Living with, or against : the horse

I was taught to ride in Switzerland, something like 40 years ago. And Switzerland has an approach of the horse very near the German one - even tougher than the French one, which is already very hard on the horse.

I am often furious today when I watch French magazines made for riders, 

(Though they are generally called "horse magazine" but we all know the horses seldom buy them)

Because they have all started to promote that type of ride.

The fight AGAINST the horse, and the power to break his will and life.

I am not kidding, it s really a question of breaking. And I don t know much about western ridding, but I have seen some pretty awful things there too (the "Tenessee" walking for example ).

It s all about the same human tendency to catch something beautiful in nature, and then to force it into a system of power to make it permanent ... When it should nt be, of course.

Grace is about that minute of perfection you create WITH your ride.

Not the hour of suffering of a horse bent with tough steel in his mouth.

It s about time the equestrian world starts its revolution with the way horse is envisioned,

And stops to use the barbaric (and stupid) tools that have been developed, even recently :

I have seen so many of these horses, literally "under the hand" 

meaning they are so tense and bent to try to flee the pain in their mouth and neck, you just don t feel them anymore in your hands when you ride. They are gone far from human touch, broken, without any spirit left. And some stupid riders call them "light in the hand".

Oh yeah, many riders will tell you with pride after an hour of intense suffering of their horse, mouth bubbling with foam,

"Oh, he did work this time. He gave it all"

Stop the madness !

The bent neck of a horse is a sign of controlled energy, 

but IT S THE HORSE WHO GIVES IT WILLINGLY, when he is ready.

And yes some horses do have to work for a living,

And many of them have died for us in mines, wars, fields, streets 

for our food, our energy, our values...

But it s about time we start to share with them happiness and respect, 

instead of power and pain. 

They have earned the right to be happy and free of pain, 

thanks to cars, tractors, machines... 

Just as we have.

Riding should be an experience of common pleasure and trust,

The horse giving you his power and body, in exchange for your knowledge and brain. 

It should be a dance, where the two share the same free spirit and will.

I had never seen the video clip of Sade song "never as good as the first time", and I discovered it this morning (sorry can t find a way to copy the link from FB to this blog with my iPad ! Just find it on YouTube). It made me cry with its beauty.

This is what riding is about : harmony between horse and rider, beauty, trust, freedom.

And God, what a rider Sade is.

If she is not another of those old native souls putting in her art her old precious souvenirs, I can be damned 

(Listen to her album Soldier of Love, find the texts of the songs "Soldier of Love" , and "the Safest Place", and you will see what I mean)

That's what riding must be : the search of this free harmony,

and today we know enough about positive reinforcement to be able to create that without the middle age tools and mentality we still see in dressage and jumping around us all the time 

(I don t even speak of horses races, it's a domain I have no knowledge of, and from which I feel really far, truth to be told).

In Germany, I have ridden a horse that was so broken that the first time I took a jumping class with him, instead of jumping, he went right through the obstacle and exploded everything : I had "forgotten" to tell him when to take his jump ! In fact I did not know I even HAD to tell him, because my own horse in Geneva did not work like that with me. He was the one counting his steps and deciding for his jumps, I was just as light on him as I could be . I had no idea you could have horses so broken to orders they would actually put themselves in danger waiting for the rider "authorization to take off"

And it s "funny", by the way, to see that in Europe you are told as a beginner to work your "assiette" , a word which more or less means to put weight in your saddle and be heavy and impossible to remove from your horse

When in fact, if you look closely at Sade on her horse, you can see she is extremely light on her saddle. She is using the movement of the horse to... fly. Literally. 

She does not move and if you look at her, you ll see though the horse has an up and down movement with his canter, she is nearly stable. She flies above him.

I think since a long time that a horse cantering is a direct way to get near the sky, 

and that it s why it s such an incredible pleasure when you ride : it s the only "allure" where the horse has four feet up from earth simultaneously . The horse flies. And you do with him when you are a good rider, of course.

And when you teach riding classes, you know a kid is hooked and is going to be a good rider when the first time he gets to canter, he gets exhilarated, instead of terrified.

When you have touched this joy to fly in company of another living being, you are addicted....

I hope horses will soon gain a new respect and the revolution will be fast for them

 ike I see with dogs, see Cesar's Millan work 

or with parrots - see the Womach brothers at birdtricks.com

There are too many horses spending their lives in boxes, going out once a day to work bent and broken. 

In Paris, there is a riding center (at least there was ten years ago) in the town, near la Cité de la musique in the 19th arrdt, where horses work all day with beginners, go back to their stalls after work,  NEVER get to be out freely, and don t even know what GRASS is.

And no, they don t get to see it when they old, and have given their life to kids and bad riders, 

for they are n t even authorized to retire in the country safely when their time is done. 

They are sent to the butcher, "thank you for your service, next horse please."

It s about time it changes.

We are now soooo able to dance with horses,

And not fight against them anymore.

This is a photo I love. It s me and my horse in Geneva, in 82.

I cannot ride like this anymore, I am too broken for that,

And I will be more careful now. Each age has his own pleasure with life...

but I am still looking in all the horses I meet for the soul of Kane, this precious horse I loved so much at first glance, and who has been my companion for many of my previous lives, I am sure of that...

I have no saddle (and this was a highly secret shooting session for it was totally forbidden in my Swiss snobbish riding center)

And I don t even need to keep contact with his mouth.

He is free, and simply making me the gift to fly with him...

We had so much trust in each other. 

I still miss him every time I think of riding.