5 comments about Taking Up the Reins: A Year in Germany with a Dressage Master.

1. Taking Up the Reins: A Year in Germany with a Dressage Master
   
   A fantastic book. A reflection of time spent in Germany. Does not just apply to horse owners or riders of horses. It is about following a dream and reflecting on the experience. Learning, growing and changing.



2. The book was written like a diary with most of the interesting parts removed. Priscilla does a nice job of sharing some of the people and personal observations of her experience, but does not cover what I was interested in. Where was she at in her riding when she arrived, what did she accomplish while she was in training, and how did that opportunity help her when she returned? She did share what she saw in stable management and horse care, but mostly at an observer's level. I was interested in finding out what she learned and how working with a dressage master changed her own riding.



3. Priscilla Endicott did what many people only dream about. She ventured to Germany for a year to train with master trainer, Walter Christensen. The ups and downs of the year were clearly explained and the ups always conquered the downs. The routine of teh stable was like nothing I have ever seen or read about before. And Priscilla came back to America with an experience that she will never forget. I got the book as a gift and could not stop reading it! I have loaned it out to my horse friends and they have all loved it! It is a must read for all dressage riders. It will make you more determined than ever to get to Germany and train with the best in the world!



4. If wishes were horses (and for many of us, they so often are), then just about any passionate dressage rider would want to follow in Priscilla Endicott's adventure. She clearly chronicles what it is like to enter into a relationship with a wonderful horse, and then to trust her mentor, Walter Christiansen, with that relationship far from home. She submits herself and her horse to the regimen so often looked upon with envy and awe by American riders...German dressage training. She takes us from the barn she comes to call home for a year to visits with the great Herbert Rehbein; and from Christine Steuckelberger and her trainer, Georg Wahl. Mainly, though, she takes us deeper into her growth as a rider and as a person, and into those extraordinary way horses and dressage teach us about life.

   It is a wonderful read first from the standpoint of horses and the art of dressage, but it also speaks of the courage to leave your own country to learn from another culture. I loved this book.




5. I find the book to be well written and well organized. A facinating revelation for many serious riders who have always wanted to know what it would be like to take this adventure. A void has been filled at longlast. Golden Hills Press

5 comments about Arabians From the Camera of Johnny Johnston.

1. This is a pretty coffee table type book. This would make a nice present for someone who loves Arabians. Johnny Johnston is a very famous equine photographer. Beautiful color photos of horses in different poses.



2. Back in the 1970's I had the pleasure to see Johnny Johnston's photo demonstration at the Kenntucky Arabian Horse Fair. And I was excited to buy this book, by Johnny Johnston himself. It was exciting to see the great and famous Arabian horses he has photographed. I will treasure it as a picture-photo book for my Arabian horse library. Where I found fault with this book is it's lack of substance. Of course, Johnston couldn't feature all of the famous Arabians he has photographed in his career to date. Maybe I was expecting too much when I thought there might be some photography instruction in this book. Anyway, it is a beautiful book.



3. I was expecting photos of the old greats...Muscat,Bask,Huckleberry Bey etc, also more body shots of the horses. When I saw Padron on the cover I thought "wow, I can finally find a book with some pictures of Padron in it"....not!
   It is a really nice book with excellent photography of horses but not the horses I expected.
   Also I agree with a previous rating that the book is too thin and could have been of more substance. Not a great tribute to such a great photographer.....too bad.



4. When I was a girl, I had the privilege of having Johnny Johnston take my photo as I received an award at an Arabian show. It was the best photo of my horse and I that anyone had ever taken. When I look at it now, I still think how amazing it is to have this moment frozen in time. The book is filled with personal moments like that as well as representations of the moods and talents Arabian horses are capable of, whether at rest in the pasture or in their racing colors with a jockey aboard. This book is worth every penny you spend if you are lucky enough to find a copy.



5. This purchase was a disappointment. It is not what one would call a true "coffee table" book, judging by the contents, the number of pages, or the over-all quality. Several of the reproductions are grainy or seem to have been included more for their landscape interest than the horses that happen to be in view. It is unpaginated and there are only 75 numbered photos. Anyone who has subscribed to one of the Arabian horse magazines for any length of time in the past has already seen the best of Johnny Johnston's horse portraiture. It took less than 30 minutes to read this thin volume and to look at each picture. There is mention on the last page of a second volume to follow. Too bad they didn't double the size of this one to start with to make it more worthwhile. I'll spend my money on carrots for the horses instead of buying the "next" book.

5 comments about The Incredible Little Book of 10,001 Names for Horses.

1. Gave this to my trainer for Christmas. It's got tons of great ideas for names. It also is divided up in chapters with names for horses based on color, personality traits, size and a few other categories.



2. After getting tired of hearing the same horse names over and over, I thought I would give this book a try for naming our foals. I used this book more for inspiration than actually taking a name right off the page. For instance, I would use Moonlight in a name like "Moonlight On My Shoes". But it would be very hard to register a foal as just Moonlight in a large registry like AQHA. It is a good resource for barn names, nicknames, or arena names but I would not strongly reccomend it as a resource for coming up with a registration name.



