Sports & Recreation

Over time, horses (like people) acquire postural habits, compensate for soreness and injury, and develop poor movement patterns. This limits performance ability, causes unsoundness and health issues, and ultimately undermines the horse's overall well–being.

Jec Aristotle Ballou has made a name for herself advocating for the horse and providing sensible instruction in his schooling, conditioning, and care. Her bestselling books and popular clinics are designed to enable any horse person to correctly apply proven principles that bring measurable progress while avoiding boredom and confusion.

In her latest collection of mounted and unmounted corrective exercises, Ballou demonstrates how we can actively work to improve the horse's posture and movement, whether he is:

• An active performance or pleasure mount.
• An aging or older horse that benefits from gentle exercise.
• A horse being rehabilitated following injury, illness, or lack of conditioning.

Ballou's positive cross–training techniques are free of shortcuts, and her guidelines for analyzing the horse's posture and way of going help readers gain a new awareness of the equine body. Applicable for all disciplines and full of quality color photographs to explain the exercises, this is an integral collection that optimizes how the horse uses his body and helps ensure he stays sounder and healthier for more years of his life.

Keys to riding your horse in an optimal, athletic frame for any equestrian sport or activity—without a bit.

In her inspiringly illustrated new book, horsewoman Ali Kermeen, author of The Working Equitation Training Manual, shows readers how it is possible to get a horse soft and round without using a bit, side-reins, or longeing apparatuses. 

For many, riding “bitless”—without a bit in the horse’s mouth—can feel like a leap of faith because of a perceived lack of control. But, Kermeen argues, most of the time, the control a rider has over a horse (who is a thousand pounds of muscle and reaction) has more to do with training and partnership, and less to do with equipment. Kermeen is not lobbying for all horses to be ridden bitless—as she notes in her book, there are bitless bridles that are just as severe as those with bits, and plenty of horses have the mouth shape, understanding, and rider to happily carry a bit. Ultimately, however, she feels the decision as to whether a horse should be wearing a bit or going bitless should be up to the horse. In addition, Kermeen writes, Learning to ride and train horses bitless has made me a better rider with the bit.” 

To be successful at transitioning a horse from bitted riding to bitless riding, you can't just “trade out the equipment and hope for the best.” Over years of working with horses and competing them without a bit, Kermeen has developed a series of exercises that she uses for all horses, regardless of their likely sport or activity. Her method sets horses up to understand how to be soft and round. A soft horse and rider produce a picture of harmony and understanding. They work as a partnership. A horse that can carry his own body in a round frame, without being forced, is able to be athletic and is in an ideal position to be influenced by the rider. In these pages, learn:

• Important groundwork skills to set your horse up for success.
• Valuable comparisons of different kinds of bitless bridles.
• Expert recommendations for choosing and fitting a bitless bridle.
• Ridden exercises for connecting the groundwork basics under saddle, without a bit.

Kermeen explains that learning to be an effective rider without a bit has made her a better rider when she uses a bit. And her easy-to-use, approachable guide is for anyone who wishes to improve their own performance, as well as being aware of and proactive about their horse’s health, comfort, and well-being.

Concepts and skills from the French equitation system, joyfully distilled for modern equestrians and the horses they love to train.

For three decades French Riding Master Cyril Pittion-Rossillon has lived and worked alongside American equestrians and their horses. He has learned from what he calls a “beautiful cultural exchange,” where the riding and training styles from each place, rich in their own history and evolution, informs the other. In this, Pittion-Rossillon’s first book, he illustrates what he has found in his years of education, experience, and this “cultural exchange” to be most helpful to the horse and most enlightening to the rider.

The French tradition of horsemanship is characterized by three principles: 

• Harmony
• Lack of constraint
• Respect for the horse

The result is what Pittion-Rossillon calls “a love letter from France to equestrians worldwide”—a way to approach connection and partnership with the horse that is both humane and successful. With simple, timeless explanations of these principles and practical exercises that encourage readers to explore them, The Horse Is Always First brings ideas to light that Pittion-Rossillon believes will help horses and riders of all levels, disciplines, and performance goals. His years of experience teaching adult equestrians help him frame his knowledge in a way that is highly approachable, and his passion for horsemanship and creative expression ensure an immensely enjoyable journey, from the book’s thoughtfully crafted words to its unique, hand-drawn illustrations.

Designed especially for browsing and beginning with the lesson or exercise you need most, The Horse Is Always First seeks the well-being of your horse before any other goal. This is the heart and soul of the French tradition of riding. Let it be yours.

This is a book for all equestrians interested in increasing their understanding of classical riding theory and technique, and improving their horses’ performance in fair and just ways.

A clever means for accomplishing practical training goals through fun games that engage both horse and handler.

For years, Nancy Bailey toured the East Coast with her Morgan Horse Clifford, bringing him to senior centers, libraries, and hospitals to connect with people of all ages. His natural tendency toward performance and playful personality provided a means for teaching him tricks, and he was a hit, providing comfort and a laugh, wherever he and Bailey went. 

Along the way, Bailey noticed how common horse tricks are useful for building bonds with horses. Many tricks have practical applications, such as Playing Fetch, Posing, and Coming When Called (help prepare your horse for being caught); Standing Still, Lowering Head, Bowing (important lessons in ground manners to keep you safe); Waving Flag, Hugging, Counting with One Foot (keeping serious lessons light); and of course Housetraining (if you are inviting your horse inside a building—imperative)! Now, in these pages, Bailey shares the achievable techniques—using tricks to improve understanding and behavior—that have worked so well for her throughout her career training horses and dogs for movies and commercials. 

With a focus on Clicker Training tools and methodology, Bailey walks us through the basic steps for teaching any horse your favorite tricks, using positive reinforcement and general enjoyment to keep the horse (and you!) interested in learning more. Instructional photographs and clear directions bolstered by Bailey’s warmth for the subject and penchant for silliness ensure that this is the perfect guide to have on-hand, whatever your age, and whatever your preferred breed or riding discipline, as long you want working with your horse to be fun.

A new edition of the classic dressage how-to text referenced by the pros, with over 75,000 in print.

Beginning with the three golden rules of dressage training—clarity, consistency, and kindness—dressage legend Jane Savoie walks you through her four stages of dressage education.

Stage One is an introductory course in the basics, and Stage Two covers the "nuts and bolts" of training, including transitions, school figures, and movements. By the time you finish Stage Two, you'll have a happy, responsive horse that understands going forward and being straight; accepts contact so you can communicate with him through the reins; moves in a regular rhythm and a steady tempo in all three gaits; and is proficient in transitions, circles, backing up, lengthening his stride, and goin sideways.

In Stage Three, Savoie translates the secrets surrounding the half-halt, enabling you to put your horse "on the bit," and adding a whole new dimension to your training. You'll even be ready for “the big time" in Stage Four, including collected, medium, and extended gaits; advanced lateral movements; and flying changes. Don't worry, everything in this book is well within the capacity of most horses, whatever their breed, sport, or activity.

With a time-tested, expert-vetted, and supremely easy-to-follow system, this book is for anyone who aims to improve the horse’s body and mind so he is healthy and happy in whatever activity you choose to pursue.

A uniquely successful approach to overcoming anxiety, imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and self-sabotage.

Almost every rider has felt fear at some point while working with a horse. Fear is a normal reaction to a frightening situation, and as long as the emotion subsides, it isn’t necessarily a problem. However, when apprehension starts to monopolize our thoughts while in the saddle, and when our interactions with our horses are dominated by panic or dread, we need to make a change.

But what if the fear doesn’t want to go away, but you really don’t want to give up your relationship with horses?

Certified hypnotist Nicole Weber aims to give you unique tools to successfully manage the kind of fear that negatively impacts the pleasure you get from horses and riding. Her goal is to enable you to enjoy your partnership with your horse. It is not that you will never feel fear again if you use her techniques, because in situations that are actually dangerous, you should still feel fear. It is just that you will have the ability to control the emotion at the times when you are truly safe, but your brain is telling you a different story.

Weber begins by covering the theory around fear and how it takes hold of us—how fears arise, what causes them, and why horses mirror our emotions. Then she provides everything readers need to know to empower themselves to turn away from fear and toward enjoying your horse life: step by step photographs, links to videos, and guided audio lessons teach you the art of self-hypnosis and Weber’s own method, which she calls Equihypnosis. These safe, effective lessons can change not only the way you manage riding, but the way you manage your life outside the barn, too.

No matter how long your fear has existed or how old you are, Equihypnosis can liberate you from confining beliefs for good. This surprisingly practical, confidence-inspiring book is for every horse person who wants to make sure she never misses a minute of barn time or a day in the saddle.

Concrete steps toward forging a strong partnership and clear stream of communication with your horse.

True bonding is the key to happiness, in both human and horse. We are both social creatures who are instinctually drawn toward getting involved with each other, and finding ways to not only create deep trust in another (your horse) but also experiencing it (yourself), creates this kind of bond. In these pages, Anne Krüger-Degener, founder of a systematic approach to communication called HarmoniLogie®, provides a practical guide to how you can build or repair these bonds. Part of this formula is a solid foundation of understanding built from a sense of empathy, benevolence, and compassion. The other part is a clear and unambiguous exchange of information, and this requires more than just love for your horse. It needs a training system ensures a smooth exchange of information between you.

Krüger-Degener knows that horses and humans often “talk past each other.” She helps readers learn to observe horses like a biologist, “listening” with all their senses, and reading not only what is there, but also what is not there. When in doubt of what a horse may be telling us, she guides us toward slower, friendlier, quieter questions, ensuring that we prioritize compromise over dominance in the relationship.

Inspirational case studies of students and horses are shared as readers are taught how to:

• Analyze spatial changes when working with horses.
• Work with activation and defense zones.
• Recognize geometric patterns in communication.
• Resist the urge to speak “gibberish” to horses.
• Translate the bonds built on the ground to the work you do under saddle.
• Build intervals into training that accommodates natural performance curves.
• And much more.

With sensible advice that still puts the horse first, above all, Krüger-Degener’s fundamental keys to making your horse happy are integral pieces to modern-day training and competing, ensuring progress not only as performers, whatever your sport, but as partners in life.

An engaging handbook chock full of all the right information for fitting English saddles to both horse and rider, ensuring comfort, health, and performance at a glance. 

If horseback riders could do one thing that would save them money, ensure their horse’s health and performance, and help them ride better (and feel better afterward), it would be assuring that their saddle fits their horse correctly, and that it is suitable for their own body and desired activities. Unfortunately, most riders don’t have access to or the money to pay experienced saddle fitters, who can analyze their equipment and help them determine whether the fit is passable or problematic. This means that a large number of riders just “hope for the best” with what they have, or struggle to grasp lengthy explanations of optimal fit and how to achieve it. And, in the end, a large number of horses suffer the consequences. 

Beverly Harrison started as a rider herself, and when she opened a tack shop, she quickly noticed the need for someone to guide horse owner’s in choosing a new saddle or refitting an older one. In order to be better informed for her customers, she became a Qualified SMS Saddle Fitter, and she made it her mission to help educate anyone involved with horses: 4-Hers, backyard riders, competitors, veterinarians—you name them, she’s probably taught them. 

Harrison figured that her educational efforts would benefit from colorful visual aids to engage her students. And so, a handbook full of her own delightful hand-painted illustrations was born. Readers easily gain a basic understanding of the different parts of the saddle, how they work and how they should fit, as well as what the addition of a rider means to it all. Topics include:

• Terminology and saddle construction
• Basic anatomy and physiology of horse and rider relative to the saddle
• Safety of materials and condition
• Step-by-step evaluations of fit for both horse and rider
• Instructions for creating a paper template
• Indicators of fit under saddle
• Impacts of girths and saddle pads
• Repair and maintenance advice

A saddle is part of most horses’ lives. It is anything but a benign piece of equipment: its placement on the horse’s back—a vital source of strength and locomotion—and its location between horse and rider, means that it can have either a negative or a positive impact on everything from health to performance. Harrison’s book makes it easy for all of us, wherever we are and whatever we like to do with our horses, to ensure our saddles are not the source of a problem, only an additional means of connection and communication. She empowers us by showing what is right, what is wrong, and what the next steps should be. And in the end, our horses are happier, healthier, and better able to do what we ask of them.

