The Art of Natural Dressage

Working with the Horse's Initiative
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:27 am

All times are UTC+01:00




Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 168 posts ]  Go to page 1 2 3 4 512 Next
Author Message
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2007 11:03 am 
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 2:44 pm
Posts: 1940
Location: The Hague, Netherlands
Please place recommended titles of books or other publications in this topic. Ofcourse these publications may be not entirely according to our philisophy but contain useful information.

Here are already a few titles:

Reflections on Equestrian Art by Nuno Oliveira
Classical Principles of the Art of Training Horses by Nuno Oliveira

The Art of Horsemanship by Xenophon

Invisible Riding by Sylvia Loch

Das Gymnasium des Pferdes by Gustav Steinbrecht

Schooling Horses in Hand (DVD and Book) by Richard Hinrichs


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun May 20, 2007 9:26 am 

Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 8:10 am
Posts: 22
Some more titles:
Sally Swift "Centered Riding"
Udo Bürger "Vollendete Reitkunst": I don't know whether there is an English translation of this book. I hope, there is. It is one of the best I have ever read. Regarding riding "techniques" it is almost like the essence of what old masters tried to teach in several writings. It is just (or almost) as detailed as Steinbrecht but of much more refinement when it comes to the overall attitude towards the horse. (Reading Steinbrecht I sometimes hold my breath... although it is one of the most valuable books ever written regarding horseback riding and I totally agree with you, Bianca, that it has to be here on the list!)
And another German one (sorry, also here I do not know whether there is an English translation):
Horst Stern: "Bemerkungen über Pferde" - he was the first one to openly critize equine sports, to open the public eye to what horses really feel when being forced over fences or race tracks. A very brave and corageous book at its time (1971) which led to quite a bit distortion in the money-making world of equine sport's industry.


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun May 20, 2007 10:01 am 
User avatar

Joined: Fri May 18, 2007 1:20 pm
Posts: 760
Location: Poland
My favourite:

Sylvia Loch, "Dressage. The Art of Classical Riding".

Very historical approach, deep study of all important classical ideas and riding centers.

Carolyn Resnick, "Naked Liberty".

Her biography with horses, and some ideas that she developed, especially while spending three summers among wild horses.

Alois Podhajsky, "My horses, my teachers".

Inspiring :) and some interesting thoughts about how to adjust the order of teaching exercises, to help horse develop herself better.

Nancy Nicholson, "Biomechanical riding & Dressage. A rider's atlas".

Helps to understand biomechanics, even in little details. And shows how to use photos and videos better ;)

Alfons J. Dietz, "Training the Horse in Hand. The classical Iberian principles".

Shows the difference between many schools of groundwork, with good author's comment. Helps to decide which approach you prefer and why.


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2007 5:09 pm 
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 8:18 pm
Posts: 4941
Location: Alberta
Quote:
Alfons J. Dietz, "Training the Horse in Hand. The classical Iberian principles".

Shows the difference between many schools of groundwork, with good author's comment. Helps to decide which approach you prefer and why.


I just got this book today! YAY! I will enjoy reading and being very smug that I won't require all the bits and pulleys and side reins. Nice illustrations and photos at first glance. This is my first book that has anything to do with traditional in hand techniques, so I am very excited to get reading it.

Schooling Horses in Hand by Richard Hinrichs is on the way. It should be here next week at the latest.


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2007 6:15 pm 
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 2:40 pm
Posts: 4733
Location: Belgium
My all time favorite:

Dressage in Lightness: Sylvia Loch

Further more:
For the good of the rider - Mary Wanless
Natural horse Riding - K.F. Hempfling
Horses don't lie - Chris Irwin
Enlighted Equitation - Heather Moffett
Classical Dressage - Radtke

for now :)

_________________
www.equusuniversalis.com


Top
   
PostPosted: Sun May 27, 2007 11:39 pm 

Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 10:56 pm
Posts: 26
Location: United States
Thanks for all the good suggestions for reading material. Can't wait to order and receive some of these.

Have any of you read Walter Zettl's book or seen his dvd's? I have the dvd's but not the book. I like his message to the dressage world - he is very opposed to what is going on with rollkur and all that and doesn't like starting horses young - wait until they are 4, 5 or 6. He doesn't talk about doing any in hand work but stresses that horses should only do walk trot transitions and half halts for the first couple years, take long walks outside the arena and don't drill the horse. Even though they are using bits in the film, they appear mild and he is very strict about the tiniest movement that will bother the horse's mouth.

