The Forward Impulse by Piero Santini – Xenophon Classics

Product Description

What do today’s riders want?  Safety, horses in perfect unity with their riders, gracious leadership over their mounts, excitement, and movement that qualifies the horses’ gaits as works of art. Riders of today must understand the source of this energy is the haunches, and that it is the rider’s responsibility to augment and control this energy.

The great master Piero Santini was not just a great jumping rider, but a great rider in all disciplines, at a time when the line between disciplines was blurry, and in Santini’s case, nonexistent.  During his lifetime, Santini was considered the greatest riding teacher in North America, bringing his direct knowledge from Caprilli, the inventor of forward seat jumper riding.

The Forward Impulse describes in simple language how to balance the horse through engagement of the haunches, enlightened use of the seat, and conscientious elasticity of the rein contact. Not one in a hundred riders has access to the kind of teaching that focuses on the controlled energy of the haunches. Too many riders are satisfied with uninspired gaits offered passively by the horse. This book puts the focus where it belongs: first on the engine; then, on the system of aids that manages that power to create an opportunity for the horse to express himself with magnificent gaits.

Xenophon Press is proud to offer the opportunity for riders to see for themselves how logical and systematic this dream can be.

Piero Santini was a devoted student and disciple of Federico Caprilli and was a well-respected author. Santini, a Major in the Italian Light Horse Cavalry, continued and advanced Caprilli’s methods through the early to mid-20th century. With an Italian father and American mother, Santini spoke and wrote English as a second language. He authored 5 books, including Learning to Ride, The Forward Impulse, and Riding Reflections and translated and edited The Caprilli Papers.