Spinoff: a hundred-fifty bucks worth of education

[outerbanks77]

Spinoff from the THW thread - if you were make recommendations with someone to spend $150 on educational materials or content on posture, biomechanics and/or groundwork, where would you put it? This is about the cost of two lessons or one clinic ride for many of us. Please list the prices along with your items. Here are some things I’ve found to be well worth the money:

Books:
Posture and Performance: Principles of Training Horses from the Anatomical Perspective by Gillian Higgins - $25.22
Physical Therapy for Horses by Helle Katrine Kleven - $36.49

Videos
In-Hand Lessons with Manolo Mendez: An Introduction to Working In-Hand $34.95 (also gains you entry to his FB group. He does not post directly, but has an active representativei moderating the group).
Lessons in Lightness: Building the Horse’s Foundation in Hand $24.95 + book ($14.95-$39.95)
Beyond Horse Massage $34.95 + book $32.95 (I also really like the Light to the Core DVD, but I’m out of money).

Free stuff:
Webinars with Wendy on the YouTube SureFoot channel
Ritter Dressage free 5-day challenges. Yes, they are a plug to get you to sign up for their paid courses, but provide good free content.

[Scribbler]

I remember hearing good things about Straighteness Training but have never looked into it

[Hightale]

You’d be better off looking into the Academic Art of Riding - ST is the Parelli of classical schooling.

[athelas]

I’d buy Centered Riding again and then spend the rest on lessons

[fizzyfuzzybuzzy]

I was just looking at the book by Gillian Higgins thinking I wanted it… so thank you for posting this! I definitely second the Physical Therapy for Horses book, so much great info there!

To Books and Videos I’d add Activate Your Horse’s Core by Hilary Clayton - currently $53.99 including shipping from Amazon and it’s a book and DVD.

I also really like the 55 Corrective Exercises for Horses by Jec Ballou - $22.99 for the paperback or $13.50 for the Kindle version. She also has tons of free content on her Youtube channel.

[Jealoushe]

Free - Mary Wanless podcast

[SpicyPRE]

Best $25 you will ever spend - Betsy Steiner’s A Gymnastic Riding System Using Mind, Body, & Spirit: Progressive Training for Rider and Horse

https://www.amazon.com/Gymnastic-Riding-System-Using-Spirit-ebook/dp/B00TXS4DN0

[scislandsprite]

I’d probably put the $150 towards a couple lessons in the Academic Art of Riding or books! I actually ended up buying some books yesterday after finally finishing reading that thread, the titles & prices are below.

1. Xenophon’s “The Art of Horsemanship” $27.39
2. Alois Podhajsky’s " Complete Training of Horse and Rider: In the Principles of Classical Horsemanship" $21.99
3. Yvonne Barteau’s " The Dressage Horse Manifesto: Training Secrets, Insight, and Revelations from 10 Dressage Horses" $23.10
4. General Decarpentry’s (translated by Nicole Bartle) " Academic Equitation: A Training System Based on the Methods of D’Aure, Baucher and L’Hotte" $27.41
5. Anja Beran’s “Classical Dressage with Anja Beran: Foundations for a Successful Horse and Rider Partnership” $85.00
   Total is $184.89 technically

I also really want to get Kip Mistral’s “Horse Training In-Hand: A Modern Guide to Working from the Ground” in paperback/hard cover but can only find it digitally as it’s out of print. The physical copies I did manage to find are about $160-200 since they’re kind of hard to find so if anyone knows of any other places to get it, let me know!

[fizzyfuzzybuzzy]

Ooooo, good one! That reminds me to go dig out my copy and flip through it again!

[Scribbler]

@Hightale

You’d be better off looking into the Academic Art of Riding - ST is the Parelli of classical schooling.

Thank you for the warning. I’ve gotten all my training in person so haven’t gone looking at online resources.

[stillgoing]

concur on AAoR, and I’d also add in Josepha Guillaume’s book Dressage In Hand. Also Manolo Mendez, who is doing a clinic in Texas in May. Jec Ballou. Masterson. James Shaw. good sources for positive reinforcement training are Alexandra Kurland and Connection Training. And for those interested, acupressure with either Tallgrass or Susan Tenney. BTW I was in THW $150 class last year and IMO it was not worth it. I dropped after the first month or so.

[Hightale]

Another to add to the list!

Schooling Exercises In-Hand: Working Towards Suppleness and Confidence by...

This is a really easy to follow, step by step guide to classical in hand work.

A little more in depth and now out of print but another easy to follow guide this one covers work on the lunge, long lines and touches on pillar work too.

Training the Horse in Hand: The Classical Iberian Principles by Alfons J....

[chris10astra]

How so? ST is way more than 150$ anyway.

[Hightale]

Marijke has a Parelli background and understands that using a formulaic buy in training programme ties people in and sells a dream.
She was originally a student of Bent’s and when he wouldn’t be pushed into making AAoR a formulaic programme struck out on her own using the Parelli formula to run Straightness Training.

AAoR is a methodical, in depth study of the art of classical dressage, a long, slow progression of very gradual schooling the horse into balance and lightness. Bent Branderup truly can be described as a master for modern times.
ST is a goal driven formula based lite version of these classical principles by a student of Bent’s.
There have been so many changes to what she says and does along the way it’s now a very different concept to where it started. AAoR is firmly and deeply rooted in the classical tradition and is what it is, no deviations or alterations required because it absolute takes the horse into account every single step of the way.
I’m not saying ST is bad, its a great way to get people into classical based in hand work and beyond but having had a wonderful classical education prior to experiencing the work of both ST & AAoR online, in print and by attending clinics by students of both Marijke and Bent, then a clinic with Bent himself they are absolutely poles apart.

[JenEM]

I haven’t read all the other thread.

But if you told me there was $150 to learn with, I’d first spend $99 to get the Ridely app for the year. Then I’d suggest picking up two books, Klimke’s “Cavaletti” (for strengthening the horse) and Swift’s “Centered Riding” (for balancing the rider). If you can find used copies of those, you might have enough left over to pick up Paul Cronin’s “Schooling and Riding the Sport Horse”. Which admittedly is more h/j based, but is a logical system of bringing a horse along properly.

[chris10astra]

Thanks this is helpful! I am interested in AAoR but have found it hard to understand where to start, perhaps because I’m in the US and it seems more European? Sorry to hijack thread. Thanks again for the thorough reply.

[Angela_Freda]

Cheap on Thriftbooks :

That Winning Feeling
*other books by Savoie about cross training
Lessons With Lendon

[kaya842]

Third the Physical Therapy for Horses book! So, so much info in there. I’ve read it twice and go back to look at specific passages frequently and find something new each time.
Also really like the 55 Corrective Exercises book as well. Both very good buys.
The only thing I have to add is under “Freebies” I’ve learned a good deal from Amelia Newcomb Dressage’s YouTube channel. Her how to ride a movement videos with corresponding demonstration have helped me when I’ve gotten stuck.

[SpicyPRE]

Yes! I have The Physical Therapy book and love it and refer to frequently.

[TwiSedai]

I love Amelia Newcomb’s stuff. I feel like she explains things really well and I think she’s a lovely rider