Horsey books

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chestnut cob

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I've posted this in here because I'm looking for something informative so I can learn something, rather than fiction.

Now it's dark before I go to work and dark when I leave work, my riding is limited to Friday afternoons and weekends unless I trailer to a lesson or hire an a arena with lights (we have an arena but no lights and TBH after a 1hr plus commute home, the last thing I really want to do after work is hitch up the trailer and drive horse around..!).

So, now I have more time on my hands I thought I could make use of it with reading some horsey books. What can you recommend?
I'm not a fan of autobiographies unless I'm going to learn something - I'm not really interested in the ponies someone rode when they were 10 or who they used to be married to! ;) I've already got (and read) Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage and the Gerd H. book, but my reading interests aren't limited to evangelical classical dressage ;)
I haven't competed much this year for a variety of reasons (personal, not horse related... have the horse but haven't had the time) so something to inspire me to crack on a bit over winter would be great!

Thanks :)
 
The Nature of horses by Stephen Budiansky. Discusses the horse from a scientific viewpoint, what they can see, how intelligent they are compared to other animals etc. Very readable. I nearly know it off by heart. I really love this book!
 
Just read you post properly OP. This book won't do much for inspiration for competing I'm afraid. Just inspires me to notice more about my horse in the field. Which I like.
 
Any of the Sylvia Loch, Podhajsky, or Oliveira Nuno books (assuming you can get hold of them!).

All quite hard core classical dressage but brilliant to read and you'll learn a lot :).
 
OP, why not list the books recommended here and pop along to your public library? Your librrian is trained to find the sort of books you might be interested in and can get them for you if they don't have them via Inter Library Loan. All you pay is the cost of postage. Forgive me if that's what you were planning to do anyway but many forget the wonderful free service provided by the library -- and as they say, if you don't use it, you'll lose it! I think you can borrow several books at the same time (<6?) so you can try as many as you like.
 
Highly recommend 'Ride with Confidence' by Peter Haynes. Absolutely inspiring book for competitive riders(so good, in fact I've read it twice) Also the 'Ride with your Mind' books are equally as fantastic.
 
Real Life Dressage & Down to Earth Dressage by Carl Hester

The Principles of Riding by the German National Equestrian Federation

Advanced Techniques of Dressage by the German National Equestrian Federation

and although this is a DVD, not a book.... Through the Eye of the Judge with Stephen Clarke. I was at a Dressage Symposium where Stephen Clarke, Brett Parbery and Harry Boldt on the weekend. It was freaking awesome and I learnt a whole heap. The DVD is great and very informative.
 
Dry Rot said:
OP, why not list the books recommended here and pop along to your public library? Your librrian is trained to find the sort of books you might be interested in and can get them for you if they don't have them via Inter Library Loan. All you pay is the cost of postage. Forgive me if that's what you were planning to do anyway but many forget the wonderful free service provided by the library -- and as they say, if you don't use it, you'll lose it! I think you can borrow several books at the same time (<6?) so you can try as many as you like.
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do you know I hadn't even considered the library! used to use our local library all the time but not for years.
OH has got excited and purchased a couple of them already but for the remainder I am going to try the library first. great idea, thanks!
 
If you read Ride with Your Mind and Sylvia Loch you are going to end up with a fried brain, particularly if you have read The Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage.

All roads may lead to Rome, (meaning a well -schooled horse) but there are different ways of getting there and I find that people who write books for the horse public, the ones who wish to improve their own riding, tend to have an attitude of "my way is the only way"and if you go from one to another you end up utterly and totally confused, and your horse may end up confused too.

The one thing I will say for Sylvia Loch is that her writing is very clear, and she describes the aids for movements very well. But there are some things she says I have never been able to get my head round at all.
 
If your happy with interesting horse behavior with a inspirational crack on attitude try Henry Blake's Talking with Horses, quite old but some really interesting observations from an amazing and hilarious horseman, very, very readable.
 
Amicus said:
If your happy with interesting horse behavior with a inspirational crack on attitude try Henry Blake's Talking with Horses, quite old but some really interesting observations from an amazing and hilarious horseman, very, very readable.
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Was just going to post to recommend this but you've beaten me to it.

Essential Exercises for Training Horses and Common Sense Dressage; both books by Sally O'Connor
 
so.. I know this is totally uncool of me, but I have just had a horsey book published (30 October 2015) and am still so thrilled about it that I am happy to plough through normal British modesty to tell everyone about it. It's about horse training, based on my travels to various places looking at the local training techniques and what could be learned from them... more details here http://www.intelligenthorsemanshipshop.co.uk/products/globetrotting-by-rosie-jones-mevey


In terms of other books - I would definitely recommend Chris Bartles Training The Sport Horse - I like the way it takes you through their education from nursery to primary school etc.

Also - depends how heavy you want the reading to go! I'm studying for a PhD at the moment and surrounded by horsey reading which is heavenly. if you have an interest in dressage, you may be able to find "The horse As Cultural Icon; The Real and Symbolic Horse in modern Eurpoean Culture." I found it quite interesting to read about the history of the culture of dressage etc.
 
That winning feeling ,Jane Savoie great book .
Training the young horse , Ingrid Klimke if you only have one book have this one .
Podhajsky who wrote the best work on classical training .
If you can still get them the Books Pat Smythe wrote to show you the value of just getting on and doing stuff .
 
Oh, and its quite fun if you can get hold of a copy, to read a transcription of Xenophon for some VERY old (and not that unfamiliar!) horsemanship x
 
Bit old school, but Jumping is Jumping - Jane Wallace. Fantastic book and discusses how to ride various types of fence, thinking behind the different approaches, training, competing.
 
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