A go-to reference and a launchpoint for every amateur hoping to grow their horsemanship abilities while doing right by their horse.
In this fresh look at the fundamental skills needed when training and riding a horse, career educator and lifelong horsewoman Anne Buchanan provides crucial keys so the everyday horse enthusiast can:
- Decode how the horse functions.
- Become aware of crucial technicalities of riding that are often overlooked or bypassed.
- Grow a toolbox of training ideas so that every ride has meaningful and attainable goals.
- Easily recall what to do, when, during any ride.
With the understanding that many riders yearn to be productive with their horses, Buchanan empowers them with well-researched and time-tested answers to the question, "What should I do with my horse today?" She also addresses the building blocks that must be in place so that this question can be answered in many ways, and all of them successful. These include:
- The "Ground Rules" —essential groundwork and communication skills.
- The six "Nonnegotiables" for good riding—Go, Get Connected, Stay Connected, Transitions, Flexion, and Half-Halt.
- Guidelines for learning on your own—how to carry on and grow your knowledge and skillset, independently when necessary.
Buchanan endeavors to translate the experience of riding into words so that readers can think like good riders think, feel what good riders feel, and do what good riders do. The result is the ability to recognize what is working, what isn't, what you need to do, and whether you achieve it—even when you are riding and training on your own.
"A definite must-read for riders of all levels." ? Catskill Horse Magazine