Riding--Technique or Art?

What makes riding so interesting and addictive is that it is a lot of things. It is a craft. It is an art. It is a sport. It is also a science. In some ways it is simply applied physics. It has parallels with the practice of medicine. It is a healing art in the sense of physical therapy. It is applied psychology. It also has an intuitive, psychic side that must not be underestimated. It has things in common with yoga, pilates, dance, and music. These different aspects draw different types of people, and in order to go to the top and fulfill one's potential, the rider has to try and become as competent as possible in all these areas. Nobody can possibly master them all, which is why especially the truly great riders always emphasize that it takes more than one lifetime to master dressage.

Focusing on one aspect to the exclusion of the others lets the rider fall short of his or her potential. Somebody who sees riding exclusively as a sport and wants nothing to do with the other aspects will always remain on the surface. Somebody who sees it only as an art and does not take the technical, craftsmanship side or the athletic side seriously, will be held back by these shortcomings. Someone who gets too wrapped up in the physics and technique and never develops feel and intuition, will not get very far, either, etc.

The best riders I have met all combined a fairly high competence level in most of these areas. They were all fit and athletic, highly intuitive, with an excellent understanding of psychology, biomechanics and conformation, and they had spent their entire lifetime practicing the craftsmanship side until it had become second nature, so that they were able to transcend technique and leave the text book path behind when necessary in order to find a practical solution to a problem through the application of intuition and artistic creativity.

Thomas Ritter
http://www.artisticdressage.com

Reata Rose Ranch blog

Good morning from the blustery windswept plains of Nebraska's Sandhill country. A dustiing of snow on Saturday reminded us that summer is history and soon the ground will be frozen. (sigh)



Sherry Jesperson with mare Dolly at right:


There's a new blog you just might want to view! Shery Jesperson's photography and YouTube videos have graced my blog. She's from Wyoming's ranch country and renders her beloved land through digital film and crafted words. Mary Jane's Farm (http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/ ) has recently added her to their stable of writers.

Log onto: http://reataroseranch.blogspot.com/ for a visual treat!
Until later...

Julie

Trail Riding

If you love trail riding, check out this site:
http://coloradotrailrider.com/
Plenty of good info' about Colorado trails, trail riding rules especially during hunting season, photos, and more.

They even have a video from an episode of Survivor Man of when he went into the Colorado Rockie for a 5 day pack horse trip.

Happy Riding,
Julie

Drought of the spirit
delight, laughter, joy withered
dormant until spring

Jock's withers shudder
beneath my hands on the reins
gentle horse grazing.

****

Thank you to Sandra Williams for sharing her original poetry. She's a member of WritersParkyahoogroup, an educational internet group for writers. Written Sept. 2009

Riding the Range or 8 Second Techno-rides

Back at the beginning of my blogging I posted photos from a California horse trainer friend who was adventuring a horseback, trailing cattle on a cattle drive. There are more photos and stories in the offering, waiting for me to share with you her "doings". In the meantime, she has a great webpage to share. If you feel handicapped by the demands of tech' duties, she might be just the ticket. Check out this link:
http://www.theresasheridan.com/email_marketing/email_marketing_campaign.html

Back at the ranch with S. Jesperson

Reata Rose Artisan Made Jewelry