(Jean Luc typed)

twitter facebook google pinterest
linkedin

He came this morning and seat on the fence. I came close and realize that his mind was full of thoughts. I graze nest to him, enjoying the freshness and the sun. I listened his thoughts and agreed with each word.  

At a time where politicians deny the right of nature to exist and the right of peoples to have a decent life, the first man who orbited the planet earth wrote, “We have an infinite amount to learn both from nature and from each other”. (John Glenn, 1921-2016)

The problem is that politicians run agencies protecting nature as well as agencies destroying nature. Napoleon wrote, “In politics stupidity is not a handicap” and when inanity prevails, destruction overwhelm protection. The only chance for nature as well as humans is individual initiatives of decency, ethic, empathy and respect. We have created a forum directed by Elearnor Roosvelt thought; “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss peoples.” Members discuss ideas, submit videos for analysis. There is great empathy and mutual support. It is about learning from the horse’s nature and from each other experience. There is no judgement because the nature of the science of motion is encouraging both the horse and the rider to think. Carl Jung wrote, “Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge.”

“Seek the truth or hide your head in the sand, both require digging.” Andrew Nolan. When I talked with Dr. Michele Obstrom PhD, about differences in the way women and men interpreted the same words in terms of rider position, Michelle studied the problem form a scientific perspective. She made several discoveries, from the shape of the vertebrae, to the angle of insertion of main muscles, which explain why a language that has been developed over centuries of war and battles involving mostly men, is not adapted to women body. Michel discoveries allow explaining to women rider how their vertebral column have to be coordinated soundly and pain free and influence efficiently the equine thoracolumbar spine. Without the benefits of scientific researches, women have to discover within confusing formulas written for men bodies, how their own body should be coordinate while riding.

Horses face the same dilemma and suffer from ignorance the same way. Susan Jacob warns against the “dismissal of science, the arts, and humanities and their replacement by entertainment, self-righteousness, ignorance, and deliberated gullibility.” (Susan Jacoby, The Age of American Unreason). Her observations apply word for word to the equestrian education. For the purpose of gain, the equestrian peripheral industry is dumbing down the equestrian education. It is easier and more prolific to sell a bit less bridle than teaching the rider how to seat, injecting the hocks instead of identifying and correcting the source of the kinematics abnormality stressing the hocks, driving the horse onto the bit and redefining balance instead of educating the back muscles to properly convert the thrust generated by the hind legs into horizontal and upward forces, which is the fundamental of balance control.

Horses suffer because their nature does not function the way traditional equitation want us to believe. By using tradition as an umbrella against pertinent scientific discoveries, the classical education exposes dysfunctional horses to performances for which their physique is not properly developed and coordinated. Instead, by upgrading the wisdom of our predecessors to actual knowledge, we can teach piaff to horses that “cannot do piaff,” and soundness to horses which “cannot be sound.”  The dirt thickens when instead of lifting the head out of the hole, conservationists dig deeper in their hole. Socrate wrote, “When the debate is lost, slanders become the tool of the losers.” Instead of slanders, marketing strategies use fake news, false promises, fake science, and even intimidations, “You will not win if you do not buy a better horse, or a saddle, or a lunging system.” The debate is lost because instead of applying advanced scientific discoveries to better train better horses, loosers submit better horses to antiquated riding and training techniques and need ways to justify their resistance to knowledge. Instead of better education, emphasize is made on better rehabilitation. A rider/veterinarian succinctly described the situation saying, “Too many therapeutic options and not enough balance.” (M. L. Stanton, DVM PhD, December 2002)   

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you ‘ll be criticized anyway” (Eleanor Roosevelt)  Our heart and our brain work on the same frequency. For gain and glory, or power, humans disconnect their brain from their heart finding ways to justify their actions. They are as disconnected and unhappy in their brain than a dysfunctional horse winning in the show ring with a disconnected body. The race for happiness at the expenses of the horse soundness leads to teaching movements without concerns for the athletic demand of the performance and the ability of developing and coordinating the horse physique for the athletic demand of the performance. This race only lead to the collection of ribbons and lame horses. The heart and the brain can work at the same frequency when the aim is preparing the hose physique for the athletic demand of the move. This equitation is intelligent, efficient and respectful. This equitation leads to happiness, the joy of having a horse performing soundly and efficiently, the joy of enjoying the definition of muscles when taking care of the horse after work, the joy of being able to discuss about the ride and ideas with others without unhealthy competition.

He jumped down the fence, came close and huge me with his arms around my neck and I remained perfectly still. Not because I am obedient but because I loved it.    

Chazot