12/25/2024
Classical riding is not predicated upon quick fixes and novelties. It is a much deeper, more profound and lasting ethos.
Many profess to be trainers who train classically but few essentially are.
It is merely a word bandied about as if to give credence to sell a product.
The real problem lies in the fact that few really understand where classical training came from and why it has stood the test of time. The other problem is that it is the horses that continue to be confused and become trained by rote fashion, losing their own innateness. They become robots who perform. That saddens me greatly, and no doubt anyone who searches for more meaning in life.
Because of the limited number of horsemen who have this knowledge, riders who wish to improve their own riding and training of horses can still do this.The answers lie in the literature and the endurance to follow the teachings despite the difficulties.
This is a test of one's character and should not be entered into as one would enter a whim.
From this written knowledge one then needs to practice and go continually back to the knowledge to recheck it's validity and one's understanding.
Classical riding is therefore not easy, due much to the difficulty in aligning oneself with a longer term view, and not to rectify a fault which limits the overall goal, which is one of lightness. One that utilises minimal necessary effort to attain this lightness, as anything above that causes a counter reaction.
- Author unknown
Photo of my mentor- Alf Athenstaedt
