Denny Emerson is a USEA Hall-of-Fame Inductee, one of the Chronicle of the Horse’s 50 Most Influential Horsemen of the 20th Century, and author of HOW GOOD RIDERS GET GOOD. Here he helps us celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the publication of CENTERED RIDING with this Sally Swift memory:
“Late April in Vermont can be chilly, grey, and still winter-like, and April 21, 1978, was just such a day.
“Sally Swift had driven up to Strafford, Vermont, from Brattleboro, that morning to teach a full schedule of lessons in our indoor ring. As usual, her bubbling enthusiasm had made each successive set a little later, and it was getting dark and decidedly cold by the time Sally finished up and came down to our house for a cup of tea before heading the 90 miles home.
“She walked into the house, beamed that broad infectious smile, and announced, ‘What a wonderful way to have just spent my 65th birthday!’
“At a point in her life when many people are retiring or slowing down, Sally’s teaching and writing career was just gearing up, with the huge phenomenon we now know as ‘Centered Riding’ still in the future.”
Share your own CENTERED RIDING memories and “aha” moments online and tag them #CenteredRiding30! And remember, all CENTERED RIDING books and DVDs are 30% off, the entire month of November.
Trafalgar Square Books, the leading publisher of horse books and DVDs, is a small, privately owned company based on a farm in rural Vermont.