Although these reads all fall within the 'natural' school of riding - they are not necessarily either 'classical' or 'western'. They just make you engage your brain, learn to communicate with your horse, and become a better rider.
1 "Perfect Confidence: Overcoming Fear, Gaining Confidence and Achieving Success with Horses" by Kelly Marks.
'Some people dream of winning while others dream of losing their fears'. In this book, Kelly Marks recognises that while technique and knowledge are important for good riding, it's often how you feel about yourself that makes the biggest difference. Kelly puts her focus on fear and confidence - be your own best friend as well as your horse's, and having a plan is the best way to succeed in whatever you want to do, whether it be hacking out or competition.This is Monty Robert's, best selling author of 'The Man Who Listens to Horses', the original horse whisperer, answering 150 questions he has been most asked. His focus is on western style horse riding.
2 "Ask Monty: The 150 Most Common Horse Problems Solved" by Monty Roberts
This is Monty Roberts, best selling author of 'The Man Who Listens to Horses,' the original horse whisperer, answering 150 questions he has been most asked.
3 "Natural Horsemanship:- The Six Keys to a Natural Horse-human Relationship" by Pat Parelli
Another brilliant book, using Pat Parelli's method of people-training rather than horse-training. Based on riding and communicating effectively with your horse, rather than getting in the way and turning your riding experiences into frustrating arguments with your horse. Just learn to speak horse! Expensive, but also good, are the Parelli dvd's from parelli.com (also available on ebay.co.uk, much cheaper, but be careful, some of those dvd's don't work too well!)
4 "Ride With Your Mind Essentials: Innovative Learning Strategies for Basic Riding Skills" by Mary Wanless and Dianne Breeze
If you really want to ride well, this is the one to read. Mary Wanless has focused not on what the horse and rider should look like, but what they should do to be good. Good riders often don't know what it is exactly they do, or if they do, they can't explain it to anyone else, mostly because of complicated equine jargon. Mary explains how to use your whole body in your riding, often using metaphors and visualisations to make her meaning explicit.
5 "Invisible Riding:- The Secret of Balance for You and Your Horse" by Sylvia Loch
Invisible riding also falls into the 'natural' school of riding, and through using these techniques, you can become 'unstuck' and progress onto a higher level of riding. Sylvia Lock uses similar methods to Mary Wanless, stripping away the mystique of riding that's often wrapped up in incomprehensible equine jargon, and explains what's really going on between an excellent rider and their horse.
