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The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship: Basics for Beginners - D Level
This book is written and illustrated for youngsters who want to learn to ride, especially those who are members of the U.S. Pony Clubs, Inc. and want to meet the USPC's Standards of Proficiency. If you are that youngster, you will be able to read this book on your own. It will show you how to become a careful, thoughtful rider and how to communicate with and understand your pony. Some sections, however, are meant to be read by an adult (a parent or riding instructor), so you can get the extra help you may need to reach your goals. By the time you have read this book you will know a lot
* riding in a ring and in the open
* beginning jumping
* pony care and handling
* safety
* having fun and meeting challenges
You will also feel good knowing that you are on your way to being a horseman and not just a rider.
* riding in a ring and in the open
* beginning jumping
* pony care and handling
* safety
* having fun and meeting challenges
You will also feel good knowing that you are on your way to being a horseman and not just a rider.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 1994
70 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Susan E. Harris
16 books4 followersSusan E. Harris is an international clinician, riding teacher, equestrian author and artist from Cortland, New York. She has taught all seats and styles of riding, and has trained, shown, and prepared horses and riders for competition in many equestrian disciplines, including hunters, jumpers, dressage, equitation, eventing, western pleasure and performance, saddle seat, and the pleasure and versatility breeds. Susan directed 5-H Acres School of Horsemanship, a nationally accredited riding instructor school for 10 years, taught college equine studies and physical education equitation courses, and has been active in training and establishing certification standards for American riding instructors since the l970's. In 2004 she was honored as a Master Instructor by the American Riding Instructor Association.
A Senior Centered Riding Instructor and Clinician, Susan apprenticed with Sally Swift, the founder of Centered Riding®. She teaches clinics in Centered Riding and in Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement for instructors, trainers, judges, and riders of all levels and riding interests. Susan's demonstrations, "Anatomy in Motion™: The Visible Horse", in which she paints the bones and muscles on a live horse, and "Anatomy in Motion: The Visible Rider™" have been popular attractions at equine expos and clinics across North America and around the world, including EquineAffaire, Equitana Australia, the American Quarter Horse Congress, the George Morris Horsemastership Clinic at Wellington, FL, and others.
Susan Harris is the author and illustrator of popular horse books, including Horsemanship in Pictures, Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement, Grooming to Win, the three U.S. Pony Club Manuals of Horsemanship, and the USPC Guides to Longeing, Bandaging, and Conformation. She writes a regular column in EQUUS Magazine, Commonsense Horsemanship with Susan Harris. With Peggy Brown, she produced two DVDs: Anatomy in Motion™ I: The Visible Horse, and Anatomy in Motion II: The Visible Rider™. Susan designed the art for the Breyer Anatomy in Motion model horse, and has illustrated many popular horse books.
Susan's study of equine and human anatomy and movement as an artist as well as an instructor, rider and trainer, has given her a unique perspective on how horses and riders balance and move together. Centered Riding techniques can help riders discover how to use their bodies better for improved balance and harmony between horse and rider. Susan's knowledge of horse gaits and movement and wide experience in various breeds and disciplines enable her to help all kinds of riders and horses improve their balance, comfort, movement and performance. Her friendly and positive teaching style and visual approach help to make learning clear, understandable, and enjoyable for English and Western riders of all ages and levels, from 4-H, Pony Club and pleasure riders to instructors, trainers, and competitors. When not traveling, teaching or writing, Susan enjoys dressage, jumping, and trail riding...
A Senior Centered Riding Instructor and Clinician, Susan apprenticed with Sally Swift, the founder of Centered Riding®. She teaches clinics in Centered Riding and in Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement for instructors, trainers, judges, and riders of all levels and riding interests. Susan's demonstrations, "Anatomy in Motion™: The Visible Horse", in which she paints the bones and muscles on a live horse, and "Anatomy in Motion: The Visible Rider™" have been popular attractions at equine expos and clinics across North America and around the world, including EquineAffaire, Equitana Australia, the American Quarter Horse Congress, the George Morris Horsemastership Clinic at Wellington, FL, and others.
