Stake Night


Susan Archer - 2016
    For the owners, it is about wielding power through money in their quest to proudly hold the prestigious World Championship trophy. For the riders, it is about demonstrating technical skill and nerve by out-riding their competitors and maneuvering their horse in the frenetic ring so the judges notice it. For the trainers, it is about finding the key that makes your horse out-perform others that might actually be more talented and achieving the professional recognition that leads to new clients and financial security. For everyone, it is about settling scores and finding a way to win the championship. The central character is Jennifer, a young, relatively unknown trainer. She can’t believe her luck when a rich client brings her the reigning world champion horse and tells Jennifer to prepare the horse for her timid daughter to ride. Jennifer quickly learns that this horse and rider are a dangerous and doomed combination, and she must move carefully to find an alternative that keeps her important client from leaving the barn and ruining Jennifer’s chances to finally join the ranks of the most well-known and respected trainers.

Autumn Blues (Show Circuit Series - Book 4)


Kim Ablon Whitney - 2017
    It’s now fall—nearly a year later. Hannah is at college, making new friends and riding on the IHSA team. Chris is recently back from Europe and competing in the east coast fall shows in hopes of qualifying for the World Cup Finals. Both are trying to forget about each other. At first, they succeed in doing so as Hannah becomes involved with Theo, a basketball player, and also finds herself attracted to Nolan, the lone guy on the IHSA team. Meanwhile, what was supposed to be a European fling with the Princess of Denmark turns more serious when the Princess follows Chris back to U.S. soil. As the colors change and the colder weather sets in, forgetting about each other becomes harder and harder for Chris and Hannah. Will they be able to stick to their plans to live their own lives—or will they come back together?

Born in the Saddle (Born to Ride Series Book 1)


Samantha Walker - 2020
     At age fourteen, she's a know it all teen living alone with her mum in London - not a horse in sight. Can a few weeks staying with her grandparents back at the stables change all that, or has she really put horses out of her life for good? Meet the whole Michaelson clan, and their four-legged friends, at the Quicksilver Stud in Book 1 – Born in the Saddle. Teen fiction for horse lovers, especially eventing fans. Ideal for fans of Claire Svendson, Amanda Wills or Samantha Alexander.

Relaxed & Forward: Relationship Advice from Your Horse


Anna Blake - 2016
    They evoke a full range of emotions like hope and courage and valor. They can gallop straight to you with neck arched and tail flagged, and then instantly melt to a stop—just to share your breath.” We’ve been besotted with horses since they had three toes. From the popular Relaxed and Forward blog comes training advice combining the everyday fundamentals of dressage with mutual listening skills. Blake writes with a profound respect for horses and an articulate voice for humans, blending equal parts inspiration and un-common sense. It’s serious training communicated with humor and lightness, because horses like us when we laugh. Most riders want to build a better relationship with their horse. These short essays are geared as much toward attitude as technique, and include topics ranging from reading calming signals from your horse to using breath as your best communication tool. Blake’s writing uses clear descriptions, storytelling, and humor to inspire meaningful, positive communication. Less correction and more direction. Horses are honest; they answer us in kind. If we want a better response, a more fluid conversation and relationship with a horse, we have to be the ones to change first. The other word for that is leadership. By the author of Stable Relation, A Memoir of One Woman’s Spirited Journey Home, by Way of the Barn. “Excitement and delight surge through me every time I see Anna Blake's name as an author. Her writing is filled with deep understanding and heart connection, seasoned with a lively dash of humor. Reading her work is like giving myself a gift...one I can open again and again.” --Kim Walnes, winning USET Three Day Eventer, Riding Instructor/Trainer, and Life Coach.

Betting on Horse Racing for Dummies


Richard Eng - 2005
    It explains: what goes on at the track what to look for in horses and jockeys how to read a racing form and do simple handicapping how to manage betting funds and make wagers that stand a good chance of paying off. Complete with coverage of off-track and online betting, it's just what anyone needs to play the ponies-and win! Richard Eng (Las Vegas, NV) is a racing writer and handicapper for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a columnist for the Daily Racing Form, and the host of a horseracing radio program in Las Vegas. He was formerly a part of the ABC Sports team that covered the Triple Crown.

Just a Groom (Hearts & Horse Trials, #1)


Laurie Twizel - 2017
    But when fellow competitor Frederick Twemlow snatches away their top horse, everything they have ever worked for is on the brink of falling apart before their eyes. Frederick Twemlow is gorgeous, rich, popular and at the top of the eventing ranks. When he sets his sights on something, he doesn't stop until he gets it. So when he begins to make eyes at Elsa, they both know it's only a matter of time before Frederick gets what he wants. Desperate to despise him for tipping their yard into turmoil, and to prove her loyalty to Sophia; for how long can Elsa resist his charms?

