"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].

Why is the seat of the rider so natural und yet so complicated? Why is it so easy to develop an incorrect seat position and influence on the horse but then so difficult to correct these problems? What is actually meant by a riders’s “fine feeling” and how can this be perceived and developed? The art of successful riding is the development of harmony to such a degree that, to the onlooker, horse and rider perform in total unity. The rider's key to this ideal is not a static seat but, one that is capable of adapting to all movements of the horse. The closer the seat follows the movement, the better it can influence that movement and remain in perfect balance with the horse. First published in 1993, Balance in Movement has long since become a classic in equestrian sports literature. This completely revised new edition has been supple¬ment by useful maxims, hints and exercise ideas as well as 200 new photos and drawings. It is in indispensable source of advice for all who would like to have a better understanding and command of the rider's seat, teachers and pupils alike.

"Is it possible to be simultaneously passionate about winning in an equestrian sport and about the welfare of horses? Professional polo player Adam Snow and sport horse veterinarian Shelley Onderdonk answer this undeniably twenty-first-century question with a resounding, "Yes!" They have spent a lifetime together, nurturing Adam's astounding career at the top of his sport (he is the last American polo player to achieve the perfect 10-goal handicap) with the artful, conscientious care and training of the equine partners he needed to be the best. And Shelley's twenty-five years as an equine veterinarian have been spent helping sport horses compete at the highest levels in other disciplines, as well-including reining, racing, eventing, show jumping, and dressage-while always prioritizing long-term health and well-being. In these pages, Adam and Shelley share the keys to their success...and the struggles and celebrations that taught them along the way"--

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.

At the core of this book is a series of "state of the art" experiments in which the author participated, designed to establish whether certain classical ideas about true collection could be scientifically proved. Discussion of the results leads into an exploration of how working towards collection informs the progression of training and the way in which the exercises are implemented. Furthermore, Belasik points out, this pursuit of collection is likely to take a purer form if it is motivated by artistic values rather than by the rider's ego. In this regard, the author urges readers to focus on their own individuality, rather than being motivated or misled by external pressures; to "collect" or "center" themselves, as they work towards a similar state with their horses. A fascinating and thoughtful read.