Achievable, riding-specific fitness for equestrians looking to up their game, get back in the game, or stay in the game.

In this accessible, highly illustrated guide, former Dartmouth Equestrian Team Coach Sally Batton shares her secret to 30 years of winning riders and championship teams: a unique series of progressive, mounted exercises that improves cardiovascular and muscular fitness for riders of all abilities and levels. Batton’s proven program, which she calls Equicize, can be used as part of a horseback rider’s daily warm-up by targeting specific muscle groups, or it can be a more intense workout in the saddle once or twice a week, making up the bulk of a mounted training session. Easy to learn and flexible by design, riders can pick and choose the Equicize exercises that best address their personal “problem areas,” or they can dedicate a specific number of rides per week to performing an entire sequence. As Batton explains, there are literally hundreds of ways to adjust, modify, and adapt this fun fitness program to suit specific circumstances.

No matter what level of fitness a rider starts at, when the Equicize system is practiced regularly, everyone will see improvement in balance, strength, coordination, and flexibility. And Batton has made it easy to incorporate her training into the modern rider’s full and complex life, with exercises designed to fit seamlessly into time that has already been set aside for grooming, tacking up, and riding. With sensible, achievable goals, easy-to-implement steps, progressive how-to photographs, and dozens of QR codes to scan and view engaging instructional videos to help readers perform the exercises for the best result, this book is both a superb launch point for ambitious riders looking to grow their abilities and a stable lynchpin for those aiming to stay in the game, and in the saddle, as long as possible.

Progressive training plans and interactive programs that transform boring ring work into invigorating horse play.

More and more horse owners hope to engage their horses’ minds as much as their bodies during the time they spend together, both under saddle, and on the ground. The happy news is that the training activities we have come to know as “groundwork” not only have an important place in starting colts and schooling young horses, they can also serve to diversify the means of skill-building as any horse matures. In addition, exercise in hand can serve as an important part of reconditioning a horse after extended time off, rehabbing following illness or injury, and allowing horse and handler an alternative means of connecting and spending time together when riding can’t be, or just isn’t, part of the picture.

Using dozens of detailed color diagrams to “map out” exciting ideas for on-the-ground training courses at a variety of levels, as well as instructional photographs to demonstrate horse and rider position as they navigate specific obstacles, German Equestrian Federation (FN) accredited trainer and judge Waltraud Böhmke provides an excellent source of training inspiration in these pages. Known for her incredibly beneficial in-hand courses, Böhmke’s guidance helps readers train their horses to be well-behaved, collaborative partners. And when good behavior and teamwork are achieved, both horse and handler are more relaxed and respectful in each other’s company. With numerous opportunities to establish meaningful boundaries, which ensure your horse feels secure in your company as you come to trust and rely on each other to navigate obstacles of different kinds, the partnership between you can grow.

Inside find:

• Dozens of “tasks,” activities, and obstacles, along with clear instructions so you can learn and practice them individually before incorporating them in a series or course.
• Sensible suggestions for sequences of exercises to consolidate and review the individual lessons.
• 26 complete courses for you and your horse to try on your own or with friends, providing valuable training feedback so you can adjust plans and schedules according to your horse’s progress and needs.

With expert guidance to provide the horse with positive training experiences while improving the handler’s timing and self-confidence, this book is a handy and digestible reference for anyone looking for new ways to keep their horse engaged, happy, and connected as you strive for educational growth and understanding.

A decorated Olympian shares her tips for incorporating training outside the arena and on the trail for happier, healthier equine athletes.

Gold medalist Ingrid Klimke has long encouraged competitive equestrians to spend time riding outside the arena or typical fenced or covered training area. Klimke learned to love trail riding and working outside the ring from her father, the admired dressage master Reiner Klimke, who insisted it be a regular part of their weekly schedule.

While Klimke notes that the most important part of “riding out” is for horse and rider to enjoy it, there are also many training and conditioning benefits for the horse. It:

• Promotes relaxation in mind and body.
• Provides variety to everyday training.
• Boosts motivation when under saddle.
• Builds fitness in diverse ways.

In these pages, Klimke provides top-level guidance to making riding outside a regular and rewarding experience for you and your horse. She discusses:

• Equipment considerations when moving from arena to trail.
• Riding with others and best group formations.
• How to stay safe on the trail and in open spaces.
• Riding through water.
• Jumping small obstacles.
• Making specific improvements in a horse’s fitness, stamina, and strength.

Klimke strongly advocates for regularly riding dressage horses out on the trail and in open spaces, outside the “sandbox.” Here she provides ideas for safely making use of the energy a horse gains when schooled in open country. Readers will discover suppling exercises to improve forwardness and focus in the arena, and techniques to help horses develop a calm and unflappable frame of mind.

Chock full of gorgeous photographs of Klimke’s world-class horses demonstrating their own love for being ridden outside the arena, Riding Out is for every horse person in search of ways to increase their connection with their athletic partner while improving the ridden horse’s general welfare. This is professional guidance in a fundamental way to make training more enjoyable and more well-rounded—Klimke’s own astounding successes in international competition prove its incredible value.

Creative concepts and exercises that fundamentally improve your riding foundation, enabling you to excel in any training system or discipline.

When horsewoman and certified personal trainer Joyce Kramer discovered that the riders most committed to fitness were not reaping the benefits of their improved athleticism on horseback, she abandoned the standard protocol for developing strength, endurance, and stability. Her background in the study of movement and holding patterns enabled her to develop her own unique approach to physical training capable of improving riding function and performance in such dramatic ways, it can bring out what she calls the “inner elite rider” in everyone.

Using phenomenal hand-drawn imagery and engaging photographs of her own students at work, Kramer begins her book by clarifying the four most important ingredients to riding in harmony with an equine partner, as well as the aspects that nurture a sense of “feel” in the rider:

• Alignment
• Centering
• Grounding
• Positive Tension

The second part of the book focuses on rider position, deconstructing the body’s sections and again using imagery to enable readers to connect all their “parts” into one cohesive, breathing, supple “whole.” An optimal position allows the horse to carry the rider comfortably and efficiently, promoting performance to the very best of his ability.

Finally, Kramer takes the reader on a journey to the “deep core,” which she has identified as key not only to limiting extraneous movement of the exterior body visible to others, but also to the energy exchange at the most exciting level of connection with a horse. Bones, internal organs, and spinal stabilizers are engaged on the ground and in the saddle, using sound cues, proprioceptive props, and imagery, with mind-blowing results.

With hundreds of images, tips, and exercises that can be modified according to age and ability, and an excitingly fresh perspective, this book can be the key to any rider reaching the next level in the saddle—whether that means excelling in a whole new division of competition, or recovering or rebuilding after time away from the sport. Every page is full of fun, engaging answers to your riding questions, ideas for clearing your stumbling blocks, and the endless promise of pursuing an activity you love in the company of your horse.

Today horses are thought of as family members, athletic partners, and patient teachers and therapists. Most of us do our very best to give them all the benefits that contemporary domestic life can offer: comfortable stalls; carefully prepared and regular meals with vitamins and supplements; top-notch veterinary and hoof care; even regular bodywork.

So why do so many horses struggle with health, behavioral, and training problems?

In her groundbreaking book, the first on the subject written specifically with horses in mind, animal enrichment specialist and zookeeper Amanda Goble shows readers exactly what’s missing from the modern horse’s life: enrichment and boredom-relief. By giving equines back the crucial natural behaviors, stimulation, and enriching experiences they crave, we can truly change their lives—and ours as their riders, trainers, and caregivers—for the better.

Far more than a simple list of toys you can buy, No Bored Horses explains why unique equine behaviors matter to horses, and how today’s style of equine care can actually make it impossible for horses to behave like horses, resulting in vices and behaviors that are in essence a cry for help. Goble believes that equestrians can benefit from what zookeepers like her already know: enrichment is more than just fun and games for animals—it is essential for their mental and physical health. The companion animal world has already embraced forms of enrichment as a powerful tool for reducing behavior problems and improving pet-owner relationships. But the equestrian world has lagged behind, without resources or information on how to give their horses the same level of love and care.

Until now.

Leveraging her passion for horses and animal behavior with a zoo professional’s knowledge of enrichment techniques, and coupling them with a strong background in education and the creative space, Goble breaks complicated topics into accessible, punchy bites of content that make sense. And as a lifelong horse owner, she can help us overcome challenges from the ground up—because she’s been (and maybe still is) in our shoes.

Chock full of fantastically engaging original illustrations, diagrams, and charts, plus color photographs and instructions for more than 30 toys, puzzles, and experiences attainable

for all equestrians, regardless of level of experience or size of budget, Goble’s book promises every horseperson can afford to make her recommended changes and ultimately improve a horse’s life. Plus, alongside plenty of inspiration for everyday fun, readers will also find valuable advice for the most challenging situations, like extended stall rest and quarantine.

No Bored Horses is for every desperate equestrian whose horse is going stir-crazy, and for the owner of the horse with behavioral problems that she just can’t seem to fix. And it is for every one of us whose aim is to give our horses the experiences and opportunities that create true well-being in our company.

The go-to reference for riders and trainers aiming to improve equine conditioning in ways that are strategic, engaging, and fair to the horse.

For just about everything we do with horses—from trail riding to top level competition—a healthy state of fitness is key to both performance and longevity. Every horse will go better for longer if his mind and body are well prepared for the “ask.”

When it comes to improving fitness, whether for humans or animals, the success of an exercise relies on dosage. How an exercise is applied, the duration and frequency of execution, and the weekly schedule within which it is incorporated determine its impact on fitness.

Equine training and conditioning expert Jec Aristotle Ballou has now provided a book that takes the guesswork out of fitness gains. It clarifies how long and frequently to do a particular exercise and provides guidance in how to combine it with others for best results. The result is maximized health and athleticism in the horse.

The 33 workouts in these pages help accomplish the performance goals that many riders strive for but fall short of reaching—stronger, more agile, and more balanced horses. They do this by circumventing the tension, both physical and mental, that often spoils conditioning attempts made within a discipline-specific or skill-based training session. By providing the right amount of stimulus while avoiding boredom, fatigue, and habituated neuromuscular patterns, Ballou’s workouts lead to positive physiological gains. Her plans include:

• Ways to measure a horse’s current fitness.
• Guidelines for active and passive rest.
• Basics for stretching, warming up, and improving mobility.
• Unique groundwork that keeps both you and your horse engaged.
• Hill hikes and terrain tests with multiple benefits.
• Suggested schedules for basic fitness goals, as well as special considerations for young horses and trail riders.

With easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions and clear illustration, this book is a fundamental piece of any conscientious rider’s training plan and a key component to keeping horses performing happily for more years of their lives.

Fundamentals from the world’s “long-reining maestro."

If long-reining (long-lining) is an essential building block in a horse’s training, this book is the essential building block in every horse person’s education. Readers are primed in classically correct long-reining basics by renowned German trainer Wilfried Gehrmann, giving them a safe and solid launch point for the development of a sport horse in a variety of disciplines. General guidelines are given for:

- Preparing the horse for work in long-reins and the related equipment.

- Handling the reins and whip.

- Positioning of the handler’s body—both when moving with the horse and when asking the horse to move in longe circles and other figures.

- Development of lateral work.

- Long-reining over ground poles and jumps.

- Starting the driving horse.

- Working the vaulting horse.

- Acquiring the skills needed for advanced movements in-hand and under saddle, such as piaffe and passage.

A rare insider's look at the life of a professional sportsman as he tries to reconcile the passion that drives him with livelihood, family, and aging.

Known for his wit, irreverence, and whip-smart observations on equestrian sport and its participants, three-time Olympian Jim Wofford's writing is as legendary as his performances in the saddle. Now he again brings his immense talent for telling tales—all of them (mostly) true—to the page in his autobiography.

Growing up on a Kansas farm that shared a border with Fort Riley, home to the U.S. Cavalry School from 1887 to 1949, and the son of a sporting Army-man who rode in uniform in the 1932 Olympics, Wofford shares his wholly unique perspective on horsemanship and the history of equestrian competition in the United States. We track his ascendancy from one-room schoolhouse, to Culver Military Academy, to the United States Equestrian Team headquarters in Gladstone, New Jersey, during its heyday. Along the way, Wofford introduces some of history's great horses and the people who loved them as he strives to reach the top of the international eventing scene. Fascinating stories from his many adventures around the world contribute to this honest, funny, poignant read certain to entertain and educate every horse person.

