Master the essentials of horse riding and improve your technique with this practical illustrated handbook. It features expert advice and tips for the absolute beginner, from putting on the bridle and tightening the girth to adjusting the stirrup leathers and holding the reins. How to perfect your posture and improve your seat, and how to mount, walk, trot, canter and gallop, including instructions for the more experienced rider. It features step-by-step photographic sequences and illustrations that show clearly what to do - and also what not to do. It includes a complete guide to the clothing and safety equipment you will need, such as hard hats, riding boots, trousers, chaps, body protectors and neck straps. It offers all riding exercises, techniques and possible pitfalls are shown in over 250 clear photographs and diagrams. The feeling of galloping through an open field in perfect harmony with your horse is hard to beat. To reach this level of unity, a few basic techniques are needed. This book explains these techniques in step-by-step detail so that you can enjoy riding your horse to its full potential. The book places special emphasis on the importance of good posture for achieving expert riding skills. It includes all the basics of good horse riding, from what to wear through to advanced techniques. Possible pitfalls are also shown, with solutions for handling them. A combination of theory and practice, this essential handbook will help you develop your confidence and horse riding skills.

This book - the very first on the topic - offers 101 fun and effective exercises that will improve every Western horse's suppleness, balance in movement, and responsiveness. Each exercise is presented with illustrated, step-by-step instructions and a full arena diagram, and exercises are organized by focus: softness, looseness, rider development, engagement, adjustability, and ground work. This book is the ultimate reference for this new sport.

'Poignant and compelling, an equine Bridget Jones.' Racing Post Being a stable lass is probably one of the hardest jobs in the country, and yet for Gemma Hogg it is the most rewarding. She works in the beautiful Yorkshire market town of Middleham and if her colleagues are occasionally challenging, then the horses are downright astonishing. Now, in Stable Lass, she takes us into the closed world of a top racing yard, from the elation of having several winners in one day to the almost indescribable grief of losing a horse. Like most stable lads and lasses, Gemma arrived in her yard as a teenager fresh out of racing college and had to cope with living away from home for the first time, as well as adapting to the brutal long hours, backbreaking work and often treacherous weather. She describes falling in love with Polo Venture, the first racehorse in her care, the pure exhilaration of riding him on Middleham Gallops for the first time and what happens when a horse takes against you, from the growling gelding Valiant Warrior to the potentially lethal Broadway Boy. She brings to life the characters around the yard, from straight-talking boss Micky Hammond to the jockeys starving themselves to make weight, the wealthy owners and the other stable lads and lasses who come from a range of different places and backgrounds. Stable Lass by Gemma Hogg is a unique look into the world of horse racing filled with heart-warming stories and amazing thoroughbreds - some loveable, some cantankerous, all impressive.

This is an invaluable guide to every aspect of horsemanship, from the diverse and specialist equipment for both horse and rider to learning to ride and competing in riding competitions. The first section of the book is a directory-style approach to the full range of horse equipment. Saddles, bridles and bits; training aids and gadgets; clothing and protective equipment are all discussed in detail. The second section is a step-by-step presentation of riding techniques, and the final section covers the world of horse riding competitions. This section examines the wellknown sports of show-jumping, polo and dressage, as well as the more obscure competitions, such as endurance riding, vaulting and driving.

Egon von Neindorff dedicated his life to the knowledge and promotion of the classical art of riding. He never wanted to be a reformist but purely an interpreter. He truly understood the philosophy of classical riding and was therefore able to teach his numerous national and international students to develop their own style. The essence of classical dressage requires a deep affection for the horse as well as understanding, sensitivity, humility, and devotion. In this book, von Neindorff illustrates in more than 30 chapters his profound understanding of the natural training of horses. It encompasses a body of knowledge that was previously only taught at his riding establishment in Karlsruhe.

More and more riders are drawn into eventing by the excitement of galloping over solid fences on a grass track. Written by an experienced trainer, judge, and course designer, this book describes all the important requirements for safely improving your horse's ability in the cross-country phase. Training programs and instructions for coping with specific cross-country obstacles are also included.

