Book Reviews

Horsekeeping. A sane approach to the care and management of horses by Eva Berriman Soft back 207 pages ISBN 0 646 19891 8

Well the name says it all. This book is really a breath of fresh air. The author is a vet with extensive experience in breeding, showing, and even racing horses. It offers simple, practical advice for looking after your horse. If you have trouble wading through wordy tomes, this is the book for you. In fact, it is a book for everyone! It is an Australian book written for Australian conditions, and dispels many myths and old wives tales about keeping horses. For example, it is not necessary to boil barley to soften the hull, you only need to soak it overnight! How much time and effort will this one tip save you? The information is arranged in chapters and is easy to find and covers subject including: breeds, identifying characteristics, common terms, behaviour, welfare, tack and gear, restraint methods, conformation faults, unsoundness, signs of ill health, common diseases, injuries and first aid, worms, components of feeds and feeding, breeding. The book also has an index.

Rating: ***** I would recommend this book for and to everyone.


Horse Sense. The Australian guide to horse husbandry by Peter Huntington and Fran Cleleand.
310 pages. ISBN 0 7306 1558 8 (paperback). Also available as a hardback. I think there is a new edition out, too.

Another Australian book for Australian conditions therefore highly recommended. The book has been written by experienced horse people (Peter Huntington is a vet) and has been sponsored by Rhone-Poulenc Animal Nutrition. Blatant and otherwise advertising, while present, has been kept to a minimum so don’t let this put you off. This book is packed with information, it is A4 in size and is about an inch thick and includes some colour photos. I have to warn you though, that the colour photos of skin conditions in the veterinary section are a bit yukky! Topics covered include breeds, colours and markings, behaviour, feeding including a guide to recognising poisonous plants, handling, facilities including fencing and stable design, the horse’s legs and feet including conformation, lameness and shoeing, health including first aid and diseases, breeding, transportation, and finishing with general horse management. There is also a glossary and index.

Rating ***** Recommended for everyone.


First Aid for Horses (any book)
It is absolutely essential that you buy an up-to-date first aid book for horses, then READ IT, and keep it handy for reference. You should keep a copy in your horse first aid kit, right next to your vet’s phone number (which should be programmed into your mobile phone). There are magazine-style first aid books such as the Country Style one above or small books just on First Aid that are a bit cheaper than a full veterinary manual. You need to know what to do when your horse cuts itself! Also what to do if he has bruising, oedema, colic, laminitis, a bite or sting, heat exhaustion, tying up, snakebite even! This knowledge could save your horse’s life, or greatly reduce the effects of an injury.

Recommended as essential for everyone, even if it’s the only book you own.

Allen Photographic Guides/ Greenhouse Picture Guides/ Cadmos Horse Guides
Soft back, usually about 24 pages.

These photographic guides are available on a wide range of topics, from feeding, rugging, grooming and plaiting to schooling or even constructing fences or showjumps. While the books are informative, and are cheap compared to other horse books, they do not really offer great value for money. The information is basic and will only help you if the topic is completely new. I recommend you limit yourself to only those titles that you really really really think will be useful to you. But you are probably better off saving a bit more money and buying a more comprehensive book. The Cadmos “Horse Guides” range of books have a lot more information in them, slightly bigger at 32 pages, so keep a look out for those instead. And representing even better value for money are the Country Style books if you can get hold of them.

Rating *** Recommended for specific interests or for younger readers

Knots for Horse-Lovers by Ron Edwards
Soft back, 44 pages ISBN 1 875872 63 9

If you want to know how to tie a rope halter or bridle, this book has detailed diagrams to accomplish this. It also covers knots used for joining ropes or tethering etc. A really good little book, and it only costs about . Yes, yet another Aussie book.

Rating **** Recommended for people who want to make rope halters/bridles.

