Secrets of the horse/human relationship.
So much is taught and written about the mechanics and exercises involved in equestrian training but far less about the actual interchange between mankind and his mount. No matter what your ambitions may be, for both horse and rider to get the best from each other there are a number of essential stages through which the partnership must go.
These stages are a shared adventure and irrespective of the experience or level of training of horse or rider, both need to pass through the joint progression together if harmony is to be achieved. This can take anything from a few minutes to months or even years, nevertheless, it is the only effective path to natural progression.
There are many different exercises and approaches to this natural development of an equestrian partnership yet for optimum performance this basic pathway must be adhered to. These stages are all inter-related and inter-reliant. Any omission or shortfall in any area will negate any likelihood of successful completion and leave weak spots that will invariably result in future problems or conflicts.
All these basic elements of a ridden partnership are essential not only to developmental training but need continuous upkeep – part of the never ending growth and refreshment of the horse/human relationship.
Friendship – Although the relationship between horse and rider deepens as time goes by, some degree of mutual understanding and even friendship is essential as a starting point, usually initiated from the ground.
Respect – True respect is earned not demanded! Although sometimes when working with “damaged goods” authority has to be asserted, even at times, quite firmly. Authority and respect are not quite the same things, establishing authority, fairly, when needed, opens the door for respect – they are not synonymous.
Relaxation – Relaxation opens the door for entrance into the world of partnership between horse and rider/trainer, enabling them to find trust in one another.
Trust – Trust is built on the foundation of mutual relaxation and faith; faith in the handler’s trustworthiness enabling human and horse to experience the ability to be relaxed with each other on an intensely personal level.
Control – The trust, faith and understanding that allow both parties to relax with each other lead to the horse’s respectful willingness to accept the beginnings of his rider’s direction.
Freedom – Respectful control and mutual trust result in the rider’s ability to trust the horse in greater freedom, increasing trust, fostering deeper relaxation and active encouragement. This enables both parties to be increasingly free to express themselves. This freedom from tension results in calmness, suppleness, steadiness, forward-going confidence and even tempo, all essential before asking for greater control.
Understanding – With control and respect yielded to the trainer with absolute trust, this freedom opens up a hugely expandable realm of possibilities and the need for clearly understandable communication.
Contact – The previous stages lay the foundations for stress-free contact, creating connection and acceptance of greater control without resistance. In this way the horse desires and seeks contact of his own volition in his willingness to literally - yield control into his rider’s hands.
Direction – With the established trust and willingness leading to a desire for direction, the horse’s responsiveness and trust becomes submission, the rider’s aids becoming an integrated language and the sensitivity of the rider develops into a greater sense of “feel” for the horse’s response.
Straightening – The development of “language” and willing submission, mean that flexibility and the horse’s inherent one-sidedness can be addressed. His impulsion may be cultivated in such a way as not to be lost through the side but being maintained between the aids in the direction of movement. This promotes heightened athleticism, fitness and enthusiasm in such a way as to ensure that they go unwasted.
Balance – Only with the development of straightness can true balance be approached since without straightness, power is lost or misdirected. Freedom, sensitive obedience and straightness along with true acceptance of contact build into lateral and longitudinal balance.
Suppleness – Freedom from constraint and stiffness, gymnastic development, straightness, balance and regulation result in suppleness and forward-going pliability.
Engagement – With everything else in place, free-flowing power, forward going impulsion and athleticism may be regulated and directed with subtlety into the further control of liveliness and mobility. Growing suppleness, strength and balance allow for either the development of deeper engagement with greater containment of the power generated, or it’s release in extension.
Collection – All the above culminate in the ability and willingness for greater generation and containment of power in the quarters with willing co-operation rather than physical constraint; the expression of this ability revealing itself in lightness, cadence, elevation and elastic suspension; in a word – brilliance.
At this point in the relationship the partners are fully prepared for specialisation if that is the aim, if not, they are set for a most harmonious future as great friends.
For greater detail and exercises to assist with the achievement of the above, see future articles on this theme.
