by Sgt. Rick Pelicano
In his bestselling first book Bombproof Your Horse, Sergeant Rick Pelicano of the Maryland National Park Police shared the one-of-a-kind, step-by-step exercises he uses to prepare police horses and riders for duty. By doing so, he transformed the concept of "bombproof" into a proactive form of training that any rider can apply to her horse. Now he's back and taking "bombproof" to a whole new level.
Sergeant Pelicano exposes the most common problems he sees in his bombproofing clinic's lack of rider control, rider fear or anxiety, and herd-bound horses, to name a few. He provides the techniques that have successfully countered these situations—groundwork such as longeing and long-lining around and past "scary" obstacles, for example.
He also arms you with the seven magic under-saddle skills he feels every horse should know some movements from the dressage ring and others from the world of Western riding. These are the tools you need when faced with the possibility of your horse rearing, shying, running for the hills, or otherwise reacting in a dangerous or uncontrolled manner.
Sergeant Pelicano also tackles complex "compound bombproofing" situations, such as opening and closing gates, carrying flags, and discharging firearms from the saddle. And, a bombproof horse is the perfect mount to ride in parades, drill teams, and musical demonstrations—participating in these activities actually furthers his bombproof training by continuously exposing him to different sights, sounds, and settings. Better than Bombproof is chock full of information on how to prepare an equestrian group for a parade, ride in formation, and perform with a drill team—including 11 specialized movements, a complete sample ride, and details on how to time your ride to music.
With additional chapters on easy-to-use trailer-loading techniques as well as some of the unique games on horseback that Sergeant Pelicano "plays" with his police unit to enforce horse and rider skills, you're sure to find an exciting new array of exercises to help further desensitize your horse to potentially frightening situations. Plus, a special section on defensive riding techniques shows you how to avoid a suspicious individual or counter an attacker when out on the trail—just one more way to help you feel safer and more confident every time you get in the saddle.