_________________
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."
Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744) in An Essay on Criticism, 1709


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 9:36 am 
Site Admin

Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 2:44 pm
Posts: 1940
Location: The Hague, Netherlands
Today I got this in my mailbox. Looks interesting but expensive!


ABC of the Horse - Anatomy, Biomechanics, Conditioning



ABC of the Horse - (PA3504)Pauli Grönberg The extensive anatomical section contains a wealth of information on the skeleton, ligaments, and muscles. The Latin and English nomenclature is complemented by unique full-colour illustrations which clarify the position and relationships of anatomical structures.
The approach of the author is that of a seasoned physical therapist who is deeply worried about the present state of equine care and the lot of horses in general. A great deal of attention is therefore given to clinical examination of the horse and the treatment of its injuries by various physiotherapeutic methods including manipulation, massage, stretching, and acupressure. The author stresses that in treating injuries the equine physical therapist should always work in close collaboration with the veterinary surgeon.

The author, Pauli Gronberg, who has secured several patents for inventions relating to the horse's harness and equine care, also gives valuable advice regarding shoeing and training, and the proper equipment.

Contents:
-Skeleton
Introduction
Bones of the Head
Bones of the Neck and Vertebral Column
Bones of the Thoracic Limb
Bones of the Pelvic Limb

-Ligaments

-Muscles
Introduction
Muscles of the Neck and Back
Muscles of the Thorax and Abdomen
Muscles of the Thoracic Limb
Muscles of the Pelvic Limb

-Manipulation, Massage, and Stretching

-Clinical Examination

-Acupressure

-Hooves, Shoeing, and Training

-Equipment

-Indexes

The extensive anatomical section contains a wealth of information on the skeleton, ligaments, and muscles. The Latin and English nomenclature is complemented by unique full-color illustrations which clarify the position and relationships of anatomical structures.

€ 172,70


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 9:37 pm 
User avatar

Joined: Fri May 18, 2007 1:20 pm
Posts: 760
Location: Poland
New books :)

Karen Pryor, "Don't shoot the dog"

I should have read this book long before I started training my horse ;) but it also helps understand people and some "social games". Great introduction for clickertrainers (even obligatory for them!) and interesting perspective for everyone.

Then, I was reading two books about dogs, Turid Rugaas, "Calming signals. How dogs avoid conflicts" (I'm not sure if this is English title) and Gwen Bailey, "Puppy school". The first one explains how to interpret dog's behavior, but soon I started to look for calming signals also in horses... I'm not sure what they are, but I think that they exist ;) and the book by Gwen Bailey is great and beautifully illustrated for owners of puppies, who want to teach them in positive way, but don't want to read too much :lol: the only book about this, that my sister and my aunt have read ;) it was also useful for me - just "how to make things simple". I tend to be too precise in my training, even if it is only something as simple as standing still. This book shows how to teach everything in simple and positive way. Right now I can't recommend any older book, because they all talk about domination and punishment. Also, dog training is very similar to horse training.
And these two will arrive soon:

Alexandra Kurland, "The click that teaches: riding with the clicker"
Well, I'm preparing for my first ride ;) although it will take a lot of time before we will be prepared with my filly, not only because of her age :P this book is my first one about clickertraining with horses, before I was reading only about dogs. Which is very similar, but last time when I entered the arena with my filly, and she started digging in a heap of sand, I wondered if she isn't too much like a dog :P
-----
I'm reading it right now... a lot of new informations! And what a surprise, many ideas from John Lyons. Great book.
and last but not least:

Alexandra Kurland, "Stimulus Control: Putting Behavior on Cue"
This is a video. Of course I have putted a lot of behaviors on cue, during these nine months that we are together with my filly ;) but not always it was really planned. And sometimes the learning process has stopped on offering the behavior, like our spanish walk for example... or canter backwards... to my experience, training videos can explain everything better than any book, or can be very long and explain nothing 8) I hope that this will be a good one.
-----
The "clicker stars" are two Alexandra's private horses and the guide horse Panda. The things I like most was one horse doing collected trot in perfect circle around his trainer, and another one ridden in beautiful collected walk, with movement forward, backwards, right, left and in place, without loosing tempo or impulsion. I'm not sure if it wasn't passage, but as far as I know, in classical dressage this is called collected walk; something between walk and passage, with the same rhytm as backwards movement. Great lesson.


