There has been much debate of late over what constitutes correct horse training and how to recognize when training has crossed the line and become abuse. This is as it should be. A horse is a living creature whose manner of communicating is quite subtle - nearly entirely non-verbal. A horse does not purr or hiss like a cat. He will not bite like a dog when threatened. A horse’s only defense to a threat is to run. When this natural instinct is inhibited because of the presence of a rider on his back and a steel bit in his mouth, this instinct may be expressed in more extreme cases as rearing (horse cannot go forward, so goes up) or bucking (instinct to remove from his back something causing pain). In most cases the horse is slowly habitualized to discomfort, and he expresses this instinct as muscular tension, often accompanied merely by a look on his face of lack of ease. This is not to say that a happy horse never becomes momentarily tense, or a young horse never tests the boundaries, but a horse that habitually exhibits negative behavior or always looks distressed while ridden is most likely in some kind of state of panic or pain. I imagine that most people (if not all), who become involved with horses do so because of a genuine love and appreciation for the subtle beauty of the horse - both physical and spiritual. So how do things go so wrong? Why is there such an outcry today over the well being of some competition horses?To put it very simply, personally, I believe there is ‘good’ riding and there is ‘bad’ riding (although it is possible to be an ‘effective’ rider and not be a ‘good’ rider). There are legitimately different schools of riding, and riders would do well to know the differences in orientation between these schools when choosing an instructor. I will go into this more in my next blog, but these differences are real and do have a significant impact on the schooling of the horse. Having said that, I think it is true to say that within each tradition or school, those who are riding ‘well’ within one school have vastly more in common with those who are riding well in a any other school, than they do with those who ride ‘badly’ amongst peers. Having gotten that out of the way, I would like to address the psychological and even spiritual (if you will humor me) reasons why someone who initially wanted nothing more than to ‘dance with a horse’ may be tempted to engage with horses in a manner that many consider abusive.
I would like to begin that conversation with a quote, and will momentarily leave in blank parenthesis the subject: “The first thing a [ ] must learn, if he aims to become an artist, is the art of relaxation. This means detachment, serenity, enjoyment of work for the sake of beauty, unconcern with success or failure, praise or criticism, in this sense, the power of the total concentration of the mind on the senses.” The subject I have left out is the “rider” and the quote is taken from Udo Burger, The Way to Perfect Horsemanship. This short quote sums up for me the motivation for a rider who specifically chooses Classical Dressage over any other ‘type’ of Dressage (be it called Modern, Competitive or German). It is the interior motivation which is at heart: a love of the creative process. Michelangelo is reputed to have said that each piece of marble contained within itself the image that he would later ‘carve’ into it; as if the marble already contained all the inherent beauty that was its by nature, and by forming it, he was merely facilitating the process by which this natural beauty could be developed and manifested outwardly. The Classical rider sees the horse in much the same way. The horse already contains all the beauty which is his by creation. The rider seeks to unite himself with the horse both physically and psychologically in order to lead the horse in a way that allows him even greater expression of what is already his. We should say, the horse does not really need this (all he really wants is to eat grass safely in the company of his mates) but he cooperates with this process quite freely, and even with great pride in his own abilities, if he is led by his rider in a manner that is empathetic, kind and reasonable. The rider’s ‘goal’ here is not an actual goal, but it is similar to the way a Pilgrim views a spiritual journey: it is one of self knowledge, growth and in a way, enlightenment. The Classical rider has much in common with Western mystics and Eastern masters of martial arts in this regard. Curiously, I came to this idea on my own, but was excited to learn later that I was not the first to have thought this. In practical terms, Classical riding is about schooling the horse toward greater collection. In the psychological and spiritual realm, it is about self discovery and the actualization of the creative process. This means there is little incentive to see the horse as an ‘object’ along the way - only the contrary. The reason Classical riders are so particular about developing a correct rider seat is because this artistry can only be actualized if the horse and rider are in complete harmony. In other words: the rider is not an entity balancing upon another entity in an effort to influence it. The rider seeks to merge his center of gravity with the horse’s center of gravity, leading the horse through space much like a dancer leading his partner. The horse must be a willing participant in this, and any amount of force whatsoever (even if it is merely psychological pressure, to say nothing of actual physical force) would pollute this relationship. The horse is developed toward greater balance according to his own talents and abilities, but there is no specific ‘grand prix (top prize)’ to be aimed for. I am not claiming there are more ‘good’ classical riders than any other school (in fact there are few who truly are Classical), but the motivation to use the horse as an object to achieve a goal is minimized, so the motivation to slip into abusive training methods is also minimized.
