There is so much about dressage that involves finding that very delicate and intangible line. The line of asking enough from your horse, but never too much of him, the line that says stay with me, but not force him to stay where you put him. There is also another line that we walk as equestrians and that is the line of self-preservation while pushing one's own limitations.
It’s vital that you know your own strengths and weaknesses and those of your horse. You need to know what you can tackle, but stay humble enough to recognise when you need more help.
There is another line which I’ve talked about in the past, which is about being able to very quickly determine whether your fear is able to help you, or whether it has become a very real obstacle in your dressage training. We may all experience some level of fear in our riding lives, whether it be a momentary jump sideways for the out of control tractor that seems to be hurtling past out of nowhere, or a deeper fear that you tackle each and every time you ride.
Challenging that fear can make us stronger people in everything we do. I have watched very shy, silent personalities, suddenly begin to shine simply because they found their confidence on a horse and therefore in life.
I came out today and Batialo was foofing out both his nostrils like there were aliens about to land in the arena. I felt that sort of sick, thumping feeling in my chest, my breath got suddenly quicker and I felt myself begin to tighten in all the places that say “oh god hold on!” It's strange when you look at a horse being overenthusiastic, ready to play with his rider, how from the outside it appears pretty mild, but if you are actually sitting on top it feels a bit like you are riding a newly come to life volcano.
Two years ago, Batialo's foofing would have led to some very well pulled off spins, coupled with a couple of nice squeals, and a few sudden leaps sideways. People on the ground, who are seeing the little bit of foofing and perhaps over energetic appearance, would think you were a nervous rider, who is scared of falling off. That is not necessarily the case. It’s just that as we get wiser, we realise that the spins and the junks sideways hurt! We don’t just leap back on like we did at age 1 and most commonly the thought in our head is, “If I fall off I won’t be able to ride tomorrow!”
Horses, like us, also mature and the snorting pretence that once led to spinning can now be better handled. Back then, knowing my limitations, I would have very quickly got off and get the lunge. I know now that with the right attitude, I can ride him through it. But it is all about attitude! If I say, “I’m going to beat you into line,” Batialo will very definitely tell me to sod off and fight back. If I say, “oh god hold on, stick, tighten everything and stay still and push," tension will grow, pressure will build, and the volcano will end with a lava filled arena. However, If I take an attitude of “I know this, I can deal with this, if I breathe in and out and relax all those “oh god hold on” muscles”,” I might just have the attitude that will earn my horse's respect and thus his attention.
So, I took the deep breath and started using my own nervous energy to put it into constructive thought. For the next 20 minutes, I spent every second thinking on how I could draw Batialo's attention back to me and the minute he even so much as twitched an ear towards something happening outside our little realm, I would in that instant flex him ever so slightly toward the opposite direction and tap with the corresponding leg, reminding him that I was here and I had things I needed him to do.
This sort of riding is tiring; far more exhausting that just kicking the horse or pulling him into submission, for it takes thought riding the delicate line between control, co-ordination, instinct, and relaxation.
,“Equestrian tact” is what Nuno Oliveira used to say; a concept that lies “not only in the subtlety of the aids but also the feeling for the choice of the aids that have to be applied, and the velvet softness in the coordination."
by Sarah Warne - Photo © Rui Pedro Godinho