Horsemanship & Training
At EERC, horsemanship and training are not about quick results or rigid methods—they are about communication, consistency, and trust. Many of the horses in our care are starting over, often carrying physical limitations or past experiences that require a thoughtful, ethical approach. The way we handle, train, and ride these horses determines not only their soundness, but their confidence and long-term success. This section of the library reflects our belief that good horsemanship is a skill built through awareness, patience, and a willingness to listen. By prioritizing clarity over force and partnership over performance, we create reliable trail horses and lasting horse–human relationships.
Groundwork & Communication
📘101 Ground Training Exercises for Eyes on the Ground – By Cherry Hill. A comprehensive "cookbook" of patterns to improve your horse's manners and responsiveness.
📘Groundwork: The First 500 Miles: By Aarene Storms. Focused on the distance horse, covering essential "trail manners" like ponying and staying calm at vet checks.
📘The Art of Liberty Training for Horses : By Jonathan Field. A deep dive into reading equine body language and developing a partnership based on "feel."
📘Evidence-Based Horsemanship: By Martin Black and Dr. Stephen Peters. Bridges the gap between neuroscience and the round pen.
✍️The Language of Horses: Understanding Body Language: An article by Parelli Natural Horsemanship on the subtle cues horses use to communicate "yes" or "no."
✍️Groundwork Exercises for Trail Success: Julie Goodnight shares her top three ground exercises to prepare a horse for spooky trail obstacles.
✍️The Science of Groundwork (Blog): The Willing Equine explores positive reinforcement (R+) and force-free communication methods.
✍️Ponying 101: How to Lead a Second Horse : A vital Horse Illustrated guide for riders who need to exercise two horses at once safely.
🎧The Journey On Podcast: Groundwork Series: Warwick Schiller discusses shifting your mindset from "making" a horse do something to "asking" them to participate.
🎧The Feedback Loop: Focuses on the "conversation" between horse and rider and how to listen to subtle responses.
🎧Horse Radio Network: Stable Scoop: Often features experts discussing handling difficult horses on the ground and improving trailer loading safety.
🎥7 Clinics with Buck Brannaman: Groundwork: The "gold standard" for learning the mechanics of leading, backing, and yielding with intention.
🎥Buck (Documentary): A moving look at the life of Buck Brannaman, emphasizing that "your horse is a mirror to your soul."
🎥Free Horse Training: Groundwork Basics: A practical series by Clinton Anderson for establishing clear boundaries on the lead line.
🎥Listening to the Horse: A documentary featuring multiple world-class trainers discussing the nuances of soft, silent communication.
🤍 Why EERC Emphasizes This
Building a solid foundation on the ground is like "pre-flighting" your horse—it ensures the brakes, steering, and mental connection are functional before you ever swing into the saddle.
Trail Horse Development
📘The Essential Guide to Mountain Mare and Trail Horse Training: By Cheryl Kidd. A deep dive into "bombproofing" and teaching your horse to pick its own way through technical terrain.
📘101 Western Dressage Exercises for Horse & Rider: By Jec Aristotle Ballou. These exercises are secret weapons for building the maneuverability and hind-quarter strength needed for steep switchbacks.
📘The Trail Rider's Guide to Training: 10 Steps to a Better Trail Horse: By Julie Goodnight. Focuses on the mental side of the trail, specifically stopping the "jigging" and barn-sour behaviors.
📘The Complete Guide to Trail Riding: By Donna Snyder-Smith. Covers the developmental stages of a trail horse, from the first time they see water to riding in large groups.
✍️Desensitizing Your Horse to Trail Spooks: Julie Goodnight breaks down the "Advance and Retreat" method for logs, flags, and wildlife.
✍️How to Teach Your Horse to Cross Water: A step-by-step guide from Horse Illustrated on one of the most common trail "stoppages."
✍️Building Confidence in the Young Trail Horse: The Sweaty Equestrian discusses the "mileage" mindset and how to avoid over-facing a green horse.
✍️The Stop-and-Think Method: Warwick Schiller explains how to teach a horse to process fear rather than react to it.
