Unity - The Miracle of Horsemanship
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Regardless of application, every rider has at least one basic goal in common: he wants to to appropriate the horse's physical abilities in one way or the other. In the most ideal case, he wants to move the horse's feet as if they were his own. In other words, he wants to achieve a physical unity with the horse.
Even though his goals to pursue a unity may be purely physical, such a unity always requires a mental unity as well. In conventional horsemanship, such a goal is rarely uttered any more, for the Scholae Artis Equestris a true unity between horse and man is the ultimate goal, the highest ideal of horsemanship.
Even though his goals to pursue a unity may be purely physical, such a unity always requires a mental unity as well. In conventional horsemanship, such a goal is rarely uttered any more, for the Scholae Artis Equestris a true unity between horse and man is the ultimate goal, the highest ideal of horsemanship.
Postulates - The Reality of the Horse
An ambitious ideal such as establishing a unity between fundamentally different species as horses and humans can easily become a naive illusion. Only when horsemanship is rooted in the essential reality of the horse, can it escape the illusionary. Therefore, every true method of horsemanship needs to be rooted in the fundamental reality of the horse.
This reality can be summarized in six postulates:
This reality can be summarized in six postulates:
- Horses are organisms. Therefore, they are not mechanisms.
- Horses are animals. Therefore, they have the ability to move through muscular activity, which is only stimulated by the horse's own nervous system.
- Horses are complex mammals. Therefore, their nervous system has an advanced brain capable of conscience, experience, perception, emotion, language, and motoric memory, all of which allow for complex behaviour and movements.
- Horses are fleeing prey animals. Therefore, they have evolved mental and physical traits which allow for a flight response.
- Horses are social animals. Therefore, they have evolved a social behaviour, including a sense of obedience.
- Horses are horses. Therefore, horses are not humans.
Pillars - The Foundation of Horsemanship
The six postulates logically lead to three elementary charateristics which are the pillars of all good horsemanship.
These three pillars are equally important and should underpin every interaction between humans and horses. To establish the pillars of horsemanship, we build up qualities in our horses.
- Calm: Horses need to be mentally relaxed, that is they need to be confident, obedient and at peace if any horsemanship is to be accomplished.
- Communication: Humans and horses require an exchange of signals which they both perceive as meaningful. Only in such a way can a horse be directed in a light, refined and complex manner. Only through communication can the qualities of good horsemanship be established and perfected.
- Capable: Humans affect the horse's natural movement in a fundamental way when riding. Therefore, horses need to be trained physically to compensate for the effects of the humans on there backs, and, ideally, to regain and even perfect their natural movement and moveability.
These three pillars are equally important and should underpin every interaction between humans and horses. To establish the pillars of horsemanship, we build up qualities in our horses.
Horse Qualities - Building Horsemanship
The first two fundamental qualities intend to establishand are termed as the fundamental mental qualities of the horse:
Next to these fundamental mental qualities, horsemanship also needs to include fundamental physical qualities, because of the severely distorting influence the rider has on the locomotion of the horse:
These fundamental physical qualities will closely interact with one another, shaping the combined physical qualities (Schwung, cadance and balance). The fundamental and combined phyiscal qualities will result in the ultimate physical qualities of Takt and Moveability, through which the horse's natural locomotion is restored and even perfected.
Although all fundamental qualities are essential to horsemanship, it is only through connection that humans can direct and therefore train their horses. Consequently, the development of all qualities relies on the degree of connection between horse and man. Furthermore, it is in perfecting connection that true mental and therefore physical unity lies. Connection is thus the most central quality to be established in the horse; it is the alfa and omega of horsemanship.
- Trust and relaxation: The quality whereby the horse comes to rely on the human as a source of confidence, leadership and comfort, which results in mental relaxation. In turn, mental relaxation will form the basis for physical relaxation.<
- Connection: The quality whereby a mentally engaged horse responds correctly on the lightest signal.
