Book review: ‘Secrets of the Horse’

Secrets of the Horse: A New Approach to Training and Understanding Horses by Shelby Dennis. New World Library, 2026. Softcover, 208 pages.

Ordering information

I have to admit up front that I know next to nothing about horses. That said, however, I do know compassion and kindness when I hear about them, and Shelby Dennis, author of Secrets of the Horse: A New Approach to Training and Understanding Horses, has them in abundance.  

From the time she was a small child, Shelby was drawn to horses, taking part in equestrian competitions and training. She simply had to be around these large animals with whom she felt a strong bond.

Not until years later though did the author understand that, despite following the instructions from other horse trainers, many of the ways she interacted with horses were to humans’ benefits rather than those of the horse. Dominance-based training methods, often painful physically and emotionally to horses, were the standard. Shelby, however, began to question and reassess all she had been taught, seeking to employ compassionate training methods to achieve results beneficial to both horse and rider.

As she keenly studied equine behavior and the emerging science of equine cognitive skills, she began to train compassionately with the end result being a partnership founded on trust and respect. In this captivating book, Shelby offers a highly readable account of her many decades of training horses as the horses themselves would want to interact with humans. Secrets of the Horse is a captivating call to all who love horses and want to make their lives better.

Are you the author or publisher of a book about animals that you would like considered for review? Please send the details to editor@bestfriends.org.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.