I think this would be a great book for someone who knows at least something about horses. I read about 80 pages and learned that there should be a relationship between the horse and rider. They are a pair. I learned a bit about training by riding without stirrups so as to get the "seat" correct. Unfortunately I didn't know enough of the terminology to understand much more than that. I do now have a sense of what those 2 horses that I have ridden must have gone through with me. They were very patient indeed.

If you have anything at all to do with horses, this book will probably be a good one for you. I picked it up because two people who do know horses told me it is one of the best.

I am not a horse person. I read this to have a better understanding of what my daughter does. That being said, I found this book very interesting. For a non-horse person, it is a bit heavy on the training technique, yet it gives a clear picture of the work and love involved in training horses in the art of dressage. Alois Podhajsky tells of his horses from WWI through the 1960's. During this time, events transpired which almost ended the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, but the exceptional talent of the horses (and the dedication of the author) contributed to their being saved by American soldiers and citizens of Austria who loved them.
I recently was able to watch a performance of Lipizzaners, now that I've read this book, I understand what I was seeing. Of course, now I want to see it again! ( )