Horse Control and the Bit, Horse Control and the Rider, Horse Control, The Young Horse and Horse Control Reminiscences by Tom Roberts
Hardback, Approx 120 pages each

These books are also on my highly recommended list. Again, Australian books written by a great Aussie horsemen. Don’t be put off by the fact these are old books, the information contained in them will never go out of date. Have you ever been in awe of the way some people seem to have that extra knowledge and skill in handling horses? You can be in on those secrets after reading these books. Here you have practical tips from a horsemaster for handling and training your horse with safety, using horse psychology and kindness. Horse Control and the Bit really explodes some myths about bits, for instance, if used roughly, snaffle bits ARE severe, and a Pelham can be a gentle bit in its action which is why some horses go better in them, its because it’s a gentle bit, not because it’s severe. There are explanations of how different types of bits work, and plenty of advice to help you choose the right bit for your horse. If you are not usually a great reader, you might like Horse Control Reminiscences. This book is in more of a chatty style and is easy to read because the author describes his interactions with horses in short stories. These stories all have a lesson to them so you still pick up lots of practical tips.

Rating ***** Recommended for everyone


The Elements of Dressage. A guide for training the young horse. By Kurd Albrecht Von Ziegner
Hard back, 127 pages, ISBN 1 58574 735 1

If you have ever wanted to improve your horse by schooling and have been confused by wordy dressage books go out and get this book right now. The dressage rulebooks outline what judges are looking for in the correct training of the horse. These terms can be very confusing but this book explains them simply, and the order you need to achieve them for the correct training of the horse. Here are the terms (there is a chapter devoted to each): Relaxation, Regularity, Freedom, Contact, On the aids, Straightness, Balance, Suppleness, Impulsion, Collection. Have a look at the order of the list. There isn’t much use trying to progress if your hose is not relaxed, is there? Or expecting straightness if the stride is not regular? Or expecting balance if there is no freedom in the horse’s stride? It’s obvious when you think about it. If you want to delve into the mysteries of dressage, this is the ONE book you need, or the book you buy FIRST. This book will help improve your horse’s way of going whatever disciple he does, not just dressage.

Rating ***** Recommended for anyone wanting to improve their horse’s way of going.


Cavalletti. Schooling of horse and rider over ground rails. By Reiner Klimke
Softback, 128 pages. Numerous reprintings, but my copy is ISBN 0 85131 337 X

Reiner Klimke was probably Germany’s (if no the world’s) best known dressage trainer. He has sadly passed away now, but brought horse after horse up to international Grand Prix level. His daughter Ingrid competed recently at the Athens Olympics. If you want to improve your horse’s movement, or if you have a clumsy horse and you want to teach him pick his feet up, this book shows you how! Just walking and trotting your horse over some cavaletti will improve your horse’s strength and coordination. Think of it as gym training for your horse. So if you want to improve your horse’s dressage scores, or start him jumping, or if he always bangs the rails in his western trail class, start batting your eyelashes at hubby and get him to make you some cavaletti. (Not trying to be sexist, but men LIKE making things :-) ) This book is often advertised at an exorbitant price new, so try to pick up a second-hand copy.

Rating ***** Recommended for those wanting to improve their horse’s movement or coordination.
The complete guide to Dressage by Jennie Loriston-Clark
Hard back, 160 pages ISBN 1 85648 176 9

Jennie Loriston-Clark had very great success on the British Dressage Team with her Dutch Warmblood “Dutch Courage” during the ‘70’s and early ‘80’s and is a sought after instructor. If you have ever wondered what a shoulder-in actually is and what the aids are, this is the book to tell you. It starts with a brief introduction to dressage and goes onto horse selection and handling of the young horse. Then onto the nitty-gritty of the aids, the use of the natural aids - the hand, seat and legs, and the artificial aids - whips, spurs and martingales. After this we move onto specific movements, starting at the beginning with walk, trot and canter, then as we move through the book she works through paces and transitions and onto lateral work, then finally the more difficult movements such as canter pirouette and piaffe and passage. There is extensive use of diagrams and photographs to explain each movement, the aids, common faults and some exercises to work on. The book ends with some competition advice. The photos and diagrams in this book make it easy to understand each movement. I would recommend this book to anyone at any level having lessons as a reference to explain the movements and aids, especially if you have ever been confused by the terminology.

Rating: ***** Recommended for all levels of schooling as a reference.

