There’s a time in every equestrians life where they just want to consume everything horse related, any speck of horse information they can possibly find. For many, this will last your entire life. You will be consumed by the quest for more knowledge, and stop at nothing to obtain it. Think Harry Potter searching for the horcruxes, except it’s you, looking for anything horse related, and also it doesn’t stop at 7 horcruxes. It never stops, because there’s always something new. You will wake up one day, a long gray beard on your chin (male or female, doesn’t matter), surrounded by books and horses, and wonder what became of your life. At that point, some young adventurer will approach you and you’ll realize it’s time to pass on the quest to them. This is how riding instructors were born. This is a totally plausible scenario.
But no one is more thirsty for knowledge than when they first begin riding. It’s a whole new world.
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Best for Overall Riding Knowledge – Complete Horse Riding Manual
Best for Technical Knowledge – The United States Manual of Horsemanship
Best for Illustrating Riding Techniques – 40 Fundamentals of English Riding
Best for Visualization – Centered Riding
When I was young, before I had regular riding lessons, my outlet was reading about horses. Every book I found, I read. From this, I actually had a wealth of knowledge to draw from when I did start taking lessons. It helped me advance my riding, and I understood concepts pretty fast, primarily because I’d already read about them.
Let me be clear though, reading books is in no way a substitute for actually riding. I could read a million books on horses and then get on a horse and draw a complete blank. Being presented with theoretical knowledge is not the same as actually doing it. It’s far easier to discuss and talk about concepts than it is to actually do the concept.
This is why so many people critique photos and videos of riders, even high level riders. It’s super easy to watch something and be critical. it’s harder to actually do it.
But, if you want to help your knowledge base, and learn whatever you can about horses, these are the books that will start you on your journey. They will help you learn riding, and give you tools that will help you on your equestrian journey.
The Best Books to Learn About horseback Riding
The Best book for General Horseback Riding Knowledge
There’s a few of these “All Purpose” type horse books out there, but I think this one is the best. Here’s why:
It dedicates over 100 pages to the beginning rider, explaining basics. Then it gets into more advanced riding, to show you different directions you could go. There’s tons of photos, useful diagrams, exercises, and it explains how shows work. This book is super useful for your entire journey with horses.
It does not have a section on horse breeds, which I think is mostly filler in a lot of other horse books. Breeds are fun to learn about, but if you’re looking for a book about riding, this fits the bill. If you want one about breeds, this one is amazing.
Complete Horse Riding Manual
Best for – General Horseback riding knowledge
- Explains the basics of riding
- Starts out with beginner information and moves to more advanced information
- Explains the different types of competitions
- Contains photos, diagrams, and exercises
The Best Book for Explaining the Technical Aspects of Horsemanship
The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship by Susan E. Harris is three volumes, but beginners should start with D Level. This book should be the gold standard of horsemanship. It’s intended for pony clubbers, aka children, but these are solid basics that everyone should know. Whether riding, handling, or care, these series of books detail the proper way to do things.
It is text heavy, but there’s a few pictures and diagrams. It is information packed though, and Pony Club is a great program, with great resources. These books will make you a well rounded horseman.
The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship
Best for – Technical explanations
- Goes over all aspects of horsemanship, both riding and on the ground
- Information on health and first aid
- Text heavy, but written for children so easy to read.
The Best Book for Illustrating HorseBack Riding
This books is a great visual aid for learning riding. 40 Fundamentals of English Riding, by Hollie H. McNeil, offers an incredible amount of information about how riding should be. The author is an instructor with an extensive background in dressage, so she both knows her stuff, and she explains it well. The book show you riding techniques with tons of photos, and explains when, why and how you might do different things. Plus, there’s videos to go along with it! I got this book when it was a CD, but it looks like they are now online. If you’re thinking about it, check out her free videos on youtube.
This book is probably for advanced beginners. If you’re a complete beginner, you might find it a bit confusing.
40 Fundamentals of English Riding Lessons: Essential Lessons in Riding
Best for – Illustrating Riding Techniques
- Easy to understand illustrations of riding techniques
- Explanations of how exercises should look
- Illustrations showing the correct way of riding
The Best Book for Visualizing Horseback Riding
This book is actually for all levels, because it’s such an interesting way to think about riding horses. Author Sally Swift pioneered her own way of visualizing riding due to her own back issues. Through a series of different visualizations she presents, riders can be put in a balanced and effective riding seat. It’s extremely helpful to visualize what your body should be doing while riding.
This is another book for the slightly advanced beginner, but it’s a good one.
Centered Riding
Best for: Body Visualization while Riding
- Creative descriptions of how your body should feel while riding
- Easy instructions on how to controls your body through your mind
These books are the best at explaining what you need to know. If you’re looking for a solid foundation in theoretical riding knowledge, these books will give you that.
However, these aren’t everything – again, you need to practice under the watchful eye of a qualified instructor to truly advance. But you can definitely save yourself some time (maybe money?) if you already know and understand a lot of riding concepts already – it will accelerate your riding journey with horses.
As a beginner, it may seem daunting to start out, but you will advance in your riding. One day, all of this will be second nature, and super easy. You’ll be riding with ease, but, hopefully, still seeking more knowledge in your journey with horses.
Happy trails!