As a couple of people have already suggested, this is almost certainly School for Young Riders by Jane Marshall Dillon.
I lost my copy in some move somewhere along the way and a few years ago, bought another copy for my collection. Yes, it’s old, but it’s still a great book. The thing that makes it so great for kids is that it reads like a fictional story, but manages to impart a large amount of valuable knowledge along the way. And as a kid, I so identified with the backyard pony girl who wanted to join the cool kids at the riding stable.
Hi Peggy,
I say YES for the Pony Club Manual that others have suggested, PLUS these 2 books: 1. PONY CARE by Jean Slaughter and 2. HORSEMANSHIP for BEGINNERS also by Jean Slaughter. These books fit right in with a top notch H/J education and have stood up to the test of time. One thought that could really help: be sure that the child’s instruction/instructor trains from the same proper background. Decent (as opposed to ‘commercial’) H/J came direct from Ft. Riley 1935 instructions and like him or not, George Morris’ teaching books are irrefutable, easy to understand, and hugely helpful. Jane
School for Young Riders is awesome, I still like to pick up one of my copies and read through parts of it. I read it for the first time more than 50 years ago and its a wonderful choice for a 9 year old IMO.
I still have both of Jean Slaughter’s books, Pony Care and Horsemanship for Beginners, they are wonderful additions to any child’s library. And speaking of GM, his niece and nephew are in many of the photographs in those books.
@Janet, @paw, @Peggy, @OfCourseItsAnAlter - thank you! That most likely is it. When I saw @paw’s link, it didn’t look right to me. But after you all chimed in, I googled and I see the cover that I was used to, not what I guess is the original in paw’s post.
It was a wonderful book. I just remember it being like magic for me, that book. I see you can still get it lots of places like biblio and at a good price.
So - I’m going to separate my opinion of Morris from my own take of the one teaching book of his I’ve read, which is Hunter Seat Equitation (3rd edition, published 1990) but will note first what my opinion of Morris is. I, like many, mainly knew Morris’s name/reputation as coach of the US Show Jumping team, numerous internet memes in the horse world and his Practical Horseman column which has now been taken over by Beezie Madden. Like many who had heard of him but not ever met the man, I did look up to him.
I’m also aware of the incident about 20 years ago now at a clinic in Wellington where a horse flipped over an iron pipe being used to pole it (at Morris’s direction) and broke its neck and had to be euthanized. That incident was also detailed in his autobiography.
Then, obviously, the allegations of sexual misconduct towards underage boys came out and I decided that he was not a figure worthy of my respect, from a horsemanship standpoint. Plus, I’d read other hunter/jumper-oriented books (will confess - I’m not technically a hunter/jumper rider, more of a general English riding adult ammie with aspirations towards eventing and that was back when I still was riding regularly.) and realized that the basic information was the same and frankly, the delivery in the other books was better.
But - that aside.
I wouldn’t recommend Hunter Seat Equitation, specifically, for a 9 YO and I’ve not read any of Morris’s other books save for his autobiography. Slight tangent, but at this point I’d also heartily recommend no one buy one of his books new and if one must buy his books, buy them used so he doesn’t get a dime from the sales.
I’m no slouch as a reader, was an advanced reader as a kid (like, started reading street signs out loud as a toddler, reading at approximately 6th grade level by the time I was in 1st grade, advanced) and I can’t imagine myself at age 9 reading a book like Hunter Seat Equitation. I was horse crazy (though didn’t start riding until I was around 10) and wouldn’t have wanted to read it, not because I wouldn’t have wanted to learn, but because, even reading it as a 20-something adult I found it dry, excessively wordy, and kind of a slog. As far as old-school hunter/jumper training books go, I’ve read The De Nemethy Method, Riding & Jumping and Reflections on Riding and Jumping and found all three to be much better written (as in: concise, to the point, not one bit dumbed down but still able to be followed) than Hunter Seat Equitation. Morris, IMO, is simply not a good writer. And I wouldn’t recommend any of those old-school books I just cited for a 9 YO.
