Reviews for Dressage for the Young Rider

The average rating for Dressage for the Young Rider based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-09-18 00:00:00 Alan Walton I have to admit that I had no real intention to read this cover to cover. With over 20 years of riding under my belt, I no longer feel the need to read chapters on choosing the perfect horse or how I should be sitting on it once I've found it! But with a young horse I've just started jumping, I thought this would be great to come up with exercises to help. However, I just couldn't get into it at all. The author's style is a little condescending and I soon felt that he wasn't really writing for the one-horse, amateur rider. This book is for someone who wants to make a living from show jumping, not have some fun on the weekend. While I have no problem with that, it doesn't reflect my outlook on my sport. The list of facilities that he includes as a 'basic' need is lovely, but out of the remit of most rider's bank balance, and when I finally did get onto the jumping exercises themselves, I couldn't find anything new or interesting. So with so many other books on my shelves to read, I gave up on this one.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-06-24 00:00:00 James Webster A British showjumper of the day describes methods for training horses to jump, with photos. I read this from the library years ago, and I remember thinking that the operation he ran came across as highly commercial. Horses were clearly being trained up for sale or competition and were not coming across as individuals with character. If I recall correctly, it was this book where the author complains that his girl grooms all fall in love with a horse with a handsome head, especially if it is a rogue. He just considers the rogues to be time wasters for him. This book can be more helpful to jumpers than general riding books because it is more focused. I highly recommend Anthony Paalman's book on training young horses. 'Training Show Jumpers.'