Good Books for Beginners?

I am quite interested in learning dressage. I have just started riding a new horse, he is 4 and pretty green, so we would both be starting from the ground up. Can anyone recommend a good basic dressage book for a newbie? Is there such thing as Dressage for Dummies? :-)

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Cochran on December 14, 2009 at 8:15pm

Since you are an experienced rider maybe I can help. I found that when I read "The Way to Perfect Horsemanship" by Udo Burger and "An Anatomy of Dressage" can't remember the authors, I finally started to understand somewhat the concepts and descriptions of all the dressage books I'd read.
Because of reading these books I understand Podjasky (sp?), Muessler, Seunig, de Carpentry, etc. better than before.
Decades before the takeover of Warmbloods, many dressage horses at the international level were TB's. There is no reason a properly conformed and sound TB cannot develop into a dressage horse. Just remember that there is no thing such as instant results in dressage, first the horse's muscles have to become fit enough to do the hard work of collected gaits, especially a horse that has only been ridden in extension. In "My Horses, My Teachers" by Podhajsky (sp?), he describes training at least one TB in classical dressage.

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Permalink Reply by Shadowbrooke on December 14, 2009 at 9:16pm

I was in the same position as you several years ago when I began dressage riding and had NO CLUE what to read to help myself further my learning.

First, I would like to say, you are on the right track with a trainer, and reading is a great way to understand more.

There are several which have helped me over the years.

"The USDF Manual" by Jennifer O. Bryant is wonderful, it gives you lots of examples of what you are to do when.

"The Competitive Edge: I" by Max Gahwyler has some great tips in it. There are copies of dressage tests when it was still the AHSA, but he gives GREAT tips and explains things to you in a language you can understand (like the mysterious half halt!) He has another book too, "The Competitive Edge II: Moving up the Levels"

"Practical Dressage Manual" by Bengt Ljungouist, an older book, but he is one of the masters of dressage and gives some great information as well.

Last and fartherest from the least is "Dressage in Harmony" by Walter Zettl. The book is great, but since it was translated from German to English, some of the expressions to do not come across as clear (this is something he said at the USDF Adult Clinic Series one year). But he has a set of videos which are WONDERFUL and in some aspects a bit better than the book (you can see what he is explaining).

If you need more ideas, the USDF website has a list of books that is required reading for judges - that is where I began building my dressage book library from!

Another reading resource is dressage magazines. There are several out which can give you great tips each month from some of the top trainers in the world.

To help yourself, go to clinics and audit, you will learn a lot from watching and listening. If showing is in your goals, volunteer at the show you want to go to before you go or any other show. Most shows LOVE to have new faces and even if you are new to it I assure you there is always something for everyone to do even if they have no experience!

The world of Dressage is different, but I think you will find it is a great discipline to enjoy!