The Sport Horse Problem Solver: What Works, What Doesn't, and How to Make It All Better

A simple system for figuring out and fixing what's wrong with a horse's performance.

Former international event rider Eric Smiley has brought along his own top-level horses for decades. Now he taps his immense knowledge to help riders whose horses may not have had "the right start." Every horse comes with his own "baggage"--behavior or training issues, minor or significant, that may be difficult to pinpoint or resolve. In these pages, Smiley addresses the most common problems he has seen over the years in dressage, eventing, and show jumping, including:

Problems with head and neck position.

Connection issues.

Failure to follow the rules of forward, straight, and regular.

Difficulty with collection.

Lack of consistency.

Smiley teaches readers how to identify what isn't working by looking at how things should work. Then he walks us through dismantling and reassembling the issues, providing an easy-to-follow system for determining what's potentially wrong with a horse and choosing sensible exercises for fixing it. He introduces a troubleshooting five-point system:

Ask yourself, "What is the problem?"

Ask, "How, when, and why did it arise?"

Ask, "Why does it need solving?"

Formulate a plan.

Analyze the results in the context of "now" and what they may mean for the future.

Layers and shifts of understanding in horses combined with the physical and psychological challenges of riding can often make solving problems that arise seem complicated, and sometimes it is difficult to know where to even begin. Smiley's system helps readers find that "start point" and map out a sensible plan for future training. He shows how to determine when something may have become an issue for your horse or your performance, ways to try and avoid it happening in the first place, and of course, offers highly practical solutions to employ when you find you do have a problem. Smiley's goal is to "always leave people and horses with a positive journey to go on, with the prospect of 'better to come.'" With its usefulness, cross-disciplinary approach, and optimism, The Sport Horse Problem Solver is all you need to achieve success in partnership with your horse, wherever you are in your journey together.

Author: Eric Smiley
Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
Published: 03/28/2023
Pages: 192
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 8.75h x 7.30w x 0.65d
ISBN13: 9781646011193
ISBN10: 1646011198
BISAC Categories:
- Pets | Horses
- Sports & Recreation | Animal Sports | Equestrian

About the Author
Eric Smiley is a former international event
rider who represented Ireland at European, World, and Olympic level, winning
team bronze medals on two occasions. Smiley began his equestrian career in the
Pony Club, and continued it in the army and at the world-renowned Talland
Equestrian Center in the United Kingdom, during which time he gained his
British Horse Society Instructor's certificate. In 1995 Smiley passed his
British Horse Society Fellowship exam, the highest teaching qualification in
the industry. Smiley was Team Coach of the Belgian Eventing team for the 2011
European Eventing Championships and 2012 London Olympics and was an FEI judge
who regularly acted as a Ground Jury member. Smiley is the author of the
cross-country bible Look... No Hands! and Two Brains, One
Aim. He travels the globe helping professional and amateur riders achieve
their goals (ericsmiley.co.uk).