Books

[anuvb]

Hi,

I was wondering what books you would recommend for encouraging me along my road towards enlightened equitation. I've got a copy of Heather's book which I have found an invaluable source of information, but would like to supplement some of this information with other people's ideas. So my question to you all is - which books have you found inspiring and would be willing to recommend to someone wanting to improve their riding?

Thanks

Dawn

PS - what do you think about asking Mike to set up a sub-forum where people can review books they have read? It seems to me that there is regularly posts from people of all levels and disciplines asking for good advice about books to buy and maybe we ought to be pooling our knowledge into one forum?

[LCA]

Dawn

I have bought quite a few books now - some basic, some way above my level (eg. Paul Belasik - Dressage for the 21st Centuary) - out of all of them I would say Centered riding - Sally Swift (which I found really difficult at first but now love), Dressage in Lightness - Sylvia Loch and of course Heathers book very useful for riding - and a few others I cannot remember the name of right now. For natural horseman ship I really like Kelly Marks Perfect Manners and Michael Peaces books.

I joined the equestrian society (can find leaflets from them in Your Horse, Horse and Horse and Rider magazines) where you can select 4 books (I think) at very low prices and then you select one book every 2 months from their catalogue at a price that is lower than it usually retails at. I think it is worthwhile as there is always at least one book I would like to buy.
I have just ordered steps to riding success that is supposed to use NLP to give your confidence in riding - I am hoping it will be good, has anyone else read it ?

A forum for this ....I think it is an excellent idea.

LCA

[Heather]

Hi folks, Paul Belasik's is one of my favourites, but not for the novice. It is a masterpiece.

I also love Franz Mairinger's 'Horses are made to be horses' a wonderful anecdotal book by a great trainer from the Spanish Riding School.

'Dancing with Horses' is another by Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling. Mike Peace's obviously, wthout hesitation.

I suppose that I tend not to read the lower level stuff these days. I do find Sally Swift's book rather confusing, especially from a biomechanical angle. Her videos advocate no absorption of teh movement at all through the lower back, but to let the legs bounce up and down to absorb it through hip joints, knees and ankles. I have never seen a good rider with their legs jiggling up and down! I also had a fit when I saw the way she advocated sitting to the canter, which amounted to rowing with the shoulders and scooping the seat into the saddle. She is a lovely lady, but I do find all those analogies and images confusing.

I had one lady who had been to another teacher who uses an awful lot of analogies and images, who hadn't cantered her horse for over a year in the school as she couldn't think of all the anlogies/images and actually apply the aids to canter!!


Heather

[belle]

I got Dancing With Horses for Christmas, and it is a fantastic book, definetely something to aspire too.

Another book I like is Basic Training of the Young Horse by Reiner Klimke.

There are loads of pictures in both the above books, makes it much easier to sink in!:)

[kelsey]

Walter Zettl "Dressage in Harmony" and Erik Herbermann "Dressage Formula" - I have almost memorized the first one and am well on the way with the second.

[intouch]

Real Riding by Perry Wood is an entertaining read with lots of interesting observations!

[Kerry's Partner]

Heather's, Mike Peace's, and also Mark Rashid - I've read "A good horse is never a bad colour".

Sandra

[ros]

By my bedside at all times are:

"My Horses, My Teachers" by Alois Podhajsky, and

"Reflections on Equestrian Art" by Nuno Oliveira.

In the bathroom I keep:

"Enlightened Equitation" by someone fairly well known who lives quite near me, and an interchangeable selection of Michael Peace, Mark Rashid, Kelly Marks and any new books I happen to be reading at the time.

In the office I have my second copy of "Enlightened Equitation" plus Horace Hayes, "Horse Anatomy" by Peter Goody and a copy of Phillips' "Wild Flowers of Britain" (useful for identifying scary new weeds :( ).

I'm hoping Perry Wood will be in my bathroom collection soon but I'm skint after Christmas.

[janet hakeney]

Despite having taken BHS exams up to Int.Teaching I don't feel I even got a grasp on how to ride until I bought the books of Mary Wanless....Ride with your mind, Masterclass, For the good of the Rider and now Ride with your mind essentials. Very good for imagery rider bio-mechanics and learning stratagies.

I love Paul Belasik's first trillogy of books...my copy of Riding towards the light is realy dogeared I have read it so many times. It is a great story (biography) with heaps of technical information rather than a 'how to ride' book.

I know Perry Woods.He is a friend.......his book is .....very thought provoking.

Anthony Crossleys - Training the young horse - the first two years is very good as a structured progressive - what to do with the horse book, providing you can already ride quite well.

[virtuallyhorses]

Originally posted by Heather I do find Sally Swift's book rather confusing...She is a lovely lady, but I do find all those analogies and images confusing

Thank you, thank you - Now I don't feel like such a freak for not having a clue as to what Sally Swift (and sometimes Mary Wanless) are on about in their books ;)

They talked about ice-cream and hoses? I had no idea what my legs would be like if they're ice-cream. I tried and I tried to read their books and understand what everyone else raved about and came to the conclusion that I am far too mechanical - I feel so relieved that there is someone else out there who has trouble with analogies.

It's funny, I think the differences about - absorbing through the legs while ignoring what the back is doing or 'rowing with the shoulders' - may come down to what each person feels and does naturally - Sally may have started out with such a supple back that its never occured to her that anyone would be bouncing out of tension there - and so the 'teachings' are all about other areas. On the other hand when the lower back is so important, the looseness of the legs and joints are less significant and yet in truth they do 'jiggle' a bit - albeit internally rather than visibly :)

For me if someone asks me to 'sit back' it changes my position for a second or two and then I returned to 'normal', once someone got me to think about pulling my butt in, or pointing my knees down my brain went 'click' and yet there I was 'sitting back' ;)

[virtuallyhorses]

BTW My personal favourites are still Alois Podhajsky and Walter Zettl, although I have read many now and gain something from each one. I find that having read several of Alois' books that I now recall his empathy, gentleness and simplicity whenever I read another book and use this to help interpret the words and concepts in front of me.

Recently I purchased "Major Anders Lindgren's Teaching Exercises : A Manual for Instructors and Riders (The Masters of Horsemanship Series, Bk. 3) " and after reading it gave it to my instructor - the exercises are fun and useful - and each one builds on the skills and concepts from the previous.

[LCA]

I agree some of the concepts and ideas in Centered Riding are a bit difficult to understand and imagine and as Heather has pointed out the ideas on sitting the canter are perhaps not the greatest but some of the imagery does help. I would say bits of the book are excellent and others not so helpful - you have to pick out what works for you but don't try and read it all at once to much information !

LCA

[Maria]

Another good book is Anthony Crossley's, Training the Young Horse - the First Two Years.

Maria

[anuvb]

Thank you everyone! I know know what order with my Xmas gift voucher's :)

I might try and see if anyone on the yard has a copy of the Paul Belasik books so that I can see if they are too advanced for me at this stage or not. Also, I'm going to try and have a peek at the books by Perry Wood and Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has a bathroom collection of horse books!

I've also PM'd Mike about the possibility of trying to get a section up and running on books (I know there is bit on the main site, but personal recommendations are so useful). We have such a wealth of knowledge on the board it would useful to have a place where we could review our readings so that other riders can use it as a point of reference.

Right - am off to browse Amazon.... (my poor credit card)