9 Takeaways from Know Better to Do Better by Denny Emerson

If there were an official Horse Person Renaissance Man title or award, Denny Emerson, author of Know Better to Do Better: Mistakes I Made with Horses (So You Don’t Have To) would deserve the honor. The Morgan-loving horseman from Vermont who rode at the most advanced levels in eventing for almost 30 years, has ridden horses in everything from gymkhana to dressage, jumping and endurance riding. He’s ridden in the grueling 100-mile Tevis Cup endurance ride from Lake Tahoe to Auburn, California. And the 100 miles is completed in a single day. In. One. Day. The man clearly knows about horses and riding!

A must-read for equestrians who want to be horse-centric.

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Like any good teacher, Denny is a storyteller. Every time I picked up Know Better to Do Better, I felt like he was talking to me–sharing his joys, challenges and insights from a lifetime with horses. By reading his book, we have access to a legendary mentor.

His style is funny and at times self-deprecating. You might have picked up on his humility and honesty from the subtitle “Mistakes I Made with Horses (So You Don’t Have To.)” This book is not a treatise on equitation or a how-to manual for training horses–it’s way more practical than that. You really need to read it for yourself (click HERE to pick up your own copy), but here are nine of my takeaways from having read it.

1. Fandom Rules the Horse World, But There’s a Better Way

Denny begins the book addressing the segmentation of the horse world. Horse people tend to pick a breed or discipline and become so immersed in that one particular realm, that they become shut off from opportunities beyond their particular riding genre. He makes the case they lose out.

For example, he claims it would be highly unlikely to convince a dressage-obsessed rider to try out barrel racing. He asserts if a rider (let’s say an eventer) seeks out opportunities such as working in Germany with a dressage trainer, then gallops steeplechasers, then tries endurance riding, then works for a grand prix jumper trainer she would be a much more proficient event rider. (I actually thought about Tik Maynard and the book In the Middle Are the Horsemen, because he followed a similar path by being a working student for various trainers in diverse disciplines.)

I related to this point. By joining the fox hunt and going out several times this season, I feel like I’ve grown in my confidence as a rider. Before fox hunting I was a nervous Nellie if arena footing was not pristine say due to a horse rolling and making a funny turnout “snow angel” or if one area was significantly damper than another thanks to the sprinkler system. By cross training I’m becoming a better all-around equestrian.

His “better way” is trying new activities with horses. I’m down with that.

2. Saddle Fit Is King

“Horses backs come in all shapes and sizes, and there’s no such thing as ‘one size fits all’ saddle, no matter how many saddle pads you use to concoct a fit.”

When I read this part on saddles I was in my brain saying, “YESSS!!!” Especially when he got to the part telling about him sitting in 10-15 saddles during clinics and in some of them he felt like a “rank beginner.”

I have had that experience with one of my saddles! In fact, I had to break up with it a couple of years ago (read “Dear Saddle, It’s You, Not Me”). He goes on to say that there are thousands of saddles out there and if you are a determined shopper, you can find one that fits your budget AND makes you smile (and fits your horse well).

3. Tips On Horse Selection and Advice for When He or She is Not a Good Match

Chapter 1 is actually all about selecting a horse. He gives high praise to Thoroughbreds and that resonated with me since, you probably know by now, my horse Knight is a Thoroughbred. He has this passionate, eloquent section about people complaining that only wealthy riders with imported horses have a chance at being successful competitors and then says people can learn to sit the trot and canter without stirrups, see a distance, learn how to create an adjustable canter, have great posture, etc. on an OTTB. He makes the case that an affordable OTTB can be an incredible partner and journey with you on the road to becoming an elite rider (if that’s your goal).

My first ride with Knight at his new home (January 13, 2019). 40 minutes of brisk walking.

He’s also a fan of older horses and urges people to not overlook horses who’ve been there and done that (horses in their teens).

In this chapter Denny also details several different breeds and types of horses and gives personal examples of horses he’s known in the various categories. By the way, there are many pictures throughout the book, lots of them in color.

The frank conversation on what to do if your horse is not a good fit for you due to health, safety or incompatibility reasons is one that I’ve never read in any book (that I can recall). There’s not one right answer and the way he lays out all the information, the facts we probably should all consider, even if things are great with our current mount today, is helpful.

