World-Class Grooming for Horses


Book Description

When owning, training, riding, and showing horses, there is a certain “look” to which one aspires. World-class “turnout”—a horse in peak condition, perfectly coiffed and luminous with health, outfitted with gleaming and well-fit tack appropriate for his sport—can take your breath away. And while it can certainly play a significant role in a competitive rider’s success, it is just as appealing to have any horse “groomed to the nines,” whether he’s headed for an afternoon lesson or just out on the trail. Achieving this superior look is not just about clean tack, shiny brass, spotless stockings, or perfect braids. The most important steps are in the day-to-day nitty-gritty of grooming and caring for the horse: noticing “something not-quite-right” about the way the horse looks or moves before it becomes “something wrong”; brushing and combing and trimming a little every day so the horse’s skin and coat remain healthy; knowing how to prepare a horse properly for training, and how to cool him down afterward. Now, two of the best professional grooms in the business share their trade secrets, with over 1200 color photographs accompanying the ultimate modern-day guide for all riders who want their horses to look and feel their best.




World-Class Braiding Manes & Tails


Book Description

A handy quick-reference with step-by-step color photos and easy-to-follow instructions from two top professional grooms. Braiding a horse’s mane kind of comes with the territory—who can resist playing with all that hair? While it may begin as a downtime activity on a rainy afternoon or fun with friends after riding lessons, braiding takes on a life of its own when it comes to competition. Professional grooms and others who braid on the show circuit can make a living doing just that when they have the skills to do it fast and do it well. Professional grooms Cat Hill and Emma Ford, co-authors of the bestselling World-Class Grooming for Horses, have braided thousands of horses for a variety of disciplines over the course of their esteemed careers in the equestrian industry. Now they’ve highlighted those skills in a book conceived to be a helpful barn companion—one you can take with you and keep in your tack trunk, providing a go-to reference whenever you need it. Chock full of full-color photographs that illustrate every step of the process, readers learn techniques for: Braiding down—a nice, tight, smooth braid is the key to a sophisticated finish. Using thread, yarn, or rubber bands. Properly finishing and removing braids to avoid hair damage. Button braids two ways. Hunter braids. Running braids. Unpulled manes and long manes. Braiding forelocks. With their expertise, top-tier standards, and trademark clarity as professionals who have made teaching their trade an integral part of their lives, Hill and Ford provide everything you need to know to turn a horse out with professional polish, ready to impress the judges and wow the crowds.




The Compassionate Equestrian


Book Description

This marvelous book, borne of a unique collaboration between Dr. Allen Schoen—a world-renowned veterinarian and author—and trainer and competitor of many years Susan Gordon, introduces the 25 Principles of Compassionate Equitation. These Principles, conceived by Dr. Schoen and Gordon, are a set of developmental guidelines, encouraging a level of personal awareness that may be enacted not only through the reader's engagement with horses, but can be extended to all humans and sentient beings he or she encounters. The 25 Principles share stories and outline current, peer-reviewed studies that identify and support methods of training, handling, and caring for horses that constitute a safe, healthy, non-stressful, and pain-free environment. Through their Compassionate Equestrian program, the authors encourage all involved in the horse industry to approach training and handling with compassion and a willingness to alleviate suffering. By developing deeper compassion for their own horses, and subsequently, all equines, equestrians transcend their differences in breed preferences, riding disciplines, and training methodologies. This leads to the ability to empathize and connect more closely with the “global collective” of horses and horse people. In doing so, a worldwide community of compassionate equine practitioners and horse owners will emerge, which will not only benefit the horses: People involved with horses are found in many influential segments of society and have the potential to affect wide circles of friends, acquaintances, and co-workers from every walk of life. These are simple changes any horse person can make that can have a vast impact on the horse industry and society as a whole.




