About There has probably never been a book that so totally unifies technical innovation and competence with human sensitivity and depth of understanding. Noble Horsemanship honours the ancient and venerable relationship between Man and Horse, holding out the possibility of "the centaur," the complete dissolution of the sense of separateness that produces ugliness and inefficiency in the world of riding, and in all departments of life. Through the unique and practical method of "horseless horsemanship" students learn the techniques and develop the subtlety of feeling and observation that are required to produce perfect communication between horse and rider. "Riding will never be the same once this truly natural, sane and amazingly clear book has been read, digested and applied. After reading Noble Horsemanship I know I have the tools to ride, and ride well, without any trace of brutality towards the horse

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Forward

In the woods of Eastern Ontario, Canada, on the shore of a small lake, a sleet storm has cut off the power. By the tiny glow of an old kerosene lamp I am pondering how to introduce myself and the book to you. It is appropriate that nature is reminding me of her power and of how far removed from it most of us are in our daily lives. The horse and I are party of nature; we have a common ground, and the search for it is a noble pursuit. Let us begin.

Hello, brave reader – the horse and I welcome you. Yes, you are brave, because wanting to understand takes courage. It also takes courage not to give up during the sometimes frustrating moments before understanding comes. Seeking answers to your questions and finding more questions is the exciting stuff life is made of. I decided to write down my observations, for they just might be the answers to some of your questions.

I have always been mentally involved with horses, it seems. At a very early age all I could say was, “I want a pony.” I am sure it was the same for some of you. The statement is not uttered lightly; at four, I knew what I was talking about, and reminded everyone at birthdays and christmas that this was no idle request. I was committed to horses before I ever rode.

I was a most fortunate child, for I did get a horse, lessons, and encouragement. Randolph arrived when I was eight; by nine I was a serious and successful competitor, but more than that, I felt completed, at home, contented. I remember the horse shows at Fall Fairs, and the look of awe on the faces of other children when they saw me on Randolph. I was living the dream they had, the dream that probably would not come true. This book is as much for them as it is for the lucky few.

Over the years I had many horses, instructors, competitions and successes. That “inner voice” that had said “I want a pony,” was not satisfied. There was a gap that was always present between the horse and I. Often, during lessons, I felt left out. The instructor spoke to me as a rider, not to me as a human being. I was muscle and sinew that the instructor molded and used. I had an educated body, an educated horse, but I was not knowledgeable. Knowing that there was a lot more to learn, even though the questions were not yet formed, I went off to search for the answers. Arthur Koestler has put it into words what I was feeling in this passage from The Act of Creation:

“The dog trained by Pavlovian methods is given as little chance to display originality as the robots of Brave New World, but under appropriate conditions, man and animal are shown to possess unsuspected creative resources.”

I wondered what these “appropriate conditions” were?

I stopped showing and began training a young thoroughbred. She was stabled by herself, and we worked alone. Rapidly a new type of relationship between the horse and myself developed. I found myself asking her questions, and beginning to listen carefully to the answers. It was so simple – she was training me! All this time I had been sitting on great teachers, and not listening. Because I still lacked faith in my own observations, I set off to search for a different kind of instructor to help me. Finally, after a fruitless and frustrating journey, I found myself in a small, beautiful Mexican town. At my disposal were an aged dressage horse and a young Arab mare. They became my teachers. Finally my teachers were speaking directly to me. They taught me first about myself, about how confusing I was to them and myself, about how to leave my fragmented self behind. I left behind the artist, the writer, the business person, the rider, the tense, preconditioned human, and came to the horse, relaxed and willing to learn. It was as if I had never ridden before. Everything felt different. Such ease, such comfort, such joy, as calm understanding developed. Magically, problems went away – melted by relaxation and the onset of Centaurhood.



Because the horse will never write a book, I have tried to speak for him. Come, and listen, maybe someday schooling rings will ring with laughter, and the smiles on rider’s faces will be real. Could this be the training programme horses have devised for humans?

Sydenham Lake, 1983

Introduction

 “I saw young Harry… Rise from the ground like feathered Mercury, And vaulted with such ease into his seat, As if an angel dropped down from the clouds, To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus, And witch the world with noble horsemanship.”
 [Shakespeare, Henry IV]

Noble horsemanship: noble, from the Latin noscere; to know, to perceive or understand as fact or truth with clearness and certainty.”

The horse knows himself – knows how to canter, collect, halt and extend. The question is, how does a rider join with the horse, and not restrict him? How do horse and rider work together in harmony? It is time for the rider to become noble, for the human to observe, feel, and understand how to do this.

Horses are rarely disobedient. More often, it is poor communication, lack of understanding, or refusal to comply on the part of the human. The frustration riders feel is nothing compared to what a horse must feel, at times. In self preservation, he is forced to harden his mouth, deaden his sensitivity, and tense his body to endure abuse. Usually, the human intended no abuse. In fact, he is unaware of it; he simply lacks understanding, lacks nobleness.

A human, on a raft in the ocean, would never consider fighting the rhythm of the waves. That would be illogical and futile. But a horse is smaller than the ocean. The language of riding hints that the human can overpower and control the animal. He can “break it,” force it to submit to his will “to ride it.” There are whips, spurs, rowels, chains, war bridles, etc. This vocabulary tends to make the human feel that force is necessary; the horse must and will conform to the human’s way of doing things. This approach can end in a successful, award-winning animal, but never one who will be inspired and strive beyond his rider; never one who will feel he can contribute freely his cooperation and talents, sharing his true self, to the delight of the rider. The real tragedy is that the human, who has been drawn to the horse, will never know the joy of being “as one” with it. He and the horse will always be separate entities, in conflict. It is not from gentility or hostility that riders emerge, but from nobility.

Noble horsemanship is visually portrayed by the Centaur* – half horse, half human. Neither horse nor human is dominant; rather, there is a skillful and harmonious blending. The rider must understand himself, as a human, and the horse, before the Centaur can exist. Such a journey is truly noble – full of wonders and delights.

*The Centaurs in Greek Mythology could be rude warriors or very wise and just. They are the only mythological creature of antiquity to which good traits were assigned. Thus they were admitted to the companionship of Man. The Centaur Chiron was instructed by Diana and Apollo, and became the teacher of the most distinguished heroes in the Greek myths – Jason, Achilles, and Aesculapius, the father of medicine. Chiron was renowned for his skill in hunting, medicine, music, and the art of prophecy. .Upon his death Zeus placed him among the stars as the constellation Centaurus.

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Contents Forward • Introduction • Learning to Feel • The Rider’s Body • Mounting and Dismounting • The Finger and the Pelvis • Equipment • Discovery and Creation • The Foot in the Stirrup • Transitions • Backing • The Sitting Trot • Collection • Force Versus Working Hard • The Voice • Doing Nothing • Getting Subtle • The Shoulders and the Volte • Falling Off • Handling Fear in the Horse • The Canter • The Elegant Seat • Schooling