Harmony is born out of a
genuine empathy for the horse and a compassionate awareness of the
mental and physical impact of the work on the horse.
Natural Law and the
Classical Art of Riding
The most harmonious form of riding is in keeping
with the laws of nature, as is the most harmonious form of
government. The irresistible call of life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness is inherent in each one of us. The
Constitution of the United States is governed by the laws of
nature and was established to secure our natural rights to of
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
All of the
various endeavors of our lives are connected by Natural Law; the
laws of gravity, the laws of behavioral science, the laws of
balance, biomechanics, etc.
As a rider, artist and musician, I am continually
gaining a new appreciation for the Laws of Nature. I find that, for me, the
study of these laws is the most fascinating from the perspective of a
rider. The Classical Art of Riding is a multi-facetted
education. It’s seems there is always something new to discover;
self awareness, mental and physical self control,
accountability, communication skills, timing, physics,
biomechanics, an in-depth understanding of the horse’s nature,
how it thinks and behaves, how it moves, why it moves the way it
does – the list can go on forever.
The classical riding art looks for balance,
purity of rhythm, harmony, fluidity of motion and a sense of
calmness. Horses work willingly for riders who work in harmony
with nature.
To get a practical idea of one of the ways the
laws of nature influence the horse’s movement, try the following
exercise that was developed by my instructor, Erik Herbermann:
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend over at the waist, letting your arms
dangle in front of you, and keeping a reasonably flat back (not
arched or bowed), so that your trunk and legs form a 90-degree
angle to one another. Let your head hang comfortably.
3. Begin swinging your arms forward and back,
alternately so that the upper arm brushes past your ear.
4. Adjust the speed at which you are doing
this until you find a virtually effortless momentum. You will
discover that this “tempo” is very relaxing, and takes no
conscious work at all. The swinging practically takes care of
itself, and you may find your trunk bobbing very slightly in the
rhythm.
5. Now speed the tempo up a fraction. Notice
how your back gets a bit tense, and the motion is no longer
effortlessness.
6. Now slow the tempo down a bit. Notice again
how your back gets a bit tense, and the motion is no longer
effortlessness.
This exercise demonstrates that horses
are not only governed by the laws of nature, we are too. We have an inherent
ability to recognize the beauty of harmony in nature because we
are a part of nature ourselves. Our judgment is sound as long as
it hasn’t been clouded by contrived, falsified information (such
as ‘rollkur’ or ‘hyperflexion’ that has gained
popularity these days).
One of the exciting discoveries I made recently
is that the American form of government is also based on Natural
Law. In the book, The Law, Frederic Bastiat explains that
it’s the laws of nature that ultimately govern man. Just as
horses that are trained according to the laws of nature stay
sounder longer than those who haven’t, counties that are
governed according to the laws of nature – respect for our
inherent rights to life, liberty and property – are sounder and
more prosperous than those that aren’t.
