School exercises is a graphic, clearly presented ‘cookbook’ of ideas and specimen exercises, compiled particularly for trainee instructors and also very useful for more experienced instructors and for riders schooling their own horses or ponies.The book is divided into groups of related exercises, each exercise being accompanied by a full explanation, the aids, words of command, teaching hints, advice on likely problems, safety, and suggested variations. School Exercises shows how to make imaginative and constructive use of a 20m x 40m schooling area, adding variety and interest to lessons and riding sessions for riders, horses and teachers.

For everyone teaching 4-12 year olds at riding schools, clubs or at home. Learning to ride should be fun, progressive and constructive, but all too often children can be frightened or put off. Teaching them is not easy.Teaching Children To Ride offers advice, exercises, lesson plans, games and teaching tips designed to provide variety and sound instruction, plus a fund of innovative ideas for making learning to ride and enjoyable, worthwhile and satisfying experience, even for the very young.This book offers advice, exercises, lesson plans and teaching tips.Jane Wallace, a former international event rider, is a well known author, respected trainer and mother of two pony-mad sons.

A valuable training guide for all owners of any of the retriever breeds.Training the Working Retriever will help the owner of any of the retrieving breed. From those who simply want to train their family pet through to those wishing to compete in field trials, gundog working tests or to work on a shoot.Detailed photographs show each of the exercises and are accompanied by details of what may go wrong, how to recognise potential problems and how any difficulties can be rectified before they become real problems. The book also has advice on choice and care of a puppy and shows how early domestic training can prevent many behavioural issues. The author shows that reward based reinforcement with praise are the essential motivating factors which will encourage puppies to learn from an early age what is required for life!

All pony-mad children and you want a pony who has perfect manners, is confident, happy and, above all, safe. These four practical and fun books, based on understanding pony behaviour, will show you and your child how you can create the pony of your dreams. Packed with imaginative exercises and illustrated with step-by-step photographs and drawings all aspects of handling are covered. Leading, catching, stable manners, negotiating obstacles and introducing your pony to new things are discussed.These books are progressive so once you have worked through the Step 1 Workbook you can move onto Step 2 building on your new found knowledge and skills. When the ground based bessons are mastered, you and your pony will be ready for the riding workbooks to come. A superb range of books for all young riders.

All pony-mad children and you want a pony who has perfect manners, is confident, happy and, above all, safe. These four practical and fun books, based on understanding pony behaviour, will show you and your child how you can create the pony of your dreams. Packed with imaginative exercises and illustrated with step-by-step photographs and drawings all aspects of handling are covered. Leading, catching, stable manners, negotiating obstacles and introducing your pony to new things are discussed.These books are progressive so once you have worked through the Step 2 Workbook you can move onto Step 3 building on your new found knowledge and skills. When the ground based bessons are mastered, you and your pony will be ready for the riding workbooks to come. A superb range of books for all young riders.

All pony-mad children and you want a pony who has perfect manners, is confident, happy and, above all, safe. These four practical and fun books, based on understanding pony behaviour, will show you and your child how you can create the pony of your dreams. Packed with imaginative exercises and illustrated with step-by-step photographs and drawings all aspects of handling are covered. Leading, catching, stable manners, negotiating obstacles and introducing your pony to new things are discussed.When the ground based bessons are mastered, you and your pony will be ready for the riding workbooks to come. A superb range of books for all young riders.

A go-to manual for any horse owner, this book addresses a range of equine behavioural problems, from the mild – refusing to stand still or tail rubbing, for example – to the severe, such as rearing under saddle or attacking other horses. With topics broken into four main categories – bad habits in the stable, on the ground, under saddle, and on the road – noted rancher and horse book author Heather Smith Thomas dissects each issue by addressing the source of the problem, providing practical solutions, and discussing what to do if the fix doesn’t stick.The ultimate reference book featuring solutions to over 130 common problems.•A hands-on manual for any horse owner that addresses equine behavioural problems from refusing to stand still to rearing under the saddle•Broken down into four main categories – bad habits in the stable, on the ground, under saddle and on the road•Each issue is addressed by looking at the source of the problem, providing a practical solution and what to do if the problem re-occurs•Of interest to both amateur equestrians and experienced horsemen alikePaperback

