School for Young Riders

New York: Arco Publishing Co., Inc., 1976. Second Printing . Hard Back. Fine/Good. 7" x 9 1/2. 235 Pages. Very light and small owner's stamp on the front endpaper. The exercises have not been filled in. Very tight bright book with no other defects noted. Interior text, photos, and drawings are flawless. This is the true story of a young girl who attended the Jane Dillon's Junior Equitation School in Virginia. The author combined serious technical explanation of the various steps in learning to ride with the very human story of how a girl actually learned to become an excellent rider. The other junior riders shown in the illustrations were all brought from new beginners to the point where they all hunt competently and show successfully. This book tells, step by step, just how this was accomplished. The young girl in this story developed her riding to the level where she was a strong competitor in horse show jumping as well as amateur steeplechasing. There are 21 chapters in the book, each one a lesson given in the author's school, and at the end of each is a quiz for the reader to rate his progress. But instead of these lessons being dry and difficult reading, they are related in story form by the young girl who actually took them and learned to become a successful rider. Here and there is a chapter which is fairly technical, but absolutely necessary. It will be followed by one which reads like fiction, but is really fact. In this respect the book is especially suitable for young riders. The various terms used in the world of horsemanship are clearly explained, with illustrations as well as words. If a technical term appears later in the book, it is immediately explained. Thus the young rider is not only learning how to ride correctly and safely, but is learning proper horse language at the same time. The author had an enrollment of 200 pupils and there was a waiting list. It is obvious that even if you lived near it in Virginia, you might have difficulty attending it. Follow the things the young girl tells about in clear and simple language and you can become an excellent and successful rider. A classic book on junior equitation with sound and readable text for juniors.