Johann Hinnemann came over to the UK a couple of years ago and was the trainer at our National Convention. He has written a book together with Coby van Baalen called "The Simplicity of Dressage".
The book is based on the German scales of training (rhythm, losgelassenheit or suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness, collection) and how this scale will lead the horse to being durchlassig, i.e. the aids of the rider permeating straight through the horse.
Overall I think the book is a good read and one to be added to the collection. It does not go into great depth about how to do movements like shoulder-in and pirouettes but more about the focus of the rider with the scale of training and how the movements are inter twinned with this. The book has some great photos, showing good quality work and some of the late departed Olympic Ferro who was such a wonderful horse. The book is inter-spersed with question and answers and pictures and comments about individual horses. The first time I read it through these were a little distracting as the text does seem to jump from piece to piece but that's only my opinion.
The book is good because it can really help a rider to gain a structure to the work with the dressage horse.
Title: "The Simplicity of Dressage"
Authors: Johann Hinnemann and Coby van Baalen
Publisher: J. A. Allen
The following is a list of books and videos that I have found to be not only enlightening but very informative. Some of them have very good anecdotes but all of them are well worth a read.
Book list:
- 'Principles of Dressage' - Brigadier General Kurt Albrecht
- 'Horses are made to be horses' - Franz Mairinger
- 'The Complete Training of Horse and Rider' - Alois Podhajsky
- 'My horses, my teachers' - Alois Podhajsky
- 'The Riding Teacher' - Alois Podhajsky
- 'School of Horsemanship' - Francois Robichon de la Gueriniere
- 'Reflections of an Equestrian Art' - Nuno Oliveira
- 'Misconceptions and Simple Truths in Dressage' - Dr HLM van Schaik
- 'Dressage Formula' - Erik F Herbermann
- 'A Horsemans Notebook' - Erik F Herbermann
- 'Almost a Whisper' - Sam Powell with Lane Carter
- 'Exploring dressage Technique' - Paul Belasik
- 'Riding Towards the Light' - Paul Belasik
- 'The Songs of Horses' - Paul Belasik
- 'Dressage for the 21st Century' - Paul Belasik
- 'Dressage in Lightness' - Sylvia Loch
- 'The Simplicity of Dressage' - Johann Hinnemann and Coby van Baalen
- 'Work books from the Spanish Riding School' - Charles Harris
Video list:
- 'School of Horsemanship' - Egon von Neindorff
- 'The Art of Classical Dressage' - Arthur Kottas (comes in 7 parts)
- 'Classical Dressage' - Philippe Karl (comes in 4 parts)
This is by no means a complete list, but if there are any books or videos that you feel should belong to this list then e-mail Simon and let us know.