The only book available on creating and managing professional-grade rings, pens, arenas, and tracks for riding and competing horses.

One of the secrets to keeping horses sound, reducing injuries, and enabling them to reach peak performance, whatever their discipline, is careful consideration of the surfaces on which they are trained and conditioned. Intentional steps must be taken to create the ideal conditions with the biomechanics of the horse and specific demands of the sport in mind.

The good news is that decades of study and millions of dollars have been put into the development of best practices at the highest levels of Western, English, and racing competition, and in this meticulously researched book, horse industry veteran Abigail Boatwright boils it all down into a set of guidelines that anyone can use to improve their ground at home. Whether you're starting with an empty field or renovating an existing arena, the expertise Boatwright has gathered will help you make sure the riding and training space you have is the very best it can be: safe for both horse and rider, functional and correct for your chosen equine activity, and prepared to help rather than hinder the development of your horse's performance.

Insight, tips, and advice from leading arena builders and maintenance tool creators supplements expertise specific to a wide range of Western and English disciplines, as well as racing, along with both indoor and outdoor training spaces. Readers find clear instructions in how to:

- Plan your own arena, from the ground up.

- Choose footing materials appropriate for your climate, your horses, and your activities.

- Select arena maintenance tools that are worth the investment.

- Properly prepare and care for your arena to the specifications your sport requires.

- Problem-solve issues with moisture or lack of, footing composition, fencing and kickboards, and so much more.

With professional color photographs and diagrams to illustrate the concepts, as well as hundreds of tips and ideas on how to preserve the horse's health and longevity through proper arena preparation and care, this is not only a great reference book, it's an invaluable insurance policy.

In this fresh look at the fundamental skills needed when training and riding a horse, career educator and lifelong horsewoman Anne Buchanan provides crucial keys so the everyday horse enthusiast can:

Decode how the horse functions.

• Become aware of crucial technicalities of riding that are often overlooked or bypassed.
• Grow a toolbox of training ideas so that every ride has meaningful and attainable goals.
• Easily recall what to do, when, during any ride. 

With the understanding that many riders yearn to be productive with their horses, Buchanan empowers them with well-researched and time-tested answers to the question, "What should I do with my horse today?" She also addresses the building blocks that must be in place so that this question can be answered in many ways, and all of them successful. These include: 

• The “Ground Rules”—essential groundwork and communication skills.
• The six “Nonnegotiables” for good riding—Go, Get Connected, Stay Connected, Transitions, Flexion, and Half-Halt.
• Guidelines for learning on your own—how to carry on and grow your knowledge and skillset, independently when necessary.

In addition, “Study Guides” throughout the book serve as easy-to-use “formulas” so readers can reconstruct what they’ve learned at any time. Buchanan employs mental tools the human brain uses to make sense of information to help readers engage with the material and: 

• Familiarize them with the terminology, concepts, and skills needed for riding.
• Develop the confidence necessary to implement these concepts and skills when working with their horses.
• Help develop day-to-day and long-range plans to reach training and riding goals. 

Buchanan endeavors to translate the experience of riding into words so that readers can think like good riders think, feel what good riders feel, and do what good riders do. The result is the ability to recognize what is working, what isn’t, what you need to do, and whether you achieve it—even when you are riding and training on your own. With engaging illustrations and links to helpful instructional videos throughout, this is both a go-to reference and a launchpoint for every amateur hoping to grow her horsemanship abilities while doing right by her horse.

How a Grand Prix dressage rider competed at the highest level before finding her way to liberty work, and the extraordinary lessons that molded her perceptions, understandings, and feelings along the way.

In her deeply personal and strikingly beautiful book, Froment traces her evolution as a horsewoman, a dressage competitor, and now a world-renowned performer and trainer of liberty horses—horses that perform free of anything on their bodies. Readers meet the ponies she learned on, and the challenging mounts that helped her grow as a junior rider. There were horses she immediately loved and horses she had to work to connect with—and eventually there were Mistral and Sultan, who she calls her “yin and yang,” and who elevated her aspirations both beside and on the back of a horse. It is with these two special souls that Froment further explored riding the Grand Prix movements with only a neck rope—no bridle or bit, and often bareback as well—and demonstrating to the world the potential that is there for all riders to enjoy, if they are open to the experience and are willing to take the time for it to evolve.

Readers will be entranced by Froment’s willingness to bare her soul, powerfully articulating her feelings when confronted with jealousy, with performance expectations, with the possibility of losing the horse she loved to an unknown buyer, with retiring a beloved partner, and with the changing circumstances and altered allegiances of her heart when her daughter Louise is born. As tender as a story about riding, competing, and performing with horses at the highest levels can be, The Horses Who Made Me is first a story of one woman’s personal journey, eternally questioning herself, and second, an inspiration for anyone who is forever striving for a better way of training horses, because of the profound beauty you just might find.

Over the past few decades, an evolution in how we go about training horses has encouraged horse owners to spend more time handling their horses on the ground in order to achieve good behavior, mutual trust, and a healthy partnership, before they ever think about getting in the saddle. In addition, horses are being discovered as ideal companions by many individuals who may have little interest in riding at all, but who do enjoy pursuing activities that are fun for both human and horse. These changes have created a generation of horsepeople eager to pursue the competitive and social benefits of Horse Agility, the first internationally recognized, competitive horse sport dedicated to those who most enjoy working their horses from the ground. In this terrific handbook, Founder of the International Horse Agility Club and horse trainer Vanessa Bee, shows you all you need to know to try it for yourself.

Like the hugely popular Dog Agility classes enjoyed by countless canines and their handlers, all over the world, Horse Agility involves a colorful obstacle course and subtle directions from a handler. The horse learns to complete the course because he chooses to—not because he is constrained, forced, whipped, prodded, or bribed. Bee explains there is no reason the horse cannot enjoy your time together so much, he will choose to "play" with you—over, under, and through obstacles, without a lead rope, even when loose in a large, grassy pasture. 

With The Horse Agility Handbook you can try Horse Agility today. Learn how to:

• Understand Horse Agility goals
• Get the equipment you need
• Read your horse’s posture
• Direct your horse’s feet
• Practice beginning agility movements
• Increase “softness” in your horse
• Become your horse’s “guide”
• Work your horse “free” (at liberty)
• Negotiate agility obstacles
• Build agility obstacles
• Plan agility courses
• Organize competitions and “play days”
• Start a Horse Agility club near you

With succinct, clearly explained lessons in everything from horse handling and body language to directions for obstacle and course construction, plus full color photographs throughout, this is the ideal introductory book for anyone interested in giving the sport of Horse Agility a try, or for those looking for out-of-the-box training ideas to keep horses interested in learning and happily engaged in all their interactions with you.

Is it possible to be simultaneously passionate about winning in an equestrian sport and about the welfare of horses?

Professional polo player Adam Snow and sport horse veterinarian Shelley Onderdonk answer this undeniably twenty-first-century question with a resounding, “Yes!” They have spent a lifetime together, nurturing Adam’s astounding career at the top of his sport (he is the last American polo player to achieve the perfect 10-goal handicap) with the artful, conscientious care and training of the equine partners he needed to be the best. And Shelley’s twenty-five years as an equine veterinarian have been spent helping sport horses compete at the highest levels in other disciplines, as well—including reining, racing, eventing, show jumping, and dressage—while always prioritizing long-term health and well-being.

In these pages, Adam and Shelley share the keys to their success…and the struggles and celebrations that taught them along the way. Through the lens of their disparate and yet synchronous experiences in the intense realm of world-class equestrian sport, they explore topics of concern and those worthy of consideration, including the:

• Role of natural training methods and horse-human communication

Smart, engaging, and honest, this book is the answer to the online debates and the boardroom arguments. With intelligence and experience, the authors provide the much-needed antidote to the dark side of horse sports. “Our story is an explicit acknowledgement that doing good for the horse is good for results in the competitive arena,” they write. “Our task is to explain our method, and yours is to prove that it can be replicated.”

A clearly illustrated guide to the best exercises for suppling the horse's body and relaxing the horse’s mind.

The goal of a relaxed and willing horse crosses disciplines. Whether striving toward competitive goals in the show ring, working long hours on the ranch, or simply enjoying a leisurely trail ride, a horse that is supple in body, relaxed in mind, and light in the hand will be better able to perform, and stay sound and healthy while doing it.

The exercises in these pages are a classically correct and horse-friendly starting point to building a routine you can rely on to prepare your horse in the best way possible for training or performance, or to cool him down afterward. The author has organized them in three categories:

• Exercises to relax and supple the horse from back to front (longitudinally).
• Exercises to relax and supple the horse from the circle and other arena tracks and figures.
• Exercises to relax and supple the horse from side to side (laterally).

 Addressing both general training targets and specific issues, the relaxation exercises include:

• A summary of their benefits.
• Explanations of what they are not likely to accomplish (their limitations).
• Prerequisites that ensure the exercise is done safely and correctly.
• Instructions on how to begin and complete it.
• Troubleshooting—an idea of where things are likely to go wrong with either the rider or the horse.

With lovely photographs for inspiration, and explanatory illustrations and diagrams to help instruct readers in the practical application of each lesson, this is a fundamental book for all riders who desire a healthy, happy equine partner who can perform his very best with ease and comfort.

Clever ways to improve your horse’s performance when groundwork is all you can do.

There are dozens of reasons you might not be able to ride your horse. Weather can have an impact on your riding and training choices, sometimes keeping you out of the saddle, as can an injury to you or your horse, or changes in lifestyle or horsemanship goals. But time not riding does not need to be time wasted, explains trainer and popular instructor Vanessa Bee. As Founder of the International Horse Agility Club, Bee brings to the stable a unique set of skill-building techniques and exercises that anyone can use to better understand how the horse moves and how to influence that movement, resulting in better behavior on the ground, improved performance under saddle, and strengthened connection whenever and however you and your horse interact.

Bee's degree in education and experience as a teacher, as well as a horse trainer and riding instructor, informs the way she presents her easily achievable lessons that you can do right in the barn with limited equipment, including:

• Exercises to help you get to know your horse better.
• Safe handling techniques.
• Specific ways to build a trusting relationship.
• Fun games and ideas for engaging the horse's mind and body.
• Challenges that test willingness, balance, and focus.

With five foundation skills providing a clear place to start, and step-by-step instructions for 50 individual tasks and activities on the ground that not only engage both horse and rider but build toward immense rewards under saddle, this vibrantly illustrated book delivers for riders of all ages and abilities. Whether your goals are better dressage scores or quiet trail rides, or just safe and fulfilling time spent in the company of horses, Rainy Day Horsemanship has the positive steps you can take, starting today, whatever the season, whatever the weather.

Van Hargis grew up in the saddle on an East Texas ranch, training his first horse at age 12 and eventually making a living starting cutting and reining colts, many of which would leave his hands to become champions. Naturally outgoing (labeled a “talker” by teachers in grade school), Hargis shared stories and lessons from his work with horses early on. Here, in his first book, he reaches out to readers with a collection of down-to-earth, highly relatable tales—experiences that, over the years, have impacted his own horsemanship and life in significant ways. Readers absorb fundamental knowledge of horses skillfully embedded in genuine anecdotes straight off the ranch:

• How Grandma's cross-stitch laid the groundwork for more patience when starting colts and trailer loading.
• How a daughter's temper tantrum helped perfect timing of the release of pressure.
• How the way Mom worked the gate when sorting cattle taught you to look for what the horse really wanted to achieve.
• How playing on championship football teams provided the understanding of true partnership between rider and horse.

With easy-to-remember quotes to anchor what readers learn and practical tools that can be used in the arena or on the trail, by Western or English riders, The Horse Is My Teacherimparts the principles of great horsemanship while also inspiring each of us to apply those same principles to further our own personal growth and success.

An eye-opening book leading equestrians into a brave new horse world, where we train horses their way, not ours.

For years, Andrea Kutsch filled stadiums with spectators as she demonstrated remarkable transformations in “problem horses” using the Natural Horsemanship training methods she'd learned from leaders in the field. But something was bothering her—a feeling that had been with her since her childhood days, watching Icelandics in a field and coming up through a traditional German riding system. Despite the strides made in improving the horse's well-being through the worldwide adoption of Natural Horsemanship techniques, she knew that the methods were still missing something.

