Product Description
Unless you're familiar with the sport, you're probably intimidated! This practical book helps you get your child off to a positive start. It answers your questions, helps you avoid common pitfalls, shows you how to get your child into the saddle without saddling yourself with debt, and helps you ensure that your child has a rewarding, enjoyable experience. It takes you step by step from the initial "get acquainted" period through decisions and purchases you need to make as your child progresses, covering:

• Sampling the sport, including package deals that give your child exposure without necessitating a commitment
• Choosing a stable, riding style, instructor, and course of lessons
• Comparison shopping to save on equipment and apparel
• Proceeding through more advanced training
• Participating in horse shows or other competitions
• Buying a horse (or not)

On the Fence gives you the inside scoop on how to help your child get started and progress as a rider. It shows you how your child can enjoy horseback riding in a way that suits her, your family's lifestyle, and your budget. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Fantastic!
We've been wanting to start our children in riding lessons but didn't know anything about it. However, after reading this book we feel less intimidated, we know where to go, what to do, what to buy, etc. This book is well written, clear, and informative. We didn't have any more questions or concerns after reading it and will be starting our lessons soon.

Must Have
If your child is an aspiring horse rider, this is a must have book for you, the parent even if you have a bucket full of cash. This can be an expensive endevor but it does not have to be, you can do a little at a time. The book is very easy and enjoyable to read and has tons of good ole common sense advice and information.

All The Answers You Need!
So, your child wants to ride a horse. Here then, in comprehensive detail, are answers to the multitude of problems and questions you will face. Learn how, where and when to best get started--how to find appropriate resources while keeping within an affordable budget for this expensive sport. The author has thoroughly researched and provided answers to every question you or your child will have in beginning, sustaining, and enjoying this very special endeavor. This book provides an unique opportunity to learn all you need know while saving endless time and recurrent difficulties. You'll savor it!

Inside scoop on horseback riding - what are kids thinking?
This book by Janet Barrett demonstrates an insiders knowledge of a child learning to ride. What is particularly helpful is that Ms. Barrett knows what is going on in the child's head. Thus the parent knows what to expect when the child suddenly wants to buy a horse or stop lessons for a while. This is a great manual that takes the parent step by step through the process from casual interest to wanting lessons, finding a stable and performing in shows. I would recommend it highly to any parent who hears those words for the first time: mom, I want to ride a horse!"

A Valuable Resource
I can't imagine any parent starting their son/daughter in the sport of riding without reading and owning a copy of this book to refer to continuously as they go. It is not only informative on a day-to-day basis, but it is a valuable resource in understanding your child's progression through the sport from the first lesson onward (and yours from even before that!) Throughout, as your child moves from beginner, to intermediate and beyond, the information is explicit and clear. I suggest that anyone whose child wants to ride get this book and keep it as their "bible"! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great for teachers
This book is quite a find for riding instructors.If you are just starting out, there are sections specifically for you.If you are experienced, there are sections on how to stay fresh.

Good investment for your library.

Teaching effectively with a broad brush
Equestrian Instruction: An Integrated Approach came to my attention because it is the text for the local university's equine instructor's course.Masterfully and comprehensively written, Equestrian Instruction provides any inspiring or accomplished riding instructor of any discipline contents that are useful and easy to understand. For this reason, we use it for our SCRT Riding Instructor Certificate program.

One of the greats
Awesome book. Compiles some related information that is not in many basic books on teaching riding. This is a good source of information for green and experienced riding teachers. It has the basics described in other teaching texts, while also going into some depth on related subjects. The case studies are a nice touch. Also in this book are ideas that may help experienced teachers regain enthusiasm for their task - the best of us have times when what we do taps out our energy for doing more of it. This has also been used as a college textbook.

A highly recommended, integrative approach to riding.
Two fine equestrian instructionals are highly recommended picks for those with more than a casual interest in the sport. Jill K. Hassler-Scoop's Equestrian Instruction provides an integrated approach to learning and teaching to supplement riding teachers' instructions and experience. Equestrians are instructed on how to improve their riding and teaching skills alike, with chapters exploring the basics of developing consistency, teaching open-mindedness to students, and achieving results in horse riding lessons. Plenty of case histories provide practical examples of teaching and riding challenges in action.

Great for all instructors
As both a teacher and rider I found this book full of great ideas and perspectives.I have purchased it for the younger instructors in our barn because it covers aspects of teaching that no other book covers like communication styles, burnout, professionalism, lesson planning, and other tools to enhance riding and teaching.Each section has an excellent bibliography that is helpful.Great book for both new and old instructors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

U.S.E.T. - the first 25 years
This book was published in 1976 to commemorate the U.S. Equestrian Team's 25th anniversary, and so extends only through the 1975 North American Fall Circuit victories.Nevertheless, there are some fascinating personal accounts of the U.S. Equestrian Team's (USET's) greatest moments by the equestrians who lived them, including Bill Steinkraus, General Jack R. Burton, Neal Shapiro, and Kathy Kusner.As Bill Steinkraus says in his introduction, this book "is neither an objective history, a collection of personal reminiscences nor a book of instruction, yet it includes elements of all three."

