Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Top 10 Horse Books

I have a confession to make. I'm a bit of a bibliophile. Particularly when it comes to horse books. My equestrian library takes up most of an entire shelving unit by itself, and there are always more I'd like. I was talking to another bibliophile last week, and she mentioned that her husband marveling at her ever expanding library had asked her the question: "If you were only allowed to have ten books, which ones would they be?" This made me think about my own library and what books, equestrian or otherwise I value most. If I had to choose just 10 equestrian books that I think every horse owner and/or rider should own, my selections would be as follows:

  1. United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship - Basics for Beginners D Level by Susan E. Harris (Great general riding and horsemanship reference.)
  2. United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship - Intermediate Horsemanship C Level by Susan E. Harris (Great general riding and horsemanship reference.)
  3. United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship - Advanced Horsemanship B/HA/A Levels by Susan E. Harris (Great general riding and horsemanship reference.)
  4. The Official Horse Breeds Standards Guide: The Complete Guide to the Standards of All North American Equine Breed Associations by Fran Lynghaug (Photos, history, standards and association contacts for all breeds. Also has nice general conformation, color and markings information in the back.)
  5. Horse Sense for People: The Man Who Listens to Horses Talks to People by Monty Roberts (Great general philosophy on horse behavior and training.)
  6. A Gymnastic Riding System Using Body, Mind and Spirit: Progressive Training for Rider and Horse by Betsy Steiner (Because the classical training pyramid really doesn't have to be confusing.)
  7. Centered Riding by Sally Swift (Because half of riding happens in your head.)
  8. Hands on Horse Care by Karen Hayes (Best first aid and health care book I've seen. Great flow charts help even beginners decide when and if a vet is needed and what to do in the meantime.)
  9. The USDF Guide to Dressage by Jennifer O. Bryant (Good guide to the history, theory and basics of my favorite equestrian sport.)
  10. Bombproof Your Horse: Teach Your Horse To Be Confident, Obediant, and Safe, No Matter What You Encounter by Rick Pelicano (Because when I entrust my life to a 1200 lb animal, I'd prefer it not to have full blown panic attacks over say the half rotted sand bag in the middle of the trail, or the naive small child that is playing with the cape of his batman Halloween costume in the parking lot next to the arena.)
What would make your top 10 list?

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