Cross Train Your Horse

Wouldn't you love someone to hand you the key to a deeper level of communication and harmony with your horse? Jane Savoie gives you that edge - basic dressage - in "Cross-Train Your Horse". In her lighthearted style, Jane takes the mystery out of training and shows how dressage techniques can be used to improve every horse's athleticism, performance, and well-being, no matter what the chosen rider's sport - including all the English riding disciplines and every type of Western riding. Jane recounts her fascinating interviews with many equestrian experts successful in their chosen fields, showjumping, eventing, barrel racing, driving, cutting, endurance, reining, hunters, and more, all of whom use dressage in their schooling. They explain how cross-training their horses with dressage, incorporating classical training into their system, has improved both their horses' physical and emotional state, as well as helping the horses reach optimum performance in their riding speciality. In later chapters, Jane starts the reader off in 'Dressage 101' with the building blocks: forward, straight, rhythm, gaits and contact. She details simple flatwork, straightforward and sideways, teaches suppling, gives a sample schooling session, and provides a chapter on troubleshooting problems. All of her instruction is clearly presented, and directed to the rider with little, or no, dressage experience. Hundreds of photos, diagrams and drawings (many of them mental imaging), enliven the text. This book is a must for any rider who wants a horse that is just plain fun to ride.