Schooling For Young Riders

Guides the young rider in training a horse or pony, with explanations of equine psychology, equipment, and contest rules

The director of the riding program at Sweet Briar College for more than 30 years, Cronin is a well-known and highly respected trainer and riding instructor. Here he presents a clear and practical guide to getting the most out of a horse in a humane and sensitive way.

Explains the principles of good horsemanship, what to look for when buying a horse and how to ride in horse shows.

Traces the history of horse training, explains fundamental training techniques, and reviews the skills of good horsemanship

This marvelous book, borne of a unique collaboration between Dr. Allen Schoen—a world-renowned veterinarian and author—and trainer and competitor of many years Susan Gordon, introduces the 25 Principles of Compassionate Equitation. These Principles, conceived by Dr. Schoen and Gordon, are a set of developmental guidelines, encouraging a level of personal awareness that may be enacted not only through the reader's engagement with horses, but can be extended to all humans and sentient beings he or she encounters. The 25 Principles share stories and outline current, peer-reviewed studies that identify and support methods of training, handling, and caring for horses that constitute a safe, healthy, non-stressful, and pain-free environment. Through their Compassionate Equestrian program, the authors encourage all involved in the horse industry to approach training and handling with compassion and a willingness to alleviate suffering. By developing deeper compassion for their own horses, and subsequently, all equines, equestrians transcend their differences in breed preferences, riding disciplines, and training methodologies. This leads to the ability to empathize and connect more closely with the “global collective” of horses and horse people. In doing so, a worldwide community of compassionate equine practitioners and horse owners will emerge, which will not only benefit the horses: People involved with horses are found in many influential segments of society and have the potential to affect wide circles of friends, acquaintances, and co-workers from every walk of life. These are simple changes any horse person can make that can have a vast impact on the horse industry and society as a whole.

Light in the Saddle is an eight volume series that starts with building a relationship with your horse on the ground and continues through developing the foundations of communication in the saddle. Educating and conditioning the horse humanely along with exercises for the rider opens the doors step by step to both horse and rider enjoying the process of exploring their full potential.

My first exposure to Muslims was in 2005 in Morocco. I enjoyed my visit and was surprised by the Berbers' hospitality. I was fascinated by the eagerness of Muslims to discuss God. While sharing personal stories was important, our conversations always concluded with talking about God. Discussions about our faiths was the foremost topic of my conversations with Muslims. Over the years, I have compared the teachings of Islam with the Christian Scriptures. I have found the narratives differing in detail and concepts conflicting in perspective. These theological differences confirm that Islam and Christianity do not worship the same God. For example, the Quran teaches that Allah commanded angels to bow down to Adam at creation. Satan refused, and Allah banished him to the earth (Qu.7:11-13). According to the Bible, Yhwh would never command angels to bow down to man, for only Yhwh is worthy of worship. For an angel to bow down to man is idolatry. I have observed many debates between Muslims and Christians. Muslim debaters seldom stay on the agreed topic. Instead, they divert from the subject to ridicule and debase Christianity as foolishness. I have found that while Muslims ask difficult questions of Christianity, they never ask the same questions of Islam. Islam and Christianity Contrasted will seek answers to those questions from the early Islamic sources and compare them with the teachings of the Bible. The Quran, early hadiths, Islamic history, and four established translations of the Bible will be consulted. I hope that through Islam and Christianity Contrasted, both Muslims and Christians will have a deeper understanding of one another’s faith.