but this not a book to teach the reader how to train a dressage horse. It is more a book of understanding the fine points of individuality in horses.
Excerpts from each week of training describe each of the four horses’ response to the training for the week. We learn each horse’s moods and attitudes, acceptance or resistance to the training event of the week, and the trainers’ patience and flexibility in their demands on the horses. While each horse makes individual progress at different speeds and with different responses, they all end up at about the same place in their education after a year, even though they didn’t necessarily arrive there the same way. This interesting book would be a good read for those interested in learning about the importance of individuality and sensitivity in horsemanship.
Editor’s Note: In parallel research, reported in an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air in July, “Unraveling The Genetic Code That Makes Us Human,” Sam Kean author of The Violinist’s Thumb, concluded: “The more that I looked at DNA, the more I realized it was nature and nurture. It’s how genes and your environment work together to produce the person you are.” Apparently, the same principle applies to horses.
