Post by Admin on Mar 17, 2007 23:10:20 GMT -5
The connecting element between the polar forces is attentiveness. It allows the "whole" to grow. It connects leading and following, opening and closing, driving and yielding, but also hard and soft, wild and gentle.
Our world is subject to the laws of polarity. If I remove one pole, disharmony ensues in various excesses. Only the interaction of the mutually interdepedent energies creates what we call harmony.
Of course, gentle riding is subject to the laws of nature as well. I am well aware that I am touching on a sensitive issue with the following statement, and that many people will probably reject it. I claim that a truly and exclusively gentle interaction with horses (Yin-energy) is impossible due to the cosmic laws. If I always interact with horses gently, gently, gently (Yin-energy), it will not take long before the horses begin to live the opposite pole, the Wild (Yang-energy), in accordance with the natural laws.
This is a very interesting observation. Many modern amateurs who have the best intentions take their desire for a harmonious, gentle interaction with their horse to such an extreme that they never expect any reciprocation from their horse. While they may respect their horse, they do not expect him to respect them in return. They don't expect their horses to obey their requests, but instead allow them to be rude, disobedient, and disrespectful - something another, higher ranking, horse would never tolerate in a subordinate herd member. They either don't ask the horse to stretch the limits of his comfort zone at all (they are therefore often unaware that their horse is the leader), without which no training can take place, or they back down immediately, if the horse shows anything but an enthusiastic response. I have even seen riders reward blatant, potentially dangerous disobediences with walking on a long rein and a pat on the neck, out of a desire to keep the peace, or maybe out of fear.
These riders fail at being leaders. Their "kindness" and "gentleness" is perceived by their horse as weakness. Only a strong leader's kindness and gentleness is recognized by the horse for what it truly is. If the herd leader fails to fulfill his role, the second in command will take over and provide the leadership that the alpha horse is unable or unwilling to provide, because the safety of the herd is at stake. Without a competent leader, the entire herd is at risk of falling prey to predators. That's why any authority vacuum is immediately filled by the next lower ranking herd member.
The horses of these weak riders are typically the most disobedient horses. They may be sweet and friendly on the ground, but as soon as you try to put them to work even within the most reasonable limits, many of them flat out refuse to even try. If this "anti-authoritarian" approach to horsemanship, this lack of leadership persists, the horses become so secure and comfortable in their role as herd leader that they will not relinquish it to a more competent rider without considerable opposition. At the rider's first request to work they respond with their usual evasion, stalling, threatening to buck or rear, or whatever has proved to be most successful with their owner. Unlike the owner, the more competent rider will not be impressed. Instead, he will quietly insist on his original request. The horse is surprised that the old trick is not working. So he will try to redouble his efforts at trying to intimidate the rider, e.g by rearing a little higher, or by bucking a little more wildly. You can see that this can very easily put the rider, who is completely innocent of the horse's ill manners, at a considerable risk, since the horse will escalate the conflict, because experience has taught him that the rider will eventually back down, if he only acts wildly enough. The longer the horse has been allowed to be the unchallenged herd leader, the more the disrespectful behavior is ingrained in him, and the more he will fight for his alpha status. As always, the secret to good riding lies in preventing problems rather than in repairing the damage.
Only if the rider succeeds in letting all evasions and disobediences backfire, so that they lead to a more strenuous workout, while the rider's initial request always turns out to be by far the easiest road for the horse, will the horse eventually accept the rider as the wiser, more deserving herd leader and yield to his authority. This can often be done without active punishment on the rider's part. The horse punishes himself as all his evasions turn out to be more energy consuming than honest work. If the rider is quick and coordinated enough, he only has to wait until the horse truly believes that the rider's way is the easiest way. The success of this method depends entirely on four factors:
The demand has to be fair, i.e. the horse has to be physically capable of executing it.
The aids have to be unambiguous (no simultaneous driving and holding back, and/or leaning forward, no gripping legs)
The rider has to have more patience than the horse, so that he does not give in before the horse is making a positive effort.
The rider must under no circumstances miss the first signs of cooperation. As soon as the horse makes an honest effort, he must be rewarded. In extreme cases, the lesson must end with the first sign of willingness, no matter how small it may be.
If the rider violates any one of these four cardinal rules, the horse will become antagonized, and the entire situation deteriorates, even to the point of becoming dangerous. Horses have a strong sense of fairness, which means they will accept a deserved reprimand, but they will rebel against excessive demands or punishment.
