Quick Take
- Narration: Larry Peterson delivers a clear, practical read suited to instructional material, without dramatic interpretation that would be inappropriate for a how-to text.
- Themes: Horse psychology and communication, safety as non-negotiable foundation, the rider-horse relationship as genuine partnership
- Mood: Practical and methodical, occasionally inspiring when describing the partnership dynamic
- Verdict: A solid introductory survey of horsemanship fundamentals that works best as a pre-lesson supplement rather than a standalone preparation for actual riding.
I should acknowledge upfront that I am not a horse person. I have been on a horse exactly twice, both times in organized trail settings where the animals had done the route so many times they could have completed it without me. So I came to Charlie Hicks’s beginner guide as a genuine outsider, which gave me a particular perspective on whether it succeeds at what it claims to do: prepare someone with no equestrian background to approach horses with understanding, safety awareness, and a realistic picture of what the partnership between rider and horse actually requires.
The audiobook runs just over three hours, published by Horse Training Resources in 2021 and narrated by Larry Peterson. It carries a 4.3 rating across 232 reviews, which is a meaningful sample size for a niche instructional title. The reviews are usefully divided: experienced riders and complete novices respond somewhat differently to the same content, which tells you something about the range the book is trying to cover.
Our Take on Horseback Riding: The Complete Beginner’s Guide
Hicks’s framing is genuinely interesting and not what you expect from a basic horsemanship guide. He opens with the premise that your success with horses is determined by how well you understand the animal’s limitations, not its strengths. The horse is bigger, faster, stronger, and has a more developed nervous system than you. You do not overcome this by being stronger or faster. You overcome it by understanding what makes a horse anxious, what triggers its flight instinct, and how to work with its psychology rather than against it. That framing, humble about the rider’s position and respectful about the animal’s nature, gives the first section of the book a conceptual clarity that the more technically prescriptive parts occasionally lack.
The safety emphasis that runs throughout is robust to the point where one reviewer mildly criticized the book for assuming the reader has already committed to horse ownership rather than explaining why someone should or should not. That observation is fair: Hicks writes for people who are going to ride, not for people deciding whether to start. The safety sections are not there to discourage; they are there to ensure that when you do get around horses, you do not get hurt. For that purpose they are thorough and appropriate.
Why Listen to Horseback Riding: The Complete Beginner’s Guide
At just over three hours, this is a genuinely accessible entry point. The audiobook format works reasonably well for instructional equestrian content that focuses on concepts, horse psychology, and the principles of communication between rider and animal. Where it works less well, and reviewers note this, is in the sections that describe physical technique or specific breed characteristics where visual reference is almost required for full understanding. Hicks’s book apparently includes illustrations in print that the audio cannot replicate, and the omission is noted. One reviewer found the illustrations in the print version grainy and unhelpful anyway, so the loss may be less significant than it sounds.
Larry Peterson’s narration is appropriately straightforward for instructional material. He reads clearly without dramatic emphasis that would be out of place in a how-to text, and the pacing suits the content. There is nothing remarkable about the performance, which is exactly what this kind of guide needs: a clear voice that gets out of the way of the information.
What to Watch For in Horseback Riding: The Complete Beginner’s Guide
The title’s claim to be a complete beginner’s guide is reasonable but requires calibration. Several reviewers, including experienced riders, found the content thorough for an introductory survey. The one reviewer who pushed back significantly noted that the book uses specialized horsey terminology without fully explaining it, and that reading this alone would not actually prepare someone to successfully handle a new horse. Both observations are useful. This is a primer, not a comprehensive training manual, and the audiobook format removes whatever visual reference the print version provides for physical technique.
The coverage of horse breeds in the final section is also flagged as particularly thin in visual terms, which matters for a topic where visual identification is the point. Audio listeners should be aware that they are getting a conceptual and philosophical foundation rather than a complete practical manual, which is still valuable but needs to be supplemented with in-person instruction and practical experience before anyone actually mounts an animal.
Who Should Listen to Horseback Riding: The Complete Beginner’s Guide
Complete beginners with no equestrian background who want a conceptual framework before their first lessons will find the horse psychology sections particularly useful. The material on how horses think, what triggers their anxiety, and how the rider-horse relationship functions as a genuine two-way partnership gives a novice something to work with that purely technique-focused instruction often skips. Younger listeners and those approaching horses for the first time are probably the ideal audience.
Anyone expecting a single audio resource to fully prepare them for handling horses independently should look elsewhere or supplement heavily with in-person instruction. The book earns its positive reviews as a foundation piece, not as a standalone manual. For what it is, three focused hours on horse psychology and beginner fundamentals, it does the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the audiobook version work without the illustrations from the print edition?
Mostly yes, with some limitations. The conceptual sections about horse psychology, safety principles, and the philosophy of the rider-horse relationship translate well to audio. The sections describing physical technique and breed identification, where visual reference matters more, are acknowledged by reviewers to work less well without the illustrations. One reviewer found the print illustrations grainy and unhelpful anyway, so the gap may be smaller than expected, but audio-only listeners should know it exists.
Is this book useful for someone who has been riding for years, or is it genuinely beginner-only material?
Several experienced riders report finding it a useful review and even discovering new insights in the horse psychology and communication sections. The conceptual framework about understanding the horse’s limitations and working with its nature rather than against it resonates with riders at various levels. The technical content is introductory, but the philosophical approach to the rider-horse partnership has enough substance to hold the attention of more experienced readers.
Does the book prepare a reader to actually handle a new horse independently after reading it?
No, and this is an important limitation to understand. One reviewer specifically notes that reading this book alone would not prepare someone to successfully deal with a new horse, and that assessment seems accurate. It is a conceptual and psychological foundation for beginning riders, best used before or alongside in-person instruction rather than as a substitute for it. Practical horsemanship requires supervised experience that no book, audio or print, can provide.
How does Charlie Hicks handle the safety question throughout the book, and is it overdone?
Safety is a persistent emphasis throughout, which reflects Hicks’s conviction that understanding the animal’s size, speed, and flight instinct is the non-negotiable foundation of horsemanship. One reviewer felt the safety sections implied the reader had already committed to owning a horse rather than helping them decide whether to proceed. The emphasis is thorough rather than alarmist, and experienced riders find it appropriate; beginners who want more encouragement alongside the caution may want to balance it with other resources.
