Complete Training of Horse and Rider

I think that every rider who trains his own horse and wants to achieve success in dressage, will read this book with as much enthusiasm as I did. There is a great deal to be learned from it and there is every reason to be very grateful to Colonel Podhajsky for passing on his knowledge and experience.
-Prince Bernard of the Netherlands


For over a quarter century, Colonel Alois Podhajsky was the Director of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, home of the famous white Lipizzaner stallions whose remarkable performances thrilled audiences throughout the world. Now, for the first time, Colonel Podhajsky has set forth in a practical, instructive fashion, the step-by-step methods of training both horse and rider that were used at the school and are applicable foundations of all good horsemanship. Their purpose is to develop the natural abilities of the horse, making riding a graceful, pleasurable experience.

From the moment the young horse is led from the stable, we follow stages of training on the longe and mounted. The walk, trot, canter, the halt and half-half, lateral work, and at the more advanced levels, the piaffe, passage, pirouette, and other figures are clearly described in simple, exact terms for obtaining the best results.

The training of the rider is meticulously addressed with full attention to the use of aids at every stage and in all exercises. Equipment is also analyzed in detail. And finally, there is a unique revelation of just how the spectacular airs above the ground are achieved and correctly performed.

The result is a definitive book on classic horsemanship. It is a book that belongs on every horseman s library.