Horsemastership. Methods of training the horse and the rider

Numéro d'article 10125560

Combining her years of personal experience in teaching riding and training horses, with her study of all the writings on the subject from earliest times to the present, Mrs. Self here sets down all the fundamental principles which must be taught and all the ways and methods of teaching them. Since every horse differs in reaction and temperament, principles rather than set rules are presented so that the trainer can adapt them to the particular problem. In the same way tested methods of teaching the rider are presented with experienced guidance for adaptation in special situations. The reader is told how much he can expect from riders of different ages and aptitudes, how to plan his lessons and in what progression he should introduce the various movements, exercises, etc. In a like manner he learns how the horse varies in his ability to learn and the proper progression of lessons. Everything is given in the greatest of detail. Ordinary field training, light, intermediate and heavy dressage training, haute école jumping, hunting, showing are all covered. In the section on riding, goals are set for each age group, a glossary of modern riding terms is included, all sorts of techniques for handling psychological problems are suggested as well as techniques and games for improving the skill and finesse of the rider. The Appendix includes a discussion of pony clubs; rating of riding stables and instructors as handled in England; National Horse Show Association and F. E. Y. Rules; Olympic Equestrian Rules and Requirements; light and intermediate dressage tests; sample plans; methods of judging equitation and jumping shows and gymkhanas; and Vermont trail ride requirements. Mr. Fritz Stecken, well known trainer and rider of Olympic horses, contributed the chapter on advanced dressage and haute école. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Margaret Cabell Self's books on horses will be found in practically every library and certainly in every home where there is a lover of horses. Born in the hunting country of Virginia, Mrs. Self says that she learned to ride before she could walk. She settled in Connecticut after marrying and started each of her four children riding at the age of two. With the advent of the depression in 1929, she opened a riding school and began to instruct professionally. "I had to do that or give up our horses," she recalls, "and I couldn't give them up because they meant too much to the children and me." Mrs. Self, in addition to her many other enterprises, also founded the Silvermine School of Horsemanship with Mr. Verl Sturgis Crew. It is their hope that they will be able to establish criteria and methods for the teaching of horsemanship and horsemastership. About the Illustrator, Sarah Mason She was born and raised in southern Pennsylvania and has spent the majority of her life around horses. She is a graduate of Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont, and received her degree from the Maryland Institute of Fine Arts in Baltimore. In 1948 she won first prize for the best print in the Delaware Art Show.