Horse Sports

History was made at the 2015 Belmont Stakes when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown, the first since Affirmed in 1978. As magnificent as the champion is, the team behind him has been all too human while on the road to immortality. Written by an award-winning New York Times sportswriter, American Pharoah is the definitive account not only of how the ethereal colt won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes, but how he changed lives. Through extensive interviews, Drape explores the making of an exceptional racehorse, chronicling key events en route to history.

Lissa Bachner was born with a passion for horses and won her first blue ribbon at age five. Other awards would follow as a young rider, and for years Lissa trained with jumpers, tackling more difficult leaps, and working to perfect her ride. When blindness struck in her teens, it appeared her passion for riding would come to an end. How could she jump hurdles when she could barely navigate through her own home? But success, trust, and love came to Lissa when her trainer convinced her to buy a "diamond in the rough" from Germany.

When Casey started riding again, she thought she'd nailed the tough part. That was before she tried starting over at a new farm, with a new job, in a new city. Casey's horse, James, seems happy enough at Twin Palms Ranch. And Casey's boyfriend, Brandon, is loving his dream job saving the ocean. Casey knows she should love her job marketing for a growing horse show organization. If only she had known how fast they'd be growing!

Building a barrel horse and training program is essential to being competitive in the industry. You need to understand all aspects of this exciting sport to be able to train properly and set yourself up around each barrel. There are many components of riding a barrel horse, and in this series, we will be giving you all of the top tricks, tips, and training drills you need to become an expert barrel racer with time and practice to become a successful horseman or woman and execute your barrels.

Round Penning: First Steps to Starting a Horse: The changes you can make in the round pen are amazing - but training there is about much more than simply running a horse in circles. There are objective and progressive steps. This guide to the proven methods of John Lyons shows you exactly what to do, in which specific order, and why. How to Start a Horse: Bridling to 1st Ride, Step-by-Step: This book offers objective training for the unbroken horse, from first-time bridling and saddling to sacking out, bridle work from the ground, pre-mount work, and your first ride.

Congratulations on deciding to take the step of adding a horse to your life! By now, you’ve made plenty of hard decisions, such as choosing the right horse and finding an ideal environment for him. But now it’s time to interact with your horse. Interaction can be intimidating regardless of how much equine experience you have.

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

Mia is a new volunteer at the Rocky Ridge Riding Center, and she's having some trouble adjusting. Diamond is a new horse at the center, and he's also having trouble adjusting to the new environment. Mia and Diamond must learn to work together so they can stay at the Rocky Ridge Riding Center.

Are you looking for a new challenge or a way to spend your free time? Do you love animals? Are you also a sport lover? Then horseback riding might be the perfect hobby for you. In this book, you will discover how to understand your horse, how to own a horse, how to prepare for a ride, different riding styles, how to ride a horse, safety measures to be aware of, and much more. The step-by-step guide in this book is so easy to follow that you will have success with it, even if you have failed at every other hobbies in your life.

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 horse story is a love story," writes Jane Smiley, who has loved horses for most of her life and owned and bred them for a good part of it. To love something is to observe it with more than usual attention, and that is precisely what Smiley does in this irresistibly smart, witty, and engaging chronicle of her obsession. In particular she follows a sexy filly named Waterwheel and a grey named Wowie (he "tells" a horse communicator that he wants it changed from Hornblower) as they begin careers at the racetrack.

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.

From the pen of Texas writer Michael Johnson, comes the tale of his three teachers, Shine, Joe Ben, and the horse called Blue....

A sequel to the highly popular Healing Shine: A Spiritual Assignment, The Trials of Joe Ben Black: Confessions of a Rope Horse was intended to be a collection of best practices to start a young roping horse. However, the subject matter turned out to encompass a much larger area. What is the best way to train our horse? According to Michael Johnson's latest audiobook, "The process is far less about training the horse...and far more about training ourselves".

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.

The foundational work you do now is critical, and you’ll always have it to fall back on. Make sure your horse is never spooked in a dangerous moment again. From desensitizing and disengaging to backing up, these are fundamental training procedures you can’t afford to get wrong, and they’re not procedures you’ll only ever have to engage in once. You don’t need to spend years in equestrian school to learn these skills: You simply need access to all the essential knowledge distilled and explained in one clear resource, and that’s exactly what you’ll find in this guide.

At the age of 19, Lara Prior-Palmer discovered a website devoted to "the world's longest, toughest horse race" - an annual competition of endurance and skill that involves dozens of riders racing a series of 25 wild ponies across 1,000 kilometers of Mongolian grassland. On a whim, she decided to enter the race. Riders often spend years preparing to compete in the Mongol Derby, and many fail to finish. Rough Magic captures the extraordinary story of one young woman who forged ahead, against all odds, to become the first female winner of this breathtaking race.

After rescuing Magic Spirit, Tilly spends every moment she can with him at Silver Shoe Farm. While she's there, she's drawn to a Red Admiral, a young racehorse who has been injured. With her horse-whispering skills, it's not long before Tilly knows how to help him on the road to recovery.

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.

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.