The Horseman's Essential Library!
Since I spent time in my last post complaining about horsemanship and how many young riders today do not read, I decided to compile a list of "essentials." You can already see that it's a long list, and they are in no particular order, though multiple books by the same author are grouped. I've bolded my favourite titles.

Books on Training and Riding:



Training of Horse and Rider - Alois Podhajsky
School of Horsemanship - de la Gueriniere
Horsemanship - Waldemar Seunig
Effective Horsemanship - Noel Jackson
Gymnasium of the Horse - Gustav Steinbrecht
The Cavalry Manual of Horsemanship and Horsemastership - Gordon Wright
Total Horsemanship - Jean-Claude Racinet
Another Horsemanship - Jean-Claude Racinet
Racinet on Baucher - Jean-Claude Racinet
Falling for Fallacies: Misleading Commonplace Notions of Dressage Riding - Jean-Claude Racinet
Riding Towards the Light - Paul Belasik
Exploring Dressage Technique - Paul Belasik
A Search for Collection - Paul Belasik
Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage - Philippe Karl
Equitation (The Art of Riding) - Wynmalen
Progressive Dressage - Jousseaume
The Education of Horse and Rider – Jean Froissard
Classical Horsemanship of Our Time – From Basic Training to the Highest Levels of Dressage – Jean Froissard
The Art of Horsemanship - Xenophon
Workbooks from the Spanish School - Charles Harris
Fundamentals of Riding - Charles Harris
New Method of Horsemanship - Baucher
A Method of Horsemanship – Baucher
The Principles of Horsemanship and Training Horses - Baucher
The Art of Riding - McTaggart
Mount and Man - McTaggart
A Handbook for Horse Owners - McTaggart
Equitation - Bussigny
Athletic Development of the Dressage Horse - Charles de Kunffy
Give Your Horse a Chance - D'Andrody
An Anatomy of Riding - Schusdziarra
Tug of War: Classical Versus Modern Dressage - Heuschmann
Training of Hunters, Jumpers, and Hacks - Chamberlin
Riding and Schooling Horses - Chamberlin
The Art of Horsemanship - Holmelund
Better Riding - Ben Lewis
American Military Horsemanship - James Ottevaere
Horses, Saddles, and Bridles - William Harding Carter
Centered Riding - Sally Swift
The Principles of Horsemanship - Doug Butler
Riding Logic – W. Museler
The Maneige Royal - Antoine de Pluvinel
A History of Horsemanship - Charles Chenevix-Trench
Horseman's Progress - Littauer
In Defense of the Forward Seat - Littauer
The Forward Seat - Littauer
Common Sense Horsemanship - Littauer
Apropos: Horse and Rider - Hans Senn
The Cavalry Horse and His Pack - Jonathan Boniface
Intro to Riding and Stablecraft - Geoffrey Brooke
Training Young Horses to Jump - Geoffrey Brooke
Horsemanship - Geoffrey Brooke
Horse-Sense and Horsemanship of To-Day - Geoffrey Brooke
Points of the Horse - Horace Hayes
Das DressurPferd (The Dressage Horse) - Harry Boldt
Groundwork - Buck Brannaman
Hunting Reminiscences - Nimrod
Prof. Beery's Mail Course in Horsemanship - Beery
A Manual of Horsemanship: Equitation Manual - Roy Elderkin
Thoughts on (Fox) Hunting - Peter Beckford
War Horse - DiMarco
The Wisdom of Master Nuno Olivera - de Coux
Baucher and His School - Decarpentry
Dressage in the French Tradition - Dom Diogo de Braganca
The Seamless Seat - Kathleen Schmitt
Cross Train Your Horse - Jane Savoie
Dressage 101 - Jane Savoie
Breaking and Riding (With Military Commentary) - James Fillis
Ft. Riley Cavalry Manual
Manual of Equitation for the French Army
The Handbook of Jumping Essentials - F. Lamaire de Ruffieu
Dressage Principles Based on Biomechanics – Dr. Thomas Ritter
Reflections of Equestrian Art – Nuno Oliviera
Handbook of Riding Essentials – Francois Lemaire de Ruffieu
Handbook of Jumping Essentials – Francois Lemaire de Ruffieu
The Way to Perfect Horsemanship – Udo Burger
True Horsemanship Through Feel – Tom Dorrance
Right From the Start – Michael Schaffer
The Elements of Dressage – A Guide to Training the Young Horse – K.A Von Ziegner
Practical Dressage Manual – Bengt Ljungquist
Practical Dressage – Jane Kidd
Advanced Dressage – Anthony Crossley
Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement – Susan Harris
Training of the Horse and Rider – Stecken
Academic Equitation: A Training System Based on the Methods of D’Aure, Baucher, and L’Hotte – General Decarpentry & Nicole Bartle


Books on Physiology and Anatomy:

Equine Back Pathology – Frances Henson
Equine Pathology – James R. Rooney, John L. Robertson
Functional Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals – William O. Reece
Equine Exercise Physiology: The Science of Exercise in the Athletic Horse – Kenneth W. Hinchcliff
Nutritional Physiology of the Horse – Andrea D. Ellis
Equine Reproduction – Angus O. McKinnon et al.
Equine Injury, Therapy, and Rehabilitation – Mary Bromiley
Animal Physiotherapy: Assessment, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Animals – Catherane McGowan et al.
From Neuron to Brain: A Cellular and Molecular Approach to the Function of the Nervous System – John G. Nicholls
Equine Structural Integration: Myofascial Release – James Vincent Pascucci
Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse – Michael W. Ross
The Well Adjusted Horse: Equine Chiropractic Medicine – Daniel R. Kamen
Anatomy of the Horse (Vet) – Klaus Dieter Budras
Equine Acupressure: A Working Manual – Nancy A. Zidonis
Equine Neurology – Martin Furr






And, of course, there are some great DVDs out there, as well. I recommend anything by Jane Savoie and Philippe Karl, both.

Obviously, I recommend EVERY title in that list, and there are even more that I'm sure are magnificent that I haven't read! The shame of it is, books are so expensive these days. Occasionally you can find a good buy on eBay, but I've still spent a small fortune procuring my books. If I'm being honest, I've yet to purchase or even read Elderkin's book, but I'm itching to get it. You'll notice that a lot of these books are outdated (McTaggart, for instance), but they're no less worth the read. Part of being a good horseman is understanding why and how modern horsmanship has come along; in fact, "modern" horsemanship may not be the ideal, you'll find ;)

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