Have times changed, book arrived

newforest

newforest

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Mar 15, 2008
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I am a nosey little bod and just bought a horse book from 1949.
Looking forward to looking backwards on how things were done back then. It will be almost 70 years ago and looks to cover learning to ride and looking after the horse, the seat, the hands etc.

I hope to learn something :)
 
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Ooo love reading old horsey books.

I'd say you will find some very outdated ideas and methods but also some useful ones too.

Keep us updated - would be an interesting thread ;)
 
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Yes please let us know how it reads. I have a selection of old (ish) horse books written late 60's to 80's and much of what is in there is only repeated in modern up to date magazines that I often buy like Your Horse etc. You can't reinvent the wheel and all that......
Tho of course the vet section / medical things have changed somewhat I think.
 
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Blood letting for laminitis??! Yes some things have changed. But other things just go round and round and round. Xenophon had some useful things to say! Even in the Jill books, Jill is taught to dismount by bringing one leg over and standing in 1 stirrup.
 
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Medically it will have changed but in some ways that's not advanced us. I was chatting to an old man who had horses on the farm. He said one they couldn't do that job they were sold or shot. He felt these days with the leisure industry people keep horses alive that shouldn't be- in his opinion that is. They didn't have field ornaments, they worked doing something.

The changes I can think of are that you can get rugs for everything and every size. It was the New Zealand rug for clipped horses and ponies were naked.
Though I am glad they have developed lighter ones!
 
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It said it contains illustrations and photographs.
It covers jumping and 'the balanced seat' being the British modern day version of the jumping seat. It must not be confused with the continental forward seat, that's for show jumping.
 
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I have to say things have changed a lot and I'm not that old :)

I enjoy looking over old books I have purely because I believe that we can learn by looking backwards as well and with modern tech and methods. I still do slot of things the way my dad taught me even though I know different more modern ways of doing things.

I love older books especially those with illustrations and older types of horse builds in the pictures. Sometimes you forget what a hunter or jumper or breed of horse/pony used to look like since we have changed much over the years. :)
 
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Yes that will be interesting @MrC I hadn't thought of the changes to types and breeds.
I know people that say gripping with your knees is correct. I wasnt taught that. But I was taught the hunting seat.
 
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I was taught NOT to grip with my knees, hold them snug to the saddle but not gripping (hunt mistress used to put pieces of paper under them for me to hold for the duration of my lesson :p I still get flappy knees occasionally)
 
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Jessey said:
I was taught NOT to grip with my knees, hold them snug to the saddle but not gripping (hunt mistress used to put pieces of paper under them for me to hold for the duration of my lesson :p I still get flappy knees occasionally)
Click to expand...

Ah now I know I have been on here too long. Riding today I looked down at my knees, the paper will just blow away.
Ones knees are not in contact with ones saddle. :p

This might be because I do not have knee rolls and if I did it would shape the front up to meet my knees, giving me the just resting on paper. It might be because someone is so wide it is physically impossible! The rest of my leg is in contact with her and I can wrap my legs round (believe it or not)
 
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The book has arrived for anyone interested in my write ups. I am not great with in depth details though.
Feel free to join in and add your views, thoughts and opinions to agree or disagree that's point of a discussion. :)

First chapter is your first lesson where it is assumed you might tack the horse up yourself.
It also mentioned why the stirrups are left rolled up, in case the horse swings it's head to get a fly. If they were down it could get its teeth caught on the iron.

I will use quotes that I find interesting.
QUOTE" he can teach you lot and give you a good or bad ride, just depending, not on your strength and power, but whether you have plenty of common or horse sense (not sentiment) and are neither selfish nor self centred" UNQUOTE

I think the part about the good and bad ride stands out here for me. So often we as riders remember the bad rides and focus on these when they happen, forgetting the volume of good ones. Horses will give us a good ride and the odd not good one.

Mine spun yesterday because there was a van parked in a layby- she could be a novice ride if she didn't do random spins like this! But I still filed it under a good ride with a slight blip because it's "normal" behaviour and horses aren't perfect and she didn't fling me off this time round.
 
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This thread caused me to dig out some old friends my favourites are

The Young Horseman William Fawcett 1957 edition
Elements of Riding RS Summerhays 1943 revised edition
RidingSImplified Margaret Cambell Self 1951
.
Interestingly given their age and that the are all written for beginners they all talk about horsemanship primarily and understanding the horses.....where have we gone astray?
 
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It mentions that the horse is your partner and not an artificial means of progression.

I am loving the photos, especially the saddles. They look somewhat working hunter shaped but half panels. That's what I learnt to ride on, no knee rolls and close contact with the horse. I still like that close contact but the position has been altered.

Bits were nickel as well. So that's changed.

It talks about the various seats. Weedon, Hunting, Balanced and Italian. But it also says your position or seat must suit your conformation and that of the horse. Hooray!! Because riding a wide short legged short back cob is going to influence my position especially trying to get it moving. :)
 
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" you should carefully watch out for flocks of sheep. If you are obliged to pass them, do so at the walk and do not draw attention to yourself or to them"
What happens when the nosey bods come over to you. :D Mine just appears to attract everything. She loves sheep and nosing at cows. :rolleyes:
 
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