Maybe, MAYBE (and I can’t definitively say as I’ve not read it - have heard good things about it and wouldn’t mind someday chasing a copy down for my small collection) Learning to Ride, Hunt and Show, which I think I’ve seen someone cite on this thread, would be more appropriate for a 9 YO child as I believe there are illustrated editions (and I’m not saying a 9 YO absolutely needs a picture book. Again, I myself moved beyond picture books relatively quickly. But for a kid that age, I’d imagine a non-fiction book that’s very much a how-to could seem a bit dry and/or tough to follow without illustrations).
TL/DR: I’ve read Hunter Seat Equitation, am no slouch as a reader and didn’t really find it “easy to understand” - well, let me clarify: I understood the book but can see why some wouldn’t as it’s very wordy. And yes I know, irony, irony my post was wordy.
EDIT: It just hit me but I think I may’ve read Reflections on Riding & Jumping before I ever read Hunter Seat Equitation.
I am going to sound like an absolute hopeless nerd here but having read both of Steinkraus’s books I WISH that man had written more books on horses, generally, or an autobiography or literally anything. The man could WRITE and that is not something I say lightly, particularly about equestrian non-fiction authors who do training books.
Also if anyone wants a book to avoid I have some book on my shelf I managed to read once called Sport Horse Conformation by some German guy who’s name escapes me (someone more modern and not a notable name as a rider as far as I know) that came out within the past decade-ish I think and holy cow does that thing suck. It’s like, maybe 100 pages but it took me something like 2-3 weeks to finish it when I read it like, 5 years ago. And I’m not a slow reader when it’s a good book. Oh and it was really biased towards warmbloods as the ideal which, on the one hand, I get and kind of expected from a German author but on the other hand, good conformation is the same no matter the breed.
FWIW, I also would not introduce a young person to GM even in book form. @anon15718925 said it all very eloquently, but I’ll add one more thing: I wouldn’t introduce a child to GM in any way for all the reasons forfeit mentioned, but in addition, if she would mention his name to friends or barn mates, etc., she might get the whole story about him from someone other than her parents/trusted adult and it is not all age-appropriate. With so many good books out there, there is no reason to wade into that swamp.
Anyway, I wanted to comment that I also clearly recall coming downstairs one Christmas morning and seeing a single issue of Equus sticking up out of my stocking. I got a subscription and that was the first issue. I loved getting that magazine each month and it had a lot of good articles about horse care. Maybe there’s a good magazine you could get her as well as the book.
This is a great thread, by the way. Thank you, @Peggy!
This and thank you I was bracing to have to zip the flamesuit (Even on here where opinions on Morris are verrrry mixed by the looks of it)
Bear in mind I’d have read both of Morris’s books circa 2015-16 not too many years before SafeSport nailed him and didn’t know of his proclivities - I was aware of the Wellington pole incident had kind of heard about it somewhere (not here I don’t think though I did lurk around here) but didn’t know all the details and still generally respected the man’s knowledge albeit still keeping in mind the Wellington incident. After the allegations came out I kept the book on my shelf for a few years but finally gave it to Goodwill this year (hesitated mainly b/c I didn’t ever want to inflict that book on someone not aware of Morris’s being a skeezebag) - my mom’s horsey enough (doesn’t ride but horsey by osmosis via me, you could say) she was aware of what all had come out and I just told her “I hate getting rid of something that was a Christmas present (she gave it to me) but I also am never gonna read this again.”
I just straight-up did not like the man’s writing, regardless of his checkered past. I wouldn’t look too askance at an adult reading Hunter Seat Equitation, specifically, if they weren’t like, buying it new and singing Morris’s praises from the rooftops or anything, because I can understand wanting to read it to see why it was hyped in the past if they’ve somehow heard about it (less and less likely). I do also feel Hunter Seat Equitation had its place in equestrian history but even having read it prior to Morris getting nailed I thought it was a bit overhyped.
Steinkraus’s books were both a million times better and as far as I’m aware, Steinkraus generally was a far better man and horseman than Morris could’ve dreamt of being.
EDIT: Want to add for anyone else that reads Jane2’s posts - these days I don’t, personally, feel that it’s a case of “like him or not” on someone like Morris. No. Sorry. He abused underage students. This is no longer a matter of people thinking his teaching style is mere bullying or verbally abusive or old-school or tough love or whatever you want to label it. He sexually assaulted underage people who he was in a position of power over. It doesn’t matter if he was the horse world’s answer to Mr. Frickin’ Rogers, that is never acceptable.