"The USET Book of Riding" is divided into three sections: "Show Jumping;" "Combined Training" (three day eventing); and "Dressage & General Considerations."There is also an Appendix of USET results in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, and Nations Cups up through 1975.

After you finish the "Foreword" by Whitney Stone and the "Editor's Introduction" by Bill Steinkraus, you might want to skip to the last chapter of the book and read the charming "An Overseas View of the USET."Its author, English show jumper Douglas Bunn created the All-England Jumping Course at Hickstead, and he was fond of inviting his American counterparts over for a few rounds of competition or training.His anecdotes of USET in the 1950s are both lively and affectionate:

"The Americans showed us that you could still ride like an Englishman (or indeed, like a gentleman) and win big classes."

The history of showing jumping, eventing, and dressage in this country (or at least in this book) begins with the Horse Cavalry.One of the authors, who was a member of the U.S. Army Olympic equestrian team in 1948, rode horses that were 'liberated' from the enemy during WWII. The military origins of combined training as an exercise for the cavalry horse are covered by ex-Army riders Arthur J. McCashin and John W. Russell, who both made the transition to USET in the early 50s.

Descriptions of riding styles, equipment, and courses, plus stories about the individual horses and riders are what make this book so interesting.One of my favorite chapters, "The Horse with the Flying Tail" is narrated by Hugh Wiley, rider of the famous Palomino show jumper, Nautical.

Wiley didn't meet up with Nautical (a.k.a. Injun' Joe, a.k.a. Peter de Oro) until he watched him at a show in Hanover, Pennsylvania.Nautical "didn't win, but some of his jumps were unbelievable.He could leave out strides and be 2' over the biggest oxer."

The horse was a crowd-pleaser, but scary to ride.In fact, Wiley says "...he seemed to me to be a complete nut."If you've seen Walt Disney's "Horse with the Flying Tail," you should definitely read this true account of Nautical's bumpy rise to stardom.This rider's last paragraph about his great Palimino's demise will leave all horse-lovers misty-eyed.

Anyone who has ever completed a circuit of jumps on horseback, has studied the demanding art of dressage, or has cursed the networks for not showing enough of the Olympian equestrian events on T.V., will be deeply engrossed by this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Another Winner by Leonard Clark
As an avid fan of early nonfiction exploration/adventure tales, I had to read THE MARCHING WIND after first reading Clark's most amazing book THE RIVERS RAN EAST.(I gave THE MARCHING WIND only four stars - maybe unfairly, as THE RIVERS RAN EAST was even better.) This is another mind-boggling Clark adventure and was really insightful regarding the China/Tibet tribal clans in the 1940s.I used a NatGeo map of China to follow his described route throughout the book which was helpful.He was a pretty remarkable man and a heck of an adventurer.His book A WANDERER TILL I DIE is another good adventure read.

Glimpses Of Remote "Old" China
The formal reasons for Clark's 1949 journey in Qinghai (surveying uncharted mountains; archeological excavations; and aiding escape of Nationalist Chinese) may be mere rationales for his archaic 19th century-style expeditions.But the former OSS major certainly found adventure, with arduous conditions, bandit raids and political machinations recounted in melodramatic but serviceable prose."Marching Wind" has useful ethnographic and scientific data from eastern Greater Tibet, though some critics doubt its accuracy.Clark briefly enjoyed fame because his flawed calculations suggested that the Anye Machin range had peaks higher than Everest, but the bulk of the book holds up better.Its main value may lie in detailing the tensions between the end of "old" China (already vastly transformed, as the presence of foreign devils like Clark confirms) and Chinese efforts to avoid or adapt to the impending Communist new order.The story often alternates between the anxieties of officials and communities loyal to the Guomindang, and the routine--not timeless--activities of people for whom epochal changes in China proper seemingly had little relevance.Despite use of a station wagon (no kidding) in the early stages, this Equestrian Classic will find readers among the growing number of trekkers to these remote regions.Owen Lattimore's slightly earlier travels and writings offer a substantive contrast to Clark's rather self-absorbed, but still worthwhile, account. G. Rowell, "Mountains of the Middle Kingdom" assesses Clark and other explorers of China's Far West, with many stunning photos.

