Introduction :

The word “Horsemanship” intimates that an in-depth study of the horse has been undertaken, the horseman seeking to continuously upgrade his skills, his knowledge and his understanding of the true nature of the horse, focusing on co-operation through increased sensitivity and awareness.

This applies to anyone, to one degree or another, who undertakes to “Ride” a horse, for though there are many “methods” propounded in our modern equestrian world, there is still only one horse … a horse who has not changed much in recent memory – and good horsemanship is based upon the nature and needs of that horse, no matter what the level or what the equestrian discipline practiced !

The programs offered here are based upon long established, Eurpean systems and are printed on this site for the information of any individual who might be interested.

The Rider:

It is essential that every rider acquire a fundamental understanding of the unchanging nature of the horse ; riding is a school of humility because, to ride is to try to resolve two problems which are interdependent :

The Education of both horse and rider, the rider taking second place …

To swim or fence, one has only to teach the person – but to ride, the person is educated aboard another living being – and from that factor comes the complexity of the Equestrian art.

It is only through a rider’s constant attention and the application of a logical progression that the new rider attains success ; if early attempts are not always fruitful, it is hoped that his/her self esteem will stimulate his desire to learn more … unless a person is arrogant – always detrimental to progress …

No rider should confine himself to the narrowness of one field, specializing in one area because it might seem to be “easier” at the time. Anyone who aspires to become proficient should often ride cross country, over all types of terrain, over natural fences … to gain invaluable psychological fortitude, confidence and increased knowledge and dexterity by being constantly exposed to the natural environment of a horse, thereby gaining experience and security within the ever changing balances and mobility that the horse requires to comfortably handle the variety of conditions experienced out of doors.

General Considerations:

The guidance of the mounted horse in no way compares to that of a machine, on which the levers always respond in a same and unchanging manner. Over and above his skeleton and muscular system, the horse has a highly sensitive nervous system, more or less sensitive according to his degree of breeding, humour and physical state.

Every fault in the use of the aids reacts more or less negatively on his morale, the most frequent mistake being more often than not attributed to the hands. The hands are in direct contact with the horse’s head and neck, and therefore predisposed to neutralize his instinctive neck movements … essential for him to maintain his balance and regulator of all of his movements.

The rider should therefore be led to search for a simple and rational use of the aids, allowing the horse sufficient liberty of movement. The quite legitimate ambition of wanting to ride and/or perform well should never let a rider forget that he/she has under them a living being, a creature of flight, generous but emotional, always ready to react, who asks only to be able to use himself properly, unhampered by incorrect riding skills, thereby gaining absolute confidence in his rider.

Learning from observation of Animal behaviour:

The rider should take advantage of every opportunity to develop his judgement through the use of constant observation. When approaching the horse, he should train himself to interpret his horse’s state of mind, always mirrored by his expression, more of less alert and trusting. By increasing their observation, and thus their understanding of their four legged friend, a rider is forewarned of any potential reaction in the horse, thus is better equipped to handle situations, and even foresee and prevent them from happening.

This sense of observation should be acutely developed, because it is up to the rider to “feel” in good time, the only way to finally “understand” the basic nature of the horse, and thus truly increase personal safety.

Rider Progressions:

Every rider who strives for successful, and enjoyable, instruction/education should have access to a logical progression of planned programs that provide guidelines which allow him to achieve overall improvement in the enjoyment and safety of the sport as a recreational pastime by being able to :

• better define and plan personal goals
• plan personal progressions more constructively
• assess personal progress
• better assess quality of instruction, a coach’s philosophy, knowledge and level of competence.
• stop any time during a progression and resume at a later date without confusion or discontinuity.
• Receive guidance and direction relative to the subject matter pertaining to given levels of achievement.
• Allow a change of instructor or facility without creating undue confusion.
• Increase personal awareness of actual level of competence.
• Have access to a larger selection of better prepared instructors and coaches.
• Gain a true base/foundation by better understanding training principles.

The object of training the rider is to give him the physical and mental proficiency to understand his chosen partner, the Horse ; the best trained horse is useless without a potential Rider … for even to present a fully trained horse, a rider must have considerable knowledge and experience!

Advantages of Rider Programs and formalized Educational Structure:

• Promote Academic equitation based upon classical principles and training techniques through the application of pedagogy and psychology for both horse and rider
• Ensure a consistent, professional approach with common goals which lead to more standardized educational practices
• Provide natural checks and balances within the system.
• Provide coaches with planned programs that facilitate the guidance of their students through a logically progressing structure to their chosen field of endeavor.
• Form more knowledgeable, thus safer, better prepared riders, horses and competitors
• Truly understand training principles that are applied according to the horse’s unchanging nature, preparing them to learn willingly, following the teachings of the classical schools.

By providing the Foundation upon which to build the BASE that the very FUTURE of the Equestrian Sport depends upon … the IMAGE will be improved by increasing natural safety through better awareness, understanding and confidence, creating REAL enjoyment of the discipline practiced for ANY Rider in ANY field of Horsemanship …!