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 4:56 pm 
User avatar

Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 5:52 am
Posts: 1852
Location: Taiwan, via NZ
So many good books to read.. where to start?

I need to begin to understand the practical aspects of classical dressage. I have never had a lesson of any kind whatsoever, never been to a clinic, never ridden in a real arena...

I need somewhere to start, to begin to understand the basics of dressage.
The terminology.. the progression.. the movements... the cues... the training.

I don't yet want to get into the deeper stuff.. just the building blocks.

So.. Does anyone have a good suggestion for a book to get me started? Something simple enough for a complete beginner to understand..
Before I move on to Debaucher? :lol:


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 5:03 pm 
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 2:40 pm
Posts: 4733
Location: Belgium
Sylvia Loch - Dressage in Lightness

Sally Swift - Centered riding 1 & 2

Heather Moffett - Enlightened Equitation

:)

_________________
www.equusuniversalis.com


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:09 pm 
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2007 12:59 am
Posts: 126
Location: Derbyshire UK
windhorsesue wrote:
So many good books to read.. where to start?

I need to begin to understand the practical aspects of classical dressage. I have never had a lesson of any kind whatsoever, never been to a clinic, never ridden in a real arena...

I need somewhere to start, to begin to understand the basics of dressage.
The terminology.. the progression.. the movements... the cues... the training.

I don't yet want to get into the deeper stuff.. just the building blocks.

So.. Does anyone have a good suggestion for a book to get me started? Something simple enough for a complete beginner to understand..
Before I move on to Debaucher? :lol:


Join the Enlightened Equitation forum where lots of Classical Dressage and other things get discussed :P You can view alot anyway and have been some interesting discussions about movements and how to do them :D


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 8:28 am 
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 2:40 pm
Posts: 4733
Location: Belgium
Yes and I would just read Baucher and leave it at that...

_________________
www.equusuniversalis.com


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 12:04 pm 
User avatar

Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 5:52 am
Posts: 1852
Location: Taiwan, via NZ
Debaucher :lol: :oops:
Hows that for a freudian slip?
I knew there was something wrong as I wrote it, but at midnite last night it didn't really seem vital enough to worry about.


Okay.. I'm off to the bookshop. :lol:
I really appreciate the advice.. I don't get the chance to try before I buy here..So often, I buy three or four books on the same subject just to get the good one that's really worthwhile.


Cheers
Sue


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:49 pm 
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 8:18 pm
Posts: 4941
Location: Alberta
Can someone do an overview of the Baucher book? Or explain which one you're referring to?

Thanks!


Top
   
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 2:08 pm 
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 2:40 pm
Posts: 4733
Location: Belgium
You have :
Francois Baucher
The Man and his Method
by Hilda Nelson


I've read it a long time ago, then it did not mean very much to me, but when I think of it now I remember it the only 'Master' to be concerned with fussing with bits...

Which I can understand because he only got the very 'difficult' horses and had them perform high school within a very short periode of time.

I also remember reading, that Baucher regretted later in life what he had wrote and done earlyer.

There are so many things to read, so I can not bother myself to read anything again where the author is himself not happy with anymore...

Then there is:
Racinet explains Baucher
by Jean Claude Racinet


I have not read it nor am I familiar with the work of Monsieur Racinet.

The rest is in German or French.(like everything seems to be...)

Baucher's story:

Info by Dr. Thomas Ritter (who is against bitless riding by the way, I know from first hand...)

http://www.classicaldressage.com/quotes/baucher_1.html

Wiki of course:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baucher

Baucher himself:

Image

The bit designed by Baucher, which if you look at it in the time frame is quite friendly.
On the other hand... I think he wanted a bit he could actually 'use' if you know what I mean.
The older bits would as much break a jaw...

Image

Image

_________________
www.equusuniversalis.com


Top
   
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 168 posts ]  Go to page 1 2 3 4 512 Next

All times are UTC+01:00


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited Color scheme created with Colorize It.