Reading recommendation: ‘The Dressage Chronicles’
So, now we’re past Christmas and New Years, and there’s a long stretch of potentially gray days before us.
I don’t mind — it’s a break from the rush of the holidays, and over the years, it’s turned into a good chance for relaxation. I think of this time of year as my hibernation, and enjoying good books greatly enhances the experience. Sometimes, reading seems like the thing to do when I’m not running frantically to batten the hatches in anticipation of tornadoes or snow.
Yes, winter here in the South often brings unpredictable weather, which drives even the most dedicated horse enthusiasts indoors. When I can’t be outside working with my young Thoroughbred or teaching lessons, I sometimes like to just read about riding.
So, for today, I’ve got fresh water in my stall buckets, tack cleaned and oiled and stored away, and warm, happy horses steadily champing through a year’s supply of hay. In other words, I’m caught up on chores at the moment and I’m embracing a little time indoors, and I’m going to make a book recommendation below that I think will please riders and non-horse people alike:
Meticulously wrapped bridles, polo wraps applied with surgical precision, a vast collection of designer barn clogs arranged by color: this is the imagery that makes “The Dressage Chronicles” so magnetic. This first effort from well-known dressage trainer Karen McGoldrick, of Alpharetta, was released in 2011 and has become a popular addition to many a bookshelf since. As its name suggests, it centers on the higher levels of dressage, but McGoldrick’s details of a well-organized tack room and a correctly groomed horse, not to mention skillfully portrayed barn drama, make this a page turner for anyone.
The main character, Lizzie, is the type of horse enthusiast we can all identify with: eager to learn, invested in her mounts’ welfare. She takes things a step further than most riders, though, by cutting ties with her everyday life and beginning a walkabout experience with horses. Stepping away from her ordered, “normal” life in Georgia and into the almost counter cultural atmosphere of heavyweight dressage in South Florida requires a level of fortification not all of us have.
Lizzie secures a working student position with dressage star Margot Fanning and quickly begins learning the ropes. Some people think Margot’s star power has faded, but Lizzie finds quite the opposite as her new coach begins drawing out a level of skill in her that she could not have previously imagined. McGoldrick, who spent time in real life working for a dressage
Olympian, brings to life an arresting portrayal of the sport at its highest echelon. (In fact, McGoldrick has experience in a number of disciplines, and this knowledge makes its way into the story in several places, including a rollicking hunt scene.)
She depicts a world with its own set of rules and celebrities, and she’ll have you clamoring for more when you reach the last page. Luckily, there are two more books in this series now, and you can purchase them all through deedspublishing.com. McGoldrick also has a couple of other works that are available on the site.
Whether you trail ride when the weather is nice or you only skip your arena schooling sessions when a hail storm looms or you’ve never swung a leg over the saddle, I think you’ll find “The Dressage Chronicles” an entertaining glimpse into the sport of dressage and an appropriately emotional portrayal of the ups and downs of life with horses.
Until next month, happy reading, and stay safe and dry!