[.ca] The New Total Rider: Health & Fitness for the Equestrian (ISBN 0939481618)

Good exercises:
This book has good exercises in it. Although I wish they were a little bit better organised, maybe according to muscle groups. I do like how it includes balance as part of the workout. The thing about this book that I did NOT like is the "New Age" section in the back. Instead of a genuine look at nutrition, there is a description of a lifestyle called "Ayurveda"--which promotes vegetarianism, and is more astrological than scientific. It seems inappropriate to include it in this type of book. I would have prefered something mainstream.

Some good points, but ambitious scope:
Tom Holmes' "New Total Rider" is a good addition to the relatively small selection of books available on equestrian fitness. The book attempts at a wholistic overview of fitness ranging from exercise recommendations to mental wellness and nutrition. I found the scope ambitious. While the book does have some helpful discussion, excellent diagrams and technique tips, it doesn't quite deliver on the scope attempted. As a personal fitness trainer with EquiFITT.com, specialising in equestrian fitness, I found the exercises and stretch recommendations to be suitable for a rider's program, but the suggested program itself incomplete. If you are trying to do exercises from a book, the technique instructions are very good. I would organize the actual workout progression differently, and more in accordance with current best practice (progressing from large muscles, to smaller muscle groups, to core work). The cardiovascular section is two pages long. To get fit the rider needs more specific instruction for duration and intensity, and type of exercise for cardiovascular work. I would have liked to see a better discussion on cardiovascular work for riders specifically. It is quite challenging for riders to find time to cross-train, so knowing how much to do of what to specifically benefit riding is very important. Some good points are raised in the introduction to the nutritional section, and the section at the back on competitive nutrition and sports psychology. While I do think riders can benefit from Eastern traditions and concepts related to 'energy centres' because of the specific demands of equestrian sport (Sally Swift draws alot on such concepts in her famous book 'Centered Riding'), I found the Ayurvedic discussion not particularly helpful, or easily applicable. Good nutrition for equestrian performance doesn't need to be that complicated, or difficult to achieve for the average household. If you're really serious about fitness as an equestrian, the book is a good one to add to your collection, but I'd recommend a book such as 'Strength Training Anatomy' for more exercises per muscle group, and also working with a personal trainer to design a program with the right progression, number of repititions and weight load, and appropriate cardiovascular component.