Lessons in Lightness: The Art of Educating the Horse

Mark Russell; Andrea W. Steele

ISBN 10: 1592283608 / ISBN 13: 9781592283606

Published by The Lyons Press, 2004

About this Item

The Lyons Press, Published 2004. Hardcover, 184 pp.; 26 cm; illustrated with black-and-white photographs, line drawings, and arena diagrams. In Very Good condition with a Very Good dust jacket. Green paper over boards, gold lettering on spine, with mild shelf and edge wear and some light fading along the top edge. Binding tight. A hint of waviness to top edge of text block, without discoloration or staining. Pages clean and unmarked. Pictorial dust jacket shows light bumping and creasing to edges and corners, mild edge and surface wear, and mild dampstaining to verso. Not price clipped. Now in an archival quality (removable) Brodart cover. Veteran trainer Mark Russell sets out a step-by-step program for schooling the horse in lightness, drawn from the French and Iberian riding masters and from his own study with the Portuguese master Nuno Oliveira. Work proceeds in three phases, beginning with relaxation and release of the jaw, then in-hand exercises and longeing, and finally lateral work and flying changes under saddle. Chapters cover body mechanics of horse and rider, tack, and the half-halt. Photographs by Ellen Leffingwell; line drawings and arena diagrams by Andrea Steele. Foreword by Bettina Drummond, who also trained under Oliveira. Contents: Understanding Lightness; Meet the Horses/How to Use This Book; Teaching Lightness; The Three Phases of Training; Working In Hand; Longeing; Body Mechanics of Horse and Rider; Tack and Accessories; Phase I: Beginning the Circle; Phase II: Building a Working Frame; Phase II: Lateral Work Under Saddle; The Half-Halt; Rein-Back; Developing the Canter; Transitions; Phase III: Counter-Canter; Phase III: Flying Changes; Afterword; Key Terms; Recommended Reading; About the Authors; Index.

Seller Inventory # 20260820006

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Lessons in Lightness: The Art of Educating the Horse
• Publisher: The Lyons Press
• Publication Date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1592283608
• ISBN 13: 9781592283606
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 22 ounces
• Seller catalogs:
  • General Non-Fiction

About this title

Synopsis

Drawing on the theories of the old dressage masters-Riding in Lightness shows how a rider at any level can greatly benefit from traditional dressage techniques and exercises. Written by a thirty-year veteran horse trainer, this is the only book that takes the core elements of classical dressage and applies them as the basis for good general horsemanship today.
The reader learns to:
-Relax the horse and release tension from the horse's body
- Open energy blocks, allowing access to direct all parts of the horse's body
- Direct the horse in an academic way, building the strength necessary for the horse to balance in self-carriage

With this step-by-step program, both horse and rider learn from each other. The rider is trained to focus on subtle nuances of communication, while the horse develops gymnastically so he can respond correctly to the aids. Once
the horse masters the basic exercises, the rider not only has a very ridable horse but one that can perform and advance in almost any discipline for which it is suited-from western pleasure and performance riding to show jumping and dressage.

About the Author

Veteran horse trainer Mark Russell studied twenty years ago with legendary dressage master Nuno Oliveira, an experience that revealed to him the concept of riding in lightness and forever changed his outlook on horsemanship. Today he trains horses and riders from his home base in Tennessee.

Andrea W. Steele is a native of England and a lifelong equestrian. She met Mark Russell in the early 1980s and has followed his vision for riding in lightness ever since. She lives on a small farm in Durham, Connecticut, with her husband and their horses and many other animals.