It can be easy for those of us snowbound for the winter months to forget about horses and our riding while the weather is too dismal to do much of anything. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, as a couple month break can do wonders for both our horses and ourselves. Hitting the reset button once a year prevents staleness from taking over and allows us to return to our riding and horses with a renewed zest and vigor.
The winter is a great time for studying horses and riding in the form of books and videos, and taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge from great horseman that is out there. If nothing else, reading a book from a great horseman can put something you already knew into a different light, and may just be what’s needed for that light bulb moment and deeper understanding to occur.
I’ve put together a list of a few of the books I’ve read over the years and added to my favorites list. These books cover a wide variety of topics from Dressage theory, to conformation study, to books about teaching and instructing riders. I’ve read a lot of books about horses, but these ones really top the charts.
1.
Debbie McDonald: Riding Through
This is the best modern day book of Dressage that I’ve read to date. I passed over it for many years because on the outset, it seemed like more of an auto-biography than a Dressage manual. When I finally did read it, it quickly became one of my favorites. The simple, clear way Debbie describes even the most advanced Dressage movements, is the way she rides her horses, and the reason why she is one of the best Dressage riders in the country. The clarity she provides, along with the story she tells, really makes this book one not to pass up.
2. The Art of Horsemanship, Xenophon
I wouldn’t call this one an easy read, but it is a book that every rider should read. The way I see it, if your setting out to learn an art almost as old as time itself, and your goal is to learn it very well, it’s a good idea learn the theory from the very source. Plus, the next time your riding instructor questions you about classical Dressage theory, you’ll be in very good company when you mention old Xenophon.
3. Riding Logic by Wilhelm Museler
This is another classic that is really worth the read. It’s a lot like The Art of Horsemanship but I found it to be easier to read and with more emphasis on solutions for training problems rather than just theories.
4. Gymnastics: Systematic Training for Jumping Horses by Jimmy Wofford is one not to be missed. During the competition season, it’s easy to focus only on practicing what is in the immediate future; courses, cross country schools and anything needed to get ready for the next event. The off season is a great time to take advantage of gymnastic exercises and all the benefits they can provide. And Jimmy will tell you just how to do so.
5. Training Hunters, Jumpers and Hacks by Harry D. Chamberlin
You might have to do a little digging to find a copy of this old classic, but it is well worth the trouble. This is singlehandedly the best book about horse conformation that I have every read, and it is a really great training manual as well. There are only a couple books that I pull out every few months to re-read, or at least re-read a section of, and this is one of them.
6. Thinking Riding by Molly Sivewright
This book is wonderfully written, and is probably about the best teaching manual you will find. Teaching, as in the finer points of coaching horses and riders. Not every rider is naturally a good teacher, but I think all instructors have the capacity to learn and adapt if they care to enough. Teaching is an art, and one that is studied probably a little too infrequently. Even if you aren’t a riding instructor and don’t ever aspire to be one, there are a lot of valuable insights to be gleaned from this book.
7. So Far, So Good: The Autobiography
Mark Todd’s autobiography doesn’t really need any explanation, but I will say this: I own pretty much every biography/autobiography/life story that has ever been written about a famous event rider, and this is the best. Aside from the fact that it’s written about the best event rider there ever was, So Far, So Good is written in such a way that you can really feel and see the story as it’s told. My favorite story from the book was when Mark and fellow New Zealanders were in the US the summer before the ’78 World Championships. Lockie Richards was their coach and had very strict ideas about many things, including rider fitness. When he went out each evening for several mile long runs, he and a couple of his teammates would head out a few minutes before Lockie and duck behind some bushes to smoke before returning back to the house pretending to have run the whole long loop. Maybe not the best piece of advice for aspiring eventers, but a good story nevertheless.
8. Winning with Frank Chapot
This is a great book with a lot of very valuable insights, especially when it comes to looking for and selecting your next horse. Chapot discusses what to look for, what to stay away from, and exercises that are really useful in evaluating a potential upper level candidate, whether it be for show jumping, dressage, or eventing.
9. How Good Riders Get Good by Denny Emerson
This book is a new release, and a great read. Being a horse professional has a lot to do with how you ride, but it has even more to do with how you manage your horses, business, and yourself. Denny’s book is one of the only, to my knowledge, that discusses the many finer points of being in the horse business.
10. The Inner Game of Tennis, by Timothy Gallwey
Though Eventing is a physical sport, it is a mental game, which is something we often forget as riders. Some people are natural competitors, while others have to work on being able to stand the pressures of competition. No matter which category you fall under, you will certainly learn something from this book (and you will be amazed at the similarities between riding and tennis!).
So there you have it, Eventing Nation, my ten best reading recommendations for the winter. Hopefully you will be able to pick up one or two of these books at some point, as they really are all top notch and contain a tremendous wealth of information. On those cold, dark winter evenings when the sofa and fireplace win out over going to the barn, you’ll definitely feel less guilty about skimping on the saddle time when you are spending a little time doing some homework away from the saddle.
Go Reading.
