by Erik F Herbermann
On the path to becoming a good horseman, every rider needs to master the following commonly known aspects:
* develop feel while acquiring a good seat and position
* come to understand the horse’s physical and psychological make-up
* develop the technicalities for the giving of aids
* gain a thorough understanding of the inter-relationship between the exercises, school figures and the riding positions and the effects these have on the horse’s way of going.
However there is an aspect of riding of which we are not usually quite so aware, but which is equally, if not more important, than those mentioned. It is the driving force hidden deep within ourselves, which impels us ever onwards in the search of the soul of the horse.
If we were to ask most people why they ride, we might hear it is because they feel it is good exercise, or a great recreational balance for their office work, or that they like being out of doors in nature, and love being around animals… Or that they find the challenge of the various equestrian disciplines, exhilarating and irresistible.
Clearly we could stop our investigation at this point; these are, after all, perfectly good and justifiable reasons for enjoying riding. But why don’t we, just for a moment, settle down and have a look at what forces might lie in deeper levels, beneath those more obvious and tangible reasons for riding.
Why does riding so grip us?
In order to find the answer to this question, we will need to broaden our horizon of enquiry beyond the sphere of riding itself.
One of the main purposes of our lives on this three-dimensional earth, bound by time and space, is that we come to meet ourselves, face-to-face, as we are reflected in our environment, in our fellow man, and in the creatures with which we come in contact. This allows us to become conscious of, and to experience directly, our actual state of harmony, or lack of same, with the core of nature.
In this state of conscious awareness, we can choose with our free will to lay fallow, satisfied in our unkempt state like rough diamonds, or elect to work diligently on ourselves to grow ever toward a greater level of harmony with the core of nature – the spirit of the universe – and thus become more viable, contributing members of the whole.
The horse provides us with a marvelous avenue, or medium, for such growth. Let’s investigate why this is…
By nature, we are made up of spirit, mind and body. Our spirit is our very essence, the moving force of our existence and being. How this force is used is determined solely by the mind, which can choose positively or negatively.
Our mind is the generator of ideas, the imaginative builder of those things which we purpose. With it we can set our ideals, be creative, and rationalise and analyse our performance in relationship with the ideals we have set for ourselves. Everything must exist in the world of the mind and spirit before it can, through physical action, be brought into material manifestation. That is where our bodies finally come into the picture, as the instruments for actualising our thought and desires.
This, our very own life, is a truly special opportunity, because through this avenue of meeting ourselves consciously, day by day and moment by moment, we gradually come to the important realisation that we are actually responsible for every thought we think, every word we utter, and every action we carry out with our bodies. The most wonderful part of all this (if we accept the challenge) is that we have a hand in determining the very destiny of our lives, merely by accepting responsibility, setting worthwhile ideals, and choosing to act in an appropriate manner in order to attain those ideals.
In all human activity, these elements are constantly in play. And excellence in any field is invariably very difficult to achieve. So why would horsemanship, specifically, be so uniquely suited to helping us to grow? In most of our daily interactions, we are usually dealing largely with the mental and spiritual aspects of harmony between ourselves, and those whom we meet. However, the reflections we receive from other people can at times be garbled by social graces, or by the inevitable imperfections in their own mirrors. Even in most sports, difficult as they are, the individual need only deal with his or her own body and find harmony with the laws of physics to excel.
Only when we enter the realm of ballet, ballroom dance, or ice dancing do we begin to approach (though not entirely attain) a level of achievement which is as demanding as that which is required on riding, that is, the need to not only find total harmony and control within one’s own mind/body/spirit, but do so while being fully in harmony with one’s dancing partner.
Horsemanship, and more specifically classical riding, is indeed unique because it is the only human endeavour in which, besides the spiritual and mental aspects, an absolute physical harmony – a mutual fusing in dynamic movement between two quite different living creatures – is the recognized ideal to which we aspire.
It is this which challenges, virtually simultaneously, every aspect of our being. The area in which the horses are such marvelous partners and selfless teachers, which help us grow in self-awareness, lies in their ability to be such beautiful, impartial and untainted mirrors. At any given moment, they reflect with absolute clarity and truthfulness the status of the three major elements of our make-up: our body, mind and spirit. They teach us that every emotion, every feeling or attitude, every thought, and every physical action does indeed have a definite reaction or influence in the world around us.
That which is furthermore extraordinary about these delightful creatures, is that they will, without judgement or condemnation, patiently help us rectify our ways and gain mastery over ourselves if we care to, and dare to, look honestly at the reflection they show us. They can help us learn to become consistent and fair in our expectations and actions, and teach us that when we do harmonise with their nature (natural law) limitless possibilities are opened up to use, and that in this way, our work can attain joyfulness and beauty which is a pleasure to experience and to watch.
Conversely, the horses will show us that if we are disrespectful or insensitive toward them, or if we disregard the natural law which governs their existence, and act contrary to it, our choices become seriously limited, and the product of our actions becomes decidedly unharmonious and repugnant to watch. In this case, not only does the horse’s spirit withdraw, becoming introverted and dull (or rightfully indignant and roguish), but the rider himself or herself must also become tainted by the disharmony.
It is sad to observe that at time, even brutal disharmony is often ignored, being veiled from our consciousness by our delicate egos, or by misdirected ambitions for fame and glory.
Horses are by nature simple in their way of thinking, and are most often timid. We can, through thoughtful, consistent behaviour, gain their confidence and trust, which will cause their natural, childlike generosity to come to the front, where we can then direct its energies to serve our purposes. With our intelligence, we can then implement the necessary gymnastic training to assist the horse to move elastically and in balance while carrying the rider.
In every partnership each partner should contribute that which is his or her particular forte. In horsemanship that would mean that the rider contributes the brain, and the horse contributes the brawn. How often are these roles not reversed! Only if we respect the horse and work it with humility and patience will we be able to assure that it will blossom in its confidence and begin to contribute willingly to the partnership. If we fail to heed that aspect and continually try to snatch work from the horse through forceful coercion, we can hardly expect lightness or beauty or harmony to result.
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It is indeed one of the finest days in our riding experience when we come to the awareness that the horses have invariably taught us a great deal more than we have taught them, that they have patiently gone though many of our inner crises with us – they have waited and endured us in our ignorance.
A feeling of deep gratitude wells over us as we become aware of just how much we are enriched through our interactions with these noble creatures. We sense the effect echoing through every facet of our lives. And so, layer by layer, veil by veil, we gradually, and at times painfully, come to see the soul of the horse and discover it was right there inside of us all along.
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Stallions like Fürstenball
Super good article