Know Better to Do Better

With horses we don’t get a ‘do-over’ button, as much as we’d sometimes like one. We have to live with the choices we make, even when—looking back—we know there might have been a better way to communicate, a different way to teach a new lesson, or another means to reach the desired end.

In this smart, honest book, chock-full of valuable information, gold medalist and renowned rider and coach Denny Emerson uses stories of the standout horses from his own riding career, which spans almost 70 years, to detail some of the things he wishes he’d known then that he knows now. With a candid willingness to share the mistakes he’s made over the years, and clearly articulated ideas on how others can avoid them, he commits himself and those reading to finding more conscientious ways to ride, train, and work with horses. 

From basics like aids and equipment, to more specialised subjects—such as rider fitness, emotional control, and how to determine what success with your horse really means—riders of all skill levels will gain valuable, hard-won knowledge from his bite-size lessons in life and in horsemanship. 

Perhaps most importantly, Emerson insists that it is never too late to change, both for the good of the horse and the good of oneself.