Book & Video Reviews

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Shipped Semen 101: A Lab Manual for Horse Breeders and Stallion Stations (Paperback)

Text by Judith Pilgrim
Alpine Publications
ISBN: 978-1-57779-082-2

Shipped Semen 101 works very much like a college lab manual, but it's useful for the average person interested in learning about artificial breeding and the lab work necessary to transfer and ship semen. It's also useful to the first-time breeder and smaller breeding operations. It covers the anatomy and physiology of the stallion and mare.

The manual contains 12 chapters, two appendixes and an index page. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the breeding process, emphasizing safety for horses and humans and collecting the best sample from the stallion. Each chapter's numbered, well-detailed instructions and photos explain even the smallest elements of the job. Photos include horses during the breeding process, equipment used in the lab and during breeding, mare and stallion reproductive organs, and materials needed for the build-your-own option.

An added bonus: The manual includes sample checklists for procedures, and a CD with additional worksheets.

Storey’s Barn Guide to Horse Health Care and First Aid: Essential Techniques with a Hands-Free Format

Text by Robin Catalano with Lee Delaney, DVM
Illustrations by Alison Schroeer
Storey Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-58017-639-2

This manual offers every horse owner a practical guide that can stay exactly where every owner needs it: in the barn. Made like a calendar, the manual can be hung on a nail in the stable, shed or office at any type of equine facility.

With an easy-to-read format, the manual uses excellent illustrations that are clear and concise. The illustrations of toxic plants are especially well done; along with a clear image of what the plant and all of its components look like, it also lists where the plant can be found and what happens if a horse ingests it.

Throughout the manual, there are little tips and hints to make abnormal occurrences, such as casting, easier to handle for someone new to owning a horse. A new owner could easily use this guide in a pinch for help with first aid and when to call a vet. Plus, it’s much easier to reference than one of the all-encompassing horse health books that sit on a living room shelf.

Overall, the manual is wonderful for someone new to owning a horse, but just as handy for the experienced owner who may need a speedy reminder now and then.

Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition
Second Revised Edition

By P.L. Senger
Current Conceptions, Inc.
ISBN: 0-9657648-2-6

This book holds the answers to all your questions about reproductive physiology in animals, complete with amazing graphic illustrations of reproductive anatomy and physiological processes. Fifteen chapters break down the complete reproductive process from copulation to formation of the fetus to parturition (birth). Each chapter includes detailed illustrations and photos of the male and female reproductive organs and functions as well as the processes that lead up to pregnancy.

In addition to the illustrations, this book is reader-friendly because of its “Take Home Message” summary at the beginning of each chapter, fact boxes that highlight important concepts throughout the chapters, and text that speaks to readers—not above them. And to add a little fun to the learning process, each chapter concludes with interesting tidbits about reproduction in a section titled, “Further Phenomenon for Fertility.”

If you’ve been wanting to understand the complexities of reproduction and how to increase the chances of conception in your mare, increase fertilization in your stallion, or know the processes that lead to the birth of your foal, this book won’t disappoint you. After reading it, you’ll be armed with more than enough knowledge to improve your breeding program. Recommended for the serious learner.

Available at www.currentconceptions.com.

Balance in movement: How to achieve the perfect seat

By Susanne Von Dietze
Trafalgar Square Publishing
ISBN: 1-57076-330-5

The diagrams and photos in Balance in Movement are good for visual learners.
After reading the captions and some of the explanations, something didn’t seem quite right.
I discovered after going through the entire book that it was originally published in German and then translated to English. Some of the lessons and explanations are literally lost in translation, making them difficult to understand because of the choppy language.

The examples and diagrams are well-done and the riders pictured in the book have excellent form—offering good and bad examples—but I’d suggest reading Sally Swift’s “Centered Riding” or “Centered Riding II” to get the same material, but written in a little better English.

Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul II: Inspirational tales of passion, achievement and devotion

By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Marty Becker, D.V.M., Teresa Becker, Peter Vegso and Theresa Peluso
Health Communications, Inc.
ISBN: 0-7573-0402-8

“You know you're a horse lover when… You can’t eat a carrot or
apple without feeling guilty about not sharing it with your horse.”

This book keeps its title’s promise: offering inspirational stories for horse lovers. If you’re a horse lover or know a horse lover, whether 9 years old or 90, you’ll love this book.
The story topics range from companionship and commitment to horses as teachers or healers to a special bond between horse and human. Freelance writers and horse people from around the United States wrote and submitted the published stories.

Editor’s note: Appaloosa Journal Staff Writer Cheryl Dudley contributed “A Mustang Night” to the book.

101 Trail Riding Tips: Helpful Hints for Backcountry and Pleasure Riding

By Dan Aadland
The Lyons Press
ISBN: 1-59228-830-8

This book is part of a series of books that each focuses on a specific topic and then lists the 101 top tips. 101 Trail Riding Tips opens with understanding the nature of horses, progressing to approaching a horse at its shoulder and how to correctly halter a horse. Several short training exercises are explained and then some trail riding lessons learned—probably the hard way. While someone who is experienced around horses and has been on a few trail rides will not need to refer to this book for tips, a beginner might.

