Equine Biomechanics for Riders: The Key to Balanced Riding

by Karin Blignault, Maggie Raynor (Illustrations)

By understanding how the horse's biomechanics work and how to influence them, most of the misunderstanding between horse and rider is avoidable, and the vast majority of schooling problems solvable. Although in its infancy, equine sport science teaches us how a horse's body and mind functions. Through an understanding of this natural science, together with literature left to us by the classical masters, training horses, without the dependence on gadgets, becomes extremely easy and logical. The knowledge of equine biomechanics turns horse training and riding teaching into a completely logical process. In this work, Karin Blignault investigates the horse's natural methods of performing movements and compares this with the movements he performs in dressage and jumping. Examining each individual gait and movement—including lateral work, piaffe, passage, flying changes—the author highlights the biomechanical difficulties the horse encounters in his effort to please the rider, gives suggestions to riders and trainers on how to overcome these difficulties, and further gives judges pointers on how to recognize these problems.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 2009

Reviews

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! This could actually have had the subtitle "Balanced teaching" as well as riding. Blignault uses a science based approach in explaning why certain techniques and 'common knowledge' methods of riding and training your horse works - and why some don't. Extremely knowledgeable and methodical, she never falls into the trap of condemning and ridiculing common misconceptions as is the case for many trainers, but rather brings forward the bio-mechanical background facts and speculates as to why the misconceptions have come to spread. Where the 'common knowledge' or traditional methods work, she explains why they work - without resorting to generalizations or mumbo-jumbo expressions.

Really really good and eye-opening, I recommend it to all that are involved in training or caring for horses.