The so-called art of classical riding has received increased attention recently. Some of the pioneers in this upsurge are Paul Belasik, Udo Bürger, Charles de Kunffy, Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling, Michel Henriquet, Sylvia Loch, Nuno Oliveira, Alois Podhajsky, Thomas Ritter, Egon von Neindorf, just to name a few. Even in South Africa we now find individuals and groups giving themselves out as classical riders and trainers.

In addition to all of this, do we find that a large number of riders and trainers are firmly, but erroneously, of the opinion that what they are practising is this form of art. These individuals, for example, think that if they and their horses can do advanced movements such as passage, piaffe and half-passes they are practising the art of classical riding. Actually they don’t, whilst a rider and horse practising Western riding quite possibly are.

So we have to ask ourselves what the art of classical riding is, and who can be accepted as a practitioner of this ancient art? An ancient art it is indeed, an art which originated with the ancient Greeks. The “classical” connotation to this art is due to the fact that since the Renaissance the word “classical” has been equated with the cultural heritage of the Greeks and Romans.

According to a former director of the Spanish Riding School, Hans Handler, classical qualities are, for example, beauty, harmony, the suppression of the particular in favour of the typical, the ideal balance between mind and body. Please note the essence of classical riding, which is beauty, harmony, wholeness in preference to detail and balance, all of which depend upon-, and interact with, each other. Classical riding was reintroduced to Europe after the Renaissance, and further developed in some French riding establishments during the Baroque era. Nowadays only a few groups and individuals practice this form of art in its true form. To understand the essence and soul of classical riding we have to look at what emanated from ancient Greece.

Where and when man started to ride horses is unknown. It is assumed that the first mounted horsemen emerged about 3500 years ago—men who lived in the sweep of steppes that stretched from Hungary eastwards to Manchuria. During this period horses were mainly used for the purposes of war. Since the life of both horse and rider depended on their skill, they had to be well trained. So training of rider and horse was largely approached from a practical life or death point of view. These riders and horses were therefore highly skilled. It was through the writings of one general, Xenophon, that horsemanship achieved the status of an art form.

General Xenophon (c.430-354 BC) was an Athenian knight, Greek historian, essayist, military commander, author of the oldest extant book on equitation, and a firm supporter of the Greek philosopher, Socrates. The book he wrote was called Hippike(“about horses”, later translated into English as “The Art of Horsemanship”).

Xenophon spent much of his youth either fighting in Persia, or with the Spartans against the anti Spartan league of Athens, Corinth and Thebes. For this reason he was greatly influenced by the horsemanship of a number of cultures.

Xenophon was interested in the training of war-horses, but being an Athenian, beauty and perfection,even in the war-horse was of paramount importance. Proper training would not only lead to a good war-horse, but also to beauty and grace in the execution of all its actions. If you go through Xenophon’s book, what stands out is his emphasis on making the action of the horse “magnificent and striking.” This can only be obtained if you “refrain from pulling at his mouth with the bit as well as well as from spurring and whipping him.” Xenophon goes on to say that “Most people think that this is the way to make him look fine; but they only produce an effect exactly contrary to what they desire—they positively blind their horses by jerking the mouth up instead of letting them look forward, and by spurring and striking scare them into disorder and danger.” Xenophon had more to say about this: “For what the horse does under compulsion is done without understanding; and there is no beauty in it either, any more if one should whip and spur a dancer.”

If one professes to be a classical rider he/she will avoid what is advocated by so many, namely to use your legs and to get the horse on the bit, both harsh actions to spur the horse on, or to restrain it by what we see so often today, the excessive use of the hands. Actually the horse should be able to carry itself, and equally the rider as well. Photos of one of the greatest masters of the classical way of riding, Nuno Oliveira, and engravings in the book of the greatest classicist of them all, the Frenchman François Robichon de la Guérinière (1688-1751), shows clearly that one can ride even the most difficult movements with slack reins and the minimum, if any, use of the legs. This ability is often seen in good Western riders as well.

Xenophon was aware of the problems of excessive use of the hands in his time and in this regard pointed out that: “if you teach your horse to go with a light hand on the bit, and yet to hold his head well up to arch his neck, you will be making him just what the animal himself glories and delights in.” is not difficult to teach the horse to carry itself, what is inter alia is that the rider should learn to carry him/herself as well! Xenophon and other masters of the classical art of riding has given us the way to self-carriage in the horse centuries ago, and what they said then is still applicable today. Let us continue with the essentials of classical riding.

