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Albert Einstein wrote, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” The thought applies to both, the horse and the rider. Instead of supporting the horse’s gift with advanced knowledge and innovative techniques, we submit the horse’s talent to a system. Instead of supporting the rider’s skill, equestrian education downgrade the rider’s intuition to the studious application of “correct aids”. Einstein also wrote, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think”. When the purpose of the riding technique became the application of correct aids, the education annihilates the rider’s intuition. Factual documentation allows researcher to think further. So are correct aids. They are not the finality of ridding but instead a teaching tool aiming at a subtle coordination of the riders body. When such precise coordination is achieved, the rider’s body became the language through subtle nuances in muscles tone. There is no longer “aids”. The phenomenon is not exclusive to riding. In 1992, the founder or Aikido wrote, “Ultimately, you must forget about technique. The further you progress, the fewer teaching there are. The great path is really no path.”( Morihei Ueshiba) 

Straightness cannot be achieved between the inside leg and the outside rein; straightness, thoroughness, forwardness demand guiding the horse’s brain toward the body coordination optimizing the horse’s talent. A horse trained to become a faithful servant does not think and therefore never achieves sound physical education. Every one talks about reeducation but expect reeducating a horse using the same riding and training techniques that the ones which crippled the horse. They just use different words or accessories such as a bamboo pole or other gimmicks. Einstein does have a response for that. Stupidity is trying the same thing but expecting different results. Jean Luc Cornille 2013

Information on the IHTC In Hand Equine Training