🎧The Trail Ride Podcast : Interviews with professional trail guides on how they season their "string" for public use.
🎧The Journey On Podcast: Creating Connection: Essential for understanding how to become the "safe place" for your horse when things get hairy on a narrow ledge.
🎧Horses in the Morning: Trail Riding Edition: Frequent segments on "Trail Tips" and troubleshooting common development issues like "buddy sourness."
🎥Mustang Champions: A series of short films and competition footage showing the incredible transformation of wild horses into ultimate trail partners.
🎥Downunder Horsemanship: Trail Training Series: Clinton Anderson demonstrates "sensory training" and how to handle a horse that wants to bolt.
🎥Finding the Line: Technical Trail Riding: A visual guide on teaching your horse to look where they are putting their feet in rocky or boggy terrain.
🎥The Wild Horse Redemption: A documentary that, while focused on a prison program, beautifully illustrates the patience required to develop a deep bond with a "green" horse.
🤍 Why EERC Emphasizes This
Building a trail horse is a long game—it's about seasoning the mind just as much as the body. This list focuses on the transition from "arena horse" to "reliable partner".
Restarting & Career Transitions
📘Retraining the Racehorse: A Guide for Trainers and Adopters: By Caroline Akrill. The definitive guide for transitioning Thoroughbreds from the track to a more relaxed riding life.
📘101 Dressage Exercises for Horse & Rider: By Jec Aristotle Ballou. Essential for "re-muscling" a horse correctly after a break, focusing on core strength and symmetry.
📘The Reschooling of the Thoroughbred: By Jean-Luc Cornille. A technical look at the biomechanics of a horse in transition and how to fix "ingrained" movement patterns.
📘Beyond the Track: By Anna Ford. A visual, step-by-step manual for the first 90 days of a horse’s new career.
✍️The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) Blog: A goldmine of resources for transitioning any high-performance athlete into a "civilian" job.
✍️Restarting the Older Horse: Julie Goodnight discusses the mental hurdles of asking an experienced horse to learn a new "language."
✍️Bringing a Horse Back into Work After a Long Break: A fitness-first article from Horse Illustrated on avoiding injury during the first few weeks of a restart.
✍️The "Let Down" Period: Why Rest is Training: The Sweaty Equestrian explains the neurological necessity of letting a horse decompress before starting a new career.
🎧The Humble Hoof: Excellent episodes on how hoof changes during a career transition (like pulling shoes) affect a horse's whole-body movement.
🎧Retraining the Racehorse Podcast: Part of the Horse Radio Network, featuring interviews with trainers who specialize in second acts.
🎧The Warwick Schiller Journey On Podcast: The "Reset" Episode: Focuses on the mental "reset" required for both horse and human when things aren't clicking in a new discipline.
🎥The Second Career (Documentary): A look at the journey of horses moving from elite sport into therapy and pleasure roles.
🎥OTTB Training Series: Wallace Eventing offers real-time videos of the first rides and "re-education" sessions for horses with high-speed backgrounds.
🎥Healing with Horses: A documentary exploring how "failed" performance horses often find their highest calling in equine-assisted therapy.
🎥Groundwork for the Restart: Clinton Anderson demonstrates how to "audit" an older horse’s foundation to find where the holes are before riding.
🤍 Why EERC Emphasizes This
Whether you're bringing a horse back from a long injury layoff or transitioning a "retired" athlete into a second career, the process requires a unique blend of patience and biomechanical awareness.
Confidence & Behavior
📘Evidence-Based Horsemanship: By Martin Black and Dr. Stephen Peters. A fascinating look at the equine brain and how to build confidence by working with their neurobiology.
📘Zen Mind, Zen Horse: The Science and Spirituality of Working with Horses: By Allan Hamilton, MD. Explores how your own internal state dictates your horse's confidence level.
📘101 Ground Training Exercises for Eyes on the Ground: By Cherry Hill. Features specific patterns designed to improve focus and "de-spook" horses in a controlled environment.
