Recommended Resources

Here is a selection of my favourite resources to empower you with the knowledge and skills to enhance your horse’s health, wellbeing and performance.

I hope that you take the time to look through and enjoy these specially selected resources.  I know that you will gain a lot from them.

Saddlefit 4 Life

A series of nine (9) videos that show you how to assess the fit of your saddle.  This is a fabulous resource to help you understand how the saddle should fit and identify when it does not.  It will also help you determine when it is time to refit the saddle.

https://saddlefit4life.com/9-points-of-saddle-fit/

Lameness Lab

Learn how to tell if your horse is lame and on which leg with this in-depth informational resource from Equine Guelph.  This resource includes learning videos and video assessments to test your skills.

http://www.equineguelph.ca/Tools/lameness_lab.php

Horse Training In-Hand: A Modern Guide to Working from the Ground

Book by Ellen Schuthof-Lesmeister and Kip Mistral

I often talk to my clients about the best exercises to address specific musculoskeletal issues.  Some horses are untrained in these exercises or they are not yet strong enough to carry the rider, so I recommend work-in-hand.

This book follows classical training principles to teach the exercises I recommend (and many more) in a manner that is correct and kind to the horse.

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Tug of War: Classical versus “Modern” Dressage

Book by Gerd Heuschmann

This book is a regular “go to” of mine, because I always pick up new bits of information.  It runs through:

• Basic key anatomy to consider when training a horse;
• How to identify a “back mover” versus a “leg mover”;
• The best exercises to train your horses in a physiologically correct manner; and
• It has some of the best diagrams to show how riding a horse in different frames affects their bodies, either positively or negatively.

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Balancing Act: The Horse in Sport, An Irreconcilable Conflict?

Book by Gerd Heuschmann

This is a fabulous follow-up book to “Tug of War,” but can be read in isolation as it is so full of great information.  It provides an even more in-depth look at:

• Correct physiological training;
• The biomechanics of training
• Straightness, collection and balance
• Identifying and correcting problems that have stemmed from improper training.

Veterinary Herbal Medicine

Book by Susan Wynn and Barbara Fougere

This is a definitive book on herbal medicine used by animal herbalists globally.  Learn how to use more than 120 medicinal plants for your horse and other animals, including:

• Formulation of herbal remedies
• Treatments for common conditions
• Correct dosage
• Toxicology
• Drug interactions
• Plus much more

If you only own one herbal medicine book for your animals this is the one to buy (you would never need another one anyway!)