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.

Learn all there is to know about horse riding, from horse care and show jumping to mastering dressage. Suitable for both novice and advanced riders, and for equestrian fans of all ages, this book will guide you through every stage of the riding process from the first time in the saddle to advanced riding skills. Featuring all of the latest techniques and equipment, this comprehensive and fully updated edition covers everything you need to know about basic horse training, dressage training, and mental and physical preparation - for both horse and rider - as well as how to find and develop your ultimate horse. Dive deeper into this brilliant book about horses: - llustrated in full colour throughout, with specially commissioned photographic sequences and artworks that show every riding technique with unparalleled clarity. - Includes detailed, updated sections on dressage, showjumping, cross country, and young horse training as well as how to find and develop your ultimate horse. - Combines a practical approach to technique - including illustrated troubleshooting sections - with a deep understanding, and invaluable analysis, of horse behaviour. - Presents standard riding methods in a fresh and imaginative way with overlapping "action" photo sequences. - Explains the symbiotic relationship between horse and rider that is at the heart of all successful riding. Presented in spectacular visual detail, it is the ultimate guide to perfecting your equestrian skills. Featuring tips from internationally renowned horse trainer William Micklem, Complete Horse Riding Manual is a truly thoroughbred guide that is a must-have for any horse lover.

'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.

*THE TOP 10 BESTSELLER FROM THE MOST DECORATED BRITISH FEMALE OLYMPIAN IN HISTORY* 'Refreshingly honest [...] a highly enjoyable, fascinating read.' Horse and Hound _______________________________________________ "To ride into that arena, next to a sea of British flags and hear the roar of clapping and cheering, was so exciting. It's a sound I will never, ever forget." Charlotte Dujardin and her charismatic horse Valegro burst onto the international sports scene with their record-breaking performance at the London, 2012 Olympics. The world was captivated by the young woman with the dazzling smile and her dancing horse. But no one quite knew what it took to get there, nor how hard the path to success would be - until now. Dujardin began riding horses at the age of two, but dressage was firmly the domain of the wealthy, not the life of a girl from a middle-class family. Her parents sacrificed all and with a undeterred focus, Charlotte left school at 16 to follow her dream. When she was invited to be a groom for the British Olympian Carl Hester, she began to ride Valegro, a dark bay gelding and an unbreakable bond was formed. This is their incredible story.

A protege of the legendary Vladimir S. Littauer and for more than thirty years director of the riding program at Sweet Briar College, Paul D. Cronin is a well-known and highly respected trainer and riding instructor. Schooling and Riding the Sport Horse is Cronin's clear and practical guide to getting the most out of your horse in a humane and sensitive way. Beginning with a brief history of educated horsemanship from the earliest published riding masters of the sixteenth century, Cronin clarifies the differences between forward riding and classical dressage, and how at times the two have become inappropriately mixed. He then gives an in-depth presentation of the American forward riding system that is the basis of hunter/jumper riding and examines the ways in which a rider's position and controls are essential to the training of the horse. In the system as Cronin explains it, the three basic pillars are position, controls, and schooling. In clear language, he walks the reader from the beginning stages of training through advanced jumping and cross-country work. He sets out proper methods of early schooling of the young, green, or reclaimed horse, based on freedom of movement under the weight of the rider at the walk, trot, canter, and jump; of gaining the horse's trust and cooperation; and of establishing agility and calmness in the horse at all gaits and over fences. Schooling and Riding the Sport Horse is an important book on horsemanship for riding instructors, trainers, and amateur riders alike.

This book offers a comprehensive gallery of ideas for improving the training of any horse.The chapters deal with a range of topics progressing from improving stable manners and ridden skills, to checking your own riding habits and honing your mental approach to schooling.It is published in an accessible format with easy-to-access information and cross-referenced advice.It is fully illustrated in colour throughout, with practical photography accompanying the detailed advice at every stage.

Designed to help develop a bond between the horse and the trainer, which leads to greater trust and the ability to get the most from the relationship. This book includes step-by-step guides on how to improve the horse's suppleness, obedience and education from the groundwork level. It teaches the trainer how to tune in to the subtle body language of the horse and communicate with it in a much clearer way. It also contains techniques developed and applied by top trainers and equine behaviourists.

A growing number of individuals with special needs are discovering the benefits of therapies and activities involving horseback riding. Special Needs, Special Horses, by Naomi Scott, offers information about the amazing results possible with therapeutic riding, or hippotherapy. From recreational riding for individuals with disabilities to the competitions some riders enter (and win), Scott describes the various techniques of the process and its benefits to the physically and mentally challenged. The book explores the roles of the instructors, physical therapists, volunteers, and the horses, and explains carriage driving, vaulting, and educational interactions with horses. Scott profiles individuals involved in the therapy, including clients whose special needs arose from intrauterine stroke, cerebral palsy, transverse myelitis, Parkinson's disease, paralysis, sensory integration dysfunction, multiple sclerosis, shaken baby syndrome, sensory damage, stroke, seizures, infantile spasms, Down syndrome, and autism. Special Needs, Special Horses is an excellent guide for the families of the many who do - or could - enjoy improved lives from therapeutic riding. It will also appeal to practitioners of therapeutic riding as an overview of their profession.

"The Course Companion" covers the requirements of the BHS Preliminary Teaching Test, along with general information which should be useful to anyone starting out as an instructor. The book works progressively through all aspects of teaching from the beginner rider to the management of a riding school office. The book is an invaluable study and revision aid which no examination candidate will want to be without. The subject matter will be equally helpful to anyone involved on teaching and running a riding school.

This detailed, practical guide to handling, breaking and training young horses, based on the experiences of a top trainer and world-class competitor, is an invaluable aid and source of inspiration. The whole process of raising a young horse successfully at times seems fraught with difficulties. When should one introduce the roller, and then the saddle, prior to backing? At what stage should lungeing start? How does one avoid over-facing a young horse, and asking too much too soon? Loriston-Clarke answers all these questions and many more. Backed with details on how she trains her own top-class horses and the problems she has overcome, she gives sound, practical advice on every aspect of working with youngsters. Jennie Loriston-Clarke was one of Britain's leading dressage riders and trainers and has competed in four Olympic Games. A Fellow of the British Horse Society, she also holds the National Pony Society Diploma, and is an examiner for both societies. Jannie lives in Whitchurch, Hampshire, England.