Susanne von Dietze, author of BALANCE IN MOVEMENT (now available again!) and RIDER & HORSE BACK TO BACK, is an internationally respected and highly sought-after riding coach and clinician. Her first experiences with CENTERED RIDING were possible because of the book’s worldwide distribution—it has been translated into 16 languages! Here she shares how she was introduced to the book and the effect it had on the trajectory of her career:
“I had a very special childhood, growing up in Germany with my father, an ex-cavalry officer, and my mother, a physiotherapist and athletics teacher. Both were riding instructors, as well. We always had horses and I learned how to ride before I learned how to walk.
“My parents started therapeutic riding in Germany, and both thought the riders seat was of prime importance for good riding. Longe lessons and seat corrections were a daily part of my training.
“My mother collected all the books she could find about the rider’s seat, and I have her First Edition of the German Translation of CENTERED RIDING. The pictures in this book have always been fascinating to me and helped me develop my own understanding and improve my teaching over the years. When I was asked by the German Federation (FN) to write a book about the rider’s seat (which became BALANCE IN MOVEMENT) I reread CENTERED RIDING and again was deeply inspired by Sally Swift.
“It was a very, very special honor for me to be invited to a NARHA (North American Riding for Handicapped Association) event in Boston in what I think it was 1999. There I had a presentation and a practical demonstration, and Sally Swift was giving a lecture, too. I will never forget how she was standing the whole time, supported on her little stick, and kept all of us busy with our full attention on her for over an hour in the aisleway of some stable! When she rested afterward, I was invited to meet her. She knew my book and had seen my presentation, and she congratulated me on what she thought was an important work. Her praise and acceptance of my work was one of the most important critiques in my life.
“Sally Swift has deeply affected me, not only with her fabulous concepts, but with her whole personality. In November 2015 I have the honor to be the Keynote Speaker at the Centered Riding Conference in the Netherlands, and will do my utmost to remember this great lady with all my respect.”
TSB has celebrated the 30th anniversary of publishing our first horse book CENTERED RIDING throughout the month of November. We’re excited to now cap it off with a special HorseandRiderBooks.com Sitewide Sale! CLICK HERE to shop now and get 30% off any of our bestselling books and DVDs (some exclusions may apply) for a limited time!
Discounts will show at checkout. Plus, you’ll get FREE SHIPPING in the US! Don’t miss this terrific opportunity to get incredible equestrian books and DVDs, and support a small business.
Trafalgar Square Books, the leading publisher of equestrian books and DVDs for 30 years, is a small business located on a farm in rural Vermont.