Cutting, One Run At A Time

Rating:
Summary: An All Around Guide to Cutting
Review: Barbara Schulte's point-by-point guide to cutting and competing devotes about half of its content to the mental aspect of the sport. Barbara covers topics such as the importance of goal setting, mental strategies, and the power of positive thinking. In the remaining half, she deals with selecting the right horse, making sure the rider has the basic riding skills down, practicing effectively, and learning how to work the herd. The material is presented in "executive summary" fashion with the outset of each chapter telling the reader what that chapter will say. Within each chapter, Barbara and co-author Julie Wells present information using a lot of numbered lists and headings. No reader should fail to understand the book's important points. At times, however, the elegantly simple presentation may not convey enough detail to be useful. For example, when telling the reader "how to get" a horse to have head/neck flexibility, the book assumes the reader knows what to feel for "when the horse gives his nose in response to your request." (People may incorrectly think a horse "gives" when his nose points in the direction of the direct rein pull but the horse is still bracing on the rein, not softening.)

When Barbara presents information on reading cattle and working the herd, she excels. The reader will appreciate how she breaks down each step of a cut and correlates those steps with what the rider should be doing to effectively ride his or her horse. She could have written the whole book on those topics, and the reader would still want more.

The book's quirky format may annoy some readers. (On the even numbered pages are inspirational quotes from cutters or photos/illustrations; the odd numbered pages contain the text.) But the presentation does make for easy reading. Whether the reader is interested in acquiring performance coaching/positive thinking skills, learning how to cut cattle, or both, Barbara shares enough gems to make this a worthwhile read.

Rating:
Summary: An All Around Guide to Cutting
Review: Barbara Schulte's point-by-point guide to cutting and competing devotes about half of its content to the mental aspect of the sport. Barbara covers topics such as the importance of goal setting, mental strategies, and the power of positive thinking. In the remaining half, she deals with selecting the right horse, making sure the rider has the basic riding skills down, practicing effectively, and learning how to work the herd. The material is presented in "executive summary" fashion with the outset of each chapter telling the reader what that chapter will say. Within each chapter, Barbara and co-author Julie Wells present information using a lot of numbered lists and headings. No reader should fail to understand the book's important points. At times, however, the elegantly simple presentation may not convey enough detail to be useful. For example, when telling the reader "how to get" a horse to have head/neck flexibility, the book assumes the reader knows what to feel for "when the horse gives his nose in response to your request." (People may incorrectly think a horse "gives" when his nose points in the direction of the direct rein pull but the horse is still bracing on the rein, not softening.)

When Barbara presents information on reading cattle and working the herd, she excels. The reader will appreciate how she breaks down each step of a cut and correlates those steps with what the rider should be doing to effectively ride his or her horse. She could have written the whole book on those topics, and the reader would still want more.

The book's quirky format may annoy some readers. (On the even numbered pages are inspirational quotes from cutters or photos/illustrations; the odd numbered pages contain the text.) But the presentation does make for easy reading. Whether the reader is interested in acquiring performance coaching/positive thinking skills, learning how to cut cattle, or both, Barbara shares enough gems to make this a worthwhile read.