Wood creates a clear structure for educating the enthusiast in how to identify and promote the various attributes of the perfect riding horse. Each aspect is given its own chapter with titles such as Soft Mouth and Fantastic Brakes, which establish the importance of the aspect highlighted and then detail the various steps involved.
The overall message is that the process is much wider and deeper than simply following a series of riding tips and Wood focuses on understanding, and being understood by, your horse. Selecting a horse appropriately, effective groundwork, and understanding the subtleties of how the horse is responding to us, are all given as much
prominence as the riding itself. The training and riding advice given ranges from attaining basic control to much more ambitious responses and seems to be aimed at a wide audience.
This is certainly a book I would recommend for two key reasons. Firstly, Wood is very pragmatic and doesn't gloss over the smaller irritants in the horse and rider relationship everything is tackled in detail if it has an impact on the overall communication. Secondly, the use of visuals is far more effective than in most books of this type that I have read. Less experienced riders like myself, who didn't grow up around horses, often don't get comments about attentiveness in the horse for example, but in this book the visual is always instructive and ably supported by a brief and purposeful caption. The subtleties are seen and understood. The only slight negative comment is that at times the build up can be a little laboured in a chapter.
The style is detailed without being technical and Wood's use of analogy is practical. Again, the key aspect is the interweaving of text and visuals to create a genuinely coherent whole.
I can't speak for anyone who really knows what they are doing, but for the less experienced rider this is a practical and accessible guide that tackles a very wide range of issues, and focuses very directly on what we want to achieve and how we can do so.
Greg Jones
BHS Stage 1, Ceredigion
