Equestrian Reading List and Horse Bibliography
I always enjoy a good horse read. I will try to list and categorize some selected horse books. It is always possible to request your local library order as an inter-library loan a book they do not have in their collection. I do have one caution, which is that you can read all the books you want, but they are no substitute for hands-on experience.
This is a beautifully illustrated book that covers most topics of interest to a rider or horse owner.
It is useful to have a book that has this broad coverage of horse related topics. It is comprehensive but not all that fancy.
Maxwell's book is a well-rounded book on developing and honing horsemanship skills. Our skill set, no matter at what level currently, needs continuous improvement and education. This book serves that purpose well.
I date myself listing this, but there may be similar volumes still in print. It is a good source when you are trying to define terminology. You must admit that if we have anything, it is a lot of terminology.
This is a very well-done and useful reference guide.
This also a very well-done and useful reference guide.
This is a short, but well-illustration book by a former jockey..
The story of a horse named Snowman, who Harry de Leyer bought off of the "knacker" truck, bound for the slaughter house. Some quality in the sad-looking, cast off Amish plow horse catches de Leyer's eye. Rehabilitated the horse vindicates de Leyer's judgement and becomes a show jumping national champion after de Leyer manages to discovers his talent for jumping.
A well-written story of one of America's most famous racehorses. The author was a sportswriter for the Baltimore Sun and Native Dancer stood at Sagamore Farm, north of Baltimore, then owned by Alfred Vanderbilt.
The story of "Stymie" and his owner-trainer Hirsch Jacobs, a gambling man.
The tragic story of a horse believed to be greatest Thoroughbred filly of all time.
This book was made into a movie and concerns a memorable racehorse that it is claimed in 1938 received move press coverage than Franklin Roosevelt.
The compelling story of a Korean-born racehorse that was purchased by U.S. marines to transport ammunition over impossibly rugged terrain where no man or vehicle would serve. The little mare had a lot of personality, devotion and endurance. She survived the war to become an honored member of the U.S.M.C.
A classic story, which had a major social impact in fostering humane treatment of animals.
A children's book about having a horse and different kinds of riding intended for ages 8 and up.
The book is a series abridged stories originally written by other authors for older children. The content is very diverse and drawn from classics, like Black Beauty to Bucephalus, a horse of the ancient world to modern stories.
A short children's book with good photographs, explaining Horse Care.
A short children's book with good photographs, explaining riding horses.
A short children's book with good photographs, explaining showing horses.
A short children's book with good photographs, explaining training of horses.
The book is a series of short bedtime stories for children about horses
Brown is a prolific writer, better known for her others works, but she did write a series of murder mysteries set in Virginia hunt county. In this book the mystery takes second place to her vivid description of fox hunting. Browns protagonist is Jane, a master of foxhounds. You follow Jane as she navigates the treacherous terrain of the hunt field and of hunt politics. Brown's animals have thoughts and conversations. This kind of thing is a nonstarter for me, but the author employs this as a literary device to explain the animal's role in the hunt.
Patterson, a bestselling author, and Lupica, a sports columnist with a daughter who rides, combine to tell the fictional story of three generations of Florida horsewomen. The mother and daughter find themselves at odds over horses and both completing for a place on the U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team. Other areas of their lives are also unsettled. We learn what show jumpers experience in the arena as the story proceeds to its climax.
Golden collected an anthology of short stories about horses.
The story of mustangs from the perspective of an outdoors man and horseman.
Another older reference book with a focus on Thoroughbred racing history.
Timmons's cartoons are executed in the sprit of Thelwell's, more current and just as funny.
Thelwell's classic cartoons captures the horse and pony space with great wit and humor.
This book is a reference catalog of great events concerning famous race horses.
This book is a series of black and white photos with detailed captions about the history of racing in Maryland.
This book is a reference catalog of famous race horses.
This large volume covers various race tracts and prominent men and horses of the racing world in the U.S.
Most of us would rather not do a dressage test. However, the ability to maneuver a horse in two dimensions (rarely in three) is fundamental to any riding and the principles taught by basic dressage worth keeping in mind when learning any kind of riding.
This book was a very interesting discussion of the clues that allow you to understand a horse's emotions and outlook regarding a particular situation. Wilsie also details 13 areas on the equine body that she refers to as buttons. These are used by mares to urge a foal into a certain action and are a way a rider can ask a horse to perform a that action. She talks about the importance to the animal of its personal space (its bubble) and ways to respect it. You may not agree with all Wilsie says, but I think that reading the book will cause you to reconsider your interactions with horses.
Even if you are not that interested in agility training this book has long discussions of the basics of ground work with your horse, including such things as retrieving your horse from the field, leading your horse and trailer loading. She also discusses various agility exercises with a lead or free. Her basic attitude is that anything a dog can do agility wise a horse can also do. This might be something you can enjoy doing that interacts with your horse when you cannot ride or drive .
Diagrams a series of ground training exercises.
A well-illustrated book with various trick training ideas. My horse is a one-trick pony and I am lucky to keep up with the essentials of care, but for a person with the time, it might be fun.
The author's personal experience working as a volunteer at a horse rescue with stories of various horses that she worked with. The condition of some of these poor horses on arrival is difficult to read and hard to imagine. The results achieved by good nutrition and human caring is heart warming.
This detailed book traces the Spanish origins of horse breeds and riding in the Americas. We tend to think of the cowboy as a totally Anglo phenomena, but in fact much of the culture goes back to Mexican ranching and old Spain.
This book is a richly illustrated survey of depictions of horses in world art: prehistoric to modern. Many are very well-known, but anyone with an esthetic interest in horses will find unfamiliar ones.
The details of the research into the connection between domestication of horses and the spread of Indio-European languages across Eurasia.
The story of the rescue of horses taken by Nazis from various places in Europe, including the famous white stallions of Vienna. Letts never disappoints.
This is a very unique book with interesting illustrations and a totally Eurocentric focus. People with an interest in dressage will appreciate that looking good on horseback goes back a long, long time.
I found Smiley's insights very interesting and the book a good read. She believes in the abilities of some horse psychics, which I do not share. However, reading about them always has a certain fascination.
Pike is a life coach and Yoga practitioner, who had the traumatic experience of falling off and being dragged during an early riding lesion. The experience did not kill her love of horses and in time she learned to conquer her fear and in doing so expand her own self-awareness. She relates stories of horses and people and how an understanding of the nature of bond between them can be useful in a therapeutic manner.
The author decided with little preparation to attempt the Mongolian Derby, a 1000 kilometer endurance ride through some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world. She won the race and became the first woman and youngest person to do so.
The book has some great photography and it is always interesting to hear what people have to say, but women and horses still remain a great mystery to the men of this planet.
I do not doubt that Roberts knows a thing or two and found the book worth reading.
A study of the various kinds of bits and their use in horses.