GEOFF TEALL ON RIDING HUNTERS, JUMPERS AND EQUITATION: DEVELOP A WINNING STYLE. Geoff Teall with Ami Hendrickson. Trafalgar Square Publishing, North Pomfret, VT 05053. 252 pp. Photos, index. 2006. $35.00.
Geoff Teall is a member of a very lucky generation, one that was guided into their professional training careers by legendary teachers such as Gordon Wright, Wayne Carroll and George Morris. In this book, he presents his interpretations of their classical, traditional teachings in a vividly articulate, organized way. This isn’t just a book about how to ride, it’s a book about how to enjoy, appreciate and maximize your every experience with your horse.

While Teall is an enormously successful trainer and rider in the hunter, jumper and equitation divisions, he dispels the mythical stereotype of the hunter/jumper trainer whose only goal is to win at all costs. Teall’s book consistently discusses how to make your horse as happy as he can be and how to teach and ride your horse as efficiently, kindly and effectively as you can. He won’t tell you to longe or work your horse until he’s quiet enough for you to ride. He won’t tell you to keep jumping over and over until you get it right. Teall brings old-school horsemanship and theories to the hunter, jumper and equitation rings. He gives the reader a systematic way to think about her riding and consider her horse’s happiness, along with practical exercises to improve skills.

Teall begins his book with a thorough discussion of the theories of riding in general. He points out that today’s commonly known “equitation” division–the skill of looking pretty over a course of fences–isn’t really the true definition of equitation.

“To me, equitation is a means to an end. The word literally means ‘the art of riding on horseback.’ It encompasses the concepts of horsemanship, correctness of position, and riding skills,” Teall states.

The mental aspect of riding is a huge concern for Teall–he truly believes that the correct mental approach can influence every facet of riding. The second chapter of the book, “Why Ride?” has an in-depth discussion on how to approach your riding philosophically, with subheads such as “Make a Difference for the Better” and Teall’s favorite saying, “Less is More.”

Teall’s approach to riding, training and teaching is overwhelmingly simple–he likes to break things down to their essentials and make sure they’re correct from the basics on up.

Subsequent chapters continue in this vein, giving the reader a comprehensive glimpse into Teall’s methodology and philosophy not only on showing, but also on horsemanship.

His “less is more” belief crops up more than once. As Teall states, “If I had to give just one word of advice for improving your horse’s life, it would be ‘Stop.’ Stop picking at him. Stop clutching the reins. Stop smothering him. Stop fussing. Just stop. Horses don’t like fluffy boots. They don’t like lengthy bubble baths. They don’t like being brushed and braided and primped and polished all the time. They don’t like wearing clothes.”

In subsequent chapters, Teall teaches the reader how to apply positive mental strategies to her riding and develop skills by gradually building them. He gives very simple, but extremely useful, exercises for the reader to conquer, both on the flat and over fences. These exercises progress logically, and Teall explains them very well. Ample illustrations give vivid pictures of the concepts.

Throughout the book, Teall utilizes informational boxes of text, such as “10 questions to ask a potential riding instructor,” which give concise, informative points of reference. He also, as a U.S. Equestrian Federation R-rated judge, has boxes titled “Judge’s Card,” where he illuminates what judges will be looking for and rewarding. These text boxes are extremely effective ways of presenting blocks of useful information outside of the text.

Teall’s book isn’t just a riding manual–don’t pick it up expecting a tutorial of how to ride a certain way, or how to put in a perfect hunter round based merely on the technical aspects. It’s more of an all-over cohesive approach to riding, showing and enjoying your horse. Teall tells you to put your heels down, but he also tells you why, and how it will affect your horse, and how it will make your riding more effective. Reading and understanding Teall’s logical, simple approach to the physical, technical, and—above all–mental aspects of riding will help you look at your riding in a whole new way.    Molly Sorge


FOXHUNTING–A CELEBRATION IN PHOTOGRAPHS. Trevor Meeks. Trafalgar Square Publishing, North Pomfret, VT 05053. 160 pp. Photographs. 2006. $45.00.
This book is the newest coffee table shrine to its namesake sport. The book showcases a collection of Horse And Hound staff photographer Trevor Meeks’ finest hunting images from across Great Britain, all captured during the two decades leading up to the Parliament’s ban on hunting in February of 2005.

“The joy of this work of photographic art, for that is what it is, must surely be that every picture–though hunting related–is totally different,” said Nigel Peel, renowned Master of the North Cotswold Hounds, in the book’s foreword. And the career horseman’s assessment couldn’t be more spot-on.

Foxhunting, of course, showcases the obligatory thrills and spills photos, with ample documentation of the harrowing conditions, cringe-worthy crashes and subsequently muddied riders one expects to see on a day spent following the hounds. With a lifetime of shooting behind him, Meeks has obviously fallen into the right place at the right time on countless occasions to capture some of the images in this category. But what makes the book worth a second glance is its abundance of softer, more carefully crafted images, which boast an array of colors, light qualities and artistic compositions.

Meeks explores a variety of camera angles, illustrating the hunt from the lofty perch of the rider all the way down to the range-skimming eyes of a hound. Images taken in all weather conditions, seasons and hours of the day make for a beautiful color palette. Whether a simple silhouette of a horse and rider against the setting sun or a rainbow arching majestically over the hunt field, these images are painterly portraits of a classic equestrian lifestyle.

Meeks has also captured the personality of several British hunting legends in warm, comfortable environmental portraits. The image of the late Capt. Charlie Barclay, a third generation master and huntsman of Puckeridge Hunt for 45 years, is beautifully captured in one such photo as he posed with his companion dog, Blot. Other tight detail and fringe shots convey the rich texture of the sport by focusing on things as simple as dirty fingernails on a glass of brandy, or the words “no ban” shorn into a horse’s flank.

The social aspect of hunting is well represented in the collection of photographs, which highlight family involvement throughout the generations and the sense of community the hunt evokes. Images capture various hunting traditions from Christmas parades through villages to the sharing of spirits with jolly companions. Meeks’ images also reveal the ways in which the “outside world” has impacted the ancient sport in recent years, in the form of everything from cell phones to smoke stacks.

In addition to chronicling the hunting season, the book devotes an entire chapter to Meeks’ photos of the hounds in summer. Some of the most intimate photographic moments come in this section of the book, which reveals the behind-the-scenes activities at hound shows and glimpses pups being trained on foot on walks through the countryside during “the silly season.”

Foxhunting isn’t perfect, with the occasional grainy, overly enlarged photo or vague caption information, but on the whole, it’s a lovely, high-quality photographic tribute to foxhunting in its native country. And with the hunting ban now imposed, Meeks’ wealth of images will elicit an even greater appreciation from any true lover of the sport.    Kat Netzler