Susan Harris is the author and illustrator of popular horse books, including Horsemanship in Pictures, Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement, Grooming to Win, the three U.S. Pony Club Manuals of Horsemanship, and the USPC Guides to Longeing, Bandaging, and Conformation. She writes a regular column in EQUUS Magazine, Commonsense Horsemanship with Susan Harris. With Peggy Brown, she produced two DVDs: Anatomy in Motion™ I: The Visible Horse, and Anatomy in Motion II: The Visible Rider™. Susan designed the art for the Breyer Anatomy in Motion model horse, and has illustrated many popular horse books.
Susan's study of equine and human anatomy and movement as an artist as well as an instructor, rider and trainer, has given her a unique perspective on how horses and riders balance and move together. Centered Riding techniques can help riders discover how to use their bodies better for improved balance and harmony between horse and rider. Susan's knowledge of horse gaits and movement and wide experience in various breeds and disciplines enable her to help all kinds of riders and horses improve their balance, comfort, movement and performance. Her friendly and positive teaching style and visual approach help to make learning clear, understandable, and enjoyable for English and Western riders of all ages and levels, from 4-H, Pony Club and pleasure riders to instructors, trainers, and competitors. When not traveling, teaching or writing, Susan enjoys dressage, jumping, and trail riding...
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
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February 2, 2023In honor of being a “re-rider,” I am re-reading my favorite books from childhood. Starting with the best book for beginners there is!
January 9, 2022
Very educational! 🤩
April 11, 2010
What I learned from this book is a lot of helpful things which was mainly review for me, but it helped to read and review them. I am not a beginner when it comes to riding. I have been riding for four and a half years and am jumping low jumps and am great at trotting and cantering including dressage techniques and steering. Horseback riding is a sport people! If you don't believe it, try it for yourself! I garuntee the first day you try a riding lesson, your legs will get sore and your whole body! Riding is not as easy as you think or looks like. I am going to read the C level book which might be some review for me and some new.
May 4, 2017
This is a reference book for people who want to learn to learn about horses and riding horses. It is very well done. It has illustrations to help one understand. It is not a book that one starts and finishes. It is a reference book.
January 20, 2023
This book has a wealth of knowledge for anyone new to horseback riding, or anyone who has taken riding lessons that didn’t give time for unmounted horsemanship work. As an instructor, even though I don’t do Pony Club, I will recommend all of my students read this (with their parents if necessary).
December 24, 2017
Very informative!
April 1, 2019
Practical, informative, and helpful! Great manual that helps my daughter (and me) learn more about riding!
November 9, 2020
I like this book because it is informational for being in pony club.
January 10, 2025
Great book for the basics for beginner or someone returning to riding and horses as a refresher course. Clear and sound advice, easy to read format.
June 6, 2011
Book: The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship
Author: Susan E. Harris
The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship is a non-fiction, factual book covering a wide range of topics for beginner riders on the basics of riding and ways to make sure your safe when around horses. The first half of the book covered safety rules, basic riding skills, and many other important techniques that beginner riders need to complete before moving on to higher levels of riding. The second half of the book, from chapters 6 and on, informed people on how to correctly care and manage for a horse. Covering the basics on how to groom, tack, dress around horses and take care of a horse. This book is made to ensure that children and even adults are safe riding or even just around the barn. Horses are very unpredictable animals and it is dangerous to be around them if you are not educated. The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship wants to teach beginners how to properly behave around horses, care for them and teach them the basics of riding. As the book states on its back cover, “It will show you how to become a careful, thoughtful rider and how to communicate with and understand your pony.”
This is a great, well written book that covers every topic that a beginner would need to know. The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship has all the information included in it that any beginner rider will need to know to move on to a higher level of riding or even for someone that was thinking about buying their own horse. Even though I knew almost all of this information, I really enjoyed reading it. It was a great review for me and even taught me some new things that I did not know before. I would suggest this book to anyone that is interested in riding or wanting to buy a horse, even if they knew most of this stuff because it would help them manage and care for a horse of their own. It would also be a great book for a person who is interested in horses but is unsure if they want to begin to ride because it covers everything that a beginner rider would do and it may make them change their mind.
