A valuable, thought-provoking look at the best ways riders and horses can learn and improve together. Riding well can be a puzzle. This book puts together the pieces, including:

• How humans and horses learn.
• Striving for partnership vs. dictatorship.
• Early training and developing skills.
• Demystifying equestrian-speak.
• Dressage outside the arena.
• Ground poles for the rest of us.
• Jumping and cross-country tips.
• Solving problems, wherever you ride.
• Competition psychology.
• Being coached and being a coach.

"This book is aimed at riders, coaches, and anyone interested in learning more about how humans and horses interact. I have tried to harness my own experiences when I cover the three main disciplines--dressage, show jumping, and eventing--and how they relate to one another. I look at how those in a coaching position can guide riders to perform better by making their lives less complicated and more fulfilling, and I examine how riders can apply the same principles to training their horses and become self-sufficient." --Eric Smiley