How Horses Work – Workbook No. 1 – Conformation Basic Skills by Deb Bennett, Ph.D.
The purpose of this Workbook is to take you through all the steps in learning how to find palpation points; to master the palpation of structures in the limbs and on the surface of the body; to learn how tooth eruption and malocclusions of the teeth may affect your horse; the parts of the hoof and their functions; parts of the horse skeleton and their role in creating the appearance we see on the outside; and how to mark, measure, and analyze a photo of your horse or one that you’re considering for purchase. There’s a section on foal growth and predicting adult height, and even one on how to take a good analytical photo.
To help you learn the terminology, I have included an anatomical dictionary and glossary of terms, and of course, the volume is also thoroughly indexed for easy reference.
The stars of the show in this Workbook are the big, clearly-labeled illustrations. I have included 26 plates, most of which are fully page-size, i.e. 8.5 X 11″, again like a lab manual. Along with the plates go “horsemanship homework” exercises. The idea is for you to photocopy the particular plate and then mark it or otherwise work with it as the homework exercise suggests. Other homework exercises have you learning to palpate on your own horse, practicing taking photos in the analytical style, or taking a field trip to your local museum of natural history.
After you’ve done homework, there are also eight “visual quizzes” which you can take as “open-book tests” until you feel confident, and then test yourself again to see if you can do them entirely from memory.
The Workbook is 8.5 X 11″ format (same size as a standard U.S. sheet of paper, a little shorter vertically than European A5). The Workbook is 103 pages long, B/W throughout. It is printed on durable paper and is spiral-bound with a good wire spiral that won’t tear the pages. Spiral binding allows you to easily flop it open to whatever page you’re working with. It has a durable cover which will stand up to trips to the stable, so that you can have the book with you as you & friends work with your horses.
