• VOLUME 46 • © HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine
On the Art of Moving in a Circle The Horse – A Creature of Movement
Movement is the horse’s element. Barely born, he is already on his legs practicing the primary art of horses – moving. His four feet are his priceless treasure. If he knows how to use them cleverly and safely he can, light-footedly, escape all dangers. Developing security in movement is his life’s mission. “Learn to place your legs correctly” whispers his inner voice. “You can see your two forelegs, but you must learn to feel your hind feet.” The inner voice is ever more urgent: “Learn to walk! Learn to run! Learn to feel!” The little horse grows, becomes bigger, heavier… He must always learn anew to adapt his movement to his changing body if he does not want to become clumsy and awkward. …
Movement is the element of horses. Horses dance, mate, rejoice, and mourn with their bodies. Their spirit finds expression in movement. Movement is the culture, the music, the language, the life of horses.
How a horse feels is how he moves, and how he moves is how he feels.
What Interests a Horse?
If we invite a horse to do something with us, he will soon pose the question, “Why, for what purpose, am I doing this?” Certainly we can give treats or praise or put some kind of reward in view. …, a horse is not like a dog who becomes wildly enthusiastic when he can satisfy his master. The horse will ask himself why we want this particular thing from him, and we should have an answer. Horses are different--and what makes a horse happy is also different.
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What interests a horse? What can I do that creates an advantage, a benefit for my horse--a benefit he would not have if he was alone and master of himself? Of course, I can lock my horse up for hours, days, or years so that he is overjoyed when he is actually allowed to move around a little bit. Movement is a basic need of horses, and if it is withheld, an emergency situation is created, similar to what would happen if we withheld food or water. The horse’s urge to move builds up, he becomes explosive and is no longer careful of himself. The oppressive desolation of being confined is, in the long run, worse than the stress of riding. That is why horses kept in boxes or even tied in straight stalls are more “grateful” to be worked than horses living in a herd on pasture. The more the everyday life circumstances of a horse are improved, the less likely he is to unconditionally go along with whatever we have in mind.
So, if a horse has sufficient opportunity to move, if he can run and play at will – then what?
This was once…Max, going around a turn like a freighter overloaded in front. Such uneven loading during turns is very hard on the forelegs because of the sideways torque.
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Movement is so important to horses, such a central focus of living, that they interest themselves in it all their lives. More precisely, the quality of movement interests them. They are always ready to find new ways to improve it. …
This was once…Passaro, the way he moved when we had been working together for several months. He is no longer fighting everything, nor is he tearing down the arena fencing anymore. Accordingly, the tension in his body has decreased. When it increases, he still explodes, and he really does not want to do that anymore. For a long time Passaro just let himself fall on the forehand, lengthening and stretching the muscles that had hardened through tight muscles over the years. His weight is on his shoulders. This photo shows Passaro three years before the picture-perfect, deeply “sitting” piaffe in the photo on page 114 [AL].
The Transformation of Horses
When the relationship with human beings becomes helpful to horses, they can completely transform themselves during the course of work. ...
It is in a horse’s nature to concern himself with the quality of his movement and to try to perfect it throughout his life. …
Kim, the Haflinger whose muscles were so tight he could barely move from the spot –even when he wanted to – was offered a wide selection of exercises to choose from. The ones he preferred were