"Secrets of the Horse gives horses their voice back and shows us how much we've been missing. Shelby Dennis uses science, lived experience, and uncompromising respect for horses as thinking, feeling individuals to illuminate what horses have been communicating all along. This book doesn't just offer better techniques. It asks better questions -- the kind that will permanently change how you show up for the animals in your care." -- Zak George, author of Zak George's Dog Training Revolution "Secrets of the Horse is both a thoughtful critique of outdated dominance-based horsemanship and an honest account of personal growth. Shelby Dennis weaves her own experience and willingness to question long-held assumptions into a broader call for more ethical, compassionate training practices. By placing horse behavior in the context of natural instincts, emotional processing, and the nervous system, she encourages readers to move beyond control and toward true understanding. This perspective aligns closely with what modern science continues to reveal about how horses learn, regulate, and form relationships, and it marks an important step forward for anyone committed to welfare-centered horsemanship.

" -- Dr. Stephen Peters, equine neuroscientist, author of Horse Brain Science, and coauthor of Evidence-Based Horsemanship "Drawing on experiences familiar to many who grew up in competitive horse culture, Secrets of the Horse traces the difficult but necessary work of reexamining practice through a welfare and ethology lens. It is a brave, clear-headed contribution that will benefit both horses and those who value them for who they really are." -- Cristina Wilkins, editor of Horses and People "The ironic part of this fantastic book is that none of the information Shelby shares is actually a secret. All the information is well known, corroborated by vast volumes of data and experience. Some of the science she shares is already almost a century old, yet the horse world still struggles to understand it. Shelby, however, does not. She understands it and she can teach it!" -- Lockie Phillips, founder of Emotional Horsemanship, horse trainer, international clinician, instructor, coach, and author.