The book is an account of one very ordinary person's quest to become a racehorse owner and his growing obsession with and love for the sport. This is not a book about famous jockeys, trainers and horses. It is a story of the challenges and low points facing an owner on a budget but it also describes the elation and joy when things do, eventually, go right. There is also a useful section of tips and do's and don'ts for those who want to have a go at ownership for themselves.

An expert shares his insights and applies them to the handling of young horses and their early training--from first bridling to turning on the rearhand--an essential reference for every Western-style rider.

In 1964, Patricia MacKay immigrated to Canada from England in search of the wild-open lands and cowboy culture that captivated her as a child. In the 1960s, the Wild West was still alive and kicking in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, although it had been tamed--a little. Old-time hospitality and helping anyone in need was the acknowledged way of life. Pat learned the Cariboo-Chilcotin way of life first hand by spending her summers working on guest ranches and finding other jobs to keep her occupied during the winter. From learning how to cook on the job to kitchen disasters and successes, roundups, branding, square dances and falling in love, she slowly gained acceptance into the tight-knit communities of BC's Interior. Ranching meant long hours, hard work, and a lifestyle all its own. Entertainment was homemade. There were rodeos, dances, and music around campfires in the summer and ice hockey, tobogganing, and parties in the winter. Sadly, that way of life is gradually disappearing, but this book relives the way things were between 1964 and 1976; it tells of a unique brand of people from a variety of backgrounds who made this part of the west their home.

Here, for the first time, is the story of how America's first national resort gave birth to, then nurtured, its first national sport, introducing the country to a parade of champions and their spectacular supporting characters. To experience this adventure is to see why the Saratoga Race Course, America's oldest major sports facility remains one of its most beloved and most successful. They're Off! is as much a social history as it is sports history. Edward Hotaling opens with a little-known visit by the first famous tourist, George Washington, who tried to buy the place he called "the Saratoga Springs". Soon the pursuit of happiness at our original vacationland helped redefine America. Even at the height of the Civil War, the country's first organized sport was launched on a national scale.

For more than 30 years, Lee Ziegler has been one of the foremost advocates of gaited horses in North America and Europe. Through her writing and in her clinics, she has introduced countless riders to the pleasures of riding a horse that is calm, obedient, relaxed, alert, sure-footed, easily maneuvered, and consistent in his gait.
Now, in "Easy-Gaited Horses," Ziegler offers a comprehensive guide to riding and training gaited pleasure horses. And unlike the old methods that called for manipulation of a horse's hooves or other gimmicks that could be cruel, Ziegler offers training methods that are gentle, humane, and produce a gaited horse that can be ridden in his gait barefoot, trimmed to his natural angles, with a mild bit, or even without one.
Ziegler begins by defining various types of gaits, explaining how they look to an observer and how they feel to the rider. Next, adopting a whole-body approach to training, she reveals the importance of understanding equine anatomy. She then discusses how to introduce the horse to a variety of gaits: the ordinary walk, the flat walk, the fox trot, the running walk, the saddle rack, and the canter. She explains how to ride a multi-gaited horse, how to handle gait problems, and even how to retrain an easy-gaited show horse for pleasure riding. Ziegler also discusses how to train gaited foals and colts and explains what preparation is necessary before taking the young horse on his first ride.
As riders grow older, comfort on horseback becomes more of an issue. That's where easy-gaited horses step in. Their unique, smooth gaits allow riders to enjoy time in the saddle with minimal physical exertion.