DR. DEB'S LATEST CONFORMATION BOOK IS NOW OUT !
THREE VOLUMES - FULL COLOR - BIG FORMAT - HUNDREDS OF EXAMPLES
TITLE: "HORSE CONFORMATION: PRINCIPLES OF FORM & FUNCTION"
This book contains the best of the world's largest collection of conformation photos of horses belonging to people of ordinary means.
Over 400 examples!
Highly readable, this book is addressed to every horse owner
and everyone who works with horses:
Riders and Trainers: The anatomical keys to collection, which conformations are best adapted for various disciplines and activities, and why.
Breeders and Owners: Complete information on growth and maturation, when to "start" young horses, methods for predicting the mature height and appearance of foals.
Equine massage and hands-on therapists: Essential information concerning the intimate relationship of the horse's back to its limbs; brilliant illustrations showing anatomical linkages; many labeled illustrations of the surface musculature; the anatomy of saddle fitting.
Farriers and hoof care professionals: Concepts of hoof balance; how and why hoof imbalances develop; reliable and accurate field methods for assessing the straightness of limbs and the degree of hoof imbalance. With complete dissection sequence of the lower limbs and various internal parts of the hoof.
Equine dentists: Detailed presentation of skull and tooth structure, ageing by the teeth and its limitations, malocclusions detectable by the ordinary owner. Excellent for professional development as well as client education.
Veterinarians: Review of latest research, insightful presentation of the biomechanics of movement; novel concepts to assist in lameness assessment; new insights concerning function of stay and reciprocating apparatus and check ligaments all contribute to professional development. Excellent illustrations and big format very helpful in client education.
Horse show judges, School & College judging teams, "Ag" program teachers: This is a comprehensive reference work and an essential textbook. Important study for Pony Clubbers going for their "A" rating and 4H members seeking advanced skills.
Ordinary horse owners: Our most important readers! Bill Steinkraus, onetime captain of the U.S. Olympic jumping team, famously said: "If you hope to succeed, you cannot just be a rider; you must be a rider AND a reader." Because this book gives correct information based on the actual anatomical structure of the horse, it will improve you as a rider as well as sharpening your eye for conformation. Let's go find your next most-successful and most-fun horse!
BELOW ARE DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS
OF THE CONTENT OF EACH VOLUME.
PLEASE NOTE, VOLUMES ARE NO LONGER SOLD SEPARATELY
VOLUME I: DEVELOPING YOUR EYE
(Big 8 1/2 X 11" format, 250 pp.)
$69.95 + $10 S/H = $79.95 (U.S. and APO addresses only)
Chapter 1: The Skeleton -- Basis for Conformation
Chapter 2: Analytical Techniques
Chapter 3: Type and Task
Chapter 4: Scale and Substance
Chapter 5: Growth and Maturation
Chapter 6: Balance, Straightness & Collection
+Practice judging examples, blank forms, suggested exercises. Includes footnotes, bibliography and references, and index. 209 illustrations.
Conformation judging at its best is not just a question of ticking off faults on a list. This volume begins by asking the important question: "What makes 'good' conformation good?" The answer, of course, is found in the link between form and function. Here you will find in-depth coverage of essential principles that are rarely mentioned in other books on conformation, yet are essential to making sound judgements. They are also essential to a full understanding of the material contained in Volumes II and III.
Chapters on type and scale guide the prospective buyer to a solid understanding of what athleticism means -- because, after all, we are not choosing horses just to look at them, but because they move well and can perform the task we have defined -- whether that be jumping, racing, dressage, High School, endurance, working cattle, or any other kind of work. High athletic ability flows from optimum use of the horse's natural mechanism. The chapter on balance, straightness and collection is especially important in clarifying how this mechanism works -- and thus how to obtain the qualities most desired in under-saddle performance.
The conformation we perceive on the outside depends directly upon the proportions of the skeleton on the inside, and this volume offers many fascinating examples for study. Dr. Deb teaches the "palpation point" method which permits the student to "peg out" proportions, conveying a kind of "X-ray vision" for skeletal structure.