4. “Pestering” Your Horse With the Aids is Key

Chapter 3 is all about horse training and one of the mistakes Denny says he used to make was increasing pressure on a horse that didn’t respond quickly enough to an aid. For example, if a horse didn’t move his haunches a direction just from his leg being applied, he would escalate to a little kick, then a harder kick, and an even harder kick. He now views this approach as problematic because it’s uncomfortable to the horse and arouses fear. His horse would follow his lead, by giving in to commands, but it would be anxious. A horse that is anxious gets strong and then you have to use more hand aids. It’s like a vicious cycle.

Now he is a big believer in the “gentle pester.” He talks about how horses switch their tail at a fly, not because they’re afraid, but because the fly is annoying. He calls for riders to become mildly annoying flies who pester our horse.

(Trust me, you’ve got to read this section in Chapter 3 of Know Better to Do Better because I’m pretty sure I’m not doing it justice in this recap).

Speaking of horse books, I just released my first book Horses Adored and Men Endured! You can pick up a copy by clicking here.

5. Walking is Underrated (but Highly Valuable) for Horses and Riders

One of the earliest concepts Denny claims to have learned is that it’s hard to injure a horse at the walk. He then says it’s important to take your horse on long, vigorous walks and he sees too many horses being pushed beyond what they can handle in training–they are not at a basic stage of fitness to handle the rigors of training.

There are about five pages in Know Better to Do Better devoted to the virtues of walking horses. Later in the book he challenges riders to commit to at least fifteen minutes of walking on foot per day for their own health and to undo some of the physical effects of long hours in a desk chair and in the car. He then says to increase it by five minutes and keep going with it.

6. Log Riding Hours and Ride As Much As You Can

One of the charming parts about this book are all the pictures, some of Denny as a kid, and the highly personal nature of his stories. He even included excerpts from the riding journal from his first horse Bonfire. The entries are dated 1955 and talk about everything from the blacksmith coming to playing hockey and when he got a new bridle. By the way, his entry from January 15, 1955 talks about riding when it was 8 degrees! And I’m pretty sure he didn’t have a heated indoor. 🙂

In another section he references Malcolm Gladwell’s theory from the book Outliers, and that in order to be a success at sports or music or whatever pursuit, 10,000 hours need to be racked up. So by logging riding, it’s a good way to know just how close (or far) we are from the 10,000 hours. (Basically it will take me about 38 years to become a good rider if I start recording hours now.)

But seriously, it makes sense that more saddle time equals more proficiency as a rider. And I’ve been inspired by my friend Raquel of Horse and Heels to write down a Knight journal (she keeps fantastic records of her mare). She did a great write up in the January Horse Illustrated about journaling for equestrians, by the way.)

7. Be a Life-Long Learner and Ask People to Ride Their Horses

In keeping with the theme of growing as a rider, Denny encourages the reader to ask to ride other people’s horses. He says there are nice horses out there just waiting for us to ride them. Over the years he has ridden lots of horses, many of them he didn’t own but he got to ride just because he asked. He got wonderful mileage and rode dozens of horses every year without having to pay to gain those experiences of riding. If you ask and the answer is no, then you’re in no worse position that before you asked, but often the answer will be yes.

8. Read Denny’s Top Picks

At the end of the book there is a recommended reading list of titles that are his favorites (both horse books and non-horse books). Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry (just discovered Justin Morgan is on Audible!) made the list as well as the Black Stallion series. Prior to that section he advocates reading the classic Sally Swift book Centered Riding (Guess what I immediately ordered based on his recommendation? It came in the mail a couple of days ago.)

9. Denny Tells Great Horse Stories

One of the features I enjoyed the most in Know Better to Do Better were mini-stories within the larger, overall story. Denny had pieces about several of the most notable horses he’d ridden and trained in his life. I enjoyed reading about his first horse, a pinto pony named Paint he got after a few riding lessons. “I was small and ignorant, but Paint was also small, maybe 14 hands or 14.1, and tolerant, and I just climbed on and rode, no lessons, just learning by doing.” I could relate to that style of riding–just getting on and going. My Paint was a borrowed Quarter Horse named Jim Dandy, a 25-year old field hunter still going strong.

In Conclusion

Know Better to Do Better is a treasure trove of wisdom for equestrians who want to continually improve and help their horses thrive. I loved this book and feel like I need to read it again as there are so many interesting parts.

“Horses are a species of animal entirely vulnerable to and dependent upon the humans who control their lives and destinies. Do we humans do right by them, or do we cause them anxiety, discomfort, and pain? If we conclude that as horse people, our goal is to make their lives better, then what we do on a daily basis is the key to making that happen.”

I am committed to helping my make horse’s life better (hence Knight’s recent move), and you?

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