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.

"[This book] .. covers all areas from 'nursery school' to more advanced work, competition riding and problem solving. the rider's initial role is to establish his own posture and balance and to learn to communicate with the horse through body language and position, using the language of touch initially to educate and then to support. There is an explanation of the horse's biomechanics - how it carries and uses itself so that the rider an understand how to improve his horse's self-carriage and also to recognize his horse's strengths and weaknesses"-- Book jacket.

- NEW full-color photographs depict external clinical signs, allowing more accurate clinical recognition. - NEW and improved imaging techniques maximize your ability to assess equine performance. - UPDATED drug information is presented as it applies to treatment and to new regulations for drug use in the equine athlete. - NEW advances in methods of transporting equine athletes ensure that the amount of stress on the athlete is kept to a minimum. - NEW rehabilitation techniques help to prepare the equine athlete for a return to the job. - Two NEW authors, Dr. Catherine McGowan and Dr. Kenneth McKeever, are highly recognized experts in the field.

Jane Savoie shows how basic dressage techniques can be used to improve every horse's athleticism and performance, no matter what the rider's chosen sport.

Effective horse trainers strive to improve the performance of their horses while preserving the integrity of the musculoskeletal apparatus. Biomechanics and Physical Training of the Horse supplies an anatomical and functional overview of the topic, enabling trainers to optimize the different exercises their horses undergo during training and competition. Following a brief description of the biomechanics of the muscles underlying equine movement, the book discusses the muscles of the forelimb, hindlimb, and neck and trunk. These fundamentals have direct bearing on the later chapters, which focus on training and the core exercises for a horse. This text is illustrated throughout by the author’s top-quality photographs, diagrams, and his own beautiful anatomical drawings. The book is of lasting value to all professionals and well-informed amateurs who work with horses: veterinarians, trainers and riders, researchers, physical therapists, and educators in equine courses.

Originally published by Charles Scribner's Sons, 1931.