The All-Around Horse and Rider

Book excerpt: Cinch today's top new riding techniques In the past twenty-five years, a number of major innovations in horse handling have gained acceptance in the global community. Now Howell presents a one-stop resource for amateur adult riders to help them understand the new approaches and implement them to achieve fast results. Written by renowned professional riding instructor Donna Snyder-Smith, The All-Around Horse and Rider is the first equestrian book to offer a precise road map to utilizing the new innovations in training. This unique book explains the basic lessons the all-around rider must master, showing how to set realistic equestrian goals and adopt the methods that best enable the horse to do his job. Snyder-Smith gets to the heart of "correct" riding, helping the rider harmonize with a horse's movements while translating acquired skills to a wide variety of disciplines. * Covers the latest innovations in horse handling, including rider body awareness, equine movement awareness, and round-pen work * Demostrates how the innovations and training methods inter-relate -- and how to combine them effectively * Reveals how to increase the strength and endurance of both horse and rider * Explains the different competitions and who is best suited to compete * Shares inspiring, real-life experiences of all-around horses and their riders * Identifies when to ask for help-and how to find it