Superb adventure story!
This is truly a well-written, great adventure. Although I think that Clark embellishes the dangers of his trip, you definitely get a good feeling of the difficulties and potential threats.
(Immediate post WW-II period, during Chinese Civil War). Basically, it details Clark's expedition to explore Amne Machin, which he suspected to be higher than Mt. Everest. The probable real mission was however to map the region and prepare for a retreat of the defeated Chinese Moslem/Nationalist Army through Tibet. In any case, it makes for exciting reading, and Clark is a fine writer, with a good sense of humour and insightful comments. He's not a scholar, but a true adventurer; nevertheless, he seems to exhibit detailed knowledge over many subjects and appears to be an astute observor.
I first read this book (hardback edition from the 1950s) some 30 years ago, and was quite pleased when I discovered that LongRiders has re-issued in paperback form. The paper and binding seems pretty decent, and the only real negative is the poor quality of the photographs, which are not reproduced on glossy paper. The other minor quibble is the fact that since this is a reprint, an introduction/retrospective would have been useful. This could have included some info on the fate of the author (he died under somewhat mysterious circumstances in the late fifties in South America) or Amne Machin (it's not higher than Everest) or even some info on the Qinghai region today. But again, these are minor points that shouldn't detract from a great story...

an adventurer from the past
I noticed this book on my parent's book shelf when I was growing up.My 5th grade class had studied Tibet and I always meant to read it.Well, many years later, I finally got around to it and it turned out to be a rather interesting book.What makes it interesting is this glimpse at the many different people who make up the vast area of Tibet.

The author, Leonard Clark, is a rather archaic type of fellow to read in the 21st century.It's somewhat akin to reading about a 19th Century explorer 50 years ago.The man, fresh out of World War II intrigue in this general area of China, decides that he wants to explore the area of a sacred mountain.The name of the mountain is Amne Machin and it is located deep in the thinly explored areas of Tibet.Mr. Clark briefly explains the background to his quest and, before we know it, he is on his way to Tibet with a mere $1200 to finance his travels.He is an odd sort of fellow who reminds you of a middle-aged bachelor British nobleman who explores for a living.His rare reflections on life indicate a rather detached point of view.

We sense his quest to find and measure the height of Amne Machin although I didn't feel particularly excited about this aspect of his travels.I was most interested in the many different tribes of peoples and their remoteness from the rest of the world.Many of these different tribesmen are Mongols who date back to the original Horde.Mr. Clark has convinced the local military leader of the need to find an escape route from the unstoppable advance of the Red Chinese.Thus he is able to explore this lawless area accompanied by a small army.Mr. Clark is an astute observer of the many different tribes, flora, fauna, customs, topography and travails of the area.I found myself shivering with him in the many blizzards he seemed to encounter.I also found myself wondering if I, too, could survive on the various forms of food and drink that he subsisted on.

This book didn't exactly grab me once I started reading it.In fact I kept it at the office and would read a bit of it several times a week during my lunch break.It left me wondering about whatever happened to these many tribes of people rather than wondering whatever happened to the author.

The Marching Wind
Although The Marching Wind was written in the late 40's, this non-fiction story is still very intriguing in today's world.It relates the story of traveler/explorer Leonard Clark and his yak caravan journey through Tibet.Clark convinced the Chinese Nationalist leaders that he could find them an escape route through Tibet as the communists approached.At the same time, Clark plans to measure a mountain in Tibet that is reputably higher than Everest.
The book is written as a detailed travel log of the expedition through the wilds of forbidding Tibet during incredibly cold weather for which none of the modern equipment used for extreme weather is available.The caravan is constantly on watch for the fierce Ngolog tribe members reputed to be highly aggressive and murderous.It is a well written andexciting story. ... Read more

Product Description
Theodore Winthrop set out to travel across WashingtonTerritory in the early 1850s.The 25-year-old was a recent graduateof Yale and a confirmed East Coast intellectual.

This book paints a vibrant picture of frontier life in the PacificNorthwest and covers the authors travels among both pioneers andIndians, whose picturesque descriptions are found within the pages ofthis historic travel account.A treasure to read, this book will beof interest to students of both the horse and history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Canonical Book of Pacific Northwest History
Theodore Winthrop went off and got himself killed in the Civil War before he could ever fully develop the raw brilliance of his writing talents.Luckily, however, he did leave us this invaluable diamond-in-the-rough peek into daily life in the Pacific Northwest on the eve of the Euro-American subjugation of this beautiful region.

