Suggested Reading!!!

[maria9657]

Hey I just thought I would share some of the titles of books I recently checked out of the library that I found very useful. Some other books that were talked about on New Rider I also looked at but I found they geared more towards owning and keeping a horse rather than information for new riders.

The two books I found extremely helpful (I live in Canada so these books would probably be availiable in the USA but maybe not so "readily" available for you guys over seas) are:

Getting the most from riding lessons - By Mike Smith.

This book is probably the best horse book I have read. It is (as you can probably tell from the title) geared towards people taking lessons. The way the book is set up it goes through the information as if you were learning it in an actual lesson, each chapter is set up to be an additional lesson. All the things covered in the book are very thoroughly explained and most of the time give alternat things you can try if the main one the suggest does not work (such as tricks for leading horses). Also as I previously stated each chapter is set up to be a lesson for each chapter you are assigned the "horse you will ride for the lesson" throughout the book there are many different breeds and types of horses (such as stubborn, lazy etc.) so in the chapters with difficult horses you are also given tips on how to deal with these different horses. Some of the main informatin is summarized at the end of the book (exercises that will help you hurt less the day after, aids for the horse and further reading.

I would highly suggest this book to anyone who is starting out in riding lessons. I know for me this book helped by showing the things you learn in greater detail.

The other book is:

Horse handling and Grooming - By Cherry Hill

This is a step by step photographic guide to things you need to know. There are some things that the newer rider (like me) will not need to know right yet (clipping and training ground manners)but the things we need to know (haltering, grooming and other basic things) are covered with great pictures that show every step.

This book is great because in addition to the words there are pictures that make everything crystal clear.


Hope you find the books (if you are interested) and if you do find them I hope they help you as much as the help me.

If you have any other books that you suggest reading, please post the titles and authors here.

Thanks

[kedwards]

William Steinkraus's "Reflections on Riding and Jumping" is one of my all-time favorite riding books. Not so much as a "how to" book (although the content is excellent), but as food for thought and for the beauty of his words. He isn't just a great rider, but a broadly intelligent and eloquent man who writes in a very engaging manner.

Linda Allen's "Jumping Exercises," has a permanent place in my tack room, where I consult it often as a training aid. It's full of sample gymnastic exercises, along with information about how to use them and for what purposes. It's not a text, per se, but a useful compendium of exercises.

Susan Harris's "Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement" is also a wonderful book full of illustrations, as well as anatomical and functional information about judging, understanding, and improving a horse's movement.

[Luv 2 Trot]

The Horse Encyclopedia is a must have!! It has everything in it; breeds, diciplines, grooming, owning a horse, different gaits, etc. I luv it. For school, i would do reports and i would make them about some sort of riding. I have turned to that book first fo the info and then went online. Its a great book for beginners to advanced. I'm not real sure who wrote it, but the name should help. Have any of you read it or looked at it?

Horse Illustrated are also great to read. Each issue had something new. There is this one column called 'Back in Z Saddle' Its really cool. There is this lady who writes about her lessons, her horse Loverboy, and other stuff. Then, there are other great articles about different breeds and diciplines. Its awesome!! Take a look if u get a chance.

[KarinUS]

Any book written by Mark Rashid. I feel much more comfortable with his approach to horses than with most others.
Most training methods are so focused on being alpha, etc. while his is about passive leadership.

If you are not familar with it, I will type up a little exerpt:

I believe there was one primary reason for the success we had in helping our herd develop that kind of relationship with us- we worked very hard at mimicking the behavior of a certain "lead" horse in the herd. This horse that we chose to mimic was not the "alpha" or dominant horse in the herd, as many folks might suspect. The horse we tried to be like was a a horse with a completely different temperament and role within the herd- a horse that leads by example, not force.
A horse that is extrememly dependable and confident , one that the vast majority of horses will not only willingly choose to follow, but that they actually seek out

The next book I am looking forward to getting will be by Walter Zettl. I can't wait to get my hands on it! :)