Five Things You Can Do in 30 MInutes to Improve Your Riding Forever


Michael Schaffer - 2012
    Think of this as a bag of treats that never runs out.

Way of the Horse: Equine Archetypes for Self-Discovery - A Book of Exploration and 40 Cards


Linda Kohanov - 2007
    Useful as both a divination deck and as a book for straight reading, "Way of the Horse" offers profound insight into the powerful relationship between horses and humans. The book consists of 40 chapters,... Full description

How Good Riders Get Good: Daily Choices That Lead to Success in Any Equestrian Sport


Denny Emerson - 2011
    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? It's simple, really. He's boiled the whole thing down into seven broad "Areas of Choice" that collectively determine whether you are a "gonna be" or "you're going to get it done" or whether you'll be stuck in the "wannabe" category for decades. You'll examine how your choice of riding sport may or may not be the best for who you are and where you live, and how those frustrating hurdles known as "life circumstances" don't necessarily hold you back like you think they do. Plus, find out 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. Learn to take a good hard look at your partner—your horse—and think critically about his ability to help you attain your riding goals. In addition, 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.

Equine Fitness: A Program of Exercises and Routines for Your Horse


Jec Aristotle Ballou - 2009
    Equine Fitness will have your horse looking and feeling his best with a series of fun exercise routines specifically designed to enhance his strength, stamina, and agility. Clear step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations make the exercises easy to follow, and the book includes a handy set of pocket-sized cards that you can use in the ring. Jec Ballou’s simple conditioning program promises lasting results for healthy horses and satisfied riders.

Blindfold


Lyndon Stacey - 2003
    So much depended on body language with animals- Without it, it felt uncomfortably like a game of Russian roulette.'Gideon Blake, artist and animal behaviourist, is used to dealing with distressed and unpredictable animals. But on one cold February night he is faced with the challenge of his life. Abducted from his home, handcuffed and blindfolded, Gideon is inexplicably forced by his violent captors to catch a dangerous and highly-strung stallion. Though severely handicapped by the blindfold and fearing certain death, he has no choice but to comply. Bruised and bewildered by the events of that fateful night, Gideon ignores his abductors' threats to stay silent and resolves to find out who was behind this sadistic and seemingly irrational act. But a chance encounter leads to a shocking discovery, one that makes Gideon question the motives of those closest to him and brings the devastating realisation that danger lies very close to home.

She Flies Without Wings: How Horses Touch a Woman's Soul


Mary D. Midkiff - 2001
    Drawing from myth and literature, the author’s own experiences, and interviews with countless women, we learn, through women’s deeply personal stories, how horses enrich our lives and connect us to nature–making us readers of rhythm and invisible signs, helping us harness our youthful sexuality, sharing the “horsepower” we need to reach our dreams. And here we see how, for thousands of years, the deep kinship between women and horses has connected us to our most intimate feelings of delight, helped us learn to solve problems, and set our creativity free. From the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer to the fiction of Jane Austen to folktales from around the world, She Flies Without Wings uses great literature and myth to encompass a wide spectrum of beliefs and perspectives–and creates a true celebration of speed, air, and the spectacular animal that connects us with both.Filled with the moving lessons–-about sensuality, commitment, power, nurturance, and spirituality–women riders have known for centuries, written with a loving hand by an expert equestrian, She Flies Without Wings is an eloquent paean to a pairing that enlivened history, inspired literature, and continues to enchant us all.

Kate and Holly: The Beginning


Maggie Dana - 2014
    In exchange for her riding lessons, she works at Sandpiper Stables where the other girls look down their noses at her as she mucks stalls, cleans tack, and grooms their European warmbloods. For comfort, Kate turns to Black Magic, the barn’s best horse. His favorite treat is watermelon rinds, which he slobbers all over her. But Kate doesn't care. She loves Magic’s attention and pampers him. Together, they're already making a name for themselves at three-day events, and Kate’s riding instructor predicts they will go far . . . until a tragic accident changes everything. * * * Holly Chapman hides her sadness and loneliness behind a cheerful smile. She grooms as much of her horse, Magician, as she can reach from her wheelchair and watches another girl ride him—winning the blue ribbons that Holly used to win. Determined to keep up with the other kids, even if she can’t walk, Holly takes risks. She gets her wheelchair stuck in the mud, stranded on stairs, and wedged into corners. Sometimes she falls out of it. Her mother advertises for a summer companion, but Holly doesn’t want a watchdog. She wants a best friend.