Our world is subject to the laws of polarity. If I remove one pole, disharmony ensues in various excesses. Only the interaction of the mutually interdepedent energies creates what we call harmony.
Of course, gentle riding is subject to the laws of nature as well. I am well aware that I am touching on a sensitive issue with the following statement, and that many people will probably reject it. I claim that a truly and exclusively gentle interaction with horses (Yin-energy) is impossible due to the cosmic laws. If I always interact with horses gently, gently, gently (Yin-energy), it will not take long before the horses begin to live the opposite pole, the Wild (Yang-energy), in accordance with the natural laws.
This is a very interesting observation. Many modern amateurs who have the best intentions take their desire for a harmonious, gentle interaction with their horse to such an extreme that they never expect any reciprocation from their horse. While they may respect their horse, they do not expect him to respect them in return. They don't expect their horses to obey their requests, but instead allow them to be rude, disobedient, and disrespectful - something another, higher ranking, horse would never tolerate in a subordinate herd member. They either don't ask the horse to stretch the limits of his comfort zone at all (they are therefore often unaware that their horse is the leader), without which no training can take place, or they back down immediately, if the horse shows anything but an enthusiastic response. I have even seen riders reward blatant, potentially dangerous disobediences with walking on a long rein and a pat on the neck, out of a desire to keep the peace, or maybe out of fear.
These riders fail at being leaders. Their "kindness" and "gentleness" is perceived by their horse as weakness. Only a strong leader's kindness and gentleness is recognized by the horse for what it truly is. If the herd leader fails to fulfill his role, the second in command will take over and provide the leadership that the alpha horse is unable or unwilling to provide, because the safety of the herd is at stake. Without a competent leader, the entire herd is at risk of falling prey to predators. That's why any authority vacuum is immediately filled by the next lower ranking herd member.
The horses of these weak riders are typically the most disobedient horses. They may be sweet and friendly on the ground, but as soon as you try to put them to work even within the most reasonable limits, many of them flat out refuse to even try. If this "anti-authoritarian" approach to horsemanship, this lack of leadership persists, the horses become so secure and comfortable in their role as herd leader that they will not relinquish it to a more competent rider without considerable opposition. At the rider's first request to work they respond with their usual evasion, stalling, threatening to buck or rear, or whatever has proved to be most successful with their owner. Unlike the owner, the more competent rider will not be impressed. Instead, he will quietly insist on his original request. The horse is surprised that the old trick is not working. So he will try to redouble his efforts at trying to intimidate the rider, e.g by rearing a little higher, or by bucking a little more wildly. You can see that this can very easily put the rider, who is completely innocent of the horse's ill manners, at a considerable risk, since the horse will escalate the conflict, because experience has taught him that the rider will eventually back down, if he only acts wildly enough. The longer the horse has been allowed to be the unchallenged herd leader, the more the disrespectful behavior is ingrained in him, and the more he will fight for his alpha status. As always, the secret to good riding lies in preventing problems rather than in repairing the damage.
Only if the rider succeeds in letting all evasions and disobediences backfire, so that they lead to a more strenuous workout, while the rider's initial request always turns out to be by far the easiest road for the horse, will the horse eventually accept the rider as the wiser, more deserving herd leader and yield to his authority. This can often be done without active punishment on the rider's part. The horse punishes himself as all his evasions turn out to be more energy consuming than honest work. If the rider is quick and coordinated enough, he only has to wait until the horse truly believes that the rider's way is the easiest way. The success of this method depends entirely on four factors:
The demand has to be fair, i.e. the horse has to be physically capable of executing it.
The aids have to be unambiguous (no simultaneous driving and holding back, and/or leaning forward, no gripping legs)
The rider has to have more patience than the horse, so that he does not give in before the horse is making a positive effort.
The rider must under no circumstances miss the first signs of cooperation. As soon as the horse makes an honest effort, he must be rewarded. In extreme cases, the lesson must end with the first sign of willingness, no matter how small it may be.
If the rider violates any one of these four cardinal rules, the horse will become antagonized, and the entire situation deteriorates, even to the point of becoming dangerous. Horses have a strong sense of fairness, which means they will accept a deserved reprimand, but they will rebel against excessive demands or punishment.
