Schooling and Riding the Sport Horse: A Modern American Hunter/Jumper System

By Paul D. Cronin

Book Overview

A prot g of the legendary Vladimir S. Littauer and for more than thirty years director of the riding program at Sweet Briar College, Paul D. Cronin is a well-known and highly respected trainer and riding instructor. Schooling and Riding the Sport Horse is Cronin's clear and practical guide to getting the most out of your horse in a humane and sensitive way.

Beginning with a brief history of educated horsemanship from the earliest published riding masters of the sixteenth century, Cronin clarifies the differences between forward riding and classical dressage, and how at times the two have become inappropriately mixed. He then gives an in-depth presentation of the American forward riding system that is the basis of hunter/jumper riding and examines the ways in which a rider's position and controls are essential to the training of the horse.

In the system as Cronin explains it, the three basic pillars are position, controls, and schooling. In clear language, he walks the reader from the beginning stages of training through advanced jumping and cross-country work. He sets out proper methods of early schooling of the young, green, or reclaimed horse, based on freedom of movement under the weight of the rider at the walk, trot, canter, and jump; of gaining the horse's trust and cooperation; and of establishing agility and calmness in the horse at all gaits and over fences.

Schooling and Riding the Sport Horse is an important book on horsemanship for riding instructors, trainers, and amateur riders alike.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813922879
• ISBN13: 9780813922874
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press
• Length: 285 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.2" x 9.2"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great Book!

Paul Kronin's book is and excellent read for any hunter/jumper! I read this because it was required reading for Linda McClaren's classes at William Woods University. It has very clear, informative diagrams and is very well written. This book encompasses everything from starting green horses to correct positioning.

Wonderful book

This is a wonderful book for the serious amateur. My daughter and I use it weekly, reading it aloud to one another. The schooling plans are brilliant and I would recommend that you begin there and then flip back and forth between the schooling plans and "position and controls." My only criticism, this book is too jam-packed to read cover to cover. Read what pertains to you, skip around, index & appendix are helpful. What I love is the clarity of this system, one lesson builds on another; sometimes just rereading a section will help you to solve a problem.