The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship: Intermediate Horsemanship


Susan E. Harris - 1995
    This C Level manual builds on material covered in The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship: Basics for Beginners/D Level. Whether you are a Pony Clubber who has passed the D Level tests or simply a rider who has mastered the same basics, this manual will enable you to increase your skills and teach you what you must know in order to ride independently and correctly with good position, balance, and use of the aids on the flat, over fences, and in the open. At the intermediate level you are expected to take more responsibility for the care and management of your pony, and you will learn how to do this as well. In addition, you will learn the skills needed for conditioning and preparing your pony and yourself for competitions and special events. From the C Level, you may go on to higher Pony Club ratings such as B, H A, or A Ratings, or specialize in such disciplines as dressage, show jumping, eventing, and showing. Or you may just want to have the pleasure of caring for your horse or pony and participating in your favorite riding activities. Either way, The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship: Intermediate Horsemanship/C Level will give you an excellent basis in horsemanship for the lifelong enjoyment of horses and horse sports.

In The Cut


Kevin Bullock - 2006
    While struggling to get his feet planted deep in the dope game, he becomes attached to the little boy. Being affiliated with other hustlers and robbers eventually jeopardizes his life as well as the child's. When enough guns go off and enough bodies get laid to rest, Manus better have enough money to buy his son from the woman who threatens to separate them forever.

Boss Bitch Swag


Cynthia White - 2011
    Falling in love with Boss, though, is the easy part; staying in love will prove to be a much harder task. When Meesha discovers that her heart's desire is not only a well-connected gangster, but is also next in line to head the mob that controls the entire city of St. Louis, she must make the most difficult decision of her entire young life. When she decides to stand by her man, it becomes painfully clear that, even though she's the only woman in his heart, she's not the only woman in his bed...Malcolm "Boss" Clark knows better than to fall for a girl almost ten years younger than him. He's a man, and Meesha is just a girl, but there's something about her that won't let Boss walk away. Their relationship moves fast and burns hot, much like the city they call home. In the blink of an eye, they find themselves dangerously in love with two small daughters and their first son on the way. The love soon turns to hate, though, when Meesha's doctor breaks the news to her that she's HIV-positive. Certain that Boss contracted the virus from one of his numerous affairs, an emotionally distraught Meesha locks herself in a bathroom with her husband, then proceeds to point his own gun in his face and demand answers - but will the truth set her free, or just keep her bound...?

Zen Mind, Zen Horse: The Science and Spirituality of Working with Horses


Allan J. Hamilton - 2011
    They use this energy, called chi, to communicate with their herd, express dominance, and sense predators. Hamilton shares safe, simple techniques to make you more receptive to your animal’s chi, so you can develop a calm and effective training style that will not only help your horse follow commands, but strengthen the spiritual bond between horse and rider.

Secret Rider


Claire Svendsen - 2013
    Her mother is terrified of them. Her dad left because of them. And all Emily wants is to ride them. But that isn’t going to happen any time soon unless Emily takes matters into her own hands and she’s been doing just that for the last year. The only trouble is that secrets are made to be broken and Emily has the biggest one of all. She works at Sand Hill Stables to pay for riding lessons and now she has the chance to prove herself at the prestigious Fox Run Farm show. With her best friend Mickey as her partner in crime, can she make it to show day without her mom finding out? And why do the girls who ride at Fox Run want to make sure that Sand Hill closes its doors once and for all?

From My Hands to Yours: Lessons from a Lifetime of Training Championship Horses


Monty Roberts - 2002
    Book by Roberts, Monty, Abernethy, Jean

Complete Horse Riding Manual


William Micklem - 2003
    Now revised and updated, the "Complete Horse Riding Manual" covers dressage, show jumping, and cross-country riding, detailing everything you need to know to compete in these events, whether you are a beginner or more experienced rider."Complete Horse Riding Manual" is brimming with advice on finding the best horse for you, training a young horse, forming the ultimate horse-and-rider team, boosting and maintaining your own physical fitness and suppleness, and building the fitness and stamina of your horse.

My Horses, My Teachers


Alois Podhajsky - 1967
    Timeless, inspiring, and full of valuable advice. A book every rider should read.