For me horse riding signifies: to
be able to ride safely and reliably from any point A to any point B at any time
under any circumstances by any route.
This includes a stylized dressage exercise under controlled circumstances,
an off-track mountain trek and everything in between; a well tuned-in combination
of rider-and-horse can, on a solid foundation of mutual confidence and understanding,
build any 'house'.
For me personally, the added value of riding a horse is that it allows me
in
a unique way to enjoy the rugged mountainous nature in our area.
In our present era ethics carry a significant weight. A fundamental ethical
question lies right at the base of horse riding.
We, in our society, do not have to ride horse for our survival, for our primary
needs and thus have no valid argument to sacrifice the wellbeing of the horse
for our fun.
It may be fashionable to dress up in lifestyle outfits, but that doesn’t
mean that we áre cowboys, vaqueros, campinos or gardians; and we live
now, not in the middle ages or any other past: ethically we have no justifiable
argument nót to treat our mount strictly according to the principles
of the ethology of the horse.
The basic ethical question is whether the wellbeing of the horse is subordinate
to our hobby and if so, to what extent.
I, for myself and thus for my horses, egoistically choose to ride horseback.
This however I do not consider to be a right but a responsibility; the responsibility
for my mount. The horse did not evolve to carry a hunter on its back and the
rider therefore must prepare the horse both physically and psychologically
for this most unnatural of tasks. There is nothing 'natural' about riding a
horse.
The Germans have an apt word 'artgerecht'; species specific, 'pferdgerecht';
horse specific to say 'according to the ethology of the horse'. I choose to
use the term 'horse wise' for this.
The ethology of the horse is based on the possibility to evade, creating ‘an
open door’ and this is the core of my way to deal with my horses. Boxing
in the horse within four walls or under a saddle, between spurs and bit has
no place in this.
Riding ‘horse wise’ revolves around the possibility to evade, the
'open-door' and 'letting-go'; the perception of the horse not be closed in,
the perception of the horse to voluntary choose to follow the capable and just
leader, the perception of wellbeing by the horse.
For me horse riding is the voluntary co-operation between me and my horse,
and to enjoy nature in a way that least harms the health and wellbeing of the
animal that gives me so much pleasure.
'Horse
riding like HC' rests on four pillars:
1. The perception of the horse: the horse
psychology of Kikkuli (1345 BC)
and John Solomon Rarey (1857)
Above all this site intends to spark the reader's mind; to challenge the weakest
link to think and to study.
I do not pretend to provide a recipe for all and everything; it is just a horse
wise philosophy. Not just 'according to me', it
is what I dó.
Everything written or depicted on these pages is my personal perception of
horse riding. The current combined result of study and experience with animals,
and life experience.
No one can jump on a horse and expect everything to work out by itself. I do
not accept any responsibility for the consequences of what someone else does
with his or her horse whether inspired by this site or not: horse riding is
a high risk pursuit.
The
epilogue to this site tells a real life experience: fun with a horse.
For me horse riding signifies: to
be able to ride safely and reliably from any point A to any point B at any time
under any circumstances by any route.
'Horse
riding like HC' rests on four pillars: