Long Reining

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Every lover of horses should read this book if they want to understand the art of perfect equine fitness. I am using it to help me train a mare recovering from a long illness. She cannot bear the weight of a rider on her back yet, but she can benefit greatly from the exercises shown in this book. The author is clear and direct; a very talented author and teacher. The photos are excellent. I have purchased many books on long reining, and this is by far the best.

Rating:
Summary: Long Reining As Art
Review: This book focuses exclusively on long-reining, and what a treat it is. Lavishly illustrated with color photographs throughout (all taken in France), beautiful, fit horses are worked through various exercises by Philippe Karl, impeccable in his uniform and coveted golden spurs (which have to be earned) of the Saumur, so the reader sees a master at work.

The first major chapter sets the stage for all work in dealing with the gymnastics of the horse, how he moves, his anatomy, sequence of footfalls, balance, bio-mechanics, all of which are well-diagrammed with line drawings. It is supported with quotes from many well-known masters of the past (de la Gueriniere, Raabe, Licart, Kerbrech, D'Auvergne, L'Hotte).

Equipment is dealt with in the opening chapters, and one thing the Europeans have over there which we don't are surcingles with the rings further down the side of the horse for a lower placing of the lines. Everything is clean, simple, and workmanlike, of quality.

Not only do we see basic work on the long reins, but also innovative exercises as well, with clear line drawings illustrating the movements described to break the monotony of the work and to develop the horse's agility and sharpen his response to the aids.

The Europeans believe in introducing horses to jumping as well, feeling that it produces a more all-around athlete, and in this book as well, a section covers work over fences fully illustrated with those beautiful photographs.

While the main focus of the book is the long reining, there are many photographs of mounted work with which to compare to the photographs of ground work so that the reader sees how each enhances the other and how the pieces fit together.

The piece de resistance is the end of the book, the dessert of the work, the piaffe(r) and passage in hand, as well as pesade. With Philippe Karl's detailed description of how to execute the exercises, I feel that I could teach my horse to do them, too.

While this book is a unique and valuable training tool, it is pretty enough to be a coffee table book as well. The photographs alone are enough to make the reader salivate, and I would go so far as to say some are works of art in themselves.

This book came out in 1992 and did not remain in print very long, but fortunately it has been reprinted.