Synopses & Reviews
Horses move! It is what makes them useful, able and beautiful. A foal can walk, trot and gallop within hours of its birth. The horse knows how to be a horse without human help. But when we ride, drive, train and judge horses, we soon discover that not all horses move equally well. Even though there are over two hundred breeds and types of horses and many different disciplines and styles of riding, the horse's basic mechanism and nature are the same. At the heart of Horse Gaits, Balance and Movement is what is natural and common to all breeds, and herein lies the broadness of this book's appeal to riders, instructors, trainers and judges?anyone concerned with equine movement. Lifelong horsewoman Susan E. Harris addresses in her writing and in her more than 300 superb drawings?which demonstrate the kind of nuance and detail photographs do not permit?the following topics:
- basic structure and anatomy
- the cycle of movement
- gaits and transitions
- balance and movement
- poor movement
- flexion, bending and lateral movement
- conformation and movement
- shoeing and movement
- how a rider affects movement.
Her chapter on practical tips for improving the horse's movement will be especially valuable to the rider, whether he or she is in reining, show jumping or dressage. Indeed, the information given in this book will go a long way toward enabling horsemen to interfere less and thus permit the horse to achieve the best movement it is capable of achieving.
Synopsis
Applicable to all breeds of horses, all disciplines, and all styles of riding, this book details the horse's mechanism, natural gaits, and modes of balance so riders can help theft horses achieve the best performance.
Synopsis
See how your horse moves and become a better rider!
Horses are born to move--a foal can walk, trot and gallop within hours of birth. But not all horses move equally well, and the way a horse moves can have a real impact on how you ride. In this unique book, Susan Harris presents more than 300 eye-opening drawings that show you exactly how horses move. She illustrates movements common to all horses, pinpoints movement problems, reveals how a human in the saddle affects a horse's movement and helps you become a better, more accomplished rider.
* Get a close-up look at horse gaits and transitions
* Observe the differences between good and poor movement
* Find out how balance and conformation affect movement
* View flexion, bending and lateral movements
* See the impact of shoeing and riding on movement
* Discover practical tips to improve your horse's movement
Synopsis
The Howell Equestrian Library is a distinguished collection of books on all aspects of horsemanship and horsemastership. The nearly fifty books in print offer readers in all disciplines and at all levels of competition sound instruction and guidance by some of the most celebrated riders, trainers, judges and veterinarians in the horse world today. Whether your interest is dressage, show jumping or Western riding, or whether it's breeding, grooming or health care, Howell has a book to answer your needs. Get to know all the books in the Howell Equestrian Library: many are modern-day classics and have achieved the status of authoritative references in the estimation of those who ride, train and care for horses.
The Howell Equestrian Library
About the Author
Susan E. Harris is foremost a horsewoman who has shown in and prepared horses for most types of competition. Yet she is also the author of Horsemanship in Pictures, and the bestselling classic, Grooming to Win (published by Howell Book House). She contributes articles to Practical Horseman and other magazines, and illustrates her own books and those of others. She lives in Cortland, New York, but travels nationwide to conduct riding clinics and instructor training clinics in Centered Riding (the method developed by Sally Swift), hunter seat, dressage and Western and general horsemanship. When she has spare time, she enjoys trail riding and foxhunting.
Table of Contents
Foreword.
Preface.
1. Why Learn About Gaits, Balance and Movement?
2. Basic Structure and Anatomy.
3. How a Horse Moves: The Cycle of Movement.
4. The Gaits and Transitions.
5. Gait Qualities and Good Movement.
6. Balance and Movement.
7. Poor Movement.
8. Flexion, Bending and Lateral Movements.
9. Types of Movement.
10. Conformation and Movement.
11. Shoeing and Movement.
12. How the Rider Affects Movement.
13. Improving Your Horse's MovementSome Practical Tips.
Index.