In 1972 John Winnett was riding captain of the US Olympic dressage team. In 1982 and 1989 he was a member of the gold-medal-winning teams at the Olympic festivals, and in 1981 he was an individual silver medallist. He has, to date, trained no fewer than ten horses to Grand Prix level. In "Dressage as Art in Competition", Winnett make his extensive knowledge and experience available to all who wish to improve their understanding of riding and training methods. Winnett deals with the slection of a dressage prospect and provides a detailed analysis of a training program designed - and proven - to take a horse to the highest level. Throughout, he stresses the need to treat each horse as an individual, and his valuable insights into the nuances of competition deal not only with the movements themselves but also with how to ride them to optimum effect on horses of differing conformation and temperament. A major theme of the book is the emphasis upon dressage as art, and Winnett stresses that this principle must be remembered amid the diverse pressures of producing horses for competition. Here is a book that translates the beauty of classical equitation for the riders of today.
