101 Dressage Exercises for Horse & Rider (Read & Ride)

The idea behind this spiral bound book and the set up of it are both great. Lessons are on top and bottom of the pages, i.e. in vertical format rather than in horizontal. Within each lesson, the set up on the page is wonderful. A large portion of the upper page is taken up by the arena diagram which shows very clearly what the exercise will do (walk, trot, canter, halt, sidepassing, etc.).

Many lessons also have a brief "Benefits" blurb to the left of the diagram, indicating in plain language why the execise should be done. When appropriate, beneath the Benefits part, a key describes what different notations in the diagram stand for, e.g. a cone, a leg yield, ground poles, W/T/C, etc. I was very impressed with the details on that top portion.

The second half, i.e. the lower page, is where I have downgraded the 5.0 to a 4.0 (which really should be probably a 4.25 stars). This page is also split vertically in two halves. "How do I ride this?" and "Keep in mind." The former is a Step-by-Step / cookbook description of the exercise, the latter a short few-liner note on what should be kept in the back of one's mind. The "Keep in Mind" portion is rather nice and often will refer back to other exercises in the book or will be amended by notes on a particular subject such as "Riding on a loose rein."

The main qualm I have about the lower page stems from the extreme brevity of descriptions. I would like to see a bit more discussion on how to deal with problems that arise. In some cases there are two pages interjected that deal with particular issues such as "Straightness" or "Lateral Work," but none really mention in detail where issues can arise and how to counteract problems. That is the main reason for giving this book a 4.0 rather than a 5.0

Overall, I liked the book. It is good to work with, especially for those of us who are always looking for new patterns, new things to do and sometimes just need a fresh approach to engrained arena work. Very refreshing, easy to use, although not for the advanced (Level 3 and up) dressage rider, but definitely from Novice through the intermediate or intermediate-advanced rider (Training to Lower Level 3).

This book is a great help to plan and diversify flat work and seriously move forward in dressage. But it lacks the step by step progression plan that, in my view, makes 101 jumping exercises so much better than this one. It tells you what exercises to do, but not how to teach your horse how to do them.

Yes there are 101 excercises, but no instruction on weight distribution and rein contact. It is mearly a list of things to do such that on a sleepless night I could come up with the same patterns. I would use it for ideas in a class so that I could keep things fresh.

This book is absolutely wonderful if you want an extremely easy-to-use, succint book of exercises. I'm just starting to teach and find it to be an incredibly useful resource for coming up with lesson plans. This is not for the rider who wants in-depth instructions on riding or training, though useful and salient points are made about performing the exercises. There are plenty of other books that provide in-depth instruction. This book fills its very own, very important niche and it is by far one of my favorite resources.

Brilliant diagrams, excellent keys, simply mapped out and laid out information for difficult and also the easiest of dressage manoevres. It's bound at the top for a vertical flip, with a hole punched down near the bottom so you can hang the book on a nail on your bulletin board or at home to study it and keep it open while you study it. It has handy hints how to achieve positions and gives you ideas to improve certain flaws. It is by far the best book on dressage I have read so far.

Just about EVERY page has another full A4 dressage arena on it showing the pattern where the horse is going, it shows crossbars and it shows trotting poles and where to place them, it shows where you should do a certain manoevre such as a flying change or shoulder-in with an excellent use of diagrams and patterns which have a key right next to it so the design remains uncluttered and simple to read. A best buy for anyone serious about dressage - or even jumping - to keep their horse supple and to keep their horse from boredom. Brilliant.

I was so disappointed with some of the other riding exercise books out there, but this one is worth every penny. As a riding instructor and a trainer I would reccomend this book for riders of all disiplines.

This book lists and illustrates a wide variety of exercises for the dressage horse and explains the value of each exercise. Good illustrations guide you through each exercise and they are logically grouped into lessons to improve specific aspects of the horse's development. However, this book is not for beginning riders. It does not explain the aids nor does it explain the movement, so if you don't already know shoulder-in, counter canter, etc. you will find this very frustrating and be forced to reference a book that does explain the application of the aids and movements. The format is too large to be of much use at the barn or ringside; it would have been more helpful to be half the size.

This is a well organized book that riders of all levels will find easy to use over and over again. I found several great dressage training patterns to apply to different levels of work. A "must have" for all dressage riders.

This book is a must for anyone training horses. Lots of suggestions that riders would not think of and extremely helpful.

I find this book very easy to read, with a lot of good exercises. The sketches and diagrams are the strongest point of this book, followed by the shear amount of exercises available. Unfortunately, what I really needed from this book was mobility, and it is a rather big thing. I would pick out a few exercises to ride while reading at home, but by the time I got on my horse, I would forget the subtleties of the exercise and not be able to do it without a friend reading it for me.

When I found out that they just released this book for the iPhone/iPod Touch, I jumped on it. The simplicity that made the book feel a bit light weight, makes perfect sense as an App. I can have my iPod touch in the top my half chap and pull out my iPod and use it to get a random dressage exercise. You can use the app with just one hand, which is really helpful. I suggest that you buy both the book and the app, but if I had to choose, I would pick the app.

Hope this helps!