Modern historians have turned their backs upon Winthrop, largely because he refrained from exercising their politically correct terminology and sensitivities.Winthrop's work expresses all the grit and honestly one would expect from an adventure traveler's diary, where a man chose to travel alone amongst the native populations and immerse himself in their culture.Winthrop also had a tremendous vision of the fateful changes that were soon to befall the region, for better or for worse, and he expresses them with a magnificent range of vocabulary and fluidity of composition.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Winthrop was awed by the incredible natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.He was, not unlike the better known John Muir, an early convert to the worship of wild wilderness that is the origin of the modern environmental movement.Winthrop's descriptions of the Pacific Northwest volcanoes are without parallel in any other written source.The famous Mountaineers of hiking-book fame would have done better to follow his advice and respect the indigenous names ofgeographical features.Indeed, the greatest crime of those who ignore Winthrop is certainly the fact that they have buried his ardent pleas to respect those indigenous appellations. ... Read more

Product Description
Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Gaius Maecenas, Equestrian Order, Tiberius Julius Alexander, Ventidius Cumanus, Vedius Pollio, Titus Pomponius Atticus, Gaius Furius Sabinius Aquila Timesitheus, Mamurra, Praefectus Annonae, Vibulenus Agrippa, Marcius Agrippa, Lucius Vitellius the Elder, Titus Flavius Sabinus, Rufrius Crispinus, Terrasidius, Gaius Matius, Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus, Lucius Vipsanius Agrippa, Publius Vitellius the Elder, Flavius Liberalis, Gaius Rabirius Postumus, Rubellius Blandus, Antonius Natalis. Excerpt:Antonius Natalis , an equestrian , member of the Pisonian conspiracy against Nero . Threatened with torture he disclosed his fellow-conspirators' names and avoided punishment. Sources A hyperlinked version of this chapter is at A Roman cavalry officer of the mid-Republic, as depicted in a copy of a bas-relief found in the Forum in Rome. It portrays the legend of Mettius Curtius, a Sabine raider who, early the reign of Romulus (ca. 750 BC), is reputed to have evaded capture by the Romans by riding his horse into a marsh that once covered part of the site of the Forum. The swamp was supposedly named the Lacus Curtius ("lake of Curtius") after him. But the image probably portrays the equipment of a Roman knight at the time it was made, ca. 150 BC. The knight wears a composite bronze cuirass, Attic-style helmet with horsehair plume, pteruges , and mantle. He carries a spear and small round shield. Original in Musei Capitolini , Rome The Roman equestrian order (Latin : ordo equester ) constituted the lower of the two aristocratic classes of ancient Rome , ranking below the patricians ( patricii ), a hereditary caste that monopolised political power during the regal era (to 501 BC) and during the early Republic (to 338 BC). A member of the order was known as an eques (plural: equitis ). Equi... ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This remarkable volume first explains how the horse came to evolve over the course of millions of years from a creature not much bigger than a fox into the magnificent animal we know today. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1917.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
The following pages contain a Treatise on the Art of Riding on Horseback, for Ladies, which originally appeared in the Publishers' well-known Manual of elegant feminine Recreations, Exercises, and Pursuits, THE YOUNG LADY'S BOOK; with, however, various additions to the Text, and a number of new Illustrations and Embellishments.
... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Money money money
Money that is what it takes int he horse world and lots of it. This book really helps if you plan to go all the way. BUT you have to be in an area where you can find those sponcors and be good enough to start with that is the hard part. Getting the money to show/prove your good enough to get hte help you need.

Don't Get This Book If You're Independently Wealthy!
"Financing Your Equestrian Activities" is well written, and is filled with a plethora of case histories, some of people I knew of, and others who were completely off my radar.It shared a wide variety of kinds of horse people, which gave me quite a few ideas of my own about how I should go about doing my own fundraising.

The first part of the book is about how to actually go about doing it - what different kinds of sponsors want out of the arrangement, and how to approach the different types, as well as where to find them.

The second part has the case histories.

This book should be required reading for any none-independently- wealthy horseman who wants to compete at anything more than just local shows, and especially for those who are ambitious and wish to compete at high levels.

Pretty good...could have more info
I was very pleased with this book, but I thought it could have a bit more info on how to submit your proposal to companies and how to get contact info for the people you need to know.Overall it is a very good book and one well worth having.I suppose it would be a whole different book on how to meet the right people to finance your equestrian activities!!

No Matter the Discipline . . .
. . . in which you participate, horses are an expensive endeavor!

Curious about the possibilities of seeking sponsorship for myself and my husband (we ride endurance and dressage), I read this book cover to cover.

Learning about the "real" financial situationsof famous equestrians and the lengths they went to to receive the financialbacking they needed to succeed was a real eye-opener.Both encouraging andno-nonsense, Ms. Fraser opens the reader's eyes to the creativity and hardwork required to gain and maintain sponsorship.

This would be a greatbook for athletes from other disciplines as well, as the world ofsponsorship becomes big-dollar! ... Read more