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I found this one on the Internet long ago, with no indication of the author.*
However, it has stayed with me, blending intensity with passion, being so eloquent and yet knowledgeable about the "path". I have personally gone through many of the moments that are described here, and so it has touched me deeply, and been an anchor through my growth as a rider. Enjoy!
* Edited to add: The author was found (see comments below)! Thank you for writing this beautiful poem, Bernie!
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Soft Determination
So we: make haste slowly; try harder gently; are softly determined.
The ideal we desire is one of dynamic harmony, with aids telepathic in their subtlety.
Towards that goal, our aids should speak in whispers rather than shouts.
The horse is the partner whose emphasis includes strength; the rider should not emphasize this. So beware the clenched jaw of the rider, showing the strain of excess muscular effort, trying too hard.
Clearer communication is not usually stronger muscular effort, but more correct and focussed effort. Finesse, and the sweat of an iron will, rather than the sweat of iron muscles.
As we progress in riding, some muscles grow stronger - our legs, our abdominals - but our real strength comes from inside, our wish for harmony, our desire to move as one with the horse.
So we:
make haste slowly; try harder gently; are softly determined.
BK4Leg
Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!
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This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
Malcolm Gladwell put forth a theory in 2008, in his book,Outliers: The Story of Success that sounds to be entirely relevant to us horse riders. In it, he proposes that it takes 10,000 hours of practice in any task to become exceptionally good at something.
That breaks down to approximately 3 hours per day over a course of ten years. He goes on to explain that it's not just about having talent - less talented people can progress beyond their more talented counterparts through repeated, directed practice.
Another key component to his theory is that one must be in the right place, at the right time, in order to achieve one's highest potential for success. In the horse sense, I have always thought of this as beinginfluenced by the right peopleat the right time - preferably very early in your riding career so that the correct muscle memory can be created early on (we know how hard it is to undo bad habits - especially physical ones!).
Although not everyone agrees with Gladwell's theory, and the criticism is that he makes broad generalizations based on a relatively small amount of data, I suspect there is something to be said about regular practice. It does not take a genius to recognize that repeating a skill tends to develop the skill.
This could be especially relevant to riding horses, as there are so many small muscle contractions that act within split-seconds in order for us to keep ourselves in the saddle and moving in tandem with the horse. Anyone who has ridden for even a short time can attest to the development of 'muscle memory', or blueprinting.
Things just become easier with practice. Once upon a time you thought you'd never be able to perform a movement, but with regular determined repetition, one day you discover that it just happens. Somehow, you do not even have to think about the movement and your body just performs.
Yes, I imagine that if I could squeeze in three hours of riding a day, I would get to my goal of being efficient and effective in the saddle much quicker. This certainly holds true for riding, as well as anything in life, including success at our daily jobs.
On the horse side of the equation, I have one particularly expressive horse who hasdistinctly TOLD methat this theory stands true for horses as well. He is the one that thrives on daily anything (insert riding, grooming, tail brushing, lunging - you name it) and if it happens that he gets a day or two off, he emphatically denies that he has ever been ridden. He tells me his slow and fast twitch muscle fibers have absolutely no memory of ever having twitched that way before...!
What do you think of this theory and how it relates to horse riding?
Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!
Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the new Horse Listening Practice Sessions.
This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
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I was watching the CN International show jumping competition this past weekend from Spruce Meadows (as it was actually on live local TV) and I still haven't caught my breath thanks to Eric Lamaze and Hickstead's performance in the jump-off round. On a day when rails went flying and (some) horses crashed through the jumps, Eric and Hickstead posted two clear rounds to win.
If you didn't see it, here is a good "on the ground" video of both of their rounds:
What amazed me most was the way they negotiated the last combination jump - at 3:27 on the video. There was only one stride in between the two jumps, and Hickstead came flying over the first jump, landing just little too deep. What they did next was simply flabbergasting. They halfhalted on the landing, through the one stride on the ground, and then in the air OVER the jump. It was like they squeezed out seconds in between the REAL seconds on the timer, enough to do the job that needed doing. From the TV camera angle (you can't see it as clearly here), it looked like the horse just hung over the second jump for a moment (in my mind, it was more like: one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand...) - long enough to be able to gather his feet up and over (hold your breath...!) - and then the scene continued to proceed to the glorious ending.
There was a record-breaking crowd of over 79,000 people and they were all on their feet. I know I sound like a crazed fan, and the more I see of Eric and Hickstead, the more I appreciate what they are doing. I think they are carving out a permanent place in history for themselves, much like Ian Miller did with Big Ben. Glad I'm here to watch it happen!
