Chapter 1 introduces the book and the author.
Chapter 2 encourages the reader to examine why they ride. Only by being clear about why we are doing things can we make better choices and act in ways consistent with achievement.
Riding well is a complex process. To achieve our riding objectives we need to understand what helps us to make progress, what gets in the way and all the cause and effect relationships between them. To help with this, in Chapter 3 we consider a simple thinking tool called Systems Thinking. It is a powerful way of understanding the dynamics of riding.
Our ability to influence our horse is impacted by the strength of our connection with him. Chapter 4 analyses these connections and suggests how they may be improved.
Chapter 5 looks at the physical implications of connecting with your horse. Specifically, it considers all the aspects of contact.
Strong connections provide us with the possibility of improved communication. But what do we communicate about and how? These are the topics for Chapter 6.
The previous 3 chapters have considered the rider’s influence on a trained horse. How do we go about improving a horse? Chapter 7 considers alternative training approaches and analyses some of the pre-eminent texts on training.
Chapter 8 considers how the rider can improve her riding effectiveness. Riding involves our whole self. To do it well we need to use our body and our mind. So we have to learn about ourselves, about our body and mind, to use them more effectively and efficiently.
Chapter 9 looks at what actually happens when we mount our horse with the aim of training him. It brings together the concepts presented in previous chapters and demonstrates the practical application on horseback – literally, riding in the moment.
Chapter 10 encourages the rider to take responsibility for her own performance improvement and provides some techniques that can help as well as discussing finding the most suitable equine and trainer partners.
Chapter 11 examines the controversial topic of equipment for horse and rider training and provides some opinions.
Chapter 12 considers how the reader can continue to progress by adopting the habits of the continuously improving “Learning Rider”.