Tried and Tested - Equestrian books

The Welsh Pony

Wynne Davies; J.A. Allen £25

This intensely pleasing book, with its mix of text and photographs both new and old, is a worthy celebration of the Welsh Pony. A sister title to Dr Davies’ earlier volume, The Welsh Cob, The Welsh Pony encompasses the Welsh Mountain Pony, the Welsh Pony, the Welsh Pony of Cob-type and the Welsh Part-bred Pony.

The author, who was awarded an MBE in 1995 for his work with Welsh Ponies, examines the history and development of the breed, and looks at the breed standard, the leading studs and personalities, as well as shows and auctions in relation to the performance of the breed. He also extracts, from more than 120,000 Mountain ponies registered in the Welsh Stud Book over the past century, four families that he considers to have been the most influential.

Well-written and dedicatedly researched, this attractive book would make a perfect gift for the Welsh Pony enthusiast.

Horse and rider fitness – The essential guide for all riders

Linda J Purves; Kenilworth Press £19.95

FORGET going to the gym – personal fitness trainer Linda Purves recognises that the majority of modern horse owners have no time for such a luxury, even in cases where they do happen to have the necessary finance and motivation.

Based on the assumption that improved rider fitness leads to an improved partnership between horse and rider, Horse and rider fitness begins by asking how fit you are before going on to offer a carefully outlined illustrated plan for basic fitness training, before diving into sport-specific exercises and in-depth plans.

As most of the exercises require just basic accessories, such as hay bales and fences, they can be performed at any time in the privacy of one’s own home, garden or yard, and a quick guide to the main muscles in the human body at the end of chapter one enables the reader to understand why the exercising of each is useful in riding fitness.

A chapter on feeding (Do you eat like a horse?) takes a light-hearted but educated look at diet for riders, and looks at what the rider can learn from each of the basic feeding principles for horses.

Healing horses the classical way

Harry Chaim Faibish; J.A. Allen £19.99

Taught by the classical masters Nuno Oliviera, Egon von Neindorff and Hans Reigler, Harry Chaim Faibish states that: “I have found their classical methods have always stood me in good stead when resolving the problems of any horse of any breed working in any discipline in many countries.” Little wonder, then, that he felt inspired to write a book to share these methods with others.

The book seems to be no less about Harry Chaim Faibish than it is about remedial training, although this is not meant as a criticism – the text is no less interesting for the personal threads woven throughout. The bulk of the book is made up of case studies of horses with which the author has worked throughout his career, explaining how, through the art of classical training, problems were successfully overcome. It is far from a step-by-step guide, instead offering insights to the benefits of classical training through the author’s own experiences.

The final part, Principles and practice of classical training, is more of a practical guide, including general observations on training, assessing the condition of a horse, and developing suppleness, straightness and impulsion, finishing up with a helpful list – the do’s and don’ts of training.

Know your horse inside out

Sarah Fisher; David and Charles £19.99

This practical and hands-on guide enables the reader to work with his or her own horse, and promises to benefit the horse. In Know your horse inside out, Sarah Fisher, who practises the Tellington Touch Equine Awareness Method (TTouch), focuses on the relationship between physical and behavioural problems in horses, looks at how to identify and address certain tension triggers and how to interpret body language.

The author goes back to basics to provide background information on the horse’s nervous system, balance, responses, and sensory integration, before running through a series of physical check-ups that could be the cause of behavioural problems. She also examines how to go about postural observation, and how to interpret what you see. Supported by high-quality pictures and case studies, the guide is easy to follow and understandable even for the less-experienced horse owner.

The majority of the rest of the book outlines a series of tactile exercises for the horse, designed to ‘free him up’, largely using the rider’s hands to gently manipulate various parts of the horse. Given Sarah’s increasingly high profile in the industry, this book will be of interest to the large number of people interested in her work and hoping to learn from her.

Homeopathy for horses

Tim Couzens; Kenilworth Press £30

This hefty tome is essentially a bible of equine homeopathy: a “system of complementary medicine based on the principle of like cures like.”

Even alternative therapy cynics should look twice, as author Tim Couzens is a qualified vet with some impressive looking letters after his name – this is something to be taken seriously.

The introduction in itself makes a fascinating read: Homeopathy, claims the author, has been practiced successfully for over 200 years. An insight into the history of the subject, alongside an explanation of the principles, leads into discussions on how to select a remedy, potency and dose for each case.

The approach, layout and text are somewhat akin to a textbook, but do not let this put you off – in many cases, homeopathic treatments have been known to succeed where conventional approaches have failed. In a world where interest in alternative approaches is blossoming, homeopathy should not be dismissed out of hand and this volume provides a useful education in the subject.

Basic training of the young horse

Ingrid and Reiner Klimke; J.A. Allen £19.99

The revised edition of a classic, the first edition of which was published in Germany in 1980 and sold over 30,000 copies, Basic Training of the Young Horse remains a classic and usable text. Although Ingrid Klimke, one of very few riders to have been a champion at both dressage and three-day evening, is still a popular figure on the international circuit, her father Reiner died back in 1999 and it is only through his writing that riders and trainers can now benefit from his expertise.

The translation from the original German reads well and content is discussed in a straightforward and easy-to-follow manner, following every aspect of educating a young horse, including: basic education, lunging, training under saddle, developing suppleness and impulsion, grid and jumping work, riding out and early competition.

A very useful appendix, in the form of a blueprint training plan designed to take a horse through basic training to its first competition, gives a good overview of that which is discussed in detail throughout the book.

A useful addition to the library of any trainer who works with young horses.