Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin

[Belbe]

This isn't a book about horses alone so Mod, please erase if you think it's inapropriate.

Anywhoo, as I wait for my new PK book to arrive I've started on this one as I'd forgoten it on my 2 TON pile of "books to read"!

well, stupid stupid me! at least from the begining the book looks real insterestning and different and in a few words explained why me and my lil cousin, the weirdos in the family, understand horses and pets in gerenal with such ease! we're a tad autistic! LOLOL! well, just kidding, not really but we have several "symptoms" both of us think in pictures and have had to learn to think some of the subjects we wish to share in words, several times over, before we can say something people understand. It used to be rather annoying but I'm getting better. My cousin's still strugling a lot though (her best friend keeps a record on his cell of the stupidest things she says cos when her brain instantly translates a picture to words the weirdest things come out! it's outstandigly hilarious!).
It's true that around 65% of the human population has a form of visual thinking, hence why it's so easy to explain yourself face to face but not through writing. The problem is, they abstractify too much, wilst animals, autists and some 5% of the "normal" population think in pictures alone.

This woman has one of the least troublesome forms of autism and was able to memorize so many phrases (like a tape recorder) that she can now convey her ideas to normal people with more or less as much ease as all of us, and her life's career has been dedicated to humanizing stock animal care as much as possible because she understands them so well. Horses were the animals that helped her the most in her youth and she talks about them often, but her principles apply to most animals we know and I find that the better we understand them, the better we can work with them, wether you just love your backyard pet pone or whant to go grand prix.

So in my opinion, this should be worth a read, for all people who deal with animals.

I'll see if I can finish it soon and get back with a more "founded" review.

[intouch]

She is an amazing lady, must read for anyone who knows anyone with autism - and that's most of us, whether or not we realise it!

[Candypony]

I read this book years ago - great isn't it.  In fact, ought to read it again...

[renta]

I have found  that horses like children and imbeciles because they are so confident and not capable to be afraid of them 

[Louise C]

Haven't read the book but saw a great programme about her  - she had made life a lot better for beef cattle by re arranging the way they were slaughtered - it was quite amazing how stress free it was for them.   Not something we want to think about perhaps - but most of us do eat meat!

[SueWhitmore]

What is interesting is how her methods have been adopted widely in the US. I was looking for bull hurdles - that is what Hempfling uses in his latest book - you still can't get them here - and came across a cattle management discussion on a US forum where one person asked another, just in passing, "Are you using Grandin (methods)?".

It is much easier for autistic people to see through the eyes of animals, because they are essentially tunnel visioned, not distracted by the people around them! But everyone can learn to do it better, just by really focussing on what is there - where is that shadow? Does it look like a hole to the horse? What can the horse see 6ft up? And so on. So much of better handling is just down to adapting to the animals natural behaviour, rather than just assuming that because that the way we do it now, that is the best way. Sometimes it is of course!