Compiling a programme of pilates exercises designed to help the dressage rider enhance their ability for success, this book contains over 500 pilates exercises that have been specifically chosen to best suit the needs of the dressage rider. It contains photos and detailed instructions which clarify each exercise.

This title aims to show how the horse's muscles work and explains how this knowledge can be put to good use in riding, whether in competition or for recreation. Using her own careful anatomical drawings, the author studies the skeleton, the action of the muscles, and the role of the nervous system before applying this information to various riding situations. The demands placed on the horse's systems in dressage, jumping, eventing, racing and even polo are all examined, with advice on how good riding practice can help avoid problems. With the knowledge of the horse's anatomy gained in this book, the rider should better understand what is being asked of the horse, and how to achive it with sympathetic riding and horse care, making this a useful manual for all riders.

In this long-awaited follow-up to the highly praised Cobs Can! Omar Rabia introduces the idea of a systematic, progressive series of exercises designed to develop suppleness, collection, obedience and ride-ability in cobs. He discusses the prerequisites of starting this journey and the reasoning behind working cobs in-hand before ridden work is commenced. While the exercises are set out in a progressive order, each exercise offers particular benefits and works on 'target areas', so you can choose exercises that will most benefit your cob before moving onto others in the series. Progression within each exercise is explained so that riders know when to move onto the next step within the exercise.

When Victoria meets Moonshine, an ex-racehorse saved from the slaughterhouse and abuse, she despairs at having to ride such a difficult horse. The pair compete in dressage, a sport that tests the unity of horse and rider as they engage in what can only be called dancing. They compete against horses bred solely for the sport, always struggling to overcome the bias against horses like Moony. As she grows and comes of age, Victoria teaches Moonshine to trust, and Moony teaches Victoria the importance of heart and perseverance. Together, they master many trials and compete in the Junior Nationals in this inspiring and compelling true story of how a girl and her horse changed each other's lives forever.

Codependency, a compulsive behavior sometimes known as "relationship addiction," is often characterized by a dysfunctional, one-sided relationship that is emotionally destructive--even abusive. For years Susan Conley found herself trapped, married to an addict whose health, welfare, and safety she valued far above her own. Over time she watched as she lost contact with her own needs, desires, and sense of self. But then at forty-two, after yet another crisis came to an anticlimactic resolution that left nothing healed and little to hope for, she decided, having never so much as touched a horse, to take up riding. Here, with humor and honesty, Conley chronicles her experiences, sharing how her pledge to rediscover herself following her divorce was aided, abetted, and challenged by the horses in her life. "They were as large a part of my recovery as were any of the self-help books I read, personal development workshops I did, and 12-step meetings I attended," she writes. "The struggle to heal the wounds of a dysfunctional marriage was actually made easier via the real wounds received from horseback riding." Many Brave Fools explores the ways in which horses enriched Conley's life, and how the process of making herself into a rider also helped her become the person she most wanted to be: not the "ex-wife of an addict," but a responsive, confident, even courageous woman, entering the prime of her life.

Burghley Horse Trials has been a perennial delight for both riders and spectators ever since the Marquess of Exeter started it in his beautiful parkland in 1961. The " Little Book of Burghley" charts the event's rapid elevation to the status of much-loved sporting institution through the riders, horses and officials who made their mark at Burghley. It also provides a fascinating snapshot into how the sport of eventing has modernized during 60 years of triumph and drama, and how Burghley has played an important part in that development. Above all, it shows why the Burghley Horse Trials have become the ultimate annual highlight in any sportsman's calendar.

THERE ARE MANY BOOKS AND DVDS devoted to the technical training of horse and rider - how to perform movements correctly, clear obstacles, communicate efficiently, and in other ways attain the idealized image of an athletic partnership that results in competitive success. But this book is different: its focus is how the rider and trainer can make it easier for the horse to perform optimally. This includes improved understanding of what are reasonable expectations for a particular horse at a certain level of schooling, how to improve his fitness (including strength and conditioning), as well as background on how injuries may develop as a result of interaction between internal and external factors, such as genetics, conformation, management, and training. Relying on her veterinary background, in-depth research, and dozens of interviews with top riders and trainers from around the world - including Beezie Madden, Carl Hester, and Pippa Funnell, to name just a few - Lonnell provides guidelines for nurturing a happy, healthy equine athlete. With special focus on conscientious pacing when building the horse's physical capability over time, diversification of schooling practices, detail-oriented management and care, and putting the horse's needs above competitive ambition, readers are given a solid grasp of what it takes to truly reach the pinnacle of equestrian sport - and remain there - on a consistent basis. Throughout, gorgeous colour photographs of world-class horses and the people who work with them visually demonstrate the success of these methods.

