By the Book
I haven’t written anything in a while because I was busy translating a book by Rudolf Kuzmicki for the SRS, in addition to riding a lot, of course. It was great fun to “work with” the 455 year old training traditions as well as the very real stories of the Riders there with one of their strong-willed, quirky, highly intelligent, and immensely talented stallions, Neapolitano Nima I. And yes, the SRS has received a fair share of criticism in recent years, but that doesn’t diminish the necessity of adhering to the teachings of the old masters. If, that is, you are interested in producing a healthy, supple, balanced, willing, and happy riding horse. One that is actually fun to ride.
Some of the main principles of this training are creating trust of the horse in his people and confidence in the training process, patience, calmness, adherence to the training scale, letting the horse determine when s/he is ready for the next step in training, and taking the talents and personality into account with each horse. In addition the training process from Young Horse School (Remontenschule) via Campaign School (Kampagneschule) to the High School (Hohe Schule) is laid out step by step. And of course this includes precise instructions for the rider and focus on the conditions in which young horses are best raised.
Different classical traditions vary slightly, but most agree on those foundational principles. Not investing in the basics will invariably lead to problems down the road. Once a horse is confirmed in his natural crookedness or has been incorrectly ridden and acquired wrong muscle memory at best and injuries at worst, it takes a long time and consistency to correct it. Getting one correct ride here and there is simply not enough.
I recently attended a lecture by German GP trainer Christoph Ackermann who trains and teaches in the tradition of the late German riding master Egon von Neindorff. He spent a good deal elaborating on the second step of the training scale, relaxation (Losgelassenheit). Sadly, a lot of horse/rider pairs never make it to this stage, even if they “advance” up the levels. The term implies a cooperative mental state of the horse as much as a freely forward moving horse. “If there is stiffness anywhere, there is no relaxation,” Ackermann said. I’ve sat on FEI dressage horses and FEI jumpers who don’t meet this second of six steps of the training scale. For some of those the first step, rhythm, is dodgy too.
It saddens me for those horses who are amazingly willing and eager to do their jobs, despite not getting the proper help from the rider. My commitment to every horse, every ride, is to ride according to what stage of the training scale the horse is on. Same goes for teaching. Even if that means upsetting someone by insisting they take lunge lessons if their seat is far from independent, and it would be neither fair to the horse nor productive for the rider to proceed otherwise.
There is a reason to train “by the book”. This isn’t a rigid application of numbered input but a compassionate, knowledgeable, and skillful following of the guidance developed by masters of their craft, and confirmed by each and every horse that is lucky enough to be trained that way.
*PC: Jim Block. Photo shows an OTTB competing in Eventing at Training Level with his owner, here ridden by me in the light seat in a quick double handed yield, showing self carriage.
