Equine Fitness    by Jec Aristotle Ballou Order:  USA  Can Storey, 2009 (2009) Softcover      Reviewed by Bob Walch If you are looking for some new equine exercises that are not only fun but will also improve the fitness of your horse, check out Jec Aristotle Ballou's Equine Fitness: A Conditioning Program of Exercises & Routines for Your Horse. Whether you are a backyard owner who just wishes to improve your horse's general health or a serious rider looking for ways of maximizing your steed's competitive potential, this book will be useful in sustaining the animal's basic fitness while providing it with a strong foundation for future work. You'll be able to customize these exercises for horses of different ages, abilities and disciplines by using the 48 tear-out cards that come with the book. They can be used to either follow the programs outlined by the author or arranged in different orders to create a customized routine. Individual exercises and combination sequences address specific movements and body parts. Anatomical drawings, step-by-step how-to sequences, and illustrations showing proper and improper positions ensure the maximum benefit from each exercise. Also included in the guide is an explanation of methods for assessing and monitoring fitness. Slip the cards you wish to use in your pocket and you are ready to go. They'll be there to refer to if need be while you are in the ring or pasture. 'Fancy or exaggerated movement for the sake of showing a horse or winning a competition must never be favored over making the horse a stronger, more fit, and better-balanced athlete overall,' writes the author. This book will take you a long way towards reaching that goal. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews