HORSE HOUSEKEEPING. Everything You Need To Know To Keep A Horse At Home. Margaret and Michael Korda. Harper Collins. 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022. 207 pages. 2005. $26.95.
The vision of a “horse-at-home” has often appeared to many people with an acre or two (more or less) and a horse currently living off site at a boarding facility. Authors Michael and Margaret Korda deftly illuminate this dream with their well-written and charmingly illustrated new book.

Located in Dutchess County, N.Y., their Stonegate Farm has evolved over 25 years from a recreational barn for pleasure horses to a full-fledged training facility complete with indoor ring, cross-country jumps and the ability to host training sessions and clinics.

The early years of the authors’ horsekeeping is covered in the delightful book Country Matters, which details the move from New York City to the small Hudson River valley town of Pleasant Valley?90 miles north of Manhattan and a world away. Other works include Horse People and Cat People.

Michael Korda is the editor-in-chief at Simon & Schuster and rides for fun and exercise. Margaret is a familiar face at horse trials and combined tests in the Northeast and has enjoyed an extremely successful career at novice level with her horse, Dundee.

Horse Housekeeping is a straightforward guide to setting up your barn and getting the work done while still finding time to ride. Nearly every topic related to horse care is covered, from barn design, fencing, pasture drainage, equipment and property maintenance, to hiring and retaining barn help and planning a day-to-day routine.

The reader is continuously reminded in a pragmatic way that the schedules and practices that work for the authors may not be useful for the reader and should be modified to suit individual needs and climate conditions. Margaret has placed a sign on her tack room door that reads “My Barn?My Rules,” which is a message clearly delivered.

Experienced horsemen who keep their horses at home might not feel they need another how-to book on stable management and horse care. But they’ll find this personal and often humorous volume well worth the read. After all, they might not have considered burning the manure pile as a solution to waste management (p. 74) or putting sleigh bells on stirrups to alert hunters while riding out during deer hunting season (p. 38).

Beginners at equine home care and those considering the idea of boarding at their own address, should consider this book a MUST–first to read and then as a reference manual. The details of pasture/paddock location along with use and design of run-in sheds are thoughtful, complete and well explained. Lists and notes of basic supplies and equipment are a good starting point for equipping stalls, the tack room, medicine chest and feed storage area.

The downside of having a horse living at your side is explained and the pitfalls noted. This isn’t an undertaking for everyone because horses are a 24/7/365 commitment of time, money, effort, dedication and the continuous support of numerous people (vets, farriers, feed supplier and handyman) to make the whole undertaking successful.

While this may seem daunting, especially in bad weather, the Kordas have found it person-ally worthwhile and fulfilling. Early in the book Michael explained, “Take it step by step? and remember the feeling; above all, that home is where your horses belong, that it wouldn’t be home without them.”

Walking into a well-organized and comfortable barn where your horses are sheltered and secure is a wonderful feeling. As your equine friends greet you with their welcoming voices, you’ll know the time invested in exploring the world of horsekeeping was well spent.
Cynthia Curran

FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE FINAL 2005. MBPtv Production for Equestrian Vision. Commentary by Richard Davison. Narrated by Jamie Hawksfield. Footage supplied by Carr-Hughes Productions. Available through http://www.equivid.com/. 90 minute-VHS or DVD. 2005. $29.95.
The FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Las Vegas drew record numbers of fans to the Thomas & Mack arena to watch the titans of international dressage duke it out for the World Cup title.

But if you weren’t able to be there, the next best thing is this videotape or DVD of the final. You’ll see all 12 of the freestyles, from Guenter Seidel to Anky van Grunsven.

Richard Davison, a British Olympic dressage rider, comments on the first four tests. He and host Jamie Hawksfield discuss what the judges are looking for in a freestyle and examine the highs and lows of each test. The next eight feature very little comment so the viewer can sit back and enjoy the harmony of horses and riders to the music.

The camera work is high quality with some interesting angles as they zoom in on the legs and hooves in some of the more difficult movements, like the canter pirouette or the piaffe.

There are also on-the-scene interviews with Debbie McDonald and van Grunsven, among others.

This videotape is straight dressage at the highest level. It’s a no-frills way to view the horses and riders judged to be the best in the world. Sara Lieser

RIDE FROM WITHIN: USE TAI CHI TO AWAKEN YOUR NATURAL BALANCE AND CONNECT WITH YOUR HORSE. James Shaw. Trafalgar Square Publishing, North Pomfret, VT 05053. 258 pages. 2005. $29.95.
Western civilization has long looked askance at the philosophies and religion of the East. But, now, homeopathic medicines, yoga and acupuncture, for example, are mainstream options and pursuits. In some circles, they’re even chic and politically correct.

Shaw’s book, which explains how to use the ancient martial and mental art of tai chi to help a rider regain natural balance, develop mental clarity and therefore establish a deeper connection both physically and mentally with the horse, has arrived with perfect timing.

Shaw’s premise on helping riders with tai chi is a simple one. “To become one with your horse, you must first become one with yourself?then your horse will respond to the slightest changes in your body, as if there is a silent agreement between you,” he said.

As most riders know, establishing that “silent agreement” with a horse can be a frustrating experience. So often you have an exhilarating moment where it all clicks and you feel that “oneness” with your horse and then the moment is gone and it’s difficult to recapture. Shaw believes that tai chi can help make that tantalizing and elusive moment become more a reality than a wisp of a dream.

In the first two chapters, Shaw adeptly introduces the reader to tai chi and its basic principles as they apply to the equestrian. Then the rest of the book is devoted to Shaw teaching the reader tai chi exercises both on the ground and on the horse.

He concentrates on breathing exercises, which help unblock mental barriers and body exercises that help the rider’s natural gyroscope realign. He explains how tension in a rider’s body causes the flow of energy from human to horses to be disrupted and is a main reason for lack of connection. Shaw’s instructive tone is never pedantic, and he’s careful not just to tell the reader how to do his exercises but also how to recognize if they’re performing the exercise incorrectly, a must for any self-help book.

This book seems best suited for a rider who feels like she or he is stuck in a rut. Long years of bad riding habits are hard to break, and a book such as this could open up a new philosophy on riding and a new way to think of a human body in balance with a horse’s body.
Nicole Lever