Fundamentals of Riding: Theory & Practice

by Charles Harris

Never opened. 1986 rep. Hardcover v.gd., but v. v. sl. indentation on front and back. Pages tight and clean. Price penciled inside. Ships w/delivery confirmation in U.S.

104 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1990

Reviews

[Tina]

This is not simply a book. It is a Manual. A collection of quotes. An Atlas. A Booklet. It pushes the reader to go into the fundamentals of riding, it trains the mind to conceive the riding journey through constantly valid principles, it contributes to conceive the journey through frameworks. If you are a riding instructor, it enlightens the best essential simple ways to explain things for the first time to beginners. Together with Sally Swift's "Centered Riding" it is a "structuring" book. I still enjoy it and use it in my teaching. A PILLAR.

[Dark-Draco]

There was a lot of clear, concise and interesting information contained in this book. The author covers all the basics, going right back to the anatomy of horse and rider, showing how each should mirror the other and how easily developed faults can have a hugely adverse impact. I loved the way that each topic was kept quite short, with loads of diagrams to illustrate the point, which made it a lot easier to follow. There was also a section at the back targeted at the riding instructor, showing how the principles discussed can be identified and taught, which I found really interesting.

Only two little points did niggle. There are loads of fantastic quotes about riding, equitation and horses, but the author doesn't source a single one. I'm not sure whether we should take that to mean they all come from him, which seems a bit self-indulgent if true! The other is just a matter of age - the book occasionally seems a bit old-fashioned, especially in the hilarious list detailing the differences between men and women!

There was also one puzzling thing - the author recommended that when doing rising trot, the buttocks should leave the saddle, but not the crotch. Hmmmm, after trying this a few times, me and my friends couldn't work out what the hell he meant, as this action would tip you forward in the saddle and/or cause your spine to twist.

Anyway, apart from that, this was a good, informative read and well worth the couple of days it took