Horse Sports

Mental skills coach Tonya Johnston, MA, has helped thousands of equestrian athletes achieve success at every level, from recreational riders to award-winning international competitors. In Inside Your Ride, she provides specific methods and clear, easy-to-follow directions to help you mentally prepare for your next ride or competition, no matter your discipline and skill level.

In an era of spectacular thoroughbreds, Spectacular Bid was perhaps the most exalted racehorse of them all. In 1979, he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes—and transcended his sport on a run of 12 consecutive stakes victories—but his quest for the Triple Crown was lost with a third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes due to a series of bizarre events that have never been accurately reported. In The Fast Ride, Jack Gilden tells the story of what really happened that day the Bid lost the biggest race of his life.

In the late 1980s, a spectacular three-year-old female racehorse named Winning Colors was being groomed for success under her famous Hollywood trainer D. Wayne Lukas and the billionaire owner of the San Diego Chargers pro-football team Eugene Klein. Meanwhile, three fun-loving gamblers Miami Paul, Dino Mateo, and Big Bernie believed that Winning Colors could be the unlikely female winner of the 1988 Kentucky Derby.

Horse ownership provides companionship, stress relief, and increased happiness…but these things only happen when you’re able to form a complete bond with your horse. When you have that foundational relationship in place, the way you’re able to train and care for your horse completely opens up. Your increased sense of confidence leads to a mutual respect between you and your horse…and this gives you the control you need in order to have fun together–while ensuring you both remain safe.

Jo Anne Normile was not supposed to keep the foal, an exuberant Thoroughbred with only a few white hairs on his reddish-brown forehead. But she fell in love with the young horse, who had literally been born into her arms. The breeder finally said she could keep the colt, whom she nicknamed "Baby" - but only if she raced him. It was difficult to take Baby away from the safety of his pasture. But Normile had made a promise.

Have you ever watched your horse do something that defies human logic and wondered, “Why does my horse act this way?” If so, you’re not alone. Horses are designed to survive in the wild, yet occasionally the wires between domestication and instinct get crossed. Meredith Hill is back with her equine expertise

The moving true story of an ordinary Welsh woman who dreamed of breeding a race horse, and Dream Alliance, who defied the odds to become a champion and brought a community together. Janet Vokes was running the bar in her local working men’s club in the small Welsh mining community of Cefn Fforest when she fixed upon the idea of breeding a racehorse. Why shouldn’t a working-class horse take on the wealthy high-flyers and compete in the ‘sport of kings’?

Best-selling author Michael Korda's Horse People is the story - sometimes hilariously funny, sometimes sad and moving, always shrewdly observed - of a lifetime love affair with horses, and of the bonds that have linked humans with horses for more than 10,000 years. It is filled with intimate portraits of the kind of people, rich or poor, Eastern or Western, famous or humble, whose lives continue to revolve around the horse. Korda is a terrific storyteller, and his book is intensely personal and seductive, a joy for everyone who loves horses.

Among the earliest known works on choosing, caring for, and riding horses, this book is still hailed--2,300 years after it was written - as one of the most complete, thoughtful, and accessible guides of its type. Civilization has changed radically in the centuries since it was written, but the equestrian arts have remained essentially the same. Much of what we presently accept as common wisdom about horsemanship derives from this volume.

With a show-jumping career spanning over 40 years, Nick Skelton is a legend in the equestrian world. No other rider has won so many major competitions on so many different horses, and he is as popular at Olympia and Hickstead as he is at Aachen, Geneva, Paris and Spruce Meadows. In 2000 Skelton was forced into retirement after he broke his neck. But following an amazing recovery, he came out of retirement in 2002. Now he tells the full story of his eventful life and matchless achievements.

If you've always dreamed of starting a young horse under saddle but are uncomfortable with traditional horse breaking or horse training techniques that assume all horses are the same, this short book is for you. If you're a seasoned equestrian looking for a better way, you'll enjoy trying some of the ideas here too. There are some easy ways you can set up for success with your horseback riding project to keep both you and your horse happy and wanting to learn more together.

Few will hire competitive rider, Viola Parker, since the famous jumper, Wastrel, crashed to his death with her aboard. Not only that, her attitude just landed her out of work...again. She can barely afford her whipped-cream-in-a-can addiction. Now, before she's 30, she must keep a job for one year and receive a glowing letter of recommendation to get a surprise trust fund set up by her absentee parents. A trust fund that could represent freedom and independence - or might be worth nothing.

Every waking moment is about horses for pony-mad Tilly. She lives and breathes pony books and magazines and at night she dreams of ponies. At Silver Shoe Farm she is getting to know Magic Spirit better and better and growing in confidence with him. She's also enjoying making new friends both human and, with the arrival of Rosie, the perfect pony, animal ones too.

In this abridgement of River-Horse, the pre-eminent chronicler of American back roads - who has given us the classics Blue Highways and Prairyerth - recounts his singular voyage through American waters from sea to sea. Along the route, he offers a lyrical and ceaselessly fascinating shipboard perspective on the country and its rivers, lakes, canals, and landscapes.

He’s racing cross-country, looking for a safe place to land. She’s dreading a future that was never her choice. They both want the same thing: to leave the past behind.

Liv’s smart, shy, and a total control freak, but she’s ready to throw away a future in veterinary medicine to become a jockey. Nate’s good on a horse and good with people. Except Liv. He can’t quite crack Liv. Chique, though? He’s got that filly wrapped around his little finger.

An engaging, fun and instruction guide with practical ideas to solve even the most frustrating equine problems. In this personable guide, equine professional Nanette Levin illustrates how to get smart, safe and creative when working with your horse. Her positive advice - from how to listen to your horse to crafting a communications and training plan he will embrace - is appropriate for novices and professionals alike.

Americans have always loved animals, and those living prior to World War II were still close enough to their pioneer roots to feel a special affection for horses. After all, it was these noble animals that had carried soldiers and pulled plows and milk wagons alike. A horse was more than just a pet; it was a partner in the fight for survival. Just as many Americans had known special, unforgettable individuals, so they had known special horses.

Reduce your horse's stress - and yours - with smart ideas you can apply at home to get ready for an initial show, community ride, trip to an instructor's facility or hopeful fun time with friends. It can be nerve-wracking for anyone (professionals included) to venture off the property with a horse for the first time. This becomes more challenging for novices who don't have the benefit of drawing from decades of experience. Know you're not alone - everyone has some doubts, anxiety and excitement associated with that first public appearance.

Fifty-six million years ago, the earliest equid walked the earth-and beginning with the first-known horse-keepers of the Copper Age, the horse has played an integral part in human history. Combining fascinating anthropological detail and incisive personal anecdotes, Susanna Forrest draws from an immense range of archival documents as well as literature and art to illustrate how our evolution has coincided with that of horses.