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I always hesitate to talk about energy. Everything is energy but precisely, energy can take multiple forms. I am cautious talking about energy because rapidly, the conversation could shift into fantasy world. Cosmic energies are real but many who pretend to control them attribute to themselves a skill that they don’t have. Tensegrity is a more controllable approach however, the work in hand as well as the lunge work, as well as riding, often reach a level that is basically energy.

Often, we talk with Helyn about how we could explain the energy of the work in hand as well as lunge work as well as riding. Helyn expresses her thoughts in pictures. I express my thoughts in words. When Helyn showed me her pictures about energy, I was ecstatic thinking that if it is possible to create pictures explaining so well the energy between the horse and the rider/trainer, there must be a way to talk about it. Helyn is ahead, as usual, and her pictures awaked the right words. I sat in front of my computer and write the title, “Energy.” 

I really like this picture. The transparency illustrates the work in hand as we practice at the science of motion. It is not two entities communicating through cues like are doing the ones who imitate us holding both reins and their gross gestures. It is not either a phenomenon that occurs when Mars is in line with Jupiter. It is a much more down to earth and yet subtle phenomenon. The interaction of energy occurs when harmonic tone of the rider match the horse’s tensegrity. A horse does have a very high level of perception and when the frequency of our movements, the gradual increase and decrease of our muscle tone occurs within the horse sophisticate perception and vibration, the dialogue reaches a delightful level of finesse, confidence and subtley.

While our online course is mostly about riding and training horses, we name it the In Hand Therapy Course because once you have experiment the feeling of a horse slowing down his movement in response to subtle change in the tone of your abdominal, back muscle and cervical muscles, you take conscience of the gross primitivism of the driving seat, the outside reins and the gross gestures of the correct aids. The change in the tone of your body is settle, you might process the change too quick and the horse does nor respond and you discover the importance of the horse frequency. You might think obedience and the horse keep you out of his world until you regain modesty. You might have too much intensity and the horse resorts to protective reflex contractions. You might not give to the horse the time to process, which is related to the concept of obedience, and the horse will show frustration and then discouragement.

You learn about the horse’s willingness. You hold the reins between two fingers. There is no control whatsoever and if you have the ethic, the integrity, the intellectual modesty and intelligence to conceive that the horse remains next to you because he wants, you can reach the partnership that classical authors are talking about but cannot be reached through the principles of obedience to the rider’s aids. Willingness can be mutual but based on understanding and respect. Understanding of the horse mental processing and respect of the horse athleticism. Making the horse do it, in hand as well as riding the horse is an egotistical failure. Teaching the horse how to do it is the art of the equestrian art. But teaching the horse how to do it is not expecting proper response to the correct aids, as our ancestors believed Teaching the horse how to do it commences by having in mind a sound understanding of the athletic demand of the performance, and a conversation at the level of the horse subtlety, guiding the horse mental processing toward the proper body coordination.

Yes, you have to slow down when everyone else tell you more forward. They are in a hurry like to ones who run after a success without taking the time to learn how the physique of the athlete that they pretend to train, effectively works. They run after a fantasy that they never reach but they will tell you that expecting a dialogue at a very high level of perception is a fantasy.  The real Masters of the martial arts don’t teach more gestures, they teach better control of energy. The art of riding is about two energies that interact. There are laws of physics, there are two functional anatomies, there is a mutual willingness, truly, it is an art. We can all learn this art, as far as our talent and the horse’s talent permit. We can all go much further than the equitation of the correct aids and the work in hand holding both reins an gross gesture permit. These pantomimes should not be as they promise elementary success but condemn both the horse and the rider to these elementary successes.

Paraphrasing David Bowie, riding is an extraordinary process where we became the person we always should have been. We don’t just become a better rider; we became a better person. Sir Winston Churchill wrote, “When you are on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have.” You can move in the direction you want but above all, you learn that like in life, balance is respect.

Jean Luc Cornille

IHTC Course Information here