EDIT 2: Wanted to apologize in case any survivors are reading this and feel triggered by the words s*xually assaulted - I won’t censor them in the post because I feel society broadly needs to learn to say words that they might find difficult to say but I do know some survivors can be triggered by seeing the words and apologize.
Chiming in to add another vote for Happy Horsemanship. The drawings are utterly adorable, which keeps a younger kiddo’s interest, and it is well written with solid information.
I don’t know if they’re anywhere to be found any more, but “Annie Learns to Ride,” and “Annie Owns a Pony” are also wonderful for younger kids. Both are written comic-book style, but are full of excellent British horsemanship wisdom. They’re adorably illustrated and follow Annie from taking her first lesson through to owning her own pony, Daisy.
Hmmm. I remember devouring Judy Richter’s book at that age. Then again, I was basically a 40yo in a child’s body, so maybe it wouldn’t resonant with most kids.
While it’s not exactly H/J eq (& iirc he has personal shortcomings as a domestic partner) I loved Captain Mark Phillip’s book for the BHS as a child. As an adult, I admire the fact that despite being who & what he is, he comes across as sympathetic & open and decidedly not an a$$hat. For example, he describes a child asking why her pony - who she has been feeding mostly bread - still seems hungry & cranky. His response was along the lines of: “I know a lot of people would jump to censure this child. But at least she has the common sense & courage to ask why.” Someone on a US-based board I belong to posted about her preteen daughter & barn mates encountering him at Rolex years ago. They were puzzled about him walking the X country course & asked why he was doing it. “Come along, I’ll show you,” was his response. And cheerfully took a dozen barn rat kids along on his course walk.
I’m also a Cherry Hill fan. Again, not H/J per se. Good stuff, though.
Just going to say on my own part here the only reason personal shortcomings ever came up at all was because of just how atrocious Morris’s shortcomings, specifically were. Just want to clarify that so no one thinks I’m generally the moral purity police here, haha.
Don’t know enough about Mark Phillips to have any real opinion on the books or any shortcomings he may have. Usually when I’ve heard him getting flack it’s been for his XC course designs. Do think his books sound solid from what you describe.
It’s not only waves hands everything about Morris’s personal life and horsemanship, but also his books often make comments about weight and contain gendered stereotypes about riding that can make a very strong impression upon a child.
FWIW re: horsemanship, his books also don’t contain very much about the care and handling of horses, which is important to touch upon (and which he even admits he didn’t give much attention to, in his own writing).
This book is not hunter/jumper specific, but it’s a gem of a book, first published in 1956. I got it in the 1960s and just devoured it, time and time again. The illustrations, by the author, are fabulous. Chapter One starts with the History of Our Horses and Chapter Ten, In Conclusion, discusses, at a suitable level, the responsibility we have to our horses and ponies as they age and can no longer be ridden. The chapters in between are solidly pony, pony, pony.
(Having just pulled it off of my bookshelf to describe it, I plan to sit down and reread it this evening!)
Was it maybe one of the Jean Slaughter Doty books? I would check The Crumb and Monday Horses out of the local library on repeat. Between those and the Thoroughbred series, I read horsey fiction voraciously. I would also check out the Horse Encyclopedia with all the pictures of breeds, and books on keeping horses at home in a desperate attempt to convince my parents our yard was big enough if we converted the garage to a stall (it wasn’t by a long shot btw).
As for a how to book, I’m another vote for the PC D manual.
Oh, no worries. You didn’t come across that way. I agree with you regarding George Morris. He’s beyond the pale. It’s funny. I’m roughly the same age as Vivi Malloy from “A Very Young Rider” and spent many happy hours thumbing through the book lost in daydreams. The parts about Vivi’s sister/dieting/George Morris struck 8yo me as kind of ick & not right.
Unless I’ve missed something (and I tried to Google to make sure I wasn’t) Phillips has never been associated with anything illegal and/or remotely close to Safe Sport ban-level behavior. He’s had some issues not straying outside his marriages. His current partner is much younger, but was still well over the age of majority when they got together.
(Even on here where opinions on Morris are verrrry mixed by the looks of it)