Dressage is Horsemanship

Posted from http://piaffedreams.blogspot.com/2007/07/dressage-is-horsemanship.html

As I am willing to take on clients whose primary aspirations are not to compete in the dressage arena, there are then a number of students who come to me having been "told" this is what they need or even simply having an intuitive sense of it without yet actually understanding what dressage IS or is NOT. One of these days I am determined to find the time to organize and put on a mini-symposium of sorts for riders in our area with just these sorts of questions, desires and trepidations. Because for many dressage is viewed as an elitest sport full of people fascinated with endless circles while cranking the horses heads down. Just about every equine endeavor has its 'stereotypes' and therefore detractors. (In some cases quite well deserved as we all are aware of the Big Lick world of gaited horses, and western pleasure horses)



I am excited to help people see the beauty, the discipline, and the reverence for the horse that is classical horsemanship..... or dressage. No one though can explain it his as well as the master himself, Mr. Charles De Kunffy. His published works I consider to be 'sacred texts,' for he clarifies and indeed illuminates the messages of the 'old dead guys' so remarkably well. He can put into a modern context the visions and aspirations, physical, mental, and spiritual of the riders who put to print what they knew so long ago. In our modern era, with our very different and always changing global perspectives and widely diverse philosophies, it is quite intriguing that the horse who is just a horse and has remained a horse for so many thousands of years, makes us all come to some point of commonality.



So, tonight before I sat down, I went to my library (and for those who have seen my room of books and videos on horses/riding/dressage/etc. it is a library!) and pulled off of its shelf what is Mr. De Kunffy's "signature" work "The Ethics and Passions of Dressage". Published in 1993 by Mr. De Kunffy himself.



Right from the first chapter, he clearly focuses the reader to the primary definition of good horsemanship - art. Good horsemanship is the elevation of the horse as a representation of nature in its raw and random form into his most cultivated and amplified form- all his inborn potential realized. Taking a horse with all his potential for athleticism, collection, extension, cadence and suspension, power and suppleness, tension and relaxation, and convincing him to express them willingly without any perversion.



For as he says, "A horse 'held in shape' by his rider is only posturing in a seemingly correct form, usually for the benefit of inexperienced observers." Riders in such cases, ride only for a trick or maneuver without understanding the two fundamental skills a rider must posess 1. to know how to energize a horse, and 2. how to control it for the benefit of the horse.



There is where the ethics come in. The horse is a product of nature and thus lives by natural laws of physics, biomechanics, and the natural instincts of his species. When we as a rider mount the horse, we immediately and profoundly impact him with a burden of weight and the burden of our character flaws, our physical deficits, and our mental cognition. Truth be told, we impact him in such a way the moment we step into his stall or pasture. Every step a horse takes with tension or impedence of his natural energies and locomotion breaks the horse down. Not only does he wear on his legs that pound more heavily against the ground, his bracing neck and back against a harsh hand causes further physical damage, not to mention the mental anguish that a creature of flight feels when trapped between a gripping leg and grabbing hand.



It is then the primary and fundamental goal "to reestablish the horse's natural balance under the added weight of the rider and tack." Furthermore, the rider having restored the horse's natural balance, must provide the horse with theraputic riding to supple the back, even out his musculature and the function of the horse's limbs before the rider can embark on atheltically developing the horse. He emplores that pursuits of horsemanship that do "not remain at all times attentive to the therapeutic and restorative needs of the horse will fail in the attainment of the athletic ones. Only knowledgeable equestrians can address this task."



Riders should then be ever in search of this knowledge and the skills required to be able to address the above task. Namely the correct seat and aids which can then energize the horse correctly and shape those energies in ways that restore the balance and straighten and supple the horse. "When all the basics are in place, the now 'unselfconscious' rider is liberated to become a 'brilliant' performer. Brilliance cannot be planned or contrived because it must be born of perfected technique."



In just this first chapter, I am reminded again of the daily pursuits with our horses and the responsibility I have as an instructor to continue to push this rather urgent message. Anyone can hang out a shingle to be considered a horseman. A great many will fool those 'unknowledgeable' eyes with fancy tricks, stunts, and postured maneuvers some will be so lacking in knowledge as to even be impressed by those who can merely hang on until the horse gives up or "fight it out". Those who have a great passion and love for horses will volunteer the long and dedicated hours to learning to see a horse moving relaxed, supple, and elastically - to see his whole body and thereby know the whole horse and the whole effect of ones training.



Ultimately, the essence of dressage is that natural movement should continue to permeate the entire horse even when he is encumbered by a rider who via dressage ultimately provides the horse with the means to be unencumbered with his burden. The beauty of the horse is then restored, perfected and his potential unleashed into a majestic and beautiful work of art.