Reining: The Art of Performance in Horses

What a great book. This book covers more detail than you can imagine. Very well written and organized. I am new to reining and I already used many of the techniques in the book. The book is my encyclopedia on reining!

I first read this book as a beginner looking to get into reining. I found it easy to understand and the concepts very clear. I still refer to it constantly for training and conditioning tips. It's a very well written book, and is not at all 'difficult' to read. In fact, I found it hard to put down! A great book and well worth a look.

This wonderfully photographed and diagrammed book is not just for trainers of reining horses -- riders will love it as well. Loomis presents a clear and methodical training program for the reining prospect. Loomis begins by introducing his philosophy of horsemanship (think not intimidate), the importance of breeding and conformation, then moves to ground work, basic training, conditioning ("never let your horse run out of air"), suppling exercises, body alignment (importance of circles) and advanced manuevers. He is comprehensive, covering shoeing, equipment, and show preparation as well. As the book title says, Loomis approaches Western horsemanship as an art, and he is a master. Because Loomis is so thorough, non-beginning riders interested in improving their horsemanship will find a wealth of information here. Many horsemanship books suffer from authors unable to convey in written words "the feel" of the horse in response to a cue. With co-author Kadash, Loomis presents his concepts lucidly. The diagrammed sample exercises illustrated throughout the book are another valuable resource for an intructorless rider. Loomis teaches the reader to think, about how the horse thinks and how the horseman thinks. Trainer or rider, with this book the reader will never stop learning how to improve from whatever level he is at. A tremendous resource!

This is a must read for trainers in any Western discipline. Bob has written a book on how to make a well-broke horse; one that can go in any direction. The information is organized and specific, from evaluating a performance prospect, riding a 2, then 3 year old and on to competition. A great book for anyone looking to lay down a solid foundation for any horse.