Possessing the right mind-set and relevant mental skills has long been considered vital in achieving top performances in all sports. And yet, to many riders mental fitness still remains something of an afterthought. In Perfect Mind: Perfect Ride, the author demonstrates how to develop and achieve the right kind of attitude, motivation and mental skills to make the most of the rider’s abilities whether it be riding as a recreation or as a competitive sport.Horses are highly sensitive flight animals – they’ll react first and ask questions, well, never...! In essence, this means that every time riders get on their horse, they need to be fully committed, aware and in control of their body, their thoughts and their emotions, in order to communicate with their horse in precisely the right kind of manner. The combination of research in the field of sport and performance psychology and real-life examples contained in this book will help readers identify with and understand different topics. Current scientific theories surrounding sport and performance psychology are translated into practice, allowing readers to fully understand why they think, feel and act the way they do – and what they need to do change it. Hands-on advice on how to develop relevant attitudes and mental skills will make Perfect Mind: Perfect Ride an essential companion for the rider wanting to get more out of the sport.Foreword by Mary King MBEPaperback

From Puppy to Perfect answers all the questions about owning and training the family’s first puppy. Both comprehensive and practical, this is a superb step-by-step guide for owners of all types of puppy. It starts with a survival guide for the first few weeks as the owner of a not yet perfect puppy and gradually takes the reader from house-training to everything they need to know about training a growing dog – taking it from puppy to perfect.With up-to-date information incorporating the needs of urban dog owners and the risks of buying puppies online, it also responds to frequently asked questions from readers of her previous title, Training the Working Spaniel.

This beautifully illustrated book looks at how to deliver a safe, varied, fun, effective and achievable training programme. It provides all the ingredients for riders to make informed decisions to maximise their own and their horse’s potential, gain more enjoyment, satisfaction and improve their skills. Based on the principles of anatomy and biomechanics with welfare in mind learn all about: Skeletal maturity How to achieve good back posture How stresses and strains in one part of the body affects another Why some muscles become long and weak and others short and tight How to reduce strain on ligaments and tendons Movements to strengthen and condition muscles Exercises for suppleness and core stability Why pole work and gymnastic jumping benefits horses for all disciplines.Laminated Board Book

While many training books have explained ways to progressively desensitize horses in the arena, this new book from horsewoman Vanessa Bee - Founder of the International Horse Agility Club and 3-Minute Horsemanship - takes the concept of teaching horses to accept what they think is terrifying out into the world around us. When examining any common obstacle that might scare a horse, it is usually made up of one, two, or three elements: It is either over something, like a bridge, or involves going under something, such as low branches, or you must go through, as in a gateway. To deal with such challenges, Bee has provided Six Blueprint Exercises to lay the foundation of skills you need as a trainer and a horse to go over, under, and through. Then, she takes us through 50 common scenarios-such as riding over white lines or dark shadows, or riding past farm animals or marshmallow hay bales-and illustrates with small, building-block steps and photos, what is needed to change the horse's reaction and behaviour, assuring a smoother, safer ride down the road. With lessons explained in Bee's trademark keep it simple style, Over, Under, Through: Obstacle Training for Horses is one book from which every horse and horse owner will benefit. * The complete guide to training horses to 'pass common obstacles' safely *Written by horsewoman Vanessa Bee - Founder of the International Horse Agility Club and 3-Minute Horsemanship *50 effective step-by-step exercises for every rider enabling their horse to go over, under and through 'the obstacle' *Common scenarios are discussed and illustrated with over 200 photographs

When owning, training, riding, and showing horses, there is a certain look to which one aspires. No one knows how to do all of this better than those working as professional grooms for the world's top riders and trainers. It is the responsibility of these elite experts to keep their four-legged charges happy, healthy, and primed for peak performance - in body and mind. Now, two of the best professional grooms in the business share their trade secrets, with over 1200 colour photographs demonstrating how to clean the horse from nose to tail; wrap, clip, braid, and ship him; prepare him for or present him in various English competitive scenarios; and care for him after work or showing so he is rested and ready to do it all again. The ultimate modern-day guide for all riders who want their horses to look and feel their best. The complete guide to daily care of keeping horses and preparing for competition Written by two professional grooms at the top of their game Everything you need to know with over 1200 photographs by Jessica Dailey Includes techniques for wrapping legs, bandaging tails, adding quarter marks and polishing the metal on tack.

Approaching dressage from a newcomer's perspective can be a little daunting. There seems to be so much to learn, so much to understand and some confusion surrounding what judges are looking for in tests. Even experienced riders find it difficult to break out of the 65-70% range in their test marks.Using the steps of Accuracy, Fluidity, Understanding, Practice and Review this book gives readers a clear framework on which they can build confidence in their approach to dressage training and test riding. These steps reveal where readers could be losing valuable marks and arms them with the understanding needed to achieve much higher scores.Published privately, the first edition of this book was a great success, garnering over five-star reviews and being placed in the top best-selling books on Amazon. Its popularity owed much to the 'easy to understand language', the clear diagrams and photographs and the overall philosophy of communication, empathy and skill development. These aspects are all retained in this revised edition, which has been expanded to include chapters on groundwork, and rider fitness.After reading this book you will be able to have a better relationship with your horse, ride more beautiful tests and get higher marks.

