TSB Author Doug Payne’s Streak of Excitement: A Wedding, a New Book, Rolex Kentucky, and Saumur CCI3*!

Doug kicked off the spring season by marrying Jessica Hampf. Photo by Kristyn DeCaro Mangano

TSB author and top event rider Doug Payne has had an intense and exciting start to the year! Doug kicked off 2014 with nothing less than nuptials: He wed Jessica Hampf in March. One celebration followed the other, with his fantastic new book released in early April. THE RIDING HORSE REPAIR MANUAL is already receiving glowing reviews, and we’re hoping that Doug’s insightful (and fully tested!) advice helps all those riders out there with four-legged “problem children.” Check out the fab Horse Junkies United review below for more about Doug’s book!

Next up: Doug and Crown Talisman—the 2003 Holsteiner/Thoroughbred gelding he owns with Larry and Amelia Ross—are headed for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Rolex runs Thursday, April 24, through Sunday, April 27, 2014, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. And Doug and “Tali” were one of two horse-and-rider combinations awarded Land Rover Competition Grants to compete at the Saumur CCI3* in Saumur, France, May 22 through May 25, 2014.

So who is this “Tali” horse that Doug has taken to the top of international eventing competition?

Doug tells us about Tali and the challenges they faced together as they learned to become successful athletic partners in THE RIDING HORSE REPAIR MANUAL. Here’s a short excerpt:

Doug and Crown Talisman (“Tali”) at the 2012 Fair Hill International CCI**. Photo by Shannon Brinkman

“Tali stands 17.1 hands tall and is a striking, dark bay…just about the perfect physical specimen and the most talented horse I’ve ever had the pleasure of riding in dressage. Not only is he good there, but he’s an exceptionally good, brave jumper as well.

“Tali didn’t have a malicious bone in his body, but he was a bit of a rogue. The first day I rode him I just walked and picked up the trot for a short while. I knew from longeing him and from what I’d been told that he was athletic, but someone can tell you that all day long and it just doesn’t seem to sink in until you experience it firsthand. My introduction to Tali came in the form of noise: I’m still not sure what it was but some loud sharp bang in the background sent us into the air. Unlike any horse I’ve ever ridden, he could ‘levitate’ himself on a whim. Not a buck or rear, just all four feet off the ground at once, without warning. It took me a while to understand what was happening.

“Horses are creatures of habit. Most behaviors will repeat themselves. It didn’t really dawn on me until we were at his first event in Aiken, S.C. that spring exactly what was happening. If he heard a loud noise or bang, regardless of the gait, he’d levitate and spin so that upon landing, he would be facing the direction of the noise, planted like a statue, with his ears pricked to figure out where exactly it came from. I can’t find the words to describe how strong he was and how it’s possible to be trotting along, then in the air doing a 180-degree turn, then landing absolutely still. All other horses would be struggling for balance, or take a few steps to get planted into the ground—not Tali.”

You can read the full story of Tali and some of Doug’s other horse “success stories” in THE RIDING HORSE REPAIR MANUAL. Doug shares these real-life case studies as proof of how the toolbox of tips and techniques he offers in his book can work for you. THE RIDING HORSE REPAIR MANUAL just got a rave review on Horse Junkies United:

“This book is a must buy!” says reviewer (and rider!) Tracy Porter. “Whether you have a seasoned schoolmaster, a greenie who is just learning the ropes, or a problem child like my boy you will appreciate Doug’s honesty and vast knowledge in your pursuit of the perfect horse!”

You can read the full review on Horse Junkies United by CLICKING HERE.

 

CLICK IMAGE to read the full review of THE RIDING HORSE REPAIR MANUAL on Horse Junkies United

 

Doug will be signing copies of THE RIDING HORSE REPAIR MANUAL at the Practical Horseman and Bit of Britain tents at the 2014 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Watch the TSB Facebook page and follow TSB on Twitter for times and locations to be posted next week. Not going to Rolex? Doug’s book is available to order from the TSB online bookstore, where shipping in the US is FREE. CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW.

 

Follow TSB on Facebook for signing times and locations at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Click the image above to follow TSB.

 

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Two New Reviews Tell Us Why This Horse Book Is a Great Gift for the Readers on Your List

Gorgeous photographs by international fashion photographer Donna DeMari “add another level of richness” to RIDING BARRANCA by Laura Chester.

 

“Laura Chester’s honesty shines through RIDING BARRANCA, and in the end we admire her courage and are grateful for her sharing her emotional journeys with her family and her beloved horses. This is a book to savor, one to stay on the shelf for years….If it has a flaw, it is that there is so much in it to think about, so much experience to absorb. The only remedy, then, is to turn back to page one, and begin all over again! Highly recommended for readers young adult and older.” –Patagonia Regional Times

 

“Horse people are aware of the healing aspect of spending time with a beloved horse. It therefore comes as no surprise to many of us equestrian readers that Laura Chester’s trail rides became a form of therapy by helping her reconcile the difficult relationship she shared with her mother. I felt for her and applauded her brave decision to include the memories that cropped up alongside her journal entries…the sweet and sour work to create a relateable story that leaves the reader rooting for the author while reflecting on his/her own life.” –Equestrian Culture Magazine

 

Check out the Holiday Issue of the fabulous Equestrian Culture Magazine! You can order your digital or print subscription by CLICKING HERE.

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RIDING BARRANCA by Laura Chester is available from the TSB online bookstore, where holiday shipping in the US is FREE through Tuesday, December 17, 2013. Plus, check out our other bestselling books and DVDs and our money-saving sets!

 

CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW

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Keep Your Riding Cool with Tips from Daniel Stewart’s Hot New Book: Check Him Out in the November Issue of Practical Horseman and on the Horse Radio Network

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“Your mind is like a garden: When you plant a conscious thought your subconscious will make it grow,” says TSB author and sport psychologist Daniel Stewart. “When you consciously say, ‘I know my jump course,’ or ‘I know my reining pattern,’ your subconscious mind will work hard to make it happen. It takes what it hears, sets it as a goal, then works to make it come true. It believes everything you say to yourself and directs action toward it.

“You have to be careful, though,” Daniel warns, “because your subconscious is not discriminating. It’ll grow negative seeds just as quickly as positive ones. This means that if you consciously say to yourself, ‘I always forget my course or my pattern,’ your subconscious mind will set that as a goal and work to make that happen, as well.”

Daniel has spent a lifetime training equestrian athletes to “Pressure Proof” their riding, giving them specific tools and tricks that help them plant “positive seeds” and that can be used to manage the stress, nerves, distraction, and panic that so often hinder ability and performance. The November 2013 issue of Practical Horseman Magazine, which goes on sale October 22, features an excerpt from Daniel’s brand new book PRESSURE PROOF YOUR RIDING. The excerpt shares some of the clearly defined, individual steps to mental and physical success in the saddle from the book, complete with the humor and enthusiasm that have become Daniel’s trademark (and that ensure you have FUN doing whatever it is you like to do with your horse!)

Daniel also made a recent appearance on the Horse Radio Network’s Stable Scoop Radio Show, where he talked about his new book with hosts Helena Bee and Glenn the Geek. Click the image below to listen to the show:

Click image to listen to Daniel on the Horse Radio Network.

 

PRESSURE PROOF YOUR RIDING is available now from the TSB online bookstore.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER NOW

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