Ride Smart

2004 · Book · Craig Cameron

Craig Cameron has one of the most loyal followings of any horsemanship clinician and for good reason. Participants who come to his clinics not only get what they came for (a knowledge of horses and horsemanship), but they're also entertained throughout their learning experience. His clinic-goers have clamored for a book and here it is. Under one title, Craig Cameron brings together a thorough look at horses and good, solid horsemanship skills that suit both novice and experienced riders. In the early chapters he delves into the psychological and physical realities of horses as a species and how man can best understand them to develop a positive, partnering relationship with the horse. Next, Cameron covers tack and equipment, horse selection and equitation basics, including exercises to develop a good seat in the saddle, as well as bareback. In the ground-work chapters, he describes effective ground-handling techniques, including round-pen exercises, hobble-breaking methods and longe-line skills. In the under-saddle portion of the book, Cameron takes the reader from the first ride on a green colt all the way through to high-performance maneuvers, such as stops, lead changes, rollbacks and turnarounds. Each chapter includes interesting sidebars that complement the main text. They include: "True Story," personal anecdotes from Cameron's life experience; "Here's How," gentle and helpful training tips; and "A Better Way," troubleshooting sections that provide solutions to common horse-handling problems. Because of his 20-plus years' experience ranching and rodeoing, Cameron is known as the "Cowboy's Clinician." With his original, entertaining and motivational style, he's regularly sought by television, radio, magazines, fairs, ranch rodeos, concerts, universities and many celebrities. Traveling and working out of his Texas and New Mexico ranches, he starts hundreds of colts each year and gives horsemanship clinics on reining, starting horses on cattle and problem-solving. He's built his reputation on understanding the true nature of horses, and his humane training methods eliminate rough handling. That philosophy and those methods are what Cameron offers on the pages of Ride Smart. - Back cover. by Craig Cameron