I choose this book because I am a rider and I am very passionate about horses. This is a book that I loved reading and thought was very good but is not for everyone to read. This would not be a book for a person that has absolutely no interest in horses to read because it is focused around horses and is loaded with information. I strongly suggest this book for any person that is interested in starting riding and for beginners who have recently started riding. This would teach people many things about riding and would help them move forward. Rating this book on a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a definite 5. It was a great book that was loaded with a ton of helpful information that will help many people. It is also interesting and helpful to younger people because it has many diagrams, pictures and captions that explain many of the sections which helps your understanding of what it is explaining. What a great book!
Author: Susan E. Harris
The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship is a non-fiction, factual book covering a wide range of topics for beginner riders on the basics of riding and ways to make sure your safe when around horses. The first half of the book covered safety rules, basic riding skills, and many other important techniques that beginner riders need to complete before moving on to higher levels of riding. The second half of the book, from chapters 6 and on, informed people on how to correctly care and manage for a horse. Covering the basics on how to groom, tack, dress around horses and take care of a horse. This book is made to ensure that children and even adults are safe riding or even just around the barn. Horses are very unpredictable animals and it is dangerous to be around them if you are not educated. The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship wants to teach beginners how to properly behave around horses, care for them and teach them the basics of riding. As the book states on its back cover, “It will show you how to become a careful, thoughtful rider and how to communicate with and understand your pony.”
This is a great, well written book that covers every topic that a beginner would need to know. The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship has all the information included in it that any beginner rider will need to know to move on to a higher level of riding or even for someone that was thinking about buying their own horse. Even though I knew almost all of this information, I really enjoyed reading it. It was a great review for me and even taught me some new things that I did not know before. I would suggest this book to anyone that is interested in riding or wanting to buy a horse, even if they knew most of this stuff because it would help them manage and care for a horse of their own. It would also be a great book for a person who is interested in horses but is unsure if they want to begin to ride because it covers everything that a beginner rider would do and it may make them change their mind.
I choose this book because I am a rider and I am very passionate about horses. This is a book that I loved reading and thought was very good but is not for everyone to read. This would not be a book for a person that has absolutely no interest in horses to read because it is focused around horses and is loaded with information. I strongly suggest this book for any person that is interested in starting riding and for beginners who have recently started riding. This would teach people many things about riding and would help them move forward. Rating this book on a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a definite 5. It was a great book that was loaded with a ton of helpful information that will help many people. It is also interesting and helpful to younger people because it has many diagrams, pictures and captions that explain many of the sections which helps your understanding of what it is explaining. What a great book!
February 10, 2017
The book The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship By Susan E. Harris, is a informational text that loads of stuff from how to properly wrap a polo wrap, to how to count the beat in all the gaits. This book also has a great deal of informational on horse colic and different sickness that horse can catch.
I like this book a lot because it was very interesting to read different facts about horse and how to take care of them. My favorite part of the book was the horse management on the second half of the book. After reading this, i finally decided to do my horse management lesson next week on the structure of the hoof and how to properly shoe a horse. This is amazing book and i rated it a five out of five stars because it is full of loads of information and it is worth buying this book.
I like this book a lot because it was very interesting to read different facts about horse and how to take care of them. My favorite part of the book was the horse management on the second half of the book. After reading this, i finally decided to do my horse management lesson next week on the structure of the hoof and how to properly shoe a horse. This is amazing book and i rated it a five out of five stars because it is full of loads of information and it is worth buying this book.
August 13, 2016
Excellent, perfect instructional manual for serious equestrians seeking to strengthen, challenge and refine their applied riding techniques and theory.
The United State Pony Clubs Manual of Horsemanship for all levels: Beginner "D", Intermediate "C", Advanced "B", "HB" and "A" levels are perfectly sequential, technically accurate, realistically organized expectations of both rider and horse, and filled with mandatory vocabulary for every equestrian. The photos and illustrations are classic, clear, and supportive of the instruction. This series was compiled and developed through the expertise of equestrian savvy parents (and their masterful friends) across three hundred years of British (then USA) riding mastery for their children (and blossoming teens).