They still trained horses looking at every situation from the human perspective and were dependent on a trainer's natural feel. This meant that, for the horse, there was stress involved in the training process. In addition, positive results gained by a professional often couldn't be replicated by a horse's owner; what the horse learned from one person wouldn't transfer to others.

Kutsch set out to find the next stage in the evolution of horse training. She studied the results of methods she used with thousands of young horses at The Lewitz Stud in Neustadt--Glewe, Germany, the renowned farm owned by European champion Paul Schockemöhle. This provided the basis for what she calls Evidence-Based Equine Communication™ (EBEC), a means of reading the horse and understanding the world from his point of view. Here she introduces EBEC and how it can take our relationship with horses and their ability to perform as our partners to a whole new level. Inside find:

Certain to provide ideas for improving every interaction with horses, whatever your experience or discipline, From the Horse1s Point of View is a conversation-starter for all those looking to take their horsemanship to a whole new level.

A favorite storyteller sheds new light on the never-ending process of becoming better for the horse.

Over 30 years ago, renowned horseman and popular storyteller Mark Rashid’s first book, Considering the Horse, was published. In it he shared his experiences with horses and people, subtly delivering practical lessons in horsemanship and life in a conversational style that resonated with audiences around the world. Now Rashid considers all that has happened in the years that have passed since that first book was published—the transformative moments and impactful individuals who have helped shape his philosophies and methods since then. With his distinctive voice, he shepherds readers through topics of relevance in the equestrian industry while telling more of his life story, resulting in an engaging memoir-style read that remains rich in nuggets of wisdom that you can put right to work in your daily interactions with horses.

In For the Love of the Horse, Rashid explores:

• Ways he tried to find his own way of being with horses without actually knowing what he was looking for.
• How the art of aikido, and the teachers he had, changed his ideas about life and relationships outside the dojo.
• How it feels to be soft (and how it feels to not be), and how Rashid learned to stay true to the principles of softness as he understood them, regardless of the situation.
• How he broke out of the pattern of assigning human emotions and comprehension to horses.
• The impact neuroscientist Dr. Steve Peters had on Rashid’s understanding of the horse’s behaviors and responses and how they correlate to what is actually going on in the horse’s brain.
• The power of observation and learning how to be still, even in the midst of activity.
• The difference between trying to connect with the horse versus allowing the horse to connect with you.
• How over time Rashid has shifted from trying techniques that alter a horse’s behavior, to adjusting his own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in order to help the horse feel safer.

In his familiar way, Rashid takes readers on a journey that rewards with both adventure and education, finding new inroads in our attempts to become better company and fairer caregivers to horses. With his thoughtful lifetime of study leading by example, we are all encouraged to consider how far horsemanship has come and how bright its future might be.

A highly illustrated guide to the most effective and beneficial stretches for horses.

Stretching is a necessary part of any athlete’s exercise and maintenance routine. Long recognized to promote flexibility and prevent injury in humans, stretching can bring the same benefits to horses when made part of their daily care. This illustrated handbook makes it easy for riders and owners to include simple exercises that improve performance and increase longevity in their usual training schedule.

Optimal equine performance requires strength, flexibility, coordination, and resilience. The practice of stretching makes it possible to develop and maintain all these elements in harmony. It also provides valuable transition time from hours that may have been spent in a stall to the gymnastic expectations we have for horses under saddle: rhythm and elasticity of the gaits, willingness to go forward, beautiful and dynamic movement, reliability and surefootedness, and more.

With clear descriptions of the anatomical and physiological principles of stretching, readers gain an understanding of the exercises that may be best for their horses and disciplines in mind. Then, detailed instructions are provided explaining:

• Simple, quick-to-do joint and muscle evaluations.
• Stretches targeting specific muscle groups.
• Stretches to promote suppleness and relaxation.
• Stretches to warm up and prepare for work.
• Stretches for cool down and recovery.

Color photographs demonstrate evaluations and stretches step-by-step, supplemented by detailed explanations of what you may discover in your horse’s reactions. Perhaps best of all, readers are provided a therapeutic reason for more hands-on time with their horses, and new ways to listen to him, to understand him, and to ultimately improve his well-being and performance.

Riding well can be a puzzle. This book puts together the pieces, including:

• How humans and horses learn.
• Striving for partnership vs. dictatorship.
• Early training and developing skills.
• Demystifying equestrian-speak.
• Dressage outside the arena.
• Ground poles for the rest of us.
• Jumping and cross-country tips.
• Solving problems, wherever you ride.
• Competition psychology.
• Being coached and being a coach.

“This book is aimed at riders, coaches, and anyone interested in learning more about how humans and horses interact. I have tried to harness my own experiences when I cover the three main disciplines—dressage, show jumping, and eventing—and how they relate to one another. I look at how those in a coaching position can guide riders to perform better by making their lives less complicated and more fulfilling, and I examine how riders can apply the same principles to training their horses and become self-sufficient.” —Eric Smiley

Favorite lessons from the pros to improve your horse’s adjustability, connection, and performance over fences.

This modern-day quick reference to more than 50 grids and jumping exercises brings the best of top international training and instruction into your home ring. Build your skillset and your horse’s confidence and conditioning with a fantastic selection of lessons you can use to:

• Diversify your training routine.
• Sharpen your horse prior to competition.
• Address specific problem areas.

Within these pages you’ll have regular access to the tips and tricks that have brought some of the most accomplished riders and trainers professional success. Amateur eventer Margaret Rizzo McKelvy has compiled an unparalleled collection of exercises for any jumping discipline—eventing, show jumping, hunters, and equitation—by tapping the expertise of a remarkable group of top equestrians never before found together in one instructional book, including Olympians Anne Kursinski, Phillip Dutton, Kim Severson, Ingrid Klimke, and Boyd Martin. Plus, you’ll find:

• Easy-to-follow diagrams and clear explanations make it a snap to recreate the lessons at home.
• Workouts are easy to modify for smaller or larger arenas.
• Recommendations help you adjust exercises as needed relative to the experience level of riders and horses.

This one-of-a-kind resource is not only a fabulous addition to any rider’s training toolbox, it is invaluable to coaches and instructors looking for ideas and inspiration to help keep their students engaged and growing as riders and educated horsepeople.

The only book dedicated to learning to find and ride the ideal jumping distance with fundamental skills and enlightening lessons from one of the best in the business.

Understanding how to count strides helps to develop the rider’s eye and “feel.” Stride control means producing the correct number of strides and quality of stride to jump the jumps at hand—the emphasis is on the quality of strides, not just the number. It is one of the skills that enables the rider to achieve success, whatever the size of the jumps.

Jen Marsden Hamilton has coached countless riders and horses around the world in the striding techniques that brought her success during her own impressive competitive career, and here Hamilton has compiled her knowledge in a concise book of exercises and insightful strategies. Inside you’ll find:

• Detailed setup for specific exercises.
• Connecting flatwork for between ground poles or jumps, such as transitions and serpentines.
• Strategies for completing the exercises and analyzing the outcome.
• Appropriate exercises for the rider’s desired discipline and level.

For six decades, Lynn Palm has been a mainstay of the horse training, showing, and clinicing industry. Her successes in diversity in training and the development of willingness and ability across disciplines are unparalleled. She has four Superhorse Titles—a prize awarded to a horse that demonstrates a broad skillset and proficiency in multiple sports. In these pages, Lynn shares the eight keys to her success in training and competing, and how you, too—whether you’re eventing or team penning—can shape a horse with a good attitude, correct movement, healthy biomechanics, and top-notch conditioning. A “Superhorse” will take you farther for longer, and you’ll enjoy every minute of it.

Readers will learn how:

With a rich mix of stories curated from years of horse adventures, practical ideas you can put to work in your own arena, and exercises to incorporate in your daily practice, Finding Your Superhorse is the rare inspiring read that teaches. Throughout, Lynn’s warmth of character and intense commitment to horses, horse people, and improving the industry that has given her a life and a livelihood shine through, guiding us all toward what’s possible and the “super” in every horse.

A delightfully honest look at the realities of starting out with horses…when you're getting older.

Are you a woman at midlife or beyond? Have you just discovered you have a passion for horses? Or maybe you've now found time for them after years devoted to a job and family? Surveys show that riders over the age of 40 are the fastest growing segment of the equestrian world, with those age 65 and above seeing the biggest jump—so you are far from alone!

With carefully curated guidance collected over years of horsing around, rider and writer Fran Severn wants to embolden and empower you with tips, lessons, and advice as you begin enjoying a life with horses in it. In these pages, you'll find options for:

• Riding…and not riding (but still having horses in your life).
• Finding an instructor and being a good student.
• Coming to grips with what your body can and can't do in terms of fitness, weight, and fear.
• Understanding the realities of arthritis, menopause, and changing vision, hearing, and breathing.
• Knowing the rules for buying, leasing, and boarding horses.
• Dealing with family and horse-related finances.
• And much more.

Riders of a Certain Age provides an important reference to any older individual who craves the companionship of a horse and the sisterhood that can go along with it.

An exciting follow-up from the bestselling author of How Good Riders Get Good and Know Better to Do Better.

We all start somewhere with horses. As a toddler on a pony. As a teenager with friends who ride. As an adult who always loved horses, but life just got in the way…until now.

Some of us start over. We sell our horses to go to school, to have careers or babies (or both). We decide to quit dressage and start reining. We fall off…and get back on.

There are all sorts of beginning places, and they can be for the first time or after a “gap.” They can mean you are beginning, or your horse is. They can mean you barely got started, or you started badly. Renowned horseman Denny Emerson knows all about the importance of these beginnings. Through an impressive career in the saddle that spans decades, he has worked with all different breeds, competed at the top international levels of eventing and endurance, lost horses and found new ones, taught young riders and adult amateurs, traded Western tack for English and back again, been injured…only to rehab, climb back in the saddle, and start over.

In his third book, Emerson once again masterfully intertwines his entertaining reflections from a life embedded in the equestrian world with serious philosophical questions faced by the industry today and practical advice honed by his immense experience. Readers will discover:

• How to make your beginning with horses easier…and how to make it harder.

• How having the right horse versus having the wrong horse can affect a beginning…or mean you should begin again.

• The importance of a team (family, friends, trainers, coaches) you trust and rely upon.

• Ways to identify how you learn, see, hear, and feel, and how to apply that knowledge with horses.

• The need for knowing how far you want to go and how much are you willing to give up to go there.

With inspirational stories of beginning and beginning again from top equestrians, as well as personal reflections from “regular” horse people around the world, these pages promise to inspire a start or a change, and provide a roadmap we all can follow, whatever our ambitions. Emerson reassures us that it doesn’t matter where your beginning point is—start where you are. And, even better, there is a do-over button—you just have to decide to push it. This book is for every horse person who continues to dream of something else or something more, and just needs someone to say: “Begin.”

German rider and equine veterinarian Dr. Gerd Heuschmann is well-known in dressage circles—admired for his plain speaking regarding what he deems the incorrect and damaging training methods commonly employed by riders and trainers involved in competition today. Here, he presents an intelligent and thought-provoking exploration of both classical and "modern" training methods, including "hyperflexion" (also known as Rollkur), against a practical backdrop of the horse's basic anatomy and physiology.

In a detailed yet comprehensible fashion, Dr. Heuschmann describes parts of the horse's body that need to be correctly developed by the dressage rider. He then examines how they function both individually and within an anatomical system, and how various schooling techniques affect these parts for the good, or for the bad. Using vivid color illustrations of the horse's skeletal system, ligaments, and musculature, in addition to comparative photos depicting "correct" versus "incorrect" movement—and most importantly, photos of damaging schooling methods—Dr. Heuschmann convincingly argues that the horse's body tells us whether our riding is truly gymnasticizing and "building the horse up," or simply wearing it down and tearing it apart. He then outlines his ideal "physiological education" of the horse.

Training should mirror the mental and physical development of the horse, fulfilling "classical" requirements—such as regularity of the three basic gaits, suppleness, and acceptance of the bit—rather than disregarding time-tested values for quick fixes that could lead to the degradation of the horse's well-being. Dr. Heuschmann's assertion that the true objectives of dressage schooling must never be eclipsed by simple "mechanical perfection" is certain to inspire riders at all levels to examine their riding, their riding goals, and the techniques they employ while pursuing them.

