Which books have made a difference to your riding?

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With an eye to dark evenings, I’m planning some winter reading...so I thought I’d ask you wise folk for recommendations!

(I know there has been a thread along these lines in the past but I can’t seem to find it, apologies.)

Any ideas welcome! Thanks all :)
 
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I read a book by Henry Wynmalen when I was a teenager( many, many moons ago, I'm in my fifties) which was brilliant. The one thing that still sticks in my mind is one thing he said about stopping or slowing down. He said to stop just sit down in the saddle, I thought what tosh, I'm already sitting in the saddle. I'd had years and years of BHS lessons at this point that never mentioned anything of the sort. Anyway I rode my newly backed horse the next day and tried it on him and he stopped so quickly I fell forward a bit as I really wasn't expecting it. If you get a chance, read his books, obviously old now and harder to get hold of. More modern would be Sylvia Loch and I also enjoy Mark Rashid books.
 
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Another vote for Mark Rashid.

I put off reading his books for years because I thought that they would be airy fairy "natural horsemanship" but they were (are) brilliant IMO.

They aren't "how to ride" per se but definitely let's you see things from the horse's perspective so you understand reactions when riding and handling horses.

His books are a collection of stories and the "lessons" are within them. So if nothing else appeals he spins a good yarn!
 
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All of them! Not being facetious (well a bit...), but I think I've got at least something from every serious book about riding I've read. "Schooling Young Horses" by Werner Storl was very useful to me when I was, well.......schooling young horses. Alois Podhajsky's books were always useful. Also Nuno Oliviera's slim volumes: succinct and incisive.
 
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Molly Sivewright is great, Reine Klimke too as well as those above and for a bit more leftfield: True horsemanship Through Feel by Bill Dorrance. I was recommended this book years ago, bought it and completely struggled with it; the style, the cultural element (it's written by a true cowboy -in the best sense) but I persevered for one reason or another and now see it as one of my most valuable books, if only for the wisdom of the elderly man who wrote it. Try it for something different!!
 
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I have a lot of NH books but I guess I get more from watching. When I started riding, I found it hard to find a VHS tape of an adult riding and found myself with one made by Pippa Funnel. I understood almost nothing but pretending to be her worked wonders if there was a problem out hacking.
The idea of riding as if you are someone else comes from Perry Wood, Real Riding. But Kelly Marks Perfect Manners was a book I liked too.
Videos were much more important to me than books and Richard Davison's dressage series are great for learning, though I could not ever ride his way.
Which unexpectedly raises a question of gender. I wonder if I could copy (mimic) Charlotte du Jardin, Kelly Marks and Pippa Funnel because they were women?
I recently got interested in Burkner and got the German Riding Manual but it has been borrowed by grand daughter and not given back.
 
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ihatework said:
Virtually none. I don’t seem to be able to learn well from books.
I learn best by seeing, feeling, doing and listening
Click to expand...

I think I'm the same. I love books and reading so I do but I've never had any lightbulb moments about riding, or more specifically feel, from a book whereas I know many others have.

I like the mechanical learnings from books like ridden exercises, pole placement etc but have never managed to take the "how to" from a book.

The closest has been the Mark Rashid when he almost explains from the horse POV and that definitely lit up a few bulbs.

palo1 said:
True horsemanship Through Feel by Bill Dorrance. I was recommended this book years ago, bought it and completely struggled with it; the style, the cultural element (it's written by a true cowboy -in the best sense) but I persevered for one reason or another and now see it as one of my most valuable books, if only for the wisdom of the elderly man who wrote it. Try it for something different!!
Click to expand...

Same! I bought it years ago and just didnt get it at all so sold it. Of course now they're like hens teeth with a healthy price tag attached. I managed to find a "bargain" copy about 10yrs ago for £40 & have dipped in and out ever since.

I've just bought Tom Dorrace and Ray Hunts books (Unity through Feel and the name of the other escapes me) so I'm going to pick away with them.

OP is there a discipline that you specifically enjoy/train for and what kind of books do you like?
 
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Goodness, thank you all for taking the time to reply!

Good to see some names coming up repeatedly that I recognise...and plenty that are completely new to me to explore. I am going to be well-occupied!
 
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Polos Mum said:
Centered riding - Sally Swift - my mind works in pictures so I find the drawings really helpful to visualise things.
For example
Hold your reins like holding a robin / small bird - you don't want him to escape but you don't want to kill him either (by squishing) and you want his head upwards always
Click to expand...

I love this image and have already shared it with my kids :) - they’ve got a lesson tomorrow, we shall see if their birds survive!
 
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[/QUOTE] OP is there a discipline that you specifically enjoy/train for and what kind of books do you like?[/QUOTE]


Hi TPO... Thank you for your response. I’m not in training for anything in particular. I came back to riding last year after about 20 years off and lots has changed, myself included! These days I’m much more interested in understanding what’s going on between the ears, as opposed to just going as fast as possible and hoping for the best ;).
I loan a very lovely but green mare and am conscious that between the two of us, we have a lot of gaps in our knowledge! So alongside regular lessons and as much time in the saddle as possible, I’m hoping a bit of theory might help me give her the best education. We have access to a school and lots of lovely hacking so I am open to most ideas. I’ve just read ‘Schooling While You Hack’ by Daniela Bolze, which is pretty much the only book in this vein I have read so far.
I do totally understand the point you and IHW make about learning through doing as well though. There’s nothing like real life experience!
 
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Regandal said:
I’ve started reading the Sylvia Loch books, trying out the weight aids on my horse - they work! Who’d have thunk?!
I’ve got the Bill Dorrance book, couldn’t get into it though.
Click to expand...

this is good to know - horse is very responsive to weight aids so I think Sylvia Loch will be worth a read. Thank you!
 
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OP is there a discipline that you specifically enjoy/train for and what kind of books do you like?[/QUOTE]


Hi TPO... Thank you for your response. I’m not in training for anything in particular. I came back to riding last year after about 20 years off and lots has changed, myself included! These days I’m much more interested in understanding what’s going on between the ears, as opposed to just going as fast as possible and hoping for the best ;).
I loan a very lovely but green mare and am conscious that between the two of us, we have a lot of gaps in our knowledge! So alongside regular lessons and as much time in the saddle as possible, I’m hoping a bit of theory might help me give her the best education. We have access to a school and lots of lovely hacking so I am open to most ideas. I’ve just read ‘Schooling While You Hack’ by Daniela Bolze, which is pretty much the only book in this vein I have read so far.
I do totally understand the point you and IHW make about learning through doing as well though. There’s nothing like real life experience![/QUOTE]

They aren't literary greats but I really like the "100 ways to improve your" series of books by Susan McBane.

Off the top of my head there was horse's health, horse's behaviour, equine partnership, riding and I'm sure there was a fifth one too. They sell for a few pounds second hand in amazon and Ebay.

They were a more modern approach to things taking into account what we know now about feeding and equine behaviours etc. I've bought and gifted umpteen copies of them as I think they do a good job of covering most things at a high level
 
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