For dressage to be the art it is intended to be, the synchronization of the mind and body is not a “theoretical” nicety but must be a practical functional consideration. To consider this a simple matter of seat training is to only get half of the picture. A disciplined mind must be able to freely mix with an aligned physical form.
Far too little time is devoted to the psychological aspect of the training of the horse and rider largely because it was the natural outcome of riding horse after horse in the course of the daily work. Even more time is wasted in hours of cultivating muscle strength in the horse.
In modern riding, there are very few people that have the luxury of riding 10 or more horses in a day, day in and day out and so the average horse owner with only one or two horses must find a way forward which expands the awareness making the rider more mindful and aware of the energy exchange which occurs in training the horse.
The is such great joy and value in this mindful work and in the increase in awareness in the relationship with the horse that one can only feel sorry for those who limit their activities to competitive pursuits or simply pleasure riding and yet the modern and popular ways of working the horse totally misses the point.
Need I cite the value of kindness or lightness? I think not because they flow automatically from those who take the time to really get to know the horse. Those who know this path love with the horse who have the privilege of being senior students and get to teach never fail to train their minds and their students because they know the joy of discipline.
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