Free-riding Books

I bought this book a few years back when my colt was a yearling. It has great technichs that I have used numerous times on many different horses. And in response to the comment about 'tying the horses head to the girth' YOU DIDN"T READ IT RIGHT. HE said to check them to the sturip NOT the girth. He said the girth is a non moving element and should not be used for lack of realistic give and take.

Well worth the money! It is a GREAT book!

Having attended 2 of Richard's 5 day sessions, I can assure you that his methods are completely safe. They are logical insights into a horse's instincts and the way we react to them. His books and videos are easy to follow, step-by-step guides to training, not by extreme force but by gentle pressure. Amazingly his ways work and they do not involve expensive gear and hours of intense riding. I have seen him work wonders with horses of all breeds and experience. This book is worth checking into if you want simple, common sense day to day training.

...and he says that anyone can do this in their own backyard. That thought scares me. I think this guy means well but some of what he does doesn't seem very resistance free at all. Tying the horses head to the girth doesn't seem to fall into the "gentle" category. I checked out his video and it was even scarier!! I worry about completely well meaning people who follow Richard's training methods!

This book is a "What it is" book rather than a "How to and Why to do it" book. The preface explains why: the author notes that in the UK it is ILLEGAL for horse owners to apply medical/specialized knowledge without the permission of a veterinarian. So- there is no detailed information, just a description of the problem and a description of the treatment. Not extremely useful.

This book is a slow read and not the most comprehensive or useful book on this topic. Mostly it covers massage and stretching. It goes over evaluation of the normal horse, identifying problems, preventing problems, massage, exercise therapy, and specific regimes for specialist disciplines. A specific regime is not included for jumpers. The massage section had lots of pictures and showed you, step-by-step, how to do it. Not worth it for me.

If you are interested in learning not only how to avoid injury to your horse but improve performance, you would do well to take the practical and well-thought out advice offered by this well-respected and credentialed human and equine physiotherapist. Even the spiral binding was considered so to allow one to take it to the barn and lay it open while you practice the many simple yet effective techniques Ms. Sutton covers beside many helpful photos. As in all healthcare, in order to determine what abnormal is, one must start with a clear understanding of normal. While this may seem like "stating the obvious," I come across enough horseowners for whom such things bear repeating. To focus solely on this, is to miss the overall value and important information this book contains. Beside massage and stretching regimens for the horse, stretching and warm up exercises for the rider are also included, so horse and rider function as a more physically harmonious unit vs. separate elements. Chock full of practical tips from hoof balance to suppling exercises, you would do well to own this book.

I did not find this book helpful in any way and do not recommend purchasing it for your library. What the author considers helpful tips are statements of the obvious. For example in the Suppling Exercises Applied chapter, a Tip from the author is: "You can rest yourself and the horse in between each exercise, or just continue into the next one straightaway." Advice such as "blankets should fit correctly" is equally ridiculous. There are many other excellent books to use as resources - feel free to pass on this one.

I was very disappointed in this book by Richard Shrake. I have read his other articles in the free horse newspaper and they are very good and informative. In this book the only thing you get out of it is that you should breath on your horse. The entire book is about that.