The growth and maturation chapter is an absolute rarity including time-sequence photos, a foal gallery, and maturation tables to help the reader predict the mature height and appearance of foals. Thoughtful discussion helps the horse owner decide when to "start" young stock under saddle. The volume includes biomechanical models, anatomical diagrams, dissections, and many full-color examples of good horses belonging to people of ordinary means. You do not have to be a millionaire to find or breed an outstanding horse!
VOLUME II: HEAD, NECK, BACK, AND TEETH
(Big 8 1/2 X 11" format, 246 pp.)
$69.95 + $10 S/H = $79.95 (U.S. and APO addresses only)
Chapter 7: The Loin Coupling
Chapter 8: The Saddle-Adapted Back
Chapter 9: Raising the Base of the Neck
Chapter 10: The Throatlatch and Turnover
Chapter 11: The Head
Chapter 12: The Teeth
+Practice judging examples, blank forms, suggested exercises. Includes footnotes, bibliography and references, index. 274 illustrations.
Volume II builds on core concepts presented in Volume I. It begins with detailed study of the loin coupling -- the anatomical key to the horse's ability to round up and collect (and also to extend, both the back itself and the stride). The multi-layered anatomy of the back is presented in the very practical context of learning to fit a saddle. The book then returns to "the greatest unsolved mystery of the Classical era" with illustrated discussion of raising the base of the horse's neck. This is given not merely to show variation in how the neck may join to the chest, but to wipe away longstanding confusions about how a horse arches its neck to go properly "on the bit". The reader learns that there is a world of difference between raising the base of the neck and merely elevating the poll!
This concept expands in the next chapter with consideration of how the upper end of the horse's neck may either contribute to collection -- or else be bent, twisted, and contorted because the rider makes bad choices through having an incorrect picture of how the poll joint, atlas and axis work. The volume concludes with a detailed look at the bone structure of the horse's head, including the importance of the hyoid apparatus to breathing, swallowing, and acceptance of the bit (most riders have never even heard of the hyoid apparatus because it is almost never mentioned in other books on conformation). The final chapter illuminates the darkest corner of conformation study -- the world inside the horse's mouth -- to show the structure and eruption schedule of teeth, malocclusions that can be detected by the rider or owner, and ageing by the teeth. If your veterinarian or equine dentist has not shown this volume to you, then you need to show it to them!
VOUME III: FORELIMBS, HIND LIMBS, AND HOOFS
(Big 8 1/2 X11" format, 394 pp.)
$89.95 +$10 S/H = $99.95 (U.S. and APO addresses only)
Chapter 13: The Spiral Hind Limb -- An Overview of Form and Function
Chapter 14: Analyzing Hind Limb Conformation
Chapter 15: Functional Overview of the Forelimb
Chapter 16: Analyzing Forequarter Conformation
Chapter 17: Hoof Form and Function
Chapter 18: Reading the Hoof
+Practice judging examples, blank forms, suggested exercises. Includes footnotes, bibliography and references, index. 369 illustrations.
Volume III is the biggest of the set for a good reason: historically the limbs have been almost the sole focus of conformation judging. While Volumes I and II seek to correct this imbalance with extensive discussion of the conformation and function of other body zones, without question the limbs and hoofs are of great importance and there are many details. Here you will find examples and discussion of just about every misalignment, swelling, or suspicious-looking lump and bump in the lexicon, conveyed through hundreds of photos.
This volume presents chapters in pairs, the first concerning structure and functioning, and the one following primarily concerned with practical examples. You will learn anatomical details that create the spiral structure of the equine hind limb and what "cow hocks" are -- and aren't. Longstanding errors in assessing correct articulation and alignment at the joints are corrected through the "plane of assessment" method, something that every horse show judge in every breed and discipline ought to be utilizing. Building on the analytical techniques taught in Volume I, you will learn the advantages of totaling the hind and forelimb length, which govern the amount of angulation as well as the potential "scope".