In Real Life Dressage Carl Hester shares his training methods and shows how they can be adapted to suit individual horses. All the horses in this book are horses who have problems. None of them are perfect, because in real life dressage, the perfect horse doesn't exist.With chapters on:• Training principles• Intelligent riding• Philosophy for young horses• Training for various ages• Training the Grand Prix horseAssisted by co-writer Polly Ellison, Carl outlines his training regimes and favourite exercises, explaining that the aim of the book 'is not to describe ideal training scenarios but to look at what we can do, to the best of our ability, with the horses we have. Difficult horses can become good horses, as I have proven with Escapado; and it is important not to give up until you are absolutely sure that it's not going to work'.

A comprehensive training handbook on how to improve one’s jumping. Better balance in the saddle, improved body control from head to toe, and increased influence with your seat are just a handful of the simple fixes offered in this straightforward training manual for jumping. Most of the suggestions provided require only a few minutes to learn and offer solutions for making jumping more enjoyable for both riders and their horses. By starting and ending each ride with these simple, easy, and effective fixes, equestrians will happily and efficiently replace old habits with new ones and get out of the riding rut we all find ourselves in at some point in our riding career.Aimed at both the amateur and competent rider – with particular emphasis on making jumping more enjoyable for both rider and their horse. ‘Wendy Murdoch’s excellent, yet simple, exercises are easy to follow, helping riders seek the correct position to be in balance with their horses. Better balance between horse and rider is not only safer but critical in maintaining your horse’s confidence, athleticisim, and soundness over time.’ - Melanie Smith Taylor, Show Jumping Olympic Gold Medalist, Winner of the World Cup and Triple Crown of Show Jumping.

Within riding there exists a fundamental conflict of interest: The rider needs to have control – their confidence depends on their ability to control the balance of their own body as well as that of their very powerful horse. The horse, by nature, needs to feel free—free in both mind and body to express himself through physical movement. In this book, author Beth Baumert, writer and editor at the internationally recognized equestrian magazine Dressage Today, resolves this conflict by taking a close look at the individual components that make up riding and dressage. Beth provides insight gleaned from years of working with the best riders, trainers, and judges in the dressage world, and details practical ways riders can learn to harness the balance, energies, and forces at play when they’re in the saddle.Readers will discover how to use positive tension” and what the author calls the four physical Powerlines”—Vertical, Connecting, Spiralling, and Visual—to become balanced and effective in the saddle. Readers will then find ways to understand and manage the horse’s balance and coordination challenges, including the fact that he is inherently crooked and naturally inclined to do too much with his front end and not enough with his hind. Ultimately, the rider learns to regulate and monitor the horse’s rhythm, energy, flexion, alignment, bend, the height and length of his neck, and, finally, his line of travel by properly aligning their spine with his. When the center of gravity of a balanced rider is directly over the center of gravity of a balanced horse, that place where two spines align becomes the hub for rider and horse harmony—a dynamic and remarkable riding rapport that yields beautiful performance.

Pilates is an invigorating and proven body conditioning method which helps to strengthen the core muscles used in riding and restores the body's balance. It is a form of exercise which is being taken up by more sportsmen and women and its benefits can be seen to improve posture, muscle tone and to provide stability for the pelvis and shoulders - essential for the rider.

All you need to know to produce a beautifully turned out pony and rider, able to give their best in the ring and catch the judge's eye!Contents include: •Classes and criteria•Buying your pony•Conformation•Basic training•Jumping•Grooming and turn out•Management of the hunter pony•Tack and clothing•Show day•Judges, judging and marking•Class procedure and ringcraft•The working hunter pony course

If you have ever wondered what your horse or pony talks about when you are not around, and you know your Appaloosa from your Andalusian, then this book is for you! Over 100 hilarious cartoons featuring horses and ponies with their views on everything from rugs to hay bags, grooming to jumping and lots more. All straight from the horse’s mouth!This superbly funny paperback was developed from looking at the equestrian world from the view point of the horses and ponies – they stand upright and they talk freely whilst their human counterparts are not about. Cartoons from the Horse’s Mouth is the result of what happens when perfectly good equine science and experience is interpreted by a cartoonist with a great sense of humour.Paperback

A fun, horse themed joke book.