Engaging new ways to understand and implement time-proven systems of horse training. 

The “Scales of Training,” “Training Scale,” and “Training Pyramid” are familiar terms to riders. Around the globe and across disciplines, equestrians hear reference to them or study them as a part of their equestrian education. Dressage rider and trainer Sue Grice grew up with these concepts, too, and like many, found them to be not only fairly boring, but also confusing when it came to actually implementing them as part of daily training. In the course of her work with other riders, she came to realize that although many seemed to know about the Scales of Training in theory, few actually applied them in practice. Grice determined that this was because there was really no clear framework or methodology for implementing the system in a progressive manner. 

So Grice conceived a new approach based on the standard but with a focus on a better rate of success. Success could be achieved when the rider was engaged with the system and understood how to continually adhere to it, even as advances (or falters) might occur. For over 30 years she has continued to develop and apply her ideas, and now she has finally brought them together to share with the world in this book. 

Here readers find a detailed plan for applying what Grice calls the “Training Spiral.” She does not try to rewrite what history has shown to work in the development of the riding horse, but instead simply provides a fresh framework that enables riders and trainers to: 

• Apply the classical elements of the Training Scale in a more progressive and logical manner, and,

• Employ them systematically within daily training as well as over a longer period of time. 

Grice provides clear explanations of how to use each of the six elements (Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, and Collection), how the elements are to be used in order, and what can go wrong if they are applied in the wrong order. Clear examples are given at all levels of training, and detailed case studies demonstrate how the Training Spiral can succeed where traditional systems have failed. The spiral structure provides a means of applying the Scales of Training in practice that is not just logical but also extremely easy to follow. The clarity of Grice’s approach also helps horses understand what is being asked of them, leading to a happier relationships between horses and riders, and training that progresses more quickly and easily overall. 

The Training Spiral is an invaluable and immensely practical guide for trainers and riders at all levels, from novice to advanced. 

A hilarious comic treasury from the popular online equestrian series “The Idea of Order.”

If there is one thing that equestrians have learned to do over time, it is laugh at themselves.

The horse world is a crazy, wonderful, ridiculous, awful, beautiful place, and horse people know it. We spend an inordinate amount of money on insanely fragile animals with a well-recognized ability to get hurt just enough to be out of work most of the time and eating and sleeping all of the time. We dress ourselves, and our horses, in silly outfits, obsess over diet, exercise, and footwear (for the horse), and invest in regular massages, chiropractic work, acupuncture sessions, and pedicures (again, for the horse).

Morgane Schmidt knows all about the madness that comes with the equine territory, having owned and competed horses in eventing and dressage for years. A lifelong fan of the classic equestrian cartoons penned by internationally renowned artist Norman Thelwell, she began her own comic series in 2011, sharing deftly funny reflections on life with horses with an avid online fanbase. Ten years later, her witty observations and fabulously rendered characters have been brought together in one immensely entertaining collection. Featuring both viral favorites and never-before-seen comics created exclusively for this book, Life with Horses Is Never Orderly offers endless laughs and on-point commentary about the equestrian world and those insane enough to fumble along within it, knowing full well absolutely nothing is within their control.

With plenty of evergreen humor that always applies, hot topics and seasonal hits, and cartoons inspired by current events in the “outside world” that some equestrians are willing to admit actually does exist, readers will find hundreds of reasons to feel good about all the bad decisions they’ve probably made because they “love horses,” and a whole lot to laugh about

A handy quick-reference with step-by-step color photos and easy-to-follow instructions from two top professional grooms.

Braiding a horse’s mane kind of comes with the territory—who can resist playing with all that hair? While it may begin as a downtime activity on a rainy afternoon or fun with friends after riding lessons, braiding takes on a life of its own when it comes to competition. Professional grooms and others who braid on the show circuit can make a living doing just that when they have the skills to do it fast and do it well.

Professional grooms Cat Hill and Emma Ford, co-authors of the bestselling World-Class Grooming for Horses, have braided thousands of horses for a variety of disciplines over the course of their esteemed careers in the equestrian industry. Now they’ve highlighted those skills in a book conceived to be a helpful barn companion—one you can take with you and keep in your tack trunk, providing a go-to reference whenever you need it. Chock full of full-color photographs that illustrate every step of the process, readers learn techniques for:

• Braiding down—a nice, tight, smooth braid is the key to a sophisticated finish.
• Using thread, yarn, or rubber bands.
• Properly finishing and removing braids to avoid hair damage.
• Button braids two ways.
• Hunter braids.
• Running braids.
• Unpulled manes and long manes.
• Braiding forelocks.

With their expertise, top-tier standards, and trademark clarity as professionals who have made teaching their trade an integral part of their lives, Hill and Ford provide everything you need to know to turn a horse out with professional polish, ready to impress the judges and wow the crowds.

Award-winning musical Freestyle designer Sandra Beaulieu has a lifetime’s experience as a dressage competitor and professional entertainer. Here she provides everything readers need to know to enjoy creating Freestyles of their own―whether for fun or for ribbons.

• Learn how to find your horse’s beats per minute (bpm) in every gait.
• Find out how to choose the music that’s right for you and your horse and navigate rules of copyright.
• Discover easy-to-learn ways to edit your music and put together a professional-sounding playlist.
• Review required movements through the levels for dressage and Western dressage Freestyle tests.
• Explore ways to weave together your choreography to highlight your horse’s strengths and downplay the areas you are working to improve.
• Play with ideas for exhibition performances, including ridden, trick, and liberty work, on your own or in a group.
• Have fun making your Freestyle all your own with costumes, specialty tack, and more.

The musical Freestyle has become a form of equestrian display that draws large audiences in horse sports of every kind: dressage, Western dressage, and Cowboy Dressage; reining and liberty; breed classes and training competitions; drill teams and quadrilles. With plenty of advice for practice as well as putting on a crowd-pleasing show, readers are sure to find all they need to get started. Beaulieu writes with infectious enthusiasm and includes advice from 27 Freestyle competitors and performers, including Marsha Sapp, Mario Contreras, Tik Maynard, Lindsey Partridge, Luke Gingerich, and Rebecca Waite.

Every movement of the rider’s body starts in the brain. In these pages, Olympic competitor and coach Marc Nölke explains how to direct the specific areas of the brain that control stability, sense of rhythm, precision of movement, breathing, and vision. With his unique brain-focused exercises, riders learn how to change the input sent to their brain to get healthier, more athletic output, which can include intentional and unintentional movement, and functions of circulatory, hormonal, or immune systems.

The brain decides how you ride and how you feel when you ride based on the input you send it. Traditionally equestrians have worked to improve the brain’s output (riding skills) by training the output (riding skills). Nölke’s innovative “Neuro-Rider Program” is based on achieving better output (better riding skills), not by endlessly practicing the movements, but instead by changing the input—what you send to your brain for it to process and interpret.

In a series of over 40 unique exercises, Nölke helps riders improve the signals they send to their brain from the:

Regular practice will improve the rider’s overall performance as well as address specific issues, such as:

In time, Neuro-Rider training will make you feel lighter on horseback, help you follow the horse’s movements more naturally, increase your relaxation in the saddle, and enable you to become more effective overall. With options to perform exercises on or off the horse, this book offers a practical way for any rider—regardless of age, ability, discipline, or time—to steadily improve in distinct and profound ways.

Following the 1953 publication of British artist Norman Thelwell’s first pony cartoon, his name became synonymous worldwide with images of little girls and fat hairy ponies. In 2017 Thelwell’s Pony Cavalcade, featuring many of the earliest Thelwell cartoons, was re-released in North America, reviving the artist’s fervent fandom and initiating calls for more. Now, in this second hilarious collection, readers are treated to three additional Thelwell classics:

• Gymkhana
• Thelwell Goes West
• Penelope.

Those new to Thelwell will fall in love with his uniquely irreverent-yet-informative view of the equestrian world, while long-time enthusiasts can indulge in a delightful dose of equine-friendly nostalgia. Sure to please anyone with a pony-littered past or a horse-crazy present.

A smart, funny memoir exploring the evolution of a man and his relationship with his daughters as they grow up in the grips of the equestrian life.

When Chad Oldfather found himself the parent of a toddler who, out of nowhere, became obsessed with horses, he had no idea what awaited. With his younger daughters similarly afflicted, Oldfather was soon enmeshed in the consuming subculture of barns, riding, and horse shows, learning not just about the animals that so inexplicably drew his girls, but also about the people and personalities that populated the spaces around them.

A book for parents, whatever their children's interests, and for equestrians, who know what it's like “on the inside” (but maybe not what it's like on the outside, looking in), A Man Walks into a Barn is a wise, witty, and, at times, critical look at both the light and dark sides of youth sports, and equestrianism in particular. Readers find themselves rooting for Oldfather as he struggles to be the best dad he can, supporting a child's dreams in the face of long odds and extraordinary expenses. He writes about his parenting choices and the strange world he finds himself in with humor and honesty, critically examining riding's high cost and the inaccessibility and inequality that results. Aware of the flaws and dangers of youth athletics, as well as the benefits, he strives to protect his girls while supporting their ambitions the best ways he knows how.

Filled with the joys, heartbreaks, and life lessons that come from training, competition, and time in the company of horses, this is mostly a book about family, and the strong bonds that can form when parent and child join hands and pursue a passion together.

The ultimate guide to the “complete” riding horse—whether a performance, working, or “just for fun” prospect. 

Professional horseman Sean Patrick’s now legendary Countdown is the most clear, thorough, “doable” system of horse training available. Quite simply, you begin at Lesson Number 33 and count your way down through the basic exercises—the “primary education”—every horse needs. And when you get to Lesson 1, you’ve done it; you’ve prepared your horse for advanced work in any number of equestrian disciplines. You can’t get lost along the way. There’s no room for confusion. The happy result? Sean trains you to be a trainer. 

Whether your horse is a foal or five, green or educated, well-started or lacking fundamentals, he will benefit from the Countdown—a true “foundation” program, serving to prepare him for the endless variety of activities and “jobs” horses perform today. From indispensable handling, “sacking-out,” and tying exercises, to how you, the rider, can control the different parts of the horse’s body from the ground and the saddle; from mounting on both the left and the right to performing flawless flying lead changes, you’ll be amazed at how effective and efficient this program is. In this book you’ll find:

• Explanations of the “conditioned response,” the Five Control Points, and how to recognize and use a “give.”

• Advice for building the horse’s confidence, knowing when to “push” but most importantly, how to be fair.

• Lessons in conscientious use of the round pen for teaching movement, turning, and inviting the horse in.

• Progressive steps for preparing for first rides and having them be successes.

• Tips for developing the back-up, “whoa,” and seat stops without stress.

• Exercises for achieving a correct and soft collection. 

Because you are the one teaching your horse, you also have the opportunity to build your own skill set. Sean promises that by the end of the Countdown, readers will have a deeper understanding of how horses learn; an improved ability to gauge the pressure necessary to communicate with the horse and pace teaching accordingly; a capacity for recognizing behaviors (both good and bad); and an intuitive understanding of the root of a problem and the steps to take to work on it. In essence, he helps you become self-sufficient and ready to take your horse that next step, whether along the rail, down the trail, or into the show pen.

Everything you know about riding and the horse’s movement isn’t what you think it is! Did you know that:

In these pages, physical therapist and equine movement specialist Stefan Stammer uses a startlingly unique collection of color illustrations to make movement patterns in the horse visible to the human eye, in order to help riders better understand the principles of energy and motion happening within the horse. By forming new mental images for the rider, Stammer’s goal is to profoundly impact the rider’s daily work with her horse so that it is harder for her to make common mistakes or interfere with the horse’s natural mechanisms.

With his hind end as his engine, the horse generates kinetic energy (the energy his body possesses due to its motion). For optimal movement and performance, this energy should flow through the horse’s body to the horse’s mouth, where it is fine-tuned with the rein aids before cycling back to the hind end. However, this movement flow is often unintentionally disrupted on its way through the horse by the rider. When, however, the cycle of kinetic energy within the horse is supported through the correct understanding and application of biomechanics—the mechanical laws relating to his and his rider’s movement and structure—the outer shape of horse and rider together achieve “positive tension.” This is the rhythmic stimulation of all the neuromuscular functions necessary to perform harmoniously and at peak ability.

