Ride Smart: Improve Your Horsemanship Skills On The Ground And In The Saddle

by Craig Cameron

Under one title, Craig Cameron brings together a thorough look at horses and their nature and good, solid horsemanship skills that suit both novice and experienced riders. The book is divided into sections, each dealing with a different aspect of horsemanship. The first delves into the psychological and physical realities of horses as a species and how man can best understand them to develop a positive, partnering relationship with them. Other sections cover groundwork, including early handling, round-pen exercises, and riding techniques that enable the horse to perform basic as well as intricate maneuvers. Each chapter includes interesting sidebars that complement the main text. Sidebars include "True Story," an anecdote or story that relates to the chapter's subject matter; "Here's How," a tip that pertains to the chapter's focus, and "A Better Way," a troubleshooting section that offers a step-by-step exercise people can do to work the horse through a problem noted in the chapter.

Genres: Horses

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure how this one ended up in my stack of library books, but I definitely read it a long time ago when I was a girl dreaming about her first horse. It's full of great information about everything you need to know getting started. There's a lot about colt starting, laying a good foundation, and things your horse should be good with. I can remember working through most of this stuff with my three year old mare when I bought her. It might be fun to go back and try some of these things (like the hobbles) again now that she's fourteen. Love these Western Horseman books!