One of the greatest trail riding lessons the book doesn’t mention is trail riding with an experienced rider or friend—it’s safer and more fun.

101 Horsekeeping Tips: Simple Strategies for a Safer and More Efficient Stable

By Jessie Shiers
The Lyons Press
ISBN: 1-59228-831-6

Horsekeeping is a great topic for tips. The book offers tips on various areas of horsekeeping including stable planning, tack and equipment, seasonal tips, health, safety and grooming. A young horse lover just getting started in lessons would adore this book and learn a lot. There’s a lot of good information covered, but there’s also a lot more to learn. These 101 tips are just the beginning…

Also, the tips are listed by number (out of 101) with an explanation in the paragraph below, so the reader doesn’t know what general idea they’re reading about until they’ve read the first few sentences or the entire description.

A young equestrian with a thirst for knowledge about horses would love this book.

101 Hunter/Jumper Tips: Essentials for Riding on the Flat and Over Fences

By: Jessie Shiers
The Lyons Press
ISBN: 1-59228-832-4

Hunter/jumper tips are great to know, but you can’t necessarily learn them from a handy book. These tips—again no title for each tip, just a number and explanation—range from a suggestion to always practice braiding at shows to watching winning riders in classes before yours to the importance of stretching to the importance of keeping your eyes up off the ground while riding.

These are excellent tips and handy reminders for all who ride in hunter or jumper disciplines, but they aren’t all-inclusive. This is a great book for a beginning English rider who aspires to jump and show, but even 1,000 tips printed in a book can’t replace instruction from a trainer.

Jumping Problems Solved—Gridwork: The Secret to Success

By Carol Mailer
Trafalgar Square Publishing
ISBN: 1-57076-328-3

This book is valuable in that it has great exercises for horse and rider to improve and build confidence and jumping skills. An assumption is made that the reader has jumping basics down and already has adequate equitation and basic safety knowledge—enough to make informed decisions on what type of gridwork will benefit horse and rider.

There are a lot of photos and drawings, giving the reader decent visuals. Some of the riders in the pictures don’t have picture-perfect equitation that George Morris would approve of, but they seem to be getting the job done.

If you’re looking for some more exercises to help your horse improve his jumping
style and fix some nagging problems like trailing legs, hitting jumps with legs, etc, this book can send you on your way and be a good resource.

All Horse Systems Go

By Nancy S. Loving, DVM
Trafalgar Square Publishing
ISBN: 1-57076-332-1

Whenever something goes wrong, a horse owner always wants to
know what the problem is so they know how bad it is and what they’re dealing with. This book has great descriptions, pictures and information and may help a horse owner whose horse was just diagnosed, better understand an illness or injury.

The description of this book, “The Horse Owner’s Full-Color Veterinary Care and Conditioning Resource for Modern Performance, Sport and Pleasure Horses,” fulfills its promise.

Every horse owner should have a copy of this book in their library. There’s
outstanding information about basic good horse health, first aid, evaluations of fitness and conditioning, as well as information about many kinds of injuries and lameness, along with descriptive (and sometimes graphic) pictures.

The Foaling Primer

By Cynthia McFarland
Storey Publishing
ISBN: 1580176089

This book is a great resource for horse owners who anticipate
breeding for and raising a foal. It includes step-by-step instructions and guides throughout
the complete process, from breeding the mare to weaning and training the foal. The book is extremely well organized with call-out boxes, charts, lists, definitions and forms for record keeping. With quality photographs and clear, well-written text, this book is an excellent
guide for any horse person looking towards foaling. Knowing what to expect, what problems to watch for and what to do when things go wrong, horse owners can be prepared for the
birth of their foal. Following the pregnancy and birth chapters, the book explains what to expect as the foal matures—and then offers training tips, including halter breaking and tying. The book concludes with a section on registering the foal and a section for keeping records of all the important data from breeding to worming to veterinary check-ups-and a glossary. This is one of the most comprehensive and user-friendly books on the market for foaling.

The Horse - El Caballo
101 Lessons-Lecciones
in English y en Español

By Cherry Hill

This 90-minute DVD uses some basic Spanish words and phrases to
teach horses and horse care. Formatted as a video storybook, each page is repeated three times: first as just a picture, then with an English description followed by a Spanish one. With great video clips of horses and background guitar music, the video is fun and educational. Kids who like horses will learn about the horse family, see a newborn foal take its first step, and watch it grow up and learn some basic lessons. Viewers will also be introduced to some of the parts of the horse and how to care for horses. The video concludes with some vocabulary and quizzes, to see how much viewers remember. This is a great video with nice pictures of horses, but it’s a little long and moves slowly. Young kids would do best viewing it in segments.