The last pair of chapters concerns the hoofs and begins by offering several alternative ways of looking at "hoof balance." A new concept, embodied in the "hoof cone" biomechanical model, teaches a sure, quick, and practical method for discovering normal vs. abnormally-shaped hoofs. As with the forelimb and hind limb chapters, hundreds of photos aid your understanding of hoof abnormalities. This is coupled with clear explanation of the reasons that abnormalities develop, to what extent they may impact soundness, their potential for correction, and how the rider, owner, farrier, and veterinarian may work together to improve less-than-perfect hoofs. You will come away from this volume with the ability to detect hoof abnormalities at a glance.
This three-volume set represents the culmination of Dr. Deb's lifetime of conformation research and teaching. Clear illustrations and reader-friendly explanations dissolve the mysteries behind the technical details.
Let's go find your next most-fun horse!
U.S.A. and APO Addresses
PRICE FOR ALL 3 VOLUMES PURCHASED AT ONE TIME
INCLUDES REDUCED SHIPPING AND HANDLING RATE
$69.95 + 69.95 + 89.95 + S/H $20 = $249.86
CUSTOMERS FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S.A.:
Europe*, U.K., Iceland $229.86 + S/H $125 = $354.86USD
Australia and New Zealand $229.86 + $125 = $354.86USD
Canada $229.86 + S/H $60 = $289.86USD
*Germany or France requires special packaging; please inquire by
writing us at office@equinestudies.org
Countries not listed: write above address to inquire
DUE TO THE MULTIPLICITY OF SHIPPING RATES,
THERE IS NO PAYPAL BUTTON FOR THIS ITEM
ALL CUSTOMERS: Please Email us at office@equinestudies.org
to receive directions as to how to pay -- thanks very much.
Conquerors: The Roots of New World Horsemanship
(1997) by Deb Bennett, Ph.D.
This marvelous volume tells the story of mounted horsemanship from its beginnings in prehistory to the days of the Spanish conquest of the New World. An American Library Association "Best in Category" winner, this book offers easy readability with a high level of detail.
"Conquerors" traces one of the grandest stories in the history of the world, with a scope that takes in native warriors, desert nomads, Norman knights, Spanish conquistadors, Argentinian gauchos, and California vaqueros. Hundreds of images from rare original sources, maps, and an extensive bibliography make this volume useful and interesting to scholars and horse owners alike.
PRICE: $57.50 (U.S. & APO ADDRESS ONLY)
PRICE INCLUDES ALL TAXES AND SHIPPING
PLEASE NOTE: WE SHIP THIS ITEM ONLY TO
U.S. AND APO ADDRESSES.
If you live outside of the U.S., please use the red
"contact us" button below for assistance.
Conformation Workbook No. 1: Basic Skills
(2017) by Deb Bennett, Ph.D.
The purpose of this Workbook is to take you through all the steps in learning how to really "see" a horse's conformation. It begins by teaching you how to find palpation points, then goes on to show you exactly how to find underlying anatomical structures by feeling your horse's limbs and body. Details are covered including tooth eruption and the parts of the hoof and their functions. The skeleton, basis for conformation, is presented so that you can learn every part. There is also direction on how to mark, measure, and analyze a photo of your horse or a photo of one that you're considering for purchase. There's a section on foal growth and predicting adult height, and even one on how to take a good analytical photo.
To help you learn the terminology,there is an anatomical dictionary and glossary of terms, and of course the volume is also thoroughly indexed for easy reference.
The stars of the show in this Workbook are the big, clearly-labeled illustrations, which are set up for you to photocopy and then mark it, color it, or otherwise work with it as the included homework exercises suggest. Other homework exercises guide you in learning to palpate on your own horse, practicing taking photos in the analytical style, or taking a field trip to your local museum of natural history. There are also "visual quizzes" which you can take as open-book tests.
NEW PRICING ! ONLY $35.00 TO U.S. & APO ADDRESSES
PRICE INCLUDES ALL TAXES AND SHIPPING
PLEASE NOTE: WE SHIP THIS ITEM ONLY TO U.S. AND APO ADDRESSES.
If you live outside the U.S., click the red "contact us" button below for assistance.