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Learning a new skillin riding can be pretty daunting. Not only do you need to coordinate your entire body (including the ever-pervasive 'core' of your body), but you also need to stay in balance while moving, in time, in partnership with the (much larger) horse that happens to be using his own feet while yours are dangling in mid-air! You get my drift....
So at best, it's not easy. When other people tell you that riding is all about the horse and not about the rider, you can be fairly sure that they have never sat on a horse to know what it really feels like. Even with the best horse, at the very least, the rider has to "get out of the way" and to do THAT can be a feat in itself.
Assuming that you have the most willing horse, it may be that your own body simply cannot put all the tiny components together at the same time, at the right time, because unfortunately, it's not only about the physical coordination of skill, it's also about timing within the moment of stride that makes it easiest for the horse to respond. And so communication breaks down even with the best interests in mind.
One of the first 'life lessons' that all of us riders learn from our horses is to persevere. Our mantra is "try, try again." "Keep at it." Maybe one of the repetitions will yield a wanted outcome. Maybe if you do it enough times, your horse will finally get it. Right?
Wrong.
Although repeating the aids and 'sticking with the program' is useful many times, there may come a day when you could repeat the exercise a thousand times to no avail - and end up frustrating both yourself and your horse.
So what are some alternatives?
- Change the topic. Go to something else, 'let it go', and come back to it later in the same riding session.
- Try again - just be sure to control your emotion on your second/third/fourth/etc. tries.
- Quit. Put it to rest. Be done with it. (Did I just say that??)
Yes - there is nothing wrong with 'giving up'. In my many (not saying quite how many!) years of riding, one thing the horses have explained to me is that they have no problem with dropping the subject today and picking it up again tomorrow.
Just make sure that you finish the ride on a good note. You do NOT have to finish on a 'perfect' note in regards to the skill you were building - you just need to go to something that makes you both happy and confident - and finish.
Then come back to it the next day. You'll find that your horse went and did his 'homework' and maybe, just maybe, your coordination (muscle memory) is a tiny bit better. Just keep at it - persevere not by drilling on and on, but by giving yourself permission to quit.
Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!
Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the Horse Listening Practice Sessions.
This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
That nagging feeling is urging you to step even deeper into the riding world. Much more awaits aside from just the mechanical steps of the horse. Below the surface level, you discover that you can in fact influence your horse beyond your wildest expectations - you realize that through riding alone, you can create the horse's attitude, comfort, self-confidence, and even the way your horse carries himself. You can affect his coat shine, muscling, the quality of his movement when he is turned out in the field.
You discover that you can be a prime factor in developing his personality.
And at this point, your riding efforts go through a transformation. You now use your technical skill to improve the horse - his way of going and his mental outlook. No longer is it sufficient to get the horse moving from point A to point B. Now, your focus changes to getting there with more balance, a little lighter on the forehand, with more enthusiasm and expression... and you search for the intangibles that become the true essence of riding.
Thus you move from the pure mechanics of riding to a soul-stirring, relationship-creating effort that involves not just a rider and a horse but two partners giving of each self to create a new whole.
This path from the lower-case 'r' to the upper-case 'R' is what keeps you coming back for more....
In the beginning, you must focus all your energy on just riding. This phase includes learning all the basic skills - how to balance, how to manipulate and coordinate your various appendages, and how to use your various 'aids'.
You discover that you have a 'seat' and that it is the crux of all things in riding, and if you are lucky, you are blessed with an instructor that is willing to lunge you to develop that seat.
You learn about the gaits, the surge of energy when a horse proceeds with an upward or downward 'transition', and distinguish between your inside and outside reins and aids.
You differentiate between go and (not 'stop' but) halt.
You negotiate patterns, movements, and figures.
You graduate from the walk to the trot ('posting' and in a while, with 'diagonals'). Eventually you take your first canter steps and you wonder what the horse world has waiting for you after all these accomplishments.
You begin to jump, rein (spins, slides and stops), fly over jumps in cross-country, get 'test'ed in dressage, complete the pattern in western horsemanship or trail, run the barrels, or maybe even head for the hills during a 30-mile long competitive trail.
You might learn to jump higher, spin faster, go longer on the trail.
At this point, riding is a pleasure, a recreational sport, a chance to enjoy the company of the magnificent horse.
But at some point, you realize that there is something missing - but you can't put your finger on it. Yet the feeling continues to pick away until through some catalyst (watching someone ride, or learning something new), you take a bite out of the proverbial apple... and discover Riding (with the capital R).
