A revised edition of the inspiring bestseller, now in paperback with new good rider profiles! This book is exactly what you need to become a better rider. It's a smart, honest, on-target kick-in-the-pants, guaranteed to rev your engines as you see how a few changes in your life, a few smart choices and strategic moves, can transform you from a run-of-the-mill rider into a good one. How does Denny Emerson know what makes a good rider? For one thing, he is one—he is the only rider in the world to have won both a gold medal in international eventing and a Tevis Cup buckle in endurance. Plus, he's been around great riders, and taught those on their way to becoming great, for over 40 years. How will what Denny knows help you become a good rider? He's boiled the whole thing down into seven broad "Areas of Choice" that determine whether you are a "gonnabe" or whether you'll be stuck in the "wannabe" category for decades. Examine how your choice of riding sport may or may not be the best for who you are and where you live. Find out how those frustrating hurdles known as "life circumstances" don't necessarily hold you back like you think they do. Learn how to build a strong support team by winning people to your cause and choosing the right teachers and mentors. Analyze your physical self (your body, how it is formed and how you care for it) and your intellectual self (your "horse smarts" and how you are adding to them or not) and apply the results to your "gonna-be-good" equation. Take a good hard look at your partner—your horse—and think critically about his ability to help you attain your riding goals. Discover the nine key character traits of successful riders and how you can learn to call each one of them your own. Along the way you'll read the stories of 23 of the world's top riders from different disciplines and sports—including dressage, reining, driving, show jumping, endurance, hunter/jumper, and eventing—and how they "got good" despite the same kinds of challenges and setbacks you face in your own day-to-day riding. You'll get an inside look at their path to success, as well as their very best tips for how to "make it" in the horse industry.

A practical and easy to read guide to caring for a horse.

Geared at acheiving a healthier experience for both rider and horse, this guide to the rider's position focuses on the back and its importance in riding techniques.

This fabulously illustrated book covers training, conditioning, and competing in all three phases of events: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. In addition, Dutton includes full chapters describing the special needs of the event horse, with tips and advice from the top experts who make up his internationally respected eventing team—his groom, his farrier, and his veterinarian. You'll find guidance in everything from daily maintenance to braiding and turnout, and from hoof care and studs to common health issues and "vet box" care of your horse during competitions. With tips for finding the right event prospect, whatever your level of experience, as well as Dutton's own schooling exercises, both on the flat and over fences, the book promises to give you the leg up you need for a safe and confident start in the sport.

The director of the riding program at Sweet Briar College for more than 30 years, Cronin is a well-known and highly respected trainer and riding instructor. Here he presents a clear and practical guide to getting the most out of a horse in a humane and sensitive way.

A compatible personality is the most desirable quality in a horse, yet it is much harder to assess than gait or conformation. Trainer Barteau describes the four basic equine personality types--social, fearful, aloof, and challenging--and the different clues to identify a horse's primary traits.

"This isn't just a book about how to ride, it's a book about how to enjoy, appreciate and maximize your every experience with your horse." —Chronicle of the Horse