Mark Rashid

Mark Rashid is an internationally acclaimed horse trainer based in Estes Park, Colorado. He has been working with horses since he was 10 years old after meeting the "old man" (his mentor and a character who features strongly in his first few books). The old man taught Mark to work with the horse, not against it and to listen to what the horse is trying to say.

Mark continues to look to understand the horse's point of view and aims to solve problems through communication rather than force. He does this using his training idea of "passive leadership" - based on the type of herd leader who leads by example as opposed to the alpha horse that rules through dominance. Passive leaders are dependable from one day to the next and the other herd members can respect them because they are consistent.

His clinics are held around the world and Mark works with both the horse and rider in a one-on-one session.

He also studies the martial art of aikido to help his horsemanship and brings his quiet determination to everything he does.

Mark has been on NRP's The Horse Show and also featured in the PBS Nature series. Over the years Mark has written eight books: Considering the Horse; A Good Horse is Never a Bad Color; Horses Never Lie; Life Lessons from a Ranch Horse; Horsemanship Through Life; Big Horses, Good Dogs and Straight Fences; In the Company of Horses; and A Life with Horses all of which I highly recommend reading. To see more info and reviews on each book, click on the links in the right hand column.