"This is a book about connections within equitation libraries of interwoven reading and practice. When riding horses, humans can participate in the elite equine capacity to move. An atlas may serve as a map, a guide to cooperative athletic performance between two very different species"--Cover p.[4].

Rider Biomechanics is a collaboration between rider biomechanics coach Mary Wanless and functional anatomist Thomas Myers. Myer's seminal book Anatomy Trains explains how connective tissue joins muscles together into functional chains. Some of these chains extend from head to toe, and they are the 'lines of pull'. Elite riders excel in balancing the tension in their lines, creating a stable balanced structure which can transmit and redirect the forces of the horse's movement. Easy, fluid, sitting eludes less skilled riders - but this book, with its copious photographs and illustrations, provides a route map for reorganising 'lines of pull', sitting, and influence on one's horse. It is through balancing one's own lines that you learn how to balance one's horse, changing his carriage and movement, and discovering the secrets of the few talented riders who naturally possess those skills.

Analyzed by an expert and accompanied by many practical examples, the ancient secrets of classical riding are presented here in a modern way Classical riding, in essence, is correct riding. It is how one should ride every time they get on a horse, and includes not just knowing how to ride, but all around knowledge of the horse as a species. Here, a thorough examination of classical riding is presented through accessible modern day examples. It also includes almost forgotten, yet essential, riding methods--such as the Bugeltritt (the position of the rider's foot in the stirrup) or ridden work with a cavesson. Other concepts include the aims of dressage; the system's essential gymnastic building blocks; breaking down blockades; essential riding skills such as sitting, feeling, and thinking; and the network of aids.

RIDING & HORSEMANSHIP. By understanding how the horse's biomechanics works and how to influence it, most of the misunderstanding between horse and rider is avoidable, and the vast majority of schooling problems solvable. Although in its infancy, equine sport science teaches us how a horse's body and mind functions. The knowledge of equine biomechanics turns horse training and riding teaching into a completely logical process. In this work, Karin Blignault investigates the horse's natural methods of performing movements and compares this with the movements he performs in dressage and jumping.

The world of modern dressage includes a broad canon of doctrines that are rarely if ever questioned. Despite their constant use, many riders are confused by the exact meanings and implications of numerous terms and approaches. What does it really mean, for instance, to drive the horse "onto the bit?" Does a stronger application of the rider s aids really encourage the horse to place its hind legs further under its body? Is the term collection really synonymous with the increased forward engagement of the hind legs under the center of balance? This complete review of every aspect of dressage provides a thorough investigation and a critical analysis of the anatomical and biomechanical aspects of riding. It offers a long-overdue explanation of the sense and nonsense of commonly-used training doctrines and reveals prejudices in order to support the art of horse-orientated equitation. "

In this volume, Mary Wanless discusses the underlying principles of riding as she sees them. Eleven illustrated lessons demonstrate these theories, which are based on increasing each rider's understanding of what "is", instead of what "ought to be".

?The aim of this book is not to describe ideal training scenarios but to look at what we can do, to the best of our ability, with the horses we have. Difficult horses can become good horses?' Carl Hester