Modern Eventing with Phillip Dutton


Book Description

"Recognizing that the equestrian sport of eventing has changed drastically over the past two decades in every way--from its general format to the way cross-country obstacles are built--his comprehensive guide professionally addresses the activity's common lack of reference material. The study covers all proverbial bases, reflecting the means of achieving success according to today's standards. Training, conditioning, and competing in all three phases are detailed, including full chapters describing the special farriery, veterinary, and grooming needs of the event horse. With tips and advice from the top experts who make up the author's own international eventing team, this handbook also features information on how technology can be used to improve performance"--




Original Horse Bible, 2nd Edition


Book Description

· A comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about horses and our relationships with them · Includes detailed sections on a wide variety of informative topics, including the history of horses, evolution, domestication, horseback riding, training, competing, breeding, and more · Features complete profiles of 175 breeds of horses, from the Abaco Barb and Welsh Pony to the Shetland Pony, American Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, and many more · Filled with 100 training and behavior tips, 50 riding, grooming, and health takeaways, 25 competitive activities, and countless other important and interesting must-know information · Written by two highly regarded horsewomen, the late Moira C. Allen and Sharon Biggs · Newly updated edition includes a new section on advances in imaging technology for horses and advances in medications, plus updated information on saddles, bits, poisonous plants, deworming practices, and natural horsemanship




Braiding Manes and Tails


Book Description

Horse trainer and instructor Charni Lewis brings the wonderful process of braiding to life in herÊstep-by-step guide to 30 beautiful braids. Full-color photographs and detailed illustrations clearly show the twists and turns that make each style unique and the hand positions necessary to hold those ropes of equine hair in place. To keep hands free for braiding, the book has a nail hole at the top of each page for easy hanging on a post or barn wall. Lewis begins with detailed advice on choosing and using appropriate tools, preparing the horse, and creating a safe area in which to work. After a chapter on no-nonsense maintenance braids (used primarily to keep the horse neat and clean), she progresses through all the classic braids required for each riding discipline. Finally, Lewis lets loose with braids that are simply fun to do. She encourages readers to experiment with a Scalloped Hunter mane braid or a Fourstrand Weave for the tail. They look gorgeous, and when the novelty wears off, there are many more to try!




The Horse


Book Description

The New York Times bestseller: “Lifelong equestrian enthusiast Williams takes on the topic at full gallop . . . [a] lively, fascinating read.” —Discover A Best Book of 2015, The Wall Street Journal A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Journalist and equestrienne Wendy Williams chronicles the 56-million-year journey of horses as she visits with experts around the world, exploring what our biological affinities and differences can tell us about the bond between horses and humans, and what our longtime companion might think and feel. Indeed, recent scientific breakthroughs regarding the social and cognitive capacities of the horse and its ability to adapt to changing ecosystems indicate that this animal is a major evolutionary triumph. Williams charts the course that leads to our modern Equus-from the protohorse to the Dutch Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, and cow ponies of the twenty-first century. She observes magnificent ancient cave art in France and Spain that signals a deep respect and admiration for horses well before they were domesticated; visits the mountains of Wyoming with experts in equine behavior to understand the dynamics of free-roaming mustangs; witnesses the fluid gracefulness of the famous Lipizzans of Vienna; contemplates what life is like for the sure-footed, mustachioed Garrano horses who thrive on the rugged terrain of Galicia; meets a family devoted to rehabilitating abandoned mustangs on their New Hampshire farm; celebrates the Takhi horses of Mongolia; and more. She blends profound scientific insights with remarkable stories to create a unique biography of the horse as a sentient being with a fascinating past and a finely nuanced mind.




The Horsemasters


Book Description




Horsewords


Book Description

This equine dictionary clearly explains the meanings of thousands of horse-related words, including many commonly encountered veterinary terms.




Bare Hooves and Open Hearts


Book Description

Friends, forage, and freedom! An afternoon spent reading Fran McNicol is a journey through the English countryside with her band of horses and loyal dog. Along the way, she shares her best practice techniques to achieve barefoot healthy horses pastured in social groups with access to forage in fields rewilded to combine best horse nutrition with best environmental practice.