For riders who want to handle horses safely and to avoid accidents, a horse must be obedient and respect discipline. This book is not only a guide for safety-conscious riders who want an obedient horse, but also offers advice, plenty of exercises and a profound knowledge of a horse's natural behavior. Step-by-step, it explains how to train a horse to be a pleasure to own. It gives advice on the necessary equipment, how to work with fences and obstacles, how to establish a training schedule at home, how to work with difficult horses, how to avoid accidents, and how to stay calm yourself.

The popular and highly respected horse trainer Mark Rashid brings together Western and Eastern philosophies to demonstrate a seamless new incarnation of horse training. After years of helping "difficult" horses, Mark Rashid understands how to build the foundation of a horse's training and resolve any problems encountered along the way. He explains how he allows the traditionally firm or assertive approach of the old Western style to take some lessons from the softer conflict resolution and ego reduction approach that the Japanese martial art of aikido teaches. Rashid's ultimate goal is for harmony between horse and rider. When Rashid discovered the art of aikido, he came to realize the effect it had on his own sense of self. After extensive training in this martial art form, he learned how to use his mind and body more efficiently and effectively and improved his equine sense to help horses become better competitors and a more pleasurable mount. Aikido helped Rashid become a more informed and more skilled rider and trainer. In this book, Rashid shares that knowledge with readers, allowing them to bond better with their own horses.

"To think that the rise and fall of athlete performance on a given day can be explained by random luck or fate is a mistake." - Robert Schinke. Most equestrians wish to improve their mental game. Whilst many books have been written dealing with practical aspects of training, Dr Robert Schinke has concentrated his attentions on the psychological aspect of sport training in general and equestrianism in particular. Following on from his popular book, "Focused Riding", Schinke offers the reader a wider repertoire of skills to aid the motivational approach to riding. In this book, chapters are devoted to sport confidence, optimism, emotional management, practicing techniques and performance perspectives. The author delves deep into the behaviour of equestrians, providing practical techniques that will be of use to every rider from the aspiring national competitor to the recreational rider, and his or her coach. Since writing his popular book "Focused Riding", Dr Robert Schinke has devoted much time and study to the many aspects of mental sports coaching. In his own words: "My views have both refined and altered with time.Now I propose that anyone wishing to integrate sport psychology techniques look for answers using a wider repertoire of skills. " "If you read this book and integrate its suggestions, your mental game will improve dramatically!" Dr Schinke promises. "The end result will be improved equestrian performance beyond what you ever anticipated."

Poisoning, due to carelessness or wrong feeding, can happen. The effects are traumatic and sometimes deadly. This book describes the principal poisonous and harmful plants that any horse-owner should be aware of, listed according to their toxicity. Important details about the symptoms of poisoning, first aid, and much more make this book essential reading for any stable.

A modern and revised approach to riding safely in all environments, Ride Safe is the foundation for any horse and rider to be safe when riding out and about in all environments including on the road, along bridelways and warming up at competitions. Ride Safe provides a comprehensive understanding with practical examples, tips and guidance towards the Ride Safe Award assessment; ideal for all riders from occasional recreational riders to elite equestrians.

Through Rider Biomechanics one gains a complete understanding of the biomechanics of the rider via a new understanding of fascia, - the fabric of the body that links muscles into functional chains, rather like strings of sausages. Within both human and equine bodies these form 'lines of pull', affecting posture, movement, stability and mobility. Through clear 'how to' descriptions, coupled with copious illustrations, the reader learns how to rebalance the tension within and between one's own 'lines of pull'. The ultimate task is to use this developing awareness to rebalance the tension in the horse's 'line of pull', gaining much more influence over his carriage and movement. The secrets of talented riders are laid bare.