📘The Problem Horse: By Karen Bush. A practical diagnostic guide to determining if "behavior" is caused by pain, fear, or a lack of clarity.
✍️The "Stop and Think" Method: Warwick Schiller explains how to teach a horse to transition from their "reactive" brain to their "learning" brain.
✍️Confidence-Building Exercises for the Spooky Horse: Julie Goodnight details the "Advance and Retreat" technique for building trust with scary objects.
✍️Understanding the Flight Response: A deep dive from Horse Illustrated on why horses bolt and how to safely redirect that energy.
✍️The Science of Positive Reinforcement (R+): The Willing Equine discusses using rewards to create a horse that is eager and confident rather than just compliant.
🎧The Journey On Podcast: Addressing Fear: Essential listening for riders dealing with their own anxiety or a horse's deep-seated trauma.
🎧The Feedback Loop: Focuses on the subtle "micro-signals" horses give before they blow up, allowing you to intervene early.
🎧Horses in the Morning: Training Thursdays: Regular segments with trainers who troubleshoot everything from "barn sour" behavior to trailer phobias.
🎥Buck (Documentary): A masterclass in "reading" a horse’s spirit and understanding how a human's presence can settle a troubled mind.
🎥7 Clinics with Buck Brannaman: Lessons on Horseback: Focuses on the "soft feel" and how physical balance leads to mental confidence.
🎥Solving the Spook (Video): Clinton Anderson demonstrates desensitization techniques for high-energy or reactive horses.
🎥The Wild Horse Redemption : A documentary showing the incredible patience required to turn "fear-based" wild mustangs into confident partners
🤍 Why EERC Emphasizes This
When a horse is "spooky" or "difficult," it’s often a communication gap rather than a behavior flaw. This list focuses on developing a horse that can process fear, think through pressure, and look to the rider for guidance.
Rider Feel & Awareness
📘Centered Riding: By Sally Swift. The definitive guide on using visualization and "soft eyes" to achieve a deep, non-interfering seat.
📘The Anatomy of Riding: By Sara Wyche. A biological look at how the rider's skeleton interacts with the horse's to create (or block) fluid movement.
📘Connected Riding: What It Is and How It Works: By Peggy Cummings. Focuses on the "neutral spine" and how small shifts in rider posture change the horse’s entire frame.
📘Riding with Feel: By Kurd Albrecht von Ziegner. A classic text on developing the sensitivity required for high-level communication.
✍️The Mindful Rider Blog: Explores the psychological side of riding, focusing on being present and reducing the "noise" in your aids.
✍️Developing Your "Feel" for the Lead: Julie Goodnight explains how to stop looking down and start feeling the horse’s shoulders and hips move.
✍️Rider Biomechanics: The Pelvis: The Sweaty Equestrian breaks down how an immobile pelvis creates a "noisy" seat.
✍️Warwick Schiller: The Principles of Training: An article series on how "less is more" when your horse starts responding to your internal energy.
🎧The Journey On Podcast: The Relationship Episode: Warwick Schiller discusses how your own nervous system regulation affects your horse’s awareness.
🎧The Dressage Radio Show: Rider Fitness: Frequent episodes on how off-the-horse mobility work (like Pilates) translates to better feel in the saddle.
🎧The Feedback Loop: A podcast dedicated to "listening" to the horse's physical feedback and adjusting your intent accordingly.
🎥7 Clinics with Buck Brannaman: The Soft Feel: Focuses on the "pre-signal"—asking the horse with your mind and seat before you ever touch the reins.
🎥Horses & The Science of Harmony: A documentary featuring Gareth Hughes and others on the physiological "click" when horse and rider move as one.
🎥Mastering the Sitting Trot: Mary Wanless uses biomechanical "kits" to show riders how to feel the horse's back lift.
🎥The Path of the Horse: A cinematic exploration of the deep, non-verbal awareness that exists between humans and horses.
🤍 Why EERC Emphasizes This
To ride with "feel" is to move beyond mechanical cues and start responding to the horse’s balance, tension, and intent in real-time. This list is about developing your internal "GPS" for biomechanics and mental presence.