Backstretch Girls


Dawn LeFevre - 2019
    A jockey tested by tragedy. A rejected racehorse. A three million dollar race. Teagan Sullivan is a golden disappointment in the show ring. To make matters worse, her family are big deal Olympic equestrians, so she skulks off to pony Thoroughbreds at a rundown racetrack. But while she excels at equine relations, she sucks at human ones—just ask her sexy blacksmith/sleepover buddy Screaming Wolf. And if she hadn't gone and rescued that stupid jockey wannabe Anne Simmons, she wouldn't be saddled with a new roommate, a broken down racehorse and a chance to prove herself to her family at last. Born two months premature to an anorexic mother, Anne was a longshot just to survive. Now eighteen, she arrives on the backstretch with nothing but a duffel bag and Derby dreams. But the horsemen don't trust the naïve newcomer, so she's stuck ponying horses instead of riding races. She is still chasing their respect when a near-fatal accident shatters her body—and her spirit. As Anne struggles to find the courage to ride again, Teagan wrestles with her feelings for Screaming Wolf. Horse racing's richest race, the Breeder's Cup Classic, offers them both a chance at redemption. Will Teagan and Anne conquer their fears in time to claim the things that they love most?

The October Horses


Genevieve Mckay - 2020
    But, somehow, that's exactly what she got.When a fateful encounter at the hospital introduces her to the world of horses, Bree is determined to make them a part of her new life. Things quickly spiral out of control when she becomes the caretaker to a pair of misfit thoroughbreds who also need a second chance.Will her strength and willpower be enough to beat the overwhelming odds that are stacked against them all?

True Unity: Willing Communication Between Horse & Human


Tom Dorrance - 1994
    He says, "What I know about the horse I learned from the horse." In "True Unity," Tom shares his ideas to help achieve a true unity for human and horse.

Loxwood


Grace Wilkinson - 2016
    Counting down the days until she can leave school and work towards making her dream of riding round Badminton a reality, Georgia James spends her mornings exercising Thoroughbreds at the track. The rest of her time is spent at event rider Rose Holloway's yard, and thinking about Loxwood, whose future as a racehorse is uncertain. Always on the sidelines, is Georgia's hard work and patience about to pay off?

Tug of War: Classical Versus "Modern" Dressage: Why Classical Training Works and How Incorrect "Modern" Riding Negatively Affects Horses' Health


Gerd Heuschmann - 2007
    Gerd Heuschmann is well-known in dressage circles—admired for his plain speaking regarding what he deems the incorrect and damaging training methods commonly employed by riders and trainers involved in competition today. Here, he presents an intelligent and thought-provoking exploration of both classical and "modern" training methods, including "hyperflexion" (also known as Rollkur), against a practical backdrop of the horse's basic anatomy and physiology. In a detailed yet comprehensible fashion, Dr. Heuschmann describes parts of the horse's body that need to be correctly developed by the dressage rider. He then examines how they function both individually and within an anatomical system, and how various schooling techniques affect these parts for the good, or for the bad. Using vivid color illustrations of the horse's skeletal system, ligaments, and musculature, in addition to comparative photos depicting "correct" versus "incorrect" movement—and most importantly, photos of damaging schooling methods—Dr. Heuschmann convincingly argues that the horse's body tells us whether our riding is truly gymnasticizing and "building the horse up," or simply wearing it down and tearing it apart. He then outlines his ideal "physiological education" of the horse. Training should mirror the mental and physical development of the horse, fulfilling "classical" requirements—such as regularity of the three basic gaits, suppleness, and acceptance of the bit—rather than disregarding time-tested values for quick fixes that could lead to the degradation of the horse's well-being. Dr. Heuschmann's assertion that the true objectives of dressage schooling must never be eclipsed by simple "mechanical perfection" is certain to inspire riders at all levels to examine their riding, their riding goals, and the techniques they employ while pursuing them.

Clinton Anderson's Downunder Horsemanship: Establishing Respect and Control for English and Western Riders


Clinton Anderson - 2004
    Now his methods are available for the first time in a reader-friendly, highly illustrated book, and you, too, can learn the program that teaches "everyday people"—regardless of riding style, age, or ability—how to better communicate with their mounts.

Jane Savoie's Dressage 101: The Ultimate Source of Dressage Basics in a Language You Can Understand


Jane Savoie - 2011
    Beginning with the three golden rules of dressage training--clarity, consistency, and kindness--Jane Savoie walks you through her four stages of dressage education.Stage One is an introductory course in the basics, and Stage Two covers the nuts and bolts of training, including transitions, school figures, and movements.By the time you finish Stage Two, you'll have a happy, responsive horse that understands going forward and being straight; accepts contact so you can communicate with him through the reins; moves in a regular rhythm and a steady tempo in all three gaits; and can do transitions, circles, and turns, back up, lengthen his stride, and go sideways.In Stage Three, Jane translates the secrets surrounding the half-halt, enabling you to put your horse on the bit, and adding a whole new dimension to your training. You'll even be ready for some fancy stuff in Stage Four.Don't worry, everything in this book is well within the capacity of most horses. We're simply talking about the work required in the United States Equestrian Federation's (USEF) dressage tests up to Third Level, which concludes with collected, medium, and extended gaits; advanced lateral movements; and flying changes.

Canterwood Crest


Jessica Burkhart - 2009
    Just ask them; they'll be happy to tell you.But every girl knows that there can only be one "best."Can Sasha keep the girls from turning the arena into a war zone and still snag a spot on the coveted Youth Equestrian National Team?

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.