Every now and then, it is a super feeling to get out of your own backyard, hit the road with your horse friend that you've been working with for so long, and get out to "play" with other like-minded people.
However, before you head off, set yourself some achievable goals for the day - both for your riding and for your horse - and be satisfied with your performances if you achieved your goals. Sometimes, you might achieve your personal best out there in the ring, but on that day, it just isn't good enough to receive a placing. And that should be as good an accomplishment as any.
DON'T go if:
- you aren't getting excellent rides at home, mentally and physically, both you and your horse.
- you haven't taken your horse off-property in many months (go somewhere lower-key first).
- you haven't done your "homework": both you and your horse are fit (conditioning, muscling, mentally) and riding AT LEAST one level (regardless of discipline of riding) higher than what you will be doing at the show.
- you are struggling with a component that you will need at the show.
- you absolutely HAVE TO take home the winning ribbon/prize/championship (well, ok, unless you are there to win thousands of dollars or the Olympics).
- you are unprepared in terms of tack/supplies.
"Green light" checklist for the show:
- you can thank your horse for just getting the two of you to the show
- you have it pretty good at home and your horse is producing "winning" rides on a regular basis
your horse can easily handle the physical exertion that will be required while you're riding at home
- you want to go and soak in the atmosphere of hundreds of others of people dedicated to their horses and sport like you!
- you are prepared to put forth a strong attempt and receive feedback from the judge (and your horse!) with humility.
- you know deep down that there is a tomorrow and you take what you learn from this show and put it forward to the work you will do at home and at the next show.
- you know that even if you don't win the class, you have a chance to watch others and learn from their efforts and experiences.
- you will celebrate any ribbons (accomplishments) with the joy that comes with a deep sense of knowing that everything came together at the right place at the right time
Know that there is always the possibility that things don't come together, and you might end up with a sub-par performance that day. In this case, know that there will be other days ahead when things will go right together.
Most important -listen to your horse, and see if the show was beneficial for him as well as you.
Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!
Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the new Horse Listening Practice Sessions.
This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list.Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email
Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book:Stepping Forward to Effective Riding
Top 6 Ways to Ramp It Up For Show Season: Preparing for the show season may not be as easy as it looks. There are many aspects that go into getting to the show ring, and even more that need to be done before you even set your first trailer tires onto the road.
The 99% Lucky rule is very simple - when you're around horses, and particularly in dangerous situations, you are lucky 99% of the time. That is a good rule - unless it happens to be the 1% of the time that you might be 'un'-lucky! Then, it's no fun at all. Let me explain...
When you are around horses, safety must come first before anything else - your safety first, then the horse's safety. Regardless of the horse-related activity you participate in, once the horse is involved, your safety 'barometer' has to be turned on and stay active the whole time.
How to be in the right place at the wrong time (stay in that 99% lucky zone):
- be aware of your positioning in relation to the horse (even if you are on the ground).
- be aware of the surroundings and the possible reactions of the horse.
- know when to stop an activity (whether you should stop insisting on something from the ground, or even to the point of getting off the horse when you know it is time to stop the ride).
- control your external body language to exude calmness and confidence at all times (even if you and/or the horse are at high alert).
- verbally talk yourself and your horse out of a sticky situation - your voice calms the horse and reinforces to yourself what you want to do.
Most of the time, your luck will hold out in dangerous situations. Some of the craziest, most dangerous events go by unnoticed because just out of luck, your horse refrained from reacting as violently he could have, or the situation just didn't present in the worst-case scenario. People then go along as usual, completely unaware that the reason they were not injured was purely thanks to luck....
One example: wrapping a lead rope around your hand while you walk the horse into the barn. Now, we all know that you should never wrap a lead rope around a hand. And still we do it from time to time. And 'most' of the time, nothing happens at all.
The horse obliges nicely and walks beside us as we walk in. 99 times out of 100, the scene proceeds as planned. However, just once, there might be something that jumps out of the bush, or your horse sees something out of the corner of his eye, and he lunges forward/backward/sideways (take your pick) and very unfortunately, your hand must follow!
Work diligently to prevent that 1% unlucky! Make every effort to remain in the "safe zone" of whatever you do with the horse. You'll be glad you did.
Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list.Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email
Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book:Stepping Forward to Effective Riding
Stepping 'Forward' in Horse Riding: Beware: "speed is the enemy"! Being 'forward' is far from being 'fast'. What does forward really mean in riding?
The Truth About Balance: We always talk about balance in our riding, but what about the balance in the rest of the horse's life?
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Blueprinting – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