Most importantly, once the rider understands the basic principles of the biomechanics of a horse in movement, her “feeling” in the saddle will improve. Better “feel” is an integral building block for the small and subtle steps of progress, which should accompany a rider for her entire life with horses. This smart, fascinatingly composed book is for any horseperson looking to limit riding and training mistakes, grow an understanding of how the horse best functions, and optimize equineability and performance.

A proven rider training system to sharpen position and vastly improve skill in the saddle.

Whether competing in the show ring or riding at home on the trail, every rider wants to be more secure and balanced in the saddle and effective with their aids. This innovative guide uses highly effective exercises to develop your athleticism on horseback so you can say goodbye to common rider problems, such as:

• Swinging lower legs.
• Stiff arms.
• Trouble balancing over the horse’s center of gravity.
• Half-halts that go unanswered.
• Incorrect mechanics, on the flat and in the jumping position.
• And more.

Division I collegiate riding coach Sally Batton has spent over 30 years perfecting her methods specifically designed to refine and polish riders, whatever their level. In her work with hundreds of varsity team athletes, she found that trouble with position and lack of specific horsemanship skills happens for two reasons: First, riders may not have an understanding of the biomechanics required to maintain the correct position. Second, they may not have attained the suppleness and strength required to maintain a fluid, elastic position on the horse.

Her secret to combatting these difficulties won her teams dozens of championships and awards through the years. Here you learn both her time-proven warm-up and her exciting “Equicize” routine: a series of progressive exercises similar to aerobics on horseback. Batton’s recommendations help you build and strengthen the major muscle groups used by equestrian athletes, and all exercises can be customized so you can raise or lower the intensity as needed to suit your age, level, and riding style. Plus, readers find dozens of creative training “hacks” that will get them on their way to greater levels of riding proficiency in no time at all.

Yoga teacher and horsewoman Cathy Woods explains how the meditative, mindful breathwork and lifestyle aspects of yoga traditions, as well as the postures, can be profoundly helpful in our interactions with horses. Over the course of her 30-year career, Woods has created teachings that are accessible to everyone—those who have practiced yoga and those who have not, as well as riders of different levels and disciplines. From wherever they are starting, her lessons offer readers life-changing benefits, including:

• Increased confidence working with and riding horses.
• A better sense of connection with horses, on the ground and in the saddle.
• Unique ways to enhance “feel.”
• Step-by-step exercises to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
• Postures that contribute to rider safety as we age.
• Empowerment—with horses and in everyday life.

Cathy Woods’ unique program is presented here in the form of highly illustrated instruction, guiding you through the steps to achieving present moment awareness; finding body, breath, and energy awareness; breathing through challenges; listening to your inner voice; slowing down; and developing balance and symmetry in the saddle. All of these are key to better communication and improved partnership with horses. The result is a book that helps us become more aware and conscious riders while gently correcting our imbalances, resulting in a richer, more rewarding, more joyful horsemanship experience.

World-renowned equine expert Linda Tellington-Jones’ healing equine bodywork and innovative training methods have revolutionized the horse training landscape over the last 50 years. Her unique blend of hands-on TTouch (a collection of circles, lifts, and slides done with the hands over various parts of the horse’s body), combined with humane groundwork and under-saddle exercises, has helped solve training and behavioral problems for horses of every breed, every discipline, every age, and all levels. Her books, including The Ultimate Horse Behavior and Training Guide and Dressage with Mind, Body, and Soul have helped horses and horse people around the globe find better, more humane ways to solve both behavioral and training problems.

Now Tellington-Jones is presenting a thoughtful recipe for starting the young horse without stress, helping to establish the very best beginning, in hand and under saddle. Unfortunately, not all horses have the benefit of the right foundation, which can lead to misunderstanding, mistreatment, and unhappiness for both human and horse. With this in mind, Tellington-Jones also curates her own experience working with older horses ready for a second chance at life, providing the necessary tools for filling in training “holes” and reconfirming lessons that may have been poorly taught or forgotten.

• Full-color photographs and step-by-step instructions clearly explain her methods.
• Guideposts tell you which techniques to use when, depending on the horse you are working with.
• New material interweaves Tellington-Jones’ tried-and-true approaches, creating the most complete guide to The Tellington Method available.

The result is a book with all the right ingredients and its heart in the right place: Whether starting right or starting over, Tellington-Jones’s field-tested, compassionate answers are an excellent way to find connection while ensuring the horse a lifetime of success in the company of humans.

The must-have reference for effective and responsible shoeing for the good of the horse.

All horses have four hooves that are integral to their overall health, their athletic ability, and ultimately, their longevity, whether their “job” is simply grazing in a pasture or competing at the highest levels. But not all horses are the same—the individual needs of each horse require an understanding of responsible, informed hoofcare on the part of the owner, rider, or trainer. This highly illustrated guide by one of the world’s leading minds in the area of farriery provides an unparalleled look at advances in shoeing and general hoof maintenance, with the goal of helping owners to comprehend the “whys” of certain choices, recognize variations in shoeing options, and become better consumers of horse shoes and horseshoeing all around.

Steve Kraus, Head of Farrier Services at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and instructor at the Cornell Farrier School, is uniquely qualified to provide a varied and thorough exploration of hoof-related topics, including: 

• Equine conformation—how to assess it in relation to soundness and performance, and how farriers use it to guide shoeing choices.
• To shoe or not to shoe? Using sense and science to analyze which horses are better served with shoes and which may be comfortable and healthy barefoot.
• Types of horseshoes and traction devices, modification devices, adhesives, materials, and more.
• Shoe loss—why it happens and how to prevent it.
• Farrier training—where and how it happens, how to find a good one and what you should expect.
• Horse handling for shoeing—how to prepare your horse and yourself.
• The future of farriery with 3D printing.
• And so much more.

 With plenty of “adventures from the road” and lessons learned during his years of shoeing horses professionally, Kraus provides a guide that is not only massive in value, it’s entertaining, to boot. An excellent resource for all serious horse people who wish to keep their horses comfortable and performing their very best while making informed decisions and having intelligent conversations with hoofcare professionals.

While working with ground poles is not new to most riders, incorporating them in training with creativity and regularity may require a little inspiration and guidance. Enter Ann Katrin Querbach and her positive and persuasive ideas for developing the horse’s body and movement in healthy and correct ways over poles. With progressive exercises at all three gaits, on the longe line and under saddle, she provides a basis for building a strong foundation, step by step. Or, just as easily, the reader can cherry-pick the exercises best suited to resolving a particular issue or improving a certain quality.

Readers will find exercises that focus on:

• Rhythm and tempo

• Forwardness

• Straightness

• Transitions

• Collection and lengthening

• And building the horse’s abs, legs, and hind end

Pole work develops coordination, balance, and concentration in both horse and rider. It helps the rider develop a feel for a “correct” trot, active hindquarters, and lifted back in the horse. The rider learns to maintain “positive tension” (“engagement”) in her body, while still remaining relaxed enough to follow the horse’s movement. The horse must lift his hind legs significantly higher than usual in order to clear the poles, developing the coordination of the dorsal and ventral muscle chains, lifting the horse’s back and engaging his neck. He is encouraged to build muscle in a manner that’s both systematic and correct. This collection of exercises seeks to provide all these benefits and more, not only for the dressage rider seeking to correct or optimize the elements judged in competition but also for the recreational rider wishing to keep her horse fit and sound over a lifetime.

Your key to success in the hunter and equitation ring, from one of the sport’s classic judges and competitors, completely revised for today's rider.

Revised and updated with the most current USEF rules and tests, Judging Hunters and Hunter Seat Equitation is the world’s favorite book on how to judge hunter show competitions, and understand exactly how they are judged. This must-have resource gives anyone competing in or judging hunter or equitation classes the edge, with professionally reviewed and approved sections that examine:

• Conformation: structural composition; physical defects versus blemishes.
• Hunters Under Saddle and Over Fences: length of stride, frame, and straightness; rhythm, transitions, impulsion, and bending; locomotion and form faults; honest and dishonest horses.
• Equitation on the Flat and Over Fences: rider position; cadence, collection, and lengthening; approaching fences and in the air; USEF tests.

Written with both the aspiring judge and the avid competitor in mind, the book offers invaluable explanations of what judges look for as well as the training methods necessary to accomplish the desired results. More than 100 color photographs with top equestrians in the tack demonstrate correct and incorrect positions in both horses and riders, sharpening the reader's eyes while also providing an unparalleled foundation of knowledge that makes self-correction in the saddle possible. In addition, readers will find a primer on both understanding and completing the Judge's Card, with explanations of numerical scoring, terminology, abbreviations, symbols, comments, and general impressions. This remarkably complete two-in-one reference can be the difference in your success, whether in the ring or in the judge’s box.

This book is exactly what you need to become a better rider. It's a smart, honest, on-target kick-in-the-pants, guaranteed to rev your engines as you see how a few changes in your life, a few smart choices and strategic moves, can transform you from a run-of-the-mill rider into a good one.

How does Denny Emerson know what makes a good rider? For one thing, he is one—he is the only rider in the world to have won both a gold medal in international eventing and a Tevis Cup buckle in endurance. Plus, he's been around great riders, and taught those on their way to becoming great, for over 40 years.

How will what Denny knows help you become a good rider?

He's boiled the whole thing down into seven broad "Areas of Choice" that determine whether you are a "gonnabe" or whether you'll be stuck in the "wannabe" category for decades.
• Examine how your choice of riding sport may or may not be the best for who you are and where you live.
• Find out how those frustrating hurdles known as "life circumstances" don't necessarily hold you back like you think they do.
• Learn how to build a strong support team by winning people to your cause and choosing the right teachers and mentors.
• Analyze your physical self (your body, how it is formed and how you care for it) and your intellectual self (your "horse smarts" and how you are adding to them or not) and apply the results to your "gonna-be-good" equation.
• Take a good hard look at your partner—your horse—and think critically about his ability to help you attain your riding goals.
• Discover the nine key character traits of successful riders and how you can learn to call each one of them your own.

Along the way you'll read the stories of 23 of the world's top riders from different disciplines and sports—including dressage, reining, driving, show jumping, endurance, hunter/jumper, and eventing—and how they "got good" despite the same kinds of challenges and setbacks you face in your own day-to-day riding. You'll get an inside look at their path to success, as well as their very best tips for how to "make it" in the horse industry.

Every equestrian wants to know: what is the difference between the horse that “dances” when you are on him, and the one that doesn’t? According to Visconte Simon Cocozza, Trainer and Examiner for the La Fédération Française d'Equitation (FFE), it all comes down to the horse’s posture.

The horse’s ability to use the powerful mechanisms already built into his body relies not upon the strength we can see on the outside but the strength on the inside. This invisible and complex arrangement of internal “core” muscles control the horse’s posture, suppleness, and agility. Their good condition is the key to the dance.

Equine core muscles are very difficult to isolate with the traditional training techniques common to horse sports. However, by examining what we do with the human body when faced with a weak core, we can find new methods for conditioning these areas of the equine body. Cocozza has taken principles of the human practice of yoga and used them to develop novel ways of reaching deep within the horse’s body and:

• Gently “unlock” areas that may be a little “rusty.”
• Improve core fitness.
• And even relieve pain related to conditions such as kissing spine.

In this highly illustrated book, he provides step-by-step instruction explaining easy mounted exercises that enhance the horse’s posture, and boost his confidence in his body and movement, making him easier to ride, and ultimately, the dance partner you’ve always imagined.

An easy-to-implement framework proven to grow rider confidence, tested by the world’s leading equestrian athletes.

Without confidence, achievement in competition is unattainable. When confidence is lacking in any sport, equestrian included, chances are your career will be short. Renowned performance coach John Haime has written the book to counter this challenge, providing the mental tools riders need to be better under pressure of all kinds and consistently succeed.

Equestrian sport is a partnership: there’s an equine athlete, and there’s a human athlete. Haime notes that often, there is an investment in world-class training for one partner (the horse), but not the other (the human). This compromises the potential effectiveness of the horse-and-rider team. It just makes sense for equestrians to develop their own skills—mental and physical—and bring more to the partnership.