The Art of Horsemanship by Xenophon
(the edition I have is that translated by Morris H Morgan, hard back 187 pages ISBN 0 85131 0419

There is something very moving about reading a book published 2300 years ago, and this book is worth reading for curiosity value even if you don’t go out and buy it. But it is extroadinary in that much of Xenophon’s advice is relevant today. As I mentioned above, Xenophon was a Greek cavalry officer, and in this book he passes on much advice gained by years of experience. He starts by giving advice when purchasing a horse. We might exclaim over the prices advertised in Horse Deals, but think how valuable a war horse in ancient Greece must have been, and what an investment. He advises to avoid upright pasterns as “they have no spring, they jar the rider, and such legs are apt to get inflamed”. Something that hasn’t changed in 2300 years. Later in the book when talking about mounting, he recommends the rider grasp the mane as well as the reins, so that when you mount you do not jar the horse in the mouth. All through the book he advocates kindness towards the horse. He talks about the importance of circle work in suppling the horse, and getting the horse supple on both reins. He also recommends that the horse’s stall is paved with round river stones to strengthen the hooves, something recommended today by the exponents of barefoot trimming. If you are thinking you would never get though a “scholarly” work of this nature, the actual translation of Xenophon’s book is not very long, the rest of the book is taken up by notes and explanations that you can skip over if you wish.

Rating **** Recommended for the curious.

Riding a Dressage Test by Terry Colgate and Martin Diggle
Hard back 111 pages ISBN 0 86131 464 3

This is a British book and unfortunately a bit harder to find these days. If you are thinking about taking up dressage, or are disappointed by your scores, this book will be very handy. There are lots of practical advice and tips to improve your confidence and performance. The sections on how to learn a test, and how to ride the test are especially useful. This book is aimed not just for the owner-rider but also for those on borrowed or hired horses. The other books in this series by Martin Diggle “Riding over Jumps” and “Riding Cross Country” are very useful also.

Rating ***** Highly recommended for those new to dressage.


Country Style Magazine Starting out in... series.

These magazines are really excellent. I would highly recommend you get hold of one of these if you are just starting in a particular discipline.  These are quite old now and might be hard to get hold of - try ebay

Titles included:

Your First Horse
Starting out in Dressage
First Aid for Horses
Starting out in Eventing
Breeding a Foal
Starting out in Sports Riding: Polo, Polocrosse, Campdrafting
Starting out in Showjumping
Starting out in Endurance
Advanced Endurance Riding
Your First Farm
Advanced Dressage
Starting out in Showing
Starting out in Western

These magazine-style books have all been written by a top rider in that field. And yep, again they are Australian books. They are very practical and cover everything you need to get you (successfully) to your first competition starting from horse selection, then preparation including training and feeding. Then they move onto the competition itself including what clothes to wear, how to turn your horse out, what is involved in the competition including the rules. Every detail is covered including floating and even advice on how early to arrive before the competition. If you are thinking about trying your hand at one of the above disciplines but haven’t a clue what’s involved, you must get your hands on a copy. These are out of print now unfortunately so you will have to look on eBay or in second hand book shops. Expect them to sell for a lot more than the cover price.

Rating ***** Recommended for any novice competitor

Horse Colour Explained. A breeder’s perspective. by Jeanette Gower
Soft back, 144 pages ISBN 0 86417 906 5

This book is worth buying just for the pictures, which includes many rare colours you have probably never seen. Its another Aussie book full of Aussie horses. There is a chapter at the beginning that explains simple inheritance. Don’t be daunted if it is confusing at first, read the chapter a couple of times and things will hopefully become clearer. The payoff for your persistence will be the ability to predict the probability of certain colours from a certain mating. Or just give up and look at the fabulous pics. However, if you are breeding for a specific colour you need to understand inheritance. there is no point hoping for a particular colour when there is zero chance from the mating. In this case, the book will save your time and money. If you breed overo horses I personally urge you to read this book, as there are strategies to reduce the risk of the lethal white syndrome. Ok, we’ve established this book has great pics and is great for explaining simple inheritance. In my opinion, the author does not distinguish clearly enough in the book which bits are established scientific facts, and which bits are her speculation (admittedly speculation based on extensive research and experience). If you are worried about this, read what she says carefully. The book seems to be mostly correct, although I have been told (by a US colour expert I “met” on an internet mail list) that her description of the inheritance of different shades of chestnut has been proven to be incorrect.

Rating **** Recommended as a picture book and for breeders interested in colour.