Every one of us loves a good sportsmen, myself included. I good sportsman generally has natural talent which he develops with a single mindedness that most people can only look upon with awe and wonder. When competing, a good sportsman pours every once of energy and will into being the best and trying to win. When they achieve this, they will often graciously acknowledge those who’ve contributed to the attainment of their dream, and might even offer humble encouragement to those who haven’t achieved theirs. In other words, they are able to achieve the goal of ‘being the best’ without negative interference from the Ego, and without considering themselves ‘better‘. Someone who is a good athlete, but not a good sportsman, may be haughty and may even use illegal means to win at any cost. The attainment of the goal of ‘being the best’ has become an expression of Ego. In spiritual terms, Ego is the inclination in man to use his mind, will and energy for self aggrandizement - in other words, to attain power, wealth, or admiration. The pitfall for equestrian sports is that both the rider and the horse are athletes. One does not compete without the other, but the horse is not an inanimate object like a pair of skis. A skier cannot compete without skis, but if he fails to care for his skis, he may in good conscience dispose of them and simply buy a new pair. If he trains to the point of injuring his own body, we feel sorry for him, but recognize that he is a mature adult making informed decisions about his own priorities in life. From a philosophical point of view, the sport horse is the object which a rider requires in order to attain a very specific goal, such as winning or placing. I should interject here, that many competitive riders love their horses and take impeccable care of them, not only because of their high economic value, but also out of genuine concern for their well being. But, the fact that the horse is the object needed to achieve a coveted goal could be a slippery slope for someone who does not possess natural humility, is not in touch with their innermost motivations, or lacks a high degree of natural empathy. Only sociopaths harm other living beings for the pleasure of doing so. The rest of us do harm to others when we become so focused on our own desires, that we convince ourselves that what we do is absolutely necessary or actually has some positive outcome for all. We generally move incrementally toward destructive behavior. We make one small compromise, followed by another, and in this way are able to pretend that there are no ill effects to our behavior. In fact, we seek reasons why it is all quite justifiable or even somehow good. One only has to watch the nightly news to know that the world is full of such blindness, and to see the extremes this mindset can lead to.
In spiritual terms, we know a thing by its fruit. In equestrian terms, the horse is always right. In other words, if the horse is consistently ‘unwilling', consistently looks tense and unhappy, grinds its teeth, swishes his tail, kicks the wall, bucks or rears, etc., it is either physically uncomfortable or in pain, psychologically tense or scared, or all of this. Were a human being to be compressed by sharp and painful objects into a position unnatural for the human body and held there over time, we would call this torture, even if he didn‘t utter a cry in protest. I am in no way saying that competitive riding is a bad thing. It can be quite beautiful and exciting. I am merely saying that the goal of attaining prizes presents some psychological and spiritual challenges that every rider should be aware of, myself included. I am also suggesting that the sport of dressage might be more popular if there were no controversies. Even those who don’t ride can recognize the difference between a tense horse with a strained or pained look on it’s face (ridden through force), and one (in self-carriage) working its heart out to please his rider and maybe even showing off to spectators. I am certainly not suggesting that someone should be censured because of the look on their horse’s face, but I do think that all trainers and horse owners should be intimately involved in the conversation about how to safeguard the well being of competition horses (or all horses for that matter, because the ill effects of human ambition on horses is not reserved to those who compete). I do understand that it would be in poor taste for a competitive rider to name names. But, it only helps dressage as a sport when everyone has the courage to be involved in the conversation about: what constitutes abuse, how to recognize it, how to prevent it, and especially how to assure that riders are properly educated horsemen and women - in the classical sense. A good competitive rider is also an artist. A classical rider is also an athlete. A horse is first and foremost a horse. By remembering that love of riding and a unique appreciation for the inherent beauty and power of horses is at the heart of all equestrian activity, we could do much to work together to improve the lives of some of our mute equine friends, who add such a wealth of benefit to our lives, and without whom there would surely be an empty spot unfillable by any other living being.
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