2 comments about The Arabian English Pleasure Horse: A Guide to Selecting, Training and Showing.

1. To get the full benefit from this book, it would be best to read it before buying or even shopping for your dream English horse. The tips and guidelines Ms. Obenland lays out can help make your selection one that you'll be happy with for years to come. For those that have already obtained their show horse, do not dispair! Ms. Obenland gives excellent advice on how to improve the teamwork between you and your mount. To give your performance the ultimate polish, be sure to get her other book "Show Ring Success".



2. This book is a concentrated guide on English Pleasure for Arabians. It deals with training, finding a trainer, hauling, feeding, riding English Pleasure, correct conformation, tack, rider turnout, and more. A great book!

No comments about Horseman's Progress - The Development of Modern Riding.

1 comments about Encyclopedia of the Horse.

1. I have read other enciclpedya of horses, and although I would not say this one has any particular feature which makes it better than other enciclopedias, I would just remark this: this is a fairly good one. Lots of information, very good pictures. Perhaps the information provided on some of the breeds is too brief and in some cases -the Criollo, for example- information seemed a little vague and imprecise. Appart from these pitfalls, I would recommend its purchase.

No comments about Henriquet on Dressage.

No comments about Stretch Exercises for Your Horse.

No comments about Pasture Management for Horses and Ponies.

No comments about Teaching Basic Riding.

5 comments about The Classic Arabian Horse.

1. This book is written by a foremost authority of Egyptian Arabian horses, and a preservationist of the original Egyptian bloodlines, so you should assume she is going to discuss straight Egyptian arabians. Other reviewers seem to take this personally; simply know that background when you read. Having said that, her book is an excellent source of photos and information on the Egyptian arabian background. She includes many photos of horses which are rarely seen, including many foundation horses.
   
   Ms Forbis naturally believes her line of horses, based on *Ansata Ibn Halima, a horse she imported, are the finest and there is a bit of bias in this direction. It is hard to argue with her knowledge and she has bred and exported these horses worldwide, including back to the desert, so she is certainly successful and true to her original vision. However, she covers all the strains in considerable detail and there is a lot of knowledge to gain from this book. I read my copy dozens of time & still refer to it often. The classic arabian horse is a worthwhile addition to any horsemans library.



2. Judith Forbis offers a wealth of information on horses of Egyptian breeding, namely those bred by the RAS or EAO and supposedly "blue list". I bought the book due to my love of Arabians and the fact that many of my horses have a hefty dose of Egyptian blood. However, these horses, fine as they are, are no better than Polish, Crabbett/Kellogg (English), Spanish, French, Brazilian or any other lines of Arabians. They all go back to desertbreds from the same part of the world. Racial prejudice is alive and well in the Arabian horse world.



3. I was very dissapointed in this book. When I ordered it, I was expecting a well-informed and objective discussion of the arabian breed in general. What came in the mail was a vindictive, biased, insulting diatribe that could be called "The Gospel of Judith Forbis".
   If you are a straight egyptian enthusiast, this may be an enjoyable book, because the author is extremely prejudiced towards this group of bloodlines. There is an implicit, haughty assumption throughout the book that the only "true" arabian horse is a straight egyptian, and a considerable amount of time is spent bashing people who throughout modern history have deviated from this idea. For example, it seems that the author virtually worships Anne Blunt, and makes assertions such as that Lady Wentworth whored out her mother's stud by buying and using Skowronek, who was "impure" because he came from polish bloodlines (an assumption she contradicts at a later point). She also suggests that Lady Wentworth destroyed the Crabbet Stud by not becoming a preservation breeder of Ali Pasha Sherif bloodlines and was ill-informed about the breed or outright lied to say that true arabian greatness was no longer procurable in Egypt as it once had been.
   Okay, let me see. Horses descending from Skowronek and other non-egyptian lines have formed the foundation of Al-Marah, Varian Arabians, and etc., etc, etc. It is hard to see how one can respect this idea. For example: Bay El Bey, Witez II, Raffles, Indraff, Xenophonn, Khemosabi, GS Khocise, Magnum, Sanacht, and so on ad infinitum. Egyptians are not the only horses out there.
   Judith Forbis also makes predictions such as that all arabian breeders are rushing to recreate the original bedouin horse and that we are on the threshold of seeing straight egyptians dominating every aspect of show and performance at every level. 27 years later, what has come of these prognostications? There are very good straight egyptians, but who could say that they are totally, or even mostly dominating the arabian horse world?
   Some other problems: Why is Nazeer so much more valuable than virtually every other modern sire? Was it ony because he was a direct progrenitor of Ansata Ibn Halima, Ansata Bint Mabrouka, and so on? Why are Lady Wentworths ideas so wrong? is it because if they are taken in a certain way, it means that the Ansata horses are not what Mrs. Forbis wants them to be?
   The strength of this book lies in that it is good historically regarding the development of the breed and that its author does have some valid ideas about correct conformation. But even this aspect is dissapointing because Mrs. Forbis is not a very good writer, and the words are overblown, sickly, and purplish prose. And once she gets to the period of the 18 century on, when the breed begins to diversify in earnest, the book is so narrow in scope and consideration of other ideas that it becomes effectually worthless.
   I would not reccomend this, as it is not represented in very good context. I have nothing against straight egyptians, but I think it also important to give fair consideration to other bloodlines and ideas. This cannot be considered to be what ist is represented as, which is a comprehensive history and discourse on the purebred arabian horse.



4. This book presents the basics of the historical background of the modern arabian horse. It is slanted a bit towards the Egyptian Arabian but that is ok, as it does mention other sources. It has some excellent photos and is a stepping stone to hte next Forbis book, Authentic Arabian Bloodstock.



5. I really enjoyed reading this book. I own Egyptian Arabians which are very closely realted to many of the ones mentioned in this book. However, even if I didn't, the book contains many historical facts, is written in a wonderful, easy-to-read style, and is interesting. This book comes very close to the ultimate book of Arabian history. I did not find all the Arabian lines researched in this book (which was not its sole purpose), and that is the only thing keeping it from "the best" in my library. Great book! I loved every moment.

No comments about Magner's Classic Encyclopedia Of The Horse: A complete Pictorial Encyclopedia of Practical Reference for Horse Owners.

1 comments about Discovering Horse Drawn Farm Machinery (Shire Discovering).

1. This is a lovely little pocket size book packed with useful information on horse drawn farm machinery.
   
   If you've ever wondered how they did it or the difference between a harrow and a harvester this book will tell you. If you've ever thought of taking up farming by horse, this book can help tell you what you need to know.
   
   Overall I'd recommend it.