Customer Reviews

Complete Horse Riding Manual

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have a substantial library of equestrian-related books, and this one certainly deserves pride of place. It is the best and most complete general guide to horse riding I've yet come across. The photographs are gorgeous and the production values superb. William Micklem writes very well and his explanations are very clear and thorough without being dry or pedantic. This really is about how to get the most out of riding, pure and simple. It isn't one of those ordinary, "how-to-groom-your-horse-compendium-of-breeds" picture books, and it delves into dressage, show jumping and cross-country in three separate but interlinked sections. I actually learned quite a few things reading this book. Experienced and beginner riders alike will enjoy it. Read it cover-to-cover, and savour the beatiful layout and illustrations. Completely awesome and highly recommended!

Doring Kindersley has pulled another coup. This is a fabulous book In the way of the D-K books, the photographs are very clean and function to exponentially increase the information transfer.

While it says "complete horse riding manual", the book covers dressage, show jumping, and eventing. It would also be very useful for hunter riders.

Cutting horse, reining, trail, and other Western judged events are not covered, nor is endurance riding.

With that caveat, the book is more than worth the price. If I were running an English equestrian program, I'd provide this book for all my students so that we were all on the same page.

Not only is this a useful work, it's a work of art. This substantial book is packed with extraordinary pictures. Readers of all ages will either benefit from the clear, concise writing, or enjoy the full color photographs. The "complete" phrase is somewhat misleading, as it should be more of the "Complete ENGLISH Horse Riding Manual." Keep in mind that this book does orignate from the UK, where many disciplines that are common in the United States do not share the same rate of popularity. Regardless, it is a lovely book with something to offer riders of all levels, especially the beginner or novice. It is well worth it, accurate writing combined with a coffee table book appeal.

This book would have gotten 5 stars if it were actually the "complete" riding manual. It covered no western events! I love riding english but i want to know more about the western events too. Anyway, this book covers almost everything you need to know about riding in general to riding in advanced shows. It seemed to me that the beginning of the book didnt really go into detail, it just sort of told the basics but didnt say why. Im going to re-read the whole thing again. The book itself was AMAZING and i reccomend it to EVERYONE!!! (but maybe, just maybe, they will change the title, PLEASE). go buy this book!

Bought this book for my equestrian daughter; simply wonderfully written, clear, concise. Photos and diagrams superb! Amazingly good book. I am in fact buying a second copy for my daughter's friend. If you love horses, riding, and books - this is a MUST!

As it's not possible to 'see' a few pages of the inside of this book on Amazon, and I'm always sceptical about buying books online that I don't know and can't page through, after some searching, I found it at the DK website and looked through it there. I liked what I saw and then bought if from Amazon.

The photos are fantastic. Although the book is rather thick, it is very well organized and encapsulated with a new subject or further drill down every two pages. I covers everything from anatomy, to behavior, to harmony, to drills, to troubleshooting, and goals in building a solid relationship between horse and rider in all English riding disciplines.

If you're into jumping, especially, it's fantastic, because it covers, in great detail, distances between fences from trot and canter for training, gymnastics, and courses. It gives lots of exercises and drills. There are great overviews and tips for both competing and training. I have not come across any books that have this level of detail here.

The dressage explanations give you good basics but leave you hanging a bit for more.

It's like having great instruction from a master. The author's British, however, and Western riding is not covered at all as it's not as popular in Europe as English.

I give riding lessons. One of my students is moving back to the States, so I bought if for her as a going-away present. I liked it so much that I bought another copy for myself. It's a great reference tool and worth having on your shelf. I'm definitely going to use a lot of information in it during my own workouts and lessons.

I'm relatively new to riding because I have only a few years of experience without too intensive training. Up to now I have read the first 70 pages of the book only but my first impression is rather good. Its language is clear, the book is well organized into small chapters and contains good illustrations. I have already learnt several interesting things that were new to me e.g. how to learn jumping progressively or how to build strong relationship with horses. I will try to put these things into practice.

I love this book. It does not go too deeply into any particular subject but covers horse care and riding in general very well. There are hundred of books out there for beginners to intermediate riders, but this is my best general reference book.

It even has snippets for the more advanced rider. I really think this book is a very valuable addition to any horse lovers Library.

This book was one of few riding books that cover many areas of english riding. I like how it is set up. First basic riding skills and basic schooling structural work and horse physics and training. Next it gets into the specific diciplines. Dressage, it explains the history (which isnt quite important but intersting), gets into detail on working with your horse and learning ore "how-to's". I like that it adds alot of photos and even some diagrams that I find very helpful. The it gets into cross-country and show jumping. In that area it more shows you how to properly jump and safely. In this area it work alot on correct positioning and comunication.

My favorite part is the parts about balanced riding i better understand the physical aspect of riding by understanding form, feel, and positioning.

I STRONGLY recommend this book to every new or "undecided" rider who doesnt quite know who dicipiline they are going to do. It is great because it gives you a qhole new view on you and your horse.

May I warn you that it is a great book and it is interesting and useful BUT dont get this book if you are looking for indepth reading. This book is specific but not to the fullest extent. Hope that helps alot!

Happy riding!

This was a great book. Very detailed and easy to read for my granddaughter.