*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.

"This is a much needed book on the Weight Aids which should be close to the heart of all who teach and coach riding." - Patrick Print OBE FBHS This book is designed for all riders from the very novice to the most advanced. Sylvia Loch teaches through illustrations and photos how each tiny shift of the riders weight will affect the horses balance. The weight aids are generally taught only to higher level students especially those learning the more advanced skills. Yet, by including them from the beginning, novice riders will develop a much greater understanding of their own bodies and abilities and those of the horse from day one. In Sylvia's words...: The time has surely come to show all riders how their body-weight impacts on the horse for good or bad. Feel and balance should govern the whole ethos of equitation. In this book, I show through pictures how the giving of the aids can transform the horse in each and every movement so that our communication with this wonderful animal takes us to new levels of understanding and empathy. The Rider's Balance is well written and easy to understand, and is yet another classic riding book from one of Britain's leading classical riding advocates, Sylvia Loch.