Next to these fundamental mental qualities, horsemanship also needs to include fundamental physical qualities, because of the severely distorting influence the rider has on the locomotion of the horse:
- Straightness: The quality whereby the weight of horse and rider is correctly distributed laterally.
- Impulsion: The quality whereby the hind legs produce the correct force and the biomechanical realisation of that force.
- Collection: The quality whereby the hind quarters increase their carrying capacity through the biomechanical process of collection.
These fundamental physical qualities will closely interact with one another, shaping the combined physical qualities (Schwung, cadance and balance). The fundamental and combined phyiscal qualities will result in the ultimate physical qualities of Takt and Moveability, through which the horse's natural locomotion is restored and even perfected.
Although all fundamental qualities are essential to horsemanship, it is only through connection that humans can direct and therefore train their horses. Consequently, the development of all qualities relies on the degree of connection between horse and man. Furthermore, it is in perfecting connection that true mental and therefore physical unity lies. Connection is thus the most central quality to be established in the horse; it is the alfa and omega of horsemanship.
Human Qualities - The X-Factor of Horsemanship
The fundamental qualities of the horse and the eventual unity between horse and rider is not going to emerge by itself. The entire process of horsemanship depends on the qualities s of the horsemen. There are five qualities which a horsemen needs to cultivate which will allow him to establish, advance and perfect the qualities of his horse. Three qualities are practical qualities, which are directly related to the horse's quality of connection through which the other horse's qualities are developed. These practical qualities are:
To internalize the practical qualities of the horseman, conditional qualities that will produce and shape feel, timing and balance are required:
Amongst these qualities, everything revolves around Feel and Timing, since they directly relate to the quality of connection in the horse. The constant circle of feel leading to timing leading to connection returning a new feel drives the entire process of Horsemanship. Since timing depends on feel, it is feel that should be considered the most essential quality for each horsemen, it is the soul of horsemanship.
- Feel: The quality of correctly perceiving the entire mental and physical state of the horse at every single moment.
- Timing: The quality of acting correctly upon a feel. Otherwise defined as doing the correct thing at the correct time.
- Balance: The quality of readjusting timing in response of the constantly changing feel, as well as integrating and balancing the mesura of the independent seat and the different aids with each other in each moment, as well as rebalancing the focus of each training phase in light of building the horse's qualities.
To internalize the practical qualities of the horseman, conditional qualities that will produce and shape feel, timing and balance are required:
- Good will: The quality of a good mentality and a correct attitude, which results in a lively and pure focus on the horse and on horsemanship.
- Horsewisdom: The quality of an insight in the concrete reality of the horse and a correct judgement of the measure to be taken at any moment.
Amongst these qualities, everything revolves around Feel and Timing, since they directly relate to the quality of connection in the horse. The constant circle of feel leading to timing leading to connection returning a new feel drives the entire process of Horsemanship. Since timing depends on feel, it is feel that should be considered the most essential quality for each horsemen, it is the soul of horsemanship.
Applied training - The Use of Horsemanship
As already stated in What is Horsemanship, General training, focusing on establishing fundamental qualities, and applied training, focusing on applied qualities and their manifestation, are closely connected in traditional forms of horsemanship. In fact, applications are nothing more than concrete manifestations of applied qualities, which in turn are elaborations and specifications of the fundamental qualities of horsemanship. Therefore, the level and quality of the applied use of horses always depends on the level and quality of the general training. In return, applied training enhances general training by adding purpose and increasing the focus in horse and rider.
Within the Scholae understanding and practising the applications of Traditional Western Horsemanship is also an integral part of the horsemanship it pursues. Amongst these applications, particularly the knightly martial arts connected to medieval horsemanship is a central goal and the main application of the Scholae Artis Equestris.
Within the Scholae understanding and practising the applications of Traditional Western Horsemanship is also an integral part of the horsemanship it pursues. Amongst these applications, particularly the knightly martial arts connected to medieval horsemanship is a central goal and the main application of the Scholae Artis Equestris.