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Eurodressage Market
Book In Review: Horse-Handling
July 22, 2006
 For eight years Britta Schoeffmann worked as an editor for the German
horse magazine “Reiter Revue” before she went freelance in 2002 and
started dedicating her time and energy to teaching the very roots of
horsemanship – not only practically through clinics and seminars but
also theoretically so far in five book publications.
While in 2003,
her much-quoted bestseller “Die Skala der Ausbildung” (The Training
Scale) anticipated the ongoing discussion about the rights and wrongs in
training dressage horses, her new book “Horse-Handling oder Reiterglueck
beginnt am Boden” (Horse Handling or The Rider's Joy Begins on the
Ground) goes back another step. Using her typical combination of
profound knowledge and a humorous, eminently readable style, she doesn't
give her readers tips for the work in the saddle this time, but she
starts on the ground.
“Back when most of the horse-owners and riders came from a farming
environment and had grown up with horses, they used to learn the correct
way of dealing with a horse casually and instinctively. Today more and
more horse lovers come from an urban environment -- equipped with loads
of enthusiasm, joy and a modern understanding of animal care and
protection, but with very little 'living' knowledge”, Schoeffmann
describes the current situation that her book wants to help improve.
Thus the book – illustrated by photographer Barbara Schnell – explains
clearly, in text and image, what kind of a “character” the horse, a
gregarious animal by nature, is and what a person should know about its
behavior in order to avoid misunderstandings. Beginners are confronted
with common mistakes born out of a lack of forethought – from the
leading rope which, wrapped around the fingers, can turn into an
amputation trap, to the wrongly-fastened rope which can turn into a
danger for the horse.
Advanced learners find tips for exericses on the
ground, to introduce some variety into the daily routine and enhance
mutual trust – from simple yet effective exercises with poles or
tarpaulins to trailer training. The book deals with the necessity not
only to understand the basics of a horse's body language but also to
send out clear and consequent signals, and it discusses the sense – or
nonsense – of modern gurus.
“Each person, so they say, is the sum of his or her experiences. So is
each horse”, the author states. She sums up what she's aiming at: from its first
steps as a foal to the most difficult movement under the saddle, a horse
is a living being that is influenced by its environment and reacts to
it. Even if today less and less riders are born with a natural sense of
horsemanship, common sense will also take them a long way. And to this,
the book appeals.
About the author: Dr. Britta Schoeffmann, born 1960, has been riding
since she was six, had been a judge for twenty years, owner of the
Golden Riders' Badge, after studying sports and getting her teacher's
diploma she worked for various newspapers and magazine, including
several years as second editor-in-chief at Reiter Revue, has been
freelancing since 2002.
Books can be ordered via the following websites:
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