Since the 1998 movie, the phrase “horse whisperer,” or some variation thereof, has become ubiquitous in pop culture, from Cesar Milan’s Dog Whisperer to Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Ghost Whisperer. However, the training method itself is a serious issue that was quite innovative when it was first introduced. The earliest known practitioner was Daniel Sullivan, an Irish trainer working in England in the 17th century. Sullivan was able to rehabilitate vicious and disturbed horses otherwise thought lost. The American horseman Willis J. Powell took Sullivan as his role-model in the early 19th century, when he wrote Tachyhippodamia; or, The New Secret of Taming Horses. John Solomon Rarey studied with Powell and was the one to finally share the secrets with the world. (more…)