3. I loved this book because it gave me tons of ideas on naming my new horse. I took several names and mixed them around to come up with the best name: Ultimate Party-Goer. He is a handsome bay with lots of chrome and does well on the A-circuit. Thank you!



4. In respond to the person from WI, i dont know what book they were reading but i dont think it was this one. This is a guide for horse names, not a triple crown story.but maybe i missed some part of this book............?
   Anyway this book gave some good advice for naming your horse. Some names really weren't that pretty or creative, but the majority of names were pretty accurate and good. I would recomend this book.



5. I very much loved this book. It makes you want to get horses.The book is about a girl named Asliegh and her grand-daughter. Her grand-daughter Alisa saved a horse from dieing. The horse then goes on to training. He has some proublems in the training but goes on to be the Kentucky Derby, Sant Anita Handecapt, and the Triple Crown. This book is a lot like me because I am so much like Alisa. I recommend this book to all horse lovers.

2 comments about Sports Massage for Horses.

1. This is a wonderful book for the everyday horse owner or caretaker. The photos and descriptions are so helpful! My 2 horses say, "Thank you"!



2. I have seen amazing results from having a professional equine massage therapist work on my horse and hoped this book could teach me to give my horse massages that would supplement the professional ones. I was very disappointed.
   
   The illustrations fall short of clarifying the text and the text is quite vague. The writing style is almost too casual and the author's use of British terms could be confusing to some. The book is very short and could have been shortened further if most of the pages weren't filled with white space and pictures of the author grinning like an idiot in poses that do not explain what she's doing.
   
   The techniques the author describes makes one think that just currying a horse will sufice as a thorough massage. I imagine there are better books on how to give a sports massage to a horse. Hopefully I will come across one soon.

1 comments about The Equine Body.

1. What a refreshing way to look at the body of the horse. I loved the colour illustrations and the cut and paste diagrams, though a little daunting at first. were much easier to put together than I first imagined and really help to learn about the body.
   I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about how the horse functions or as a wonderful gift to a horse owner.

4 comments about The Bit and the Reins Developing Good Contact and Sensitive Hands.

1. I did read this book cover to cover. I do agree with the philosophy of humane treatment but I did wish that it was more specific on the processing of developing "good contact and sensitive hands".
   
   Except for the description of a limited number of bits, the information was very abstract. Too much time was spent on discussion various cavessons, as an advanced intermediate rider, I would have liked to have been able to read more discussion on what good hands are/do (we know what they shouldn't do), how one would evaluate one's own hands and how one would improve.



2. A good and informative book, but mostly it just talks about classical dressage/schooling training in relation to the bit and reins/contact with not a lot of detail about different bits and their effects. It is a good book if that is what you are looking for but it is nothing new and the subject is covered well in many other books that are more expansive.



3. This is a really great book in some ways--it discusses all kinds of bits, bridles, and reins, and it has top notch pictures of not only the tack, but drawings of how they affect the horse's tounge and mouth. I learned a tremendous amount from this book. But the book proceeds from discussing training with a snaffle to riding with a pelham for dressage. The chapter on reins near the end applies only to pelhams and dressage. I didn't catch on until nearly then that this is really a book about riding dressage. If you trail ride for pleasure as I do, you can learn from this book, but it offered me nothing about the reins and using my hands as a pleasure rider.
   
   Check this book out of the library and read it--I can't praise it enough for what it taught me about bits. But I'm sorry that I spent money on it because I can't imagine that it's a book that I'll want to visit again and again as the years go by and I encounter other horses in my life.



4. Should be a must for every rider that ever uses a bit. Much more comprehensive understanding of how it effects the horse. The diffrent types and what they are trying to achieve. But it's all in the riders' hands. It's made me come to the conclusion of what NOT to use. Great book!!!

No comments about 2009 Cattle Calendar.

3 comments about Basic Horse Care (Doubleday Equestrian Library).

1. Covers horse health, feeding and care. Description is mis-represented that there is 'training' in this book.



2. I own all three of Prince and Collier's equestrian books, Basic Horse Care, Riding, and Training, and have found them to be very informative to a begining rider like myself. These authurs write in a manner that explains the content in an easy to understand way while not talking down to the reader. All three of these books can help a rider of any level understand the material and are the foundation of my collection.



3. This is an excellent book, it gives sensible knowledge gained from the authors' own experiences. While being in-depth it is not overly technical or overly specified. If you like this book it has two companions by the same authors, Basic Training and Basic Riding

No comments about Haying With Horses.

1 comments about The Principles of Teaching Riding: The Official Manual of the Association of British Riding Schools.

1. This manual for the most part, lays down rudimentary knowledge about teaching riding. Its a good source of information for someone hoping to become an instructor, and would even be good reading for someone who just started riding (to clarify questions).
   It has details on different types of courses for different students, rider safety, and covers student progression up to the beginner/intermediate level.

   For someone who has moderate experience as an instructor, it may be redundant information but its still very usefull as a reference, and will clear up any small teaching obstacles that you may have with your younger students.