32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent reference for ANY rider of any discipline, Aug 5 2010
By Bradley Schneider - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: 50 5-Minute Fixes to Improve Your Riding: Simple Solutions for Better Position and Performance in No Time (Hardcover)
50 5 Minute Fixes is an excellent book filled with so many simple exercises and solutions to a wide range of riding issues. And many of them can be combined in that one 5 Minute Fix can be used with another to solve a larger riding issue. The organization of the book is great. Its not a start at the front and work to the back type of text. It is broken down by body parts and the exercises are grouped to allow you to find a solution for a particular issue your might be having based on your hands, or back, on what you are doing or what your horse is doing or not doing, etc. You can pick up this book and go to right where you need to.
For those who have a copy of Wendy's first book "Simplify Your Riding" you will see that it continues with her approach to explaining riding by including easy to understand discussions of the anatomy that relates to the particular lesson. Compared to SYR where there were a lot of pictures of skeletons and bones, this book is loaded with drawings and illustrations of the skeleton of both the horse and rider. And there are tons of photos to illustrate each point she is making.
I personally have a technical background, so I look to understand some of my riding issues from a technical, not just the aesthetic or artistic standpoint. Wendy's approach fills that need to understand the specific how and why things work and don't work. And this book is like having her around to tell me those things. If you are not a technical person the book will still more than fulfill your needs to solve a riding issue through the text and the photos. She is an excellent instructor and the book captures some of that excellence and brilliance.
You can buy a lot of books on improving your riding, but I doubt that there is any author out there with as much understanding of the integration of anatomy and biomechanics and how that all factors into correct riding position and performance, and more importantly, is capable of putting all this complex information into a clear and easily understandable form that every rider can pickup and put to use. If you are a pleasure rider and just want to improve your riding this book is for you. If you are a competitive rider, this book might be your secret weapon to finding that little extra to improve your scores. Its a book that should be in everyone's equestrian bookshelf.
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fixes that are understandable and easy!, July 10 2010
By L J Turner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: 50 5-Minute Fixes to Improve Your Riding: Simple Solutions for Better Position and Performance in No Time (Hardcover)
After thumbing through the pages of "50 5-Minute Fixes" I realized I'd benefit from all 50 fixes. The only thing difficult about reading this book has been to slow myself down and not attempt to accomplish all 50 fixes at one time. The text is easy to understand with photos and drawings to enhance Wendy's clear explanations, the exercises are not complicated, and the reasoning and results make perfect sense. My horses are already thanking Wendy for writing this book!
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent resource!, July 10 2010
By Cathy - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: 50 5-Minute Fixes to Improve Your Riding: Simple Solutions for Better Position and Performance in No Time (Hardcover)
This book is a gem of a self-help book for riders! Problems that most riders face are addressed and simple solutions are given for fixing the problems. It is like having your own personal instructor (only better)! Easy to read, the problems are all in there own chapters so one problem can be solved without reading the entire book again. The author also address other common issues like saddle fit and explains body structure on both horse and rider.
A must own for all riders!