Customer Reviews

Riding for the Rest of Us: A Practical Guide for Adult Riders (Howell Reference Books)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was inspired when I read this book for adult riders. It is so easy to become discouraged as you try to improve your riding at any age. The over-30 rider without the luxury of lots of time, talent, money, or high-level horses, will love Jessica Jahiel's realistic, encouraging advice. This is advice you can really use to advance the training of yourself and your horse,

Thank you for this book. It provides useful, practical information for riders like me who are working full-time and have no aspirations other than to be informed and guided so that my riding is as pleasurable as possible. Dr. Jahiel speaks plainly about the various aspects of owning a horse versus leasing one, how to find a competent instructor, and how to enjoy participating in a horse show even if you're "not in the ribbons." I ride because I love the process of learning and expanding my relationship with my horse. This book is another tool in my equine toolbox that keeps my passion for horses alive and well regardless of life's daily pressures.

This book was one of my first "horse-related" purchases as an adult and it will surely remain one of my best and most frequently visited books indefinitely. It encouraged me to start taking lessons, keep on taking lessons, consider buying my own horse and then finally to take the plunge. Through these stages I have felt down, defeated, hopeless and incompetent at times, and each time I have turned to Dr Jahiel's book to settle my mind again. Her great respect and care for both horse and rider, not too often found in the equestrian community, have been what pushed me on to where I am now - at the start of an exciting sport and a relationship with my new equine friend.

There are a lot of books about training, managing and caring for horses.
This book fills a niche that is so empty that it's still my bible when working with adult riders.
Ms. Jahiel has done a fabulous job.
If you are thinking of riding for the first time or getting back on board after a long hiatus then think seriously about buying this book.
Heads above the rest.
Thanks from someone who gets quite a few folks who have hit their stride in a career and then decide to follow the equine dream.

Really liked this book -- great tips on everything from riding to choosing a horse/stable to buying tack to not being too hard on yourself for having a busy schedule. I would highly recommend this to any riding adult who has a professional life to consider as well - not to mention a spouse, family, other pets to look after, etc. Also very insightful as to etiquette and how to gracefully exit from situations that don't suit you.

More important than her understanding of horses and horse training (which is phenomenonal), Jessica Jahiel clearly understands the complexities of adult life. No unrealistic advice here, no silly assumptions about unlimited time and money, no fantasies about the perfect riding facility or super athletes--equine or human. This book is full of practical, down-to-earth advice, and perhaps would have been better titled "Riding for Most of Us."

This book is a disappointingly shallow treatment of the subject. It raises many good questions an adult rider needs to ask... but doesn't help at all in finding or interpreting the answers! Everything is dealt with in a single paragraph, and that's just not long enough. I just didn't walk away from this one with an improved point of view as I'd hoped.

From the title and information about the book it appears aimed at all adult writers, in giving us the information we need, but can't find anywhere else. As a beginning adult writer, though someone who has been around horses for nearly fifteen years, I beg to differ with that claim. If you're a new adult rider, someone fairly inexperienced with horses, then Riding for the Rest of Us is exactly what it claims to be--a practical guide for adult riders. For those of us who have some horse knowledge, it may cover new territory, but most likely the information we're looking for is better obtained from other sources.

I rode both English and Western, yet I found the book's emphasis on English riding to be off-putting. Most of the basic information, horse care, time management, finding a good instructor, would be the same regardless of disciplines, but the book with its focus on the English disciplines pretty much excludes the many adult riders who ride Western. While I don't believe this to be intentional, it certainly restricts the audience and further undermines the claim that this is a practical guide for adult riders.

If you're completely new to horses and riding, then you'll find valuable information in the pages. If you have some experience under your belt, you may be better off looking for more specific books.

This is an excellent book, well written by a lady who really understands horse psychology & the particular requirements of the adult rider, and how the two can link together with a minimum of conflict. Highly recommended by me - particularly the sections on getting the most from your instructor and how to ensure your horse is happy in his environment. Watch out for further titles!

Very informative. This book is written in a way that makes it easy to read. Information is laid out in an easy to follow fashion and advice is given objectively. Jessica gives hope to all types of riders with all sorts of backgrounds. It's okay to enjoy your horse! Step by step guidance from searching for the right instructor, to buying your first horse. A definite must on the bookshelf of any equine enthusiast