Have you ever met anyone who was self taught a foreign language by book alone? Neither have I.
I also have never met anyone who learned how to train their horse and to ride by book lesson alone – and was successful at it. Success.
First, let me explain what my definition of success is before moving along. Success is often measured by the amount of money you make, how many trophies you win or championships you've clinched. Whether you are a household name or when your name is Googled you appear in the top 10 results. My definition of success is a little different…
Success to me is whether your horse honestly looks forward to interacting with you – without the assistance of treats or other bribery. Success can be measured by the complete lack of resistance in the horse. Success is the ability to converse with the horse as if you both speak the same language fluently; which is where book learning a language comes into play.
Books can provide only so much assistance in the learning process. Unfortunately they cannot give you feedback on whether you are in this very moment doing something correctly or incorrectly. They cannot step in to keep you from getting kicked in the face or foot stomped. They cannot show you what the right amount of pressure in the reins or with your legs is. They are inanimate and the kind of learning that develops solely from their use is likewise INANIMATE.
To the contrary the idea of working with horses is to develop yourself DYNAMICALLY. To be able to ebb and flow with the whims and fancies of the horse, to make every effort look effortless (and feel effortless).
My writing has taken a turn towards championing more the welfare and treatment of the horse than the actual training process, and in reflection it is because of this book learning effect. Written words only go so far before they fall short altogether. Theories and ideas are great, but actual actions are not. Think of stereo instructions…
Learning has to be in person, has to come from an instructor/teacher/mentor who is fluent, effortless, graceful and honest. That is the art of teaching, because in teaching you learn more than is possible from being just a student.
Now I'm rambling a bit, but that is the point I wish to convey – go out and interact and learn from a teacher. Set down the books that discuss technique because they cannot teach you the fluent language.
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That’s nonesense, Erica. By the way: This is the SAME “criticism”/belitlement that the Comte D’Aure & his shill, Aubert, leveled against…Francois Baucher! They belittled his then 8 editions of “Methode d’equitation” because Baucher had acknowledged that he learned…much…of what he initially knew about equitation from… reading… the texts of prior Masters. And D’Aure & Aubert declared that such acknowledgment of…reading to learn…by Baucher…indicated that he knew nothing & had no mastery in horsemanship–& that he had not…ridden…enough horses…because he had…read (?)!!! That’s the same ignorace I have come up against ever since I first read Baucher’s declaration about the value of reading the work of others & other Masters to become a better…horseman. Every “expert” I have met–& there are many self-proclaimed such “experts” in Maryland, has laughed at me & belittled me for my efforts & the knowledge about horsemanship/equitation I have attained through…reading. Yes, of course, I need to ride & I need to the benefit of a Master’s eye & experience & knowledge. However, I have yet to meet a single self-proclaimed “Master Horseman” …who has read as much…as I have. That may change when I meet Bettina Drummond this summer (I hope to audit a clinic with her). She is as erudite as she is accomplished.
“Learning has to be in person, has to come from an instructor/teacher/mentor who is fluent, effortless, graceful and honest.” One of the books that greatly affected me early on was Podhajsky’s /My Horses, My Teachers/. I’ve learned a lot from human teachers, one thing being that when the horse and the teacher disagree, the horse is, at least in the moment, always right. I’m currently without an instructor because the ones I know will tell me that my horse is wrong.
I don’t have my own horse I ride once a week at a riding school,would love to find a great instructor but they are thin on the ground.I read books thinking it will make me a better rider which it doesn’t.I would pay any amount of money for a descent instructor so I can progress.
THAT’S WHY I READ LOTS OF BOOKS.
exactly! I’m in the same situation (damn university, draining all my money). I read anything I can get my hands on. That’s how I ended up at your website.
Obviously you need practical knowledge as well, but it’s pretty hard to get an instructor to sit down and discuss all the different types of saddles, girths, bits, the actions/advantages of these, how saddles are constructed, why sheepskin/wool makes good numnahs, tests, causes, and treatments for horse lameness, all the different types of breeds and their features….
Or, you know, you could read a book.