A winning combination for every equestrian's book shelf. This is a series you will keep as a lasting reference.
The United State Pony Clubs Manual of Horsemanship for all levels: Beginner "D", Intermediate "C", Advanced "B", "HB" and "A" levels are perfectly sequential, technically accurate, realistically organized expectations of both rider and horse, and filled with mandatory vocabulary for every equestrian. The photos and illustrations are classic, clear, and supportive of the instruction. This series was compiled and developed through the expertise of equestrian savvy parents (and their masterful friends) across three hundred years of British (then USA) riding mastery for their children (and blossoming teens).
A winning combination for every equestrian's book shelf. This is a series you will keep as a lasting reference.
August 13, 2016
Excellent, perfect instructional manual for serious equestrians seeking to strengthen, challenge and refine their applied riding techniques and theory.
The United State Pony Clubs Manual of Horsemanship for all levels: Beginner "D", Intermediate "C", Advanced "B", "HB" and "A" levels are perfectly sequential, technically accurate, realistically organized expectations of both rider and horse, and filled with mandatory vocabulary for every equestrian. The photos and illustrations are classic, clear, and supportive of the instruction. This series was compiled and developed through the expertise of equestrian savvy parents (and their masterful friends) across three hundred years of British (then USA) riding mastery for their children (and blossoming teens).
A winning combination for every equestrian's book shelf. This is a series you will keep as a lasting reference.
The United State Pony Clubs Manual of Horsemanship for all levels: Beginner "D", Intermediate "C", Advanced "B", "HB" and "A" levels are perfectly sequential, technically accurate, realistically organized expectations of both rider and horse, and filled with mandatory vocabulary for every equestrian. The photos and illustrations are classic, clear, and supportive of the instruction. This series was compiled and developed through the expertise of equestrian savvy parents (and their masterful friends) across three hundred years of British (then USA) riding mastery for their children (and blossoming teens).
A winning combination for every equestrian's book shelf. This is a series you will keep as a lasting reference.
September 22, 2019
When I entered Pony Club I was an experienced, non-specialized rider. I didn't know anything about jumping and I knew little about daily care of a horse. I basically had B-level general riding and training skills, D-2 jumping skills, and D-3 management skills. My local Pony Club wasn't particularly organized, so this book was a wonderful personal coach. I also knew how to care for pasture animals but not stabled ones, and this book made up for that deficit. This manual and the one's for the later levels are in depth, practical, and easy to read for people across the wide age range of modern Pony Clubbers. Even after I gave up on my local club, the knowledge in this book helped me to help an inexperienced barn manager care for eight horses, including my rescue. How's that for a sure sign a book has rich practical value?
November 30, 2012
it's really good for beginner riders!! Also good for very young riders who are trying to grasp the basics. The only thing i disliked is that every illustration of a person was a very young kid, around 9 or 10. I'm a D because i just started PC in september but that doesnt mean i'm a 9 year old beginner....
September 8, 2011
this really is a must-read for beginner horse riders.
if you've just started riding and need to know this, or if you already know much of this and need to review what you know, this is perfect.
it shows helpful pictures, photos, and diagrams.
this is a really helpful book.
if you've just started riding and need to know this, or if you already know much of this and need to review what you know, this is perfect.
it shows helpful pictures, photos, and diagrams.
this is a really helpful book.
July 12, 2016
A good book on the basics of Horsemanship. It covers basic riding skills, grooming, bandaging, bad habits, conformation (how the horse is built), and what to think about before getting a horse or pony.
The book is written in an easy to understand language.
The book is written in an easy to understand language.
Currently reading
October 31, 2009this is a really good book for anyone who wants to learn the basics about horse care, english riding and jumping. there are two more for more advanced riders. i have to read this one for Pony Club.
Want to read
September 22, 2012I read this back when it was just one 5x7 hardcover book about 15-20 years ago. It'll be interesting to read what they added & made advances on since then.
March 4, 2015
Is was very helpful, but no a book I would just pick up and read for fun.
January 9, 2016
Anyone who is learning to ride this book is the one to read
April 2, 2009
Really good information I love all of the US books.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews