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The Books |
Equestrian Books |
Virtually Horses |
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Finding Riding Books
When searching for books or videos on the
web always compare prices! The closest bookseller is not necessarily the
cheapest or even the fastest to deliver but remember to allow for
currency conversions.
Amazon's equestrian books often come from
Half Halt Press yet can still be at a cheaper price than buying direct
from the Publisher, do check both sites to get the best deal. Many
equestrian books are not available instantly and you may have to wait
for shipping from Europe (Germany mainly) or for a reprint. I've
bought many books now and found Amazon to be the cheapest so often that
my review pages now include a link directly to their site to let you buy
the book without having to search for it.
Specialist Equestrian Booksellers
The BookStable A
comprehensive selection of books and videos.
EquiVid US supplier of equestrian videos catering for most areas of interest. Buy Online. Exclusively Equine Mainly thoroughbred racing videos and information. Equestrian Vision British site with a wide variety of videos. Half Halt Press Specialist book supplier and publisher. Free catalogue available. Dominion Books Dominion Saddlery's bookstore. The Equine Collection Online Equestrian book and video store |
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| On This Page | |||
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Quick Reviews
Books for Beginners Horse Care General |
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| Related Pages | |||
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This tool will help you work out the dollar conversion rates.
Auckland Public Libraries
are online. Recommendations for the Beginner Rider The following books are all excellent for the beginner to intermediate rider. They explain basic riding technique, problems and solutions clearly and also provide some tips on basic horse handling.
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| The Less than Perfect Rider: Overcoming Common Riding Problems | |||
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Title may sound like
its only for the rider who has developed problems but this is an
excellent book for beginners and the experienced alike. Good
photos and simple explanations of most aspects of horsemanship, paying
particular attention to those trouble spots like 'why can't I corner
correctly?'. NZ note: avail from Auckland library
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| A Practical Handbook: Riding a Horse | |||
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This book by
Debby Sly is also published under the titles "The
Practical Riders Handbook"
and in large format as
"How to Ride".
It is also part of "The
Book of Horses and Horse Care",
so make sure you don't accidentally purchase this one twice! (the
cover designs are all different too so watch out)
Another really good
starter, lots of pictures, everything from getting on and steering
through to introducing many of the equestrian sports. Excellent
step-by-step photos for the novice and close ups of simple concepts like
correct leg position (with comparison photos).
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| Riding for the Rest of Us: A Practical Guide for Adult Riders | |||
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 Another
great book for beginners. Jessica Jahiel's book targets the adult
rider, so you won't find any discouraging pictures of children galloping
across the fields while somersaulting in the saddle. Acknowledges
that adult beginners are likely to be less fearless about their riding
than children and that many of us aren't in 'perfect' shape or fitness.
NZ note: avail from Auckland library
You can also
visit
Jessica Jahiels website
for more information on the book and its contents
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| Horse Care, Breeds and General Interest | |||
| The Complete Horse Care Manual | |||
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The
Essential Practical Guide to All Aspects of Caring for your Horse
by Colin Vogel. This book, as the title suggests, covers horse ownership and care rather than riding and it certainly does an excellent job! If you're considering horse ownership take a look at this book. It covers all aspects of horse ownership from tack to transport and unlike many books also includes topics such as how to fit a saddle, catching your horse, restraining a horse by methods other than tying up and much much more. Over 600 clear, colour photos illustrate each topic. Like most books published in Britain some of the instructions are a little over the top for NZ horse's (I don't think I've seen a poll guard in NZ, and most horse's seem to manage to live in wire fenced paddocks without coming to serious harm on a daily basis). But if you're starting out with horse ownership it's better to start out 'correctly' and this book certainly takes a look at almost every aspect of horse management in a practical, easy to follow way.
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| A Practical Handbook: The Complete Guide to Horse Care | |||
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Another in the
"Practical Handbook" series published by Sebastian Kelly.
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| Encyclopaedia of the Horse | |||
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Foreword by David Broome.
Published by Hamlyn.
As the name implies this is a more general knowledge type book, it does have a few pages on riding, schooling a horse and horse care and management but over half of the book is dedicated to outlining the various horse and pony breeds and giving a short history of the horse. Also covers equestrian sports and has many colour photos to support the text. When covering each topic it does do an excellent job of discussing the various regions/countries involvements and the differences. A nice coffee table book or gift.
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| Such is the Real Nature of Horses | |||
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Robert Vavra
If you're looking for a book on the nature
of horses in the wild or photography of horse you absolutely must look
at one of Robert Vavra's books. This one has been one of my
favourites for a long time. Not only is Robert Vavra one of the
foremost equine photographers but he has spent a huge amount of time
researching and working with horses. This book revolves around the
lives of the semi wild horses of the Camargue. The photography is
excellent, the text is interesting and enlightening and his knowledge of
and affection for Darius and the other wild horses is infectious.
Some other books by Robert Vavra; "All those Girls in Love with Horses" explores the special relationship between women and their horses worldwide, also - "Equus", "On Horses" and "Stallions of a Dream"  |
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| A Standard Guide to Horse and Pony Breeds | |||
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Reference book for a definitive guide to the
various breeds around the world. Photos and full description of each
breed including a history and any breed standards. Includes
information on the general history and evolution of the horse and breeds
which have become extinct. The Nature of Horses : Exploring Equine Evolution Intelligence and Behaviour by Stephen Budiansky (April 1997) Fabulous book which I can't recommend highly enough. If you are interested in anything to do with horses I recommend that you read this - its easy to pick up and put down or read all the way through. Stephen looks at almost every aspect of our relationship with the horse and dispels a number of myths - including looking at our first contact and the evidence left behind in archaeology that suggests that horses were indeed ridden first and then later driven. He also looks at aspects of horse intelligence, socialisation, vocalisation (communication), seeing and perception and memory and introduces equine genetics and the future of the modern horse. There are some really interesting discussions and ideas on the modern breeds and breeding industry and easy explanations of colour genetics (which is one of the few areas of genetics that is really understood). |
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copyright Virtually Horses www.virtuallyhorses.com
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This
series come in a handy softback size and each of the books have plenty of
clear colour illustrations for each subject that they cover. In this
book its care and management of your horse, it covers everything from
feeding and grooming through to first aid, riding clothes and field
management for toxic plants. Written in Britain, some of the ideas
are probably a bit over the top for New Zealand horses but still an
excellent 'starter kit' for new owners or riders. 