Haime explains that there is what he believes is a crisis of confidence in modern equestrian sport. This has a variety of causes, including: a lack of fundamental mental/emotional structure and development, the presence and prominence of technology in the rider’s life, and the constant comparisons inherent in social media and a technically “connected” existence. Addressing this crisis enables equestrians of all ages and abilities to: communicate better with their horses, both in day-to-day interactions and competition; absorb more in valuable learning situations, such as lessons and clinics; and perform their best when the stakes are high, as when heading into the jump-off or approaching the last fence on the cross-country course.

Haime invites readers to dive into three clear and informative areas of exploration:

• The Confidence Base: Firm up the fundamentals.
• The Confidence Builders: Systems and tips to help you build confidence.
• The Confidence Threats: An inside look at what to watch out for in riding and in competition.

Throughout, those who have reached the highest levels on horseback in a number of disciplines share their stories, including Michael Jung, Beezie Madden, McLain Ward, Laura Tomlinson, Harry Meade, Oliver Townend, Mattias Tromp, Casey Deary, Beth Underhill, Fred Mannix, Jarred Zenni, Beth Underhill, Jonathon Millar, and Kelly Soleau-Millar. These Olympians, champions, and medalists explain what they do in the saddle and how their techniques for performing under world-class pressure might help other riders develop a similar kind of confidence. Perhaps even more valuable are the struggles these top competitors share, giving readers the rare opportunity to see how even “the best of the best” are human, too.

The way riders develop confidence in their equestrian lives is transferable to everything they do: a confident rider can be a confident business person, confident worker, confident spouse, confident parent, and confident friend. In this way, Ride Big!™ instills a skill of worth and promise that extends far beyond the show ring.

Dr. Ina Gösmeier leads the horse world in her area of specialization. A classically trained veterinarian, she supports her Western medical practice with knowledge gained through the study of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This handbook provides a basic introduction to the guiding principle of determining a horse’s type before making decisions about handling, care, training, or treatment.

According to TCM there are five horse types, assignments that are based not only on the horse’s behavior, but on his build and body conformation, as well as diagnosis of his tongue and pulse. By determing the horse’s type, you learn:

• How to understand and partner with each individual equine in the best ways possible.
• Appropriate choices related to training and handling techniques.
• Insight related to how a horse travels and what can keep him comfortable and healthy on the road.
• Why one horse learns quickly, why one always needs more rest, why another needs to be motivated with variety, and why some are fine alone while others need a friend at their side.

A TCM type description helps the horse owner and rider assess the horse more accurately, promote the horse’s training and well-being in a targeted manner, and troubleshoot existing and potential rideability problems. This book shares 11 case studies of horse types “in harmony” and “in disharmony” to demonstrate how the five horse types can be applied on day-to-day basis as well when treatment for injury or illness is necessary. Basic instructions for DIY acupressure and herbal therapy for health maintenance over the long term are also included.

The only complete reference explaining classical arena tracks and how to use them. 

Rider and trainer Christian Baier has been educated in horses and equitation all over the world. In his work to develop an international rider and trainer education and certification system, he realized the equestrian lexicon lacked a practical reference that brought all the classical “arena tracks”—patterns and figures used in training the horse in a schooling area—together in a simple way that is easy to understand. The arena tracks guide the rider in how to safely work the horse within a specific space in an organized way. They are also an integral tool in the conscientious trainer’s development of the horse’s body and conditioning. For the instructor, arena tracks are an important tool for communicating with the student. 

Ultimately, these classical tracks are at the foundation of everything we do in an arena with a horse, from the beginner rider just off the longe line, learning basic navigation around the ring, to the most experienced rider working a horse at the highest level of international competition. Even jumping courses consist of a combination (or variation) of arena tracks strung together from start to finish marker! 

In these pages readers not only find handy quick-reference sections on the correct arena tracks for training and riding, but also a unique collection of over 50 select exercises for using them in the development of a sport horse on the flat and over fences. Putting the arena tracks into practice is the basis for correct systematic training and education in both dressage and jumping. Baier shows the reader exactly how, with distinct sections devoted to clear illustrations of where to go and fundamental explanations for what to do. Progression in ability and understanding of both horse and rider is the goal, with tracks featured from simple to most complex, and the sections dedicated to cavalletti and jumping moving from the very first time riding over a pole to advanced exercises and courses at a very high level. 

The exercises shared in this book, used in combination with a working knowledge and understanding of the classical arena tracks, can lead to huge leaps in the growth and advancement of horse and rider—sometimes even after years of feeling “stuck.” Arena Tracks is a fabulous reference for all riders to keep in the barn and for any instructor dedicated to teaching the classical art of riding, as well as being a much-needed learning tool for equestrian federations, associations, and schools worldwide. 

Janet Foy’s expertise, fundamental solutions, good stories, and good humor are destined to bring out the best in dressage riders and their "not-so-perfect" horses everywhere.

Thousands of riders pursue the sport of dressage across the globe, and the majority do so on a budget and with the horse they already have, or quite simply, the one they can afford. This means riders daily face the challenge of mastering one of the world's most esteemed equestrian pursuits on horses that may not be bred specifically for the task, or even if they have been, may not be top prospects for any number of reasons—behavior quirks, conformational impediments, age or soundness, you name it.

International dressage judge, clinician, and riding coach Janet Foy has ridden many different horses in the course of her riding and horse training career—different size, shapes, colors, and breeds—to the highest levels of dressage competition. 

Now she has compiled her best tips for training and showing the horse you have (or the horse you love, despite his “faults”) through the levels. With lists of common “imperfections and evasions” experienced when riding movements—from simple transitions and leg-yield to zig-zags, tempi changes, and piaffe—followed by training tips and creative ways to “perfect” the “imperfections.” Riders are bound to discover countless ways to apply Janet’s advice to their dressage pursuits. 

Over the course of her riding and horse training career, Kathrin Roida has progressively gained a deep appreciation for the benefits of gymnastic exercises, particularly those that can be taught to the horse from the ground. “In-hand” training has long been used to help develop the dressage horse, conditioning and suppling his body while at the same time preparing his mind to grasp the movements that may eventually be expected.

Roida relies on these techniques when working with young horses, which she prepares for under-saddle training with exercises first learned on the ground, improving balance and enhancing confidence by refining the horse’s sense of his body and where it is in space. Roida also uses in-hand techniques to vary the training of the fully schooled riding horse and to solve problems that may be more safely dealt with from the ground. In this book she details her methods, sharing the stories of a number of horses of different ages, breeds, and training backgrounds, and demonstrating the steps to teaching them:

• shoulder-in
• travers
• renvers
• pirouettes
• half-pass
• piaffe & passage
• canter work
• the Spanish walk

Throughout her conscientious attention to what is best for the horse ensures that not only do the lessons result in a horse that is healthy in body but also one that is healthy in mind and happy in his work.

Olympian Anne Kursinski’s acclaimed book on riding horses over fences delivers on-target counsel and the kind of sophisticated, quality instruction you can only get in top barns around the world. Let this medal-winning international competitor show you “how it’s done” with step-by-step descriptions of dozens of exercises to improve your position, your “feel,” and your overall understanding of how to confidently and successfully master a jump course.

Inside, you’ll find a top-notch education in both basic and advanced flatwork and jumping, including:

• Bending
• Adjusting stride length
• Moving laterally
• Riding straight lines and curves
• Jumping without stirrups
• Flying changes
• Flexion and collection
• Counter-canter
• Half-pass
• Ways to perfect distances and count strides
• Tips for riding different kinds of combinations, bigger jumps, and natural fences.

Throughout, Kursinski’s explanations are clarified with hundreds of illuminating photographs, completely reshot in full color for this new edition. Even better, the photos feature Kursinski herself in the saddle, and the text includes her illuminating personal commentary describing what she is experiencing in the saddle during a particular exercise. In addition, this revised edition includes an all-new chapter on riding derby-style courses as well as course walks with Kursinski, to give readers a sense of how she plans a winning ride. This classic references offers time-tested techniques and invaluable skills for every hunter, jumper, and equitation rider.

Coach Daniel Stewart, author of the hit mind-and-body equestrian workout Fit and Focused in 52, is back with new plans to power you up, bolster your confidence, and supply you with the mental tools you need to be all you can be, in and out of the saddle. With Coach Stewart’s infectious optimism and indomitable sense of fun, readers will find themselves embracing exhilarating changes in their outlook and their abilities. The evolution from “good enough” to “better” begins with:

• Understanding the attributes that create success.
• Comprehending the four stages of competence.
• Improving mindfulness of actions and reactions.
• Identifying good stress and bad stress—and handling both.
• Eliminating pressure as a threat.
• Managing nervousness, hesitation, and doubt.
• Overcoming failure and perfectionism.
• Removing limiting beliefs.
• Moving beyond expectations and comparisons to others.
• Becoming a good “mirror” for ourselves and others.
• Beating blind spot biases—beliefs you’re not aware of that harm you.
• Mastering memories and how the brain processes information.

Infusing his words with energy and compassion, Coach Stewart offers everyone a chance of attaining self-fulfillment and joy when working with and riding horses. His concepts are friendly, fun, and easy to implement, making his book chock full of potential—just like you. Bolder, Braver, Brighter is for every rider seeking improved performance in the saddle and partnership with the horse.

From playing with plastic ponies and taking their first riding lessons, to finding success in the arena, thousands of horse lovers hope they can one day represent the United States in international competition. Riding for the Team chronicles the lives of those who dreamed about competing for their country and “made it,” sharing inspirational stories from the international governing organization’s eight equestrian disciplines:

• show jumping
• dressage
• eventing
• driving
• vaulting
• reining
• endurance
• para-dressage

Readers are immersed in the fascinating histories of the medal-winning riders, drivers, and vaulters who have dominated American equestrian sport over the past 28 years, such as:

• McLain Ward
• Karen O’Connor
• Debbie McDonald
• Tim McQuay

Get the inside scoop on legendary horses who have become household names, including:

• Flexible
• Biko
• Verdades
• Gunners Special Nite

Offering exclusive insights, Riding for the Team gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the world of top-level equestrian sport. Athletes tell their stories and those of their horses during the years they honed their talent and dedicated their lives to representing their country in the Olympics, World Equestrian Games, World Championships, and Pan American Games. Beautifully illustrated with breathtaking photographs from prestigious competitions held around the world, Riding for the Team not only provides a dazzling record of American equestrian accomplishment, it promises to inspire the next generation of champions.

German Olympian Isabell Werth has six Olympic gold medals and scores of championship titles to her name—there are few her equal on paper. But an equestrian’s success is wholly dependent on the relationship she has with her athletic partner―her horse―and Werth’s astounding accomplishments would not have been possible without her unique approach to working with the animals she’s loved since childhood.

Even as a little girl, growing up on a farm on the Lower Rhine, it was clear that Werth possessed an extraordinary gift for empathizing with horses and foreseeing how they were likely to react in certain situations. This insight gave her a special ability as a rider and trainer. Here, Werth collaborates with accomplished sports journalist Evi Simeoni―someone who has witnessed and written about her career from the very beginning―to tell her life story.

• Readers will get the inside scoop when it comes to Werth’s accomplishments―and her failures, too.
• They’ll hear her personal thoughts regarding some of the biggest controversies to rock the dressage world: Rollkur and Totilas.
• Perhaps most importantly, they’ll learn about each of the sensitive and talented horses that has impacted Werth’s life, including Gigolo, Satchmo, and Bella Rose.

There is a meme that is popular in the riding community that says, “Two legs move our body, four legs move our soul.” It is this sentiment that Werth feels perhaps best defines her.

An authentically honest and self-reflective promise of how a life lived with purpose and passion can yield greatness.

“The gates to brilliance are surrounded by a cloud of sweat and tears.” That is what Olympic dressage rider and coach Robert Dover’s mentor, the revered Swedish equestrian Colonel Bengt Ljungquist, told him. It is a lesson that stuck—only with great passion and determination can one achieve success, and just maybe, happiness, too.

