Product Description

Safe riding is correct riding. That's Jan Dawson's motto, and it's the philosophy behind her book, Teaching Safe Horsemanship. Dawson's goal is to provide both English and Western riding instructors with an effective and safe teaching program. She explains how to assess a horse's particular characteristics in order to weed out potentially dangerous animals. She also offers guidelines for assessing instructors and students, including what makes a good instructor and what attitudes can get in the way of learning proper horsemanship. Since 80 percent of all accidents involve falls due to loss of balance, Dawson identifies the techniques that ensure that a horse and rider are in proper balance. Finally, since she is a lawyer as well as a riding instructor, Dawson includes a chapter on securing useful liability forms, what insurance coverage does and does not do, and how to handle accidents and lawsuits. Dawson and her husband teach the only equine law course taught at a law school in the United States.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #189411 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Practical Horseman
"Every instructor [should] get a copy."

Drusilla Malavase, Chair of US Pony Club Safety Committee
"... a new resource for our advanced riders who are preparing to learn how to teach!"

Doris Bixby Hammett, MD American Medical Equestrian Association News
"This is a book that is recommended for every person teaching or responsible for students being taught."

Customer Reviews

Worthwhile Read!
This is the first book I read when I decided to begin giving lessons. The format is easy to read and the content is exactly what I was looking for. This book reminds you of all of the little things (especially safety related actions) that seasoned horse people know and perform out of habit but might forget to explain to a beginner. It also lines up about 16 lesson plans from ground safety up through canter lessons. It provides some school figures and exercises/stretches to enhance every lesson. If you are thinking about giving lessons, this book is a logical place to start and a must for your initial library.

a must have in the horsemanship world
this book is a great book. i would highly reccommend it to anyone who has or is thinking about owning a horse/s. it gives the basics of riding from the ground up. even for the experienced rider/owner/trainer i think it is great, simply because it will remind you of the "little things" we tend to miss when teaching. i like that it is simple and easy to read, i would also recommend it to my students to read as well, since they may find something that i may have forgotten and it would give them the oppertunity to ask me questions - something everyone could learn from.

Common sense information well presented
There's no quick fix to teaching anyone to ride and this book can work for any age. Jan presented the same information throughout the book in varying detail to cater to the individual rider's experience and skill level. Even though some of the information might seem obvious, the idea of teaching a skill is to explain the obvious to someone who won't think it's obvious to them! It is great for those who care about their students and want the best and safest (safety issues discussed frequently) experience.