Looking for a book that will teach you how to condition your event horse, improve your lateral work, or achieve a perfect half halt? Denny Emerson is happy to recommend one.

It just won’t be his.

As proprietor of Tamarack Hill Farm — here in Southern Pines as well as Stafford, Vt. — Emerson, 69, figures he has coached or trained “thousands” of riders. Some have been working students; others have trailered in for instruction. Some came from horse-savvy families; others did not. A handful went on to become Olympic-caliber riders. Most did not.

Emerson is celebrating his golden anniversary in three-day eventing with the release of a new book, “How Good Riders Get Good: Daily Choices That Lead To Success In Any Equestrian Sport,” published by Vermont-based Trafalgar Square Books.

A member of the gold medal winning U.S. Team at the 1974 World Championships, and a two-time United States Eventing Association (USEA) president, Emerson says he could not have written the book 20, or even 10 years ago.

“Over the years, I’ve been interested in that whole phenomenon of ‘the cream rides to the top,’ Emerson said. “What allows such a tiny, tiny percentage to become superb riders, and a fairly small number to become ‘good’ riders?”

Though he has eased out of a competitive riding career that began in 1961, Emerson remains heavily involved in the sport as a breeder, trainer and contributing writer to various equestrian publications. The recent acquisition of a frisky chocolate Lab puppy, Pippa, reflects Emerson’s determination to remain a vibrant and relevant force — in life as well as eventing — for several more years.

Emerson, who was instrumental in persuading longtime friend Sally Swift to write the hugely successful “Centered Riding” (first published in 1985, Emerson wrote the forward for Swift’s book, which has sold more than 800,000 copies worldwide), didn’t want to pen another “how-to” book. He’d already done that, in his 1990 release, “How to Ride Safely at Speed.”

Emerson’s latest book, to be released in the spring, almost seems miscategorized as a “sports” or “equestrian” title. As Emerson discusses the book and its contents in detail, one can almost envision finding it in the “parenting” or “self help” section.

“We’ve been running our barn for 40 years,” Emerson said. “Thousands of riders and horses have come through. The ones that have become very, very successful aren’t necessarily the ones where the angel tapped on their wing. It’s something other than that.”

Emerson says he tried to ascertain the “combination of things that allow some people to be good at anything … versus the average person.” He came to the conclusion that “people who have gotten good have always been able to change in a way that propels them, maybe, an 18th of a step up the ladder.”

“They have to be open to change, and willing to believe they can be better,” Emerson said. “Look at Richard Simmons (the weight loss guru/1980s curio). He’s the consummate teacher of that principle, always holding out hope and prospect that change is possible.”

A willingness to devote virtually every waking hour to riding is a quality that separates the great riders from the good riders, Emerson says. He cites the “10,000-Hour Rule” popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his 2008 bestseller, “The Outliers,” in which Gladwell claims that success can be attained in any field if one is willing to practice a specific task for a total of 10,000 hours.

“If you’re a rider, you have to say, how do I get my 10,000 hours?” Emerson said. “Lots of riders ride an hour a day. At that rate it would take 28 years to get to 10,000 hours. If you want to get good, you better get your (rear end) on a lot of horses.”

To illustrate, Emerson points to Buck Davidson, whose father, Bruce, is the most decorated U.S. event rider in history. By his 20th birthday, Buck Davidson had already competed 82 times at the preliminary level.

“You have to be in the right place at the right time,” Emerson said. “Buck was, because he was born into it.”

Emerson asked 25 of the world’s top riders (in various disciplines) to share their stories of working toward their goals. “A lot of them came from non-riding families, like I did,” Emerson said. “But they had a support system. Their parents let them do it.”

Emerson can recall — with admirable clarity — the moment he began thinking about his long-range riding goals.

Growing up in Vermont, he had competed in gymkhana and 100-mile trail rides. In 1961, he read an article about the Groton House three-day event in Hamilton, Mass. Curious, he decided to go and see what it was all about.

“I saw it, and I decided I was going to do it,” he said. “On the way home I told my parents, “I’m going to be on the Olympic team.”

Emerson laughed. “I was 20 years old, and I had never jumped before,” he said.

After graduating from Dartmouth in 1963, Emerson became a teacher in a private school.

“I decided to do something that would allow me time to train,” he said. “I put myself in the position where I could do it.”

Of course, the most important component in any rider’s quest is the horse. Too many times, Emerson says he has seen promising riders lose their desire because of an unsuitable horse.

“Many choose to stick it out with a horse that can’t help them on their journey,” Emerson said. “You can’t expect to be a good rider if you don’t have access to good horses. So you’d better be born rich, or figure out another way to do it. Be the type of person a sponsor wants to support. But if the relationship with the horse is more important than getting good, you have to be content to be a mediocre rider.”

“But,” he added, “don’t ever look back.”

Contact Stephanie Diaz at MediaPlan88@aol.com.