Search results for ""author george h morris""

Carouser, competitor, taskmaster, dreamer, teacher, and visionary, George Morris has been ever-present on the rarified stage of the international riding elite for most of the seventy years he's been in the saddle. He has represented our country as an athlete and a coach and, at one time or another, instructed many of our nation's best horsemen and women. His carefully chosen, perfectly enunciated words are notoriously powerful. They can raise you up or cut you to the quick. His approval can be a rainmaker; his derision can end a career.But as much as people know and respect (or perhaps, fear) the public face of George Morris, he has lived, in other ways, a remarkably private life, keeping his own personal struggles – with insecurity, ambition, and love – behind closed doors. It is only now that he has chosen, in his own words, to share the totality of his life – the very public and the incredibly private – with the world.The result for many is a surprisingly frank, honest, personal retrospective from a man presumed to be strict, guarded, and even scary. But while deviating from his reputation as a stickler for formality in some respects, George Morris remains true to his loyalty to his sport and his country, providing an unparalleled chronology of the rise of American equestrianism and its major players – both human and equine.Within these pages readers will find a vivid and often touching portrayal of a man's journey from nervous youth to indelible leader, enmeshed in a fascinating description of high society, international travel, gay life, and elite sport through the past six decades.This engrossing autobiography, the real story of the godlike George Morris, beautifully demonstrates his ultimate humanity.

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Stride control (striding) is an essential part of any rider’s development when jumping obstacles, and jumping them well, is a goal. Understanding and implementing stride control (being able to adjust the number of strides before and between fences) improves a horse’s rideability and allows the rider to further improve the horse’s technique over an obstacle. Jen Marsden Hamilton discovered striding from the master himself: former US Show Jumping Chef d’Equipe credits her as being the first student to whom he taught the method that he’d learned from Bertalan De Némethy, one of his mentors. Now, after coaching countless riders and horses around the world in the striding techniques that brought her success during her own impressive competitive career, Hamilton has compiled her knowledge in a concise book of exercises and insightful strategies. This fun, approachable guide will help all riders train with correctness and form good habits at home so they can be stars at their next jumping or eventing competition. Exercises include detailed set-up instructions and illustrations for reference; clear discussion of the purpose and strategy for the training session; and helpful tips, to ensure all involved are benefiting from the lesson. Throughout, Hamilton’s straight-talk and wry humour provides entertainment as well as advice, providing an all-around superb guide to this necessary jumping skill.

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There are many books and DVDs devoted to the technical training of horse and rider - how to perform movements correctly, clear obstacles, communicate efficiently, and in other ways attain the idealised image of an athletic partnership that results in competitive success. But this book is different: its focus is how the rider and trainer can make it easier for the horse to perform optimally. This includes improved understanding of what are reasonable expectations for a particular horse at a certain level of schooling, how to improve his fitness (including strength and conditioning), as well as background on how injuries may develop as a result of interaction between internal and external factors, such as genetics, conformation, management, and training. Relying on her veterinary background, in-depth research, and dozens of interviews with top riders and trainers from around the world - including Beezie Madden, Carl Hester, and Pippa Funnell, to name just a few - Lonnell provides guidelines for nurturing a happy, healthy equine athlete. With special focus on conscientious pacing when building the horse's physical capability over time, diversification of schooling practices, detail-oriented management and care, and putting the horse's needs above competitive ambition, readers are given a solid grasp of what it takes to truly reach the pinnacle of equestrian sport - and remain there - on a consistent basis. Throughout, gorgeous colour photographs of world-class horses and the people who work with them visually demonstrate the success of these methods.

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