Some thoughts on joy and learning
When I translated Rudolf Kuzmicki’s book about the Spanish Riding School Stallion Neapolitano Nima I, I loved learning about the almost 500 year old training philosophy of the SRS. The first priority is that the stallions learn to trust their people and gain confidence in the training process. That means that throughout their entire career at the SRS, they get the time they need to advance and that their individualities are honored and given some freedom of expression, all the while still guiding them to the training goals. But even beyond that, the Riders look to make sure each stallion enjoys his work from day one. That’s right: “enjoys”.
I am wondering how many of us riders (both amateurs and professionals), think of our horses’ enjoyment of the dressage training as an equally important aspect to the training process. I’m not talking about the mere absence of obvious signs of discomfort or unhappiness in the horse. I’m also not talking about the outsourcing of enjoyment to the trail ride (while variety is important, it’s shouldn’t be only fun part of training). Do we feel that our horse is enjoying the learning process? Let’s see if research on how humans learn can inspire us.
Education is defined as “the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. (Wikipedia) More broadly, it’s “the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction.” Bill Honig, Vice-Chair of the California Instructional Quality Commission, defines three main goals of education as 1) job preparation, 2) active civic engagement, 3) leading a full life.
While we don’t expect active civil engagement from our horses, the training process certainly should prepare them for their future jobs: We strive to create a physically and mentally balanced horse, who can travel straight to avoid straining and injuring body parts that would otherwise bear to heavy a load over time. We want to teach the horse to carry us in a way so he won’t tire and injure his back, and to shift weight toward his haunches to relieve the burden on his front limbs. In addition, we want a horse who is understanding the aids and generally knows what’s expected of him in different situations.
This leads us to “leading a full life.” A horse that has learned to trust his people can learn to deal with new situations better as well. This includes strategies to mitigate anxiety and look to their people for guidance. A well trained horse is a joy to ride and be around, whereas horses lacking in education are also often less likely to lead happy (less stressful) lives as they don’t understand what is expected of them and receive negative feedback for their unwanted behaviors, whether under saddle or on the ground. Whether “happy” and “full” are equivalents in this case can of course be argued, horses are not people and their desires are arguably different. But I believe most would agree that training success also includes a “well adjusted” horse.
So, how does joy figure into learning? I found some surprising parallels in this Finnish study of (little) humans. Taina Rantala and Kaarina Määttä looked to “create a concept of the joy of learning and the factors enhancing it in the classroom environment."
1) The joy of learning comes from the experiences of success
We all know how important it is to praise our horses. We need to let them know when they are doing what we want, they haven’t read Steinbrecht or Seunig or Podhajsky. Are we praising enough? Is our timing quick enough? Especially less experienced riders may miss a horse’s first tentative responses to a new task. We need to break new requests down into smaller, logical steps for our horses. There is a whole classical training system that tells us exactly how to do just that. I sometimes also use treats (IF the horse does not turn into a monster who can no longer focus on his work) to reinforce “correct answers” by the horse or reward extra effort. The Riders at the SRS also carry sugar cubes in their back pocket for this purpose. (They prefer not to give treats back in barn in the Stallburg to avoid stallions begging and banging.)
2) Play provides a possibility to experience the joy of learning in the early school years.
I don’t think anyone will argue that the young Lipizzaner stallions on the Stubalm at the stud in Piber, for example, are getting an ideal start. They get to be horses while also learning to trust their humans from day one.
3) The joy of learning enjoys an environment of freedom
Each horse is an individual, just like every person. They have their own strengths, weaknesses, preferences and baseline personalities. It’s our job as riders and trainers to allow that personality to shine while nurturing the positive traits. Neapolitano Nima I, for example, was pretty wild on the first day back to work after a performance. He enjoyed some good gallops and basic gymnastics for a day or two, then went back to the high school work. But if he had been forced to forego his way of “unwinding,” we might have never seen the sheer genius side of this “levadeur of the century.”
In addition, I believe this is also an argument against riding with too much hand, any gadgets such as draw reins, too much bit to “control” the horse, lunging in side reins that are adjusted too short etc. All these fundamental training errors stunt the horse’s physical and mental ability to learn, to take responsibility for his own body, and to be able to work pain free and correctly long term, and not least of all also the chance to experience joy.
4) The joy of learning does not like to hurry
The horse determines his own timing. That is one of the fundamental principles of training. Unfortunately human impatience, inability, and/or ego often get in the way.
5) The joy of learning springs up in situations in which a task and an actor converge
This relates to the task being considered meaningful and considering the task manageable. In training, again, we need to make sure we follow the logical training system. A horse that can’t do a proper leg yield will have a hard time performing a correct shoulder in. A horse who doesn’t understand the aids very specifically and clearly, will get confused and be unable to give reliable, correct responses. Horses then often get frustrated, fearful, or on occasion angry, starting a cycle of negative experiences. The complete opposite of joy. However, a horse with a thinking and educated rider and trainer will have a chance to progress logically and therefore take agency and joy in his own success.
6) A student naturally strives for the joy of learning
Most horses are extremely cooperative and have a desire to understand. If they experience positive emotions during training, they will strive to repeat those pleasant situations. I loved hearing Arthur Kottas Heldenberg say the phrase “ we invite the horse to….”. It encompasses the attitude of skilled, loving guidance.
(…)
9) The joy of learning is based on a student's abilities
The rider and trainer must be aware and respectful of the horses abilities. That does not mean that a very talented horse should be pushed harder or that a less talented horse should receive less correct or dedicated training. It’s our responsibility to bring out the best possible version of the horse we are in charge of. And often they manage to surprise us when they enjoy their work.
10) The joy of learning is context bound
Every rider/horse pair will have a different way of approaching and finding the joy in their work together. Some of the things I focus on are my emotions as soon as I approach the horse, my body language, and my attitude when something goes wrong. It helps me to say something like: “we’re going to have a great little ride today.” I want to feel some positive excitement about the ride. If I feel like it’s going to be pure drudgery, guess what the horse will feel. Also, when something goes wrong, I analyze what the underlying problem is and go back to fix that. Again, it helps me to say something like: “We’ve got this!”. I also tend to laugh at all the little odd things a horse may offer. Sometimes I hear people say “no” many times during a ride. It’s a good idea to instead to say something like “forward, sweetie!” or “easy peasy” etc. , i.e. telling the horse what to do, rather than what not to do. Not only will the rider’s aids be better and more accurate in moving the horse toward the desired response, the attitude will also be much closer to something soliciting joy than a “no!”. Some people prefer not to speak at all, and that’s fine, too. As long as the attitude is that of encouragement and the skills match the horse’s needs, enjoyment can ensue.
Photo: An adorable children’s pony in Germany who was a poster child for joy and enthusiasm for his work as his suppleness improved throughout the few weeks I was able to spend with him.