In a fascinating book that reads like a potent elixir, three parts memoir and one part inspirational self-improvement guide, readers are ushered through 15 “gates to brilliance”—keys that Dover discovered as he made his way through his own life, from gawky, horse-crazy child to influential Olympic coach and entrepreneur. Sharing deeply personal stories that were fundamental to his evolution, Dover is candid about the path he took on his way to becoming one of the most successful equestrians in the world. Readers learn about abuse he suffered as a child, and his formative years as the only Jewish kid on Grand Bahama Island. He writes frankly about his father’s alcoholism, his parents’ divorce, and his unwavering devotion to his mother. The book delves into his fear of coming out, explores love and loss, and examines the perfectionist tendencies that have at times held Dover back, while at others, have helped him rise to all new heights.

In addition, readers hear stories from the barns, arenas, and show grounds where Dover built his career, from his days as a wild Pony Clubber to his struggles in Germany under the tutelage of some of Europe’s great riding masters. We meet the horses and people he partnered with along the way as he offers a glimpse behind the curtain at the pomp and politics of international equestrian competition.

Throughout, Dover’s dedication to self-betterment and belief in living a life with purpose stands front and center, softened by his humor and willingness to cast a critical eye on himself. With countless moments of searing honesty bound to fundamental life lessons from which he hopes we can all learn, Dover assures us the road to success is there for the taking. The ultimate goal, though, is to emerge on the other side of whatever comes next a brighter, more compassionate, happier person—that is brilliance.

Discover the what, the how, and–most importantly–the why of more than 100 dressage movements.

• Color photographs of riders of various levels and on different breeds of horse show how each movement should look when ridden correctly.
• Each movement is clearly defined.
• Explanations include common mistakes and how to avoid them.
• Readers find out the benefits of each exercise and how it contributes to the “bigger picture” of the dressage training scale.

“This book appealed to me,” says gold-medal-winning Olympian Isabell Werth. “Especially important is the emphasis on the meaning of the individual dressage movements within the overall context of a horse’s training. Only the rider who understands why the movements are important and what their purposes are can build a dressage horse systematically. This applies to both the development of the horse's muscles and the development of his mind.”

Throughout, emphasis is placed on the horse as an individual and how it is the rider's responsibility to learn to customize movements and lessons to benefit any horse, with his particular physical and psychological characteristics in mind. Practical and easy-to-follow, this valuable resource provides explanations in seconds that will last a lifetime of rides.

Over 90 percent of the US population seeks help for back pain at one point or another during the course of their life. If you're a horseperson, back pain is of particular concern as it not only robs you of the joys of riding—it threatens your livelihood, as well. From grooming and tacking up, to performing a flawless reining pattern or jumping a clean round, to stacking hay bales or pushing a wheelbarrow, everything we do on and around horses demands a supple, strong, healthy back.

Now, in his unique, easygoing style, Dr. Jim Warson—a neurosurgeon who also happens to be a lifelong horseman—provides all the practical information you need to understand the diagnosis and treatment of back pain—whether caused by equestrian pursuits, outside activities, illness, or heredity. More importantly, he shows readers how to prevent back problems before they have a chance to unseat them. This book includes:

• "Normal" back biology and function
• Congenital conditions, trauma, arthritis, and infection
• Understanding symptoms and pinpointing problem areas
• Tack's impact on the physics of riding
• How your horse's conformation can affect your body
• Traditional and alternative treatments and therapies
• Techniques for saddling and mounting without stress
• Recommendations for pregnant riders.

In addition, Dr. Warson provides a section specifically geared toward improving rider flexibility and strength. You'll find:

• Step-by-step instructions and photo series for 10 stretches and 8 exercises for a healthy, stress-free back, allowing you to not only enjoy your riding but all your day-to-day activities, whatever they may be.
• Over a hundred color photographs and illustrations.

For 90 days, biologist and horsewoman Vivian Gabor recorded her experiences with Mona, the wild horse that had crossed a continent and an ocean to find a new home. Through words and wonderful color photographs, Vivian shares the ups and downs as she progresses with Mona’s training, discovering new insights about horses and their true nature along the way.

Informational sidebars on the science behind the process of horse training help explain Vivian’s reasoning for the methods she chooses to follow when working with a Mustang. Steps for patiently and naturally introducing groundwork, liberty work, and first rides are vividly illustrated. But it is the resulting friendship between woman and horse that most resonates, providing all readers an opportunity to imagine what it might be like to train a Mustang of their own.

Follow along as:

• Horse trainer and biologist Vivian Gabor picks up a sorrel mare originally from the wild herds in Oregon in Frankfurt, Germany.
• Gabor works with the Mustang, from the very first day at home, through the natural, positive, and science-based behavioral training methods Gabor used to successfully start the young mare under saddle.
• The pair compete at the Mustang Makeover in front of thousands of people.
• Hundreds of wonderful photographs clearly demonstrate the steps along the way, providing an easy-to-use resource for anyone looking to turn a wild horse into a riding horse.

Renowned for their amazing athleticism and unparalleled work ethic, and famed for their “great heart” and willingness to go the extra mile, off-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) have proven to be the ultimate equine partners in a host of disciplines:

• Dressage
• Eventing
• Show jumping
• Trail riding
• And even barrel racing and ranch work!

In this revised edition of the book that Thoroughbred and horse training experts have called “breakthrough racehorse literature,” “superior,” “a winner,” and “the ultimate in training manuals,” readers learn everything they need to transition an OTTB from life at the track to life out back.

Author Anna Ford, Thoroughbred Program Director at New Vocations Racehorse Adoption, explains:

• The typical Thoroughbred's early years.
• Reasons for retirement.
• Common injuries and health issues.
• Basic feeding and nutrition.
• Safe handling.
• Step-by-step instructions for building the solid educational foundation the OTTB needs to excel in a new career, whether as a highly trained competitor or a pleasure mount.

With hundreds of quality, full-color photographs to illustrate conscientious and professionally tested training methods, case studies that share how other individuals have successfully retrained ex-racehorses, and the recommendations of top equestrians, including:

• Event riders.
• Jockeys.
• Horse trainers.
• And leading figures in the industry.

In no uncertain terms, this book asks what it means to be a responsible rider, and whether, in today’s society, it is indeed possible for equestrians in any horse sport to put the good of the horse first and foremost, and above ambition and fame.

With vibrantly clear illustrations of the horse’s anatomy and how it is impacted by various riding techniques, Balancing Act presents proof that, although some steps have been taken to prevent the use of forceful and cruel techniques, many sport horses still perform in pain and discomfort. With detailed, practical information on horse physiology and multiple examples of poor riding in pictures so that the reader can avoid similar pitfalls, Dr. Heuschmann gives all of us reasons to examine ourselves and those around us through the lens of the horse’s welfare. As a veterinarian with thorough knowledge of the working equine’s body, Dr. Heuschmann ultimately intends through his exposé to show how bad horse-training methods can be eradicated in favor of far more humane ones.

Readers will also find five chapters full of researched and proven recommendations for retraining horses with behavioral or biomechanical issues related to poor training techniques, including:

• The tense horse.
• The rein-lame horse.
• The horse with gait deviations.
• The hyperflexed horse.
• The unbalanced horse that is off the aids.

Beth Baumert’s first book, When Two Spines Align: Dressage Dynamics, was a popular and critical success. Lauded by Olympian Carl Hester as the book he most frequently quotes at clinics, it examined the ways the physical bodies of horse and rider work together—the physics behind riding in balance. In Baumert’s new book How Two Minds Meet, she takes us beyond physical harmony to look at the minds of both horse and rider, each complete with its own set of emotions and mental capabilities. Readers will explore:

• How the mind of the horse works.
• The rider’s “two minds”—the analytical mind and the sensory dimension of the mind (with which the horse more readily identifies).
• Specific ways to get into the “non-thinking place” where the best communication between horse and rider takes place.
• Principles of Learning that enable riders to improve the use of the traditional, knowledge-accumulating part of their brains.
• Nine ideas for boosting your ability to learn, retain, and apply knowledge that’s useful in training horses.
• Methods for organizing and “filing” information so it can be best utilized.
• How to ensure the horse is physically comfortable (balanced) under saddle to allow for a meeting of the minds in the first place.

Not only does Baumert explain how to optimize the use of the “thinking mind” in order to become a better learner in the saddle, she provides techniques for maximizing mental and emotional harmony with the horse, a state of unity that feels so good, Baumert calls it the “charming addiction”—once a rider has it, she wants to attain it again and again. Feeding this addiction is possible, says Baumert, with the thoughtful, practical insight she shares in these pages.

In this highly illustrated book, equine physical therapy expert Helle Katrine Kleven begins with a comprehensible introduction to the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, as well as an instructive conversation covering biomechanics basics, then explores the major areas of physical therapy in detail.

Readers will find practical how-to guidance in the most popular therapeutic modalities, as well as cutting-edge alternatives that are currently gaining ground:

• Fascia work
• Stretching
• Massage
• Stability and strengthening exercises
• Laser therapy
• Kinesiotaping
• And much more.

With this incredible course in preventive and rehabilitative techniques, horse owners and professionals will be thoroughly prepared to ensure their horses’ comfort and well-being. The book includes:

• Over 300 color photos and illustrations.
• Facts and tips in easy-to-read callouts throughout.
• A section on preventive measures to stop problems before they start.
• Handy anatomical guides to the equine skeleton, muscle layers, and fascia.

Each horse, no matter the riding discipline, benefits from working with cavalletti. Dressage and eventing rider extraordinaire Ingrid Klimke explains how training with ground poles and cavalletti is one of her secrets of success. Cavalletti training improves the gaits; promotes rhythm, suppleness, and cadence; and increases the fitness of your horse. This newly revised guide shows cavalletti work on the longe, provides valuable new ideas specifically for dressage work, and numerous updated diagrams for jumping gymnastics, along with all new color photographs.

Now Coach Stewart is combining his popular rider mental conditioning techniques with ideas for physical conditioning, as well. In Fit and Focused in 52 for Riders, readers get quick-hit recommendations for one exercise for the body, and one for the mind, for every week of the year. The end goal is attaining full-on fitness that ensures improved performance on horseback, whatever your age, ability, or discipline. With 52 weeks of creative cross-training, and loads of ideas for customizing workouts to fit personal goals and lifestyle schedules, riders are sure to find themselves positive, pumped up, and ready to go, from head to toe.

How to achieve the ultimate connection with a horse. 

Within these pages lies an ambitious study of the interplay of mechanisms put in motion when man and horse meet, communicate, and ultimately become one. Dominique Barbier and Dr. Maria Katsamanis examine how "lightness" is generated, using the simple and elegant basics of the universe—atoms and molecules—which exist all around us. Scientific findings and theoretical underpinnings allow us to better understand how lightness with a horse occurs—and how to harness it.

Discover practical guideposts for the mechanics of "riding in lightness," including:

• Five common misconceptions about riding and horses
• Seven keys to meeting the challenges we so often face when working with horses
• Four elements necessary to ensuring the horse's comfort and willingness to join us in"the dance"

If you listen properly, horses will tell you how to train them. This book is a published declaration of their needs as our athletic partners, fellow competitors, and friends.

Those who work with and train horses on a regular basis are likely constantly searching for new ways to make inroads and find answers when faced with tough training or behavior problems. Grand Prix dressage rider and performer Yvonne Barteau has trained her share of horses over the years—from off-track racing Thoroughbreds, to Arabians, to Friesians, to Warmbloods—and she asserts that everything that needs to be known about effectively training a horse is already known…by any horse.

“Each horse,” says Barteau, “will know and respect the person who figures out how to train him, if that person is fair. The best trainers are not only ‘horse whisperers,’ they are listeners. And readers. They listen to what the horse has to say. They can read horse body language and behavior patterns. They are calm and they stay calm under pressure. How did they learn that? By studying horses. Over time the horses told them how to be a horse trainer and they listened.”

Barteau believes that every dressage rider can learn to listen and read, and so experience greater success and partnership with his or her horse. In this book Barteau has used her knowledge and decades of experience and success in and out of the dressage ring to help put to paper what 10 different dressage horses would say to you about horse training if they could. Through the dressage horse’s mouth, from his point of view, readers learn: how simple things really are and how complicated we make them; the value of routine, consequence, and peace; the importance of leadership, fairness, and trust; the need for your sense of responsibility to match your ambition; plus, what kinds of rewards really work and what frightens, annoys, or causes horses to disregard us altogether.