Training as advocated by Xenophon resulted in very well trained horses, eminently suitable for the purposes of war of those times, which is all the more remarkable since the Greeks had neither saddle nor stirrups. According to Sylvia Loch, emanating from Xenophon’s method of training it is possible to establish five basic principles for the training of the horse, principles, which still form the basis of classical riding and training. I will remark upon on each of these comments as I go along:

Tact: Xenophon constantly practised this together with gentleness and kindness. He also admonished his riders not to fret their horses into ungraceful action. Classical riding is therefore not something for the control freak. In 1810, a German author, Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811), pointed out in a piece called “On the Marionette Theatre” that “We see that in the organic world, as thought grows dimmer and weaker, grace emerges more brilliantly and decisively.” This is opposite of “paralysis through analysis.”

To analyse on horseback is to take away spontaneity and natural riding, and to introduce something that is contrived. Von Kleist here used the term “affectation.” In her book “Equine Welfare” Dr Marthe Kiley Worthington pointed out this very thing, when she said that in dressage rider and horse are required to move and hold themselves in a certain way, so that a correct rider-horse “posture” is presented to the judge. This is where modern day dressage misses the point, and becomes contrived, since it does not contain the critical element of natural and free movement. One only has to look at what occurred in European and World Championships and at recent Olympic Games to understand this point.

Von Kleist continued further to state that “Grace appears most purely in that human form which either has no consciousness or an infinite consciousness.” In the first instance von Kleist probably spoke of someone who can become so engrossed in what he is doing, that he forgets everything else, and in the second instance he referred to the rare person with a true cosmic mind. In essence it means that the rider must become one with the horse. Once this happens the horse will move in what he “glories and delights in.”

Here we arrive at one of the most crucial facets of riding, if it is to be considered art, and that is the philosophy the rider or trainer adheres to. Colonel Alois Podhajsky, a former director of the Spanish Riding School, expressed the opinion that equestrian art is intimately related to the wisdom of life. So therefore we ride and train horses the way we are. It actually goes further than this. Horses are extremely sensitive to rider’s and trainer’s mindsets (which comes from the way people are). Therefore riders and trainers have to learn to keep their minds quiet and stay focussed on the task at hand. In order to become better riders and trainers we have to change our philosophy and the way we think to become more in line with what Xenophon required. Charles de Kunffy stated that the essence of the stance that the rider takes in relation to life, should be the love for the horse. This then, makes it is possible that knowledgeable observers are able to discern the depth of art in riding by its appearance, because beauty through harmonious partnership in motion, appeals to the senses as well to the emotions.

Self discipline: Xenophon stressed that one should never deal with a horse in a fit of passion, since in anger the trainer commits actions that will later be regretted. It is not a good idea to suppress a fit of rage either, because the anger is still there. In addition, we often hear that the horse is naughty (see Editorial of Vol 2, no 2 of “TSA Horseman”), and that the horse “should know.” Accept that in most cases neither of these assumptions is true. Reading Linda Kohanov’s books on healing of the human psyche by the use of horses, you will realise how sensitive horses really are. Being sensitive they are able to sense when we as riders and trainers speak with forked tongues. Horses, for example, get confused when our emotions and actions do not speak the same language, or when we give conflicting messages with our bodies, legs and hands. This one sees often, together with the fact that the rider’s body language and actions do not signify the same thing. So, before the horse is blamed, the rider or trainer should rather do some serious self-inspection. Here the use of cameras or video cameras is of great value. Important, however, is that the images of the rider and horse should be examined by someone who knows about the intricacies of good movement.

Why do people lose their tempers? In many cases the root cause on horseback is anxiety or uncertainty. This is why those in the world of classical riding educate and train themselves first, and by doing so become confident horsemen. My experience with riders and their horses have shown the importance of rider confidence in his/her riding abilities’ effects on the rider’s mental outlook.

Constant quests for beauty and perfection: This is the essence of the art of classical riding. Xenophon also abhorred the use of force, since it invariably led to ungracefulness. In this respect it is interesting to note Xenophon's directive that it is not the task of the commander of regiment of cavalry to aspire to be the only brilliant figure, but rather to lead. The general effect must be such that not only the commander, but the whole regiment is a sight worth seeing.

What is the beauty that one should aspire to? This is very difficult to describe, and yet it is instantly recognised. What the philosopher Plotinus (205-270 AD), said about beauty is applicable to classical riding. In 250 AD he stated that: “Only a compound can be beautiful, never anything devoid of parts; and only a whole; the several parts will have beauty, not in themselves, but only as working together to give a comely total.” Plotinus touched upon some crucial elements in riding, which is wholeness and harmony. should work together in order to create a harmonious unit. This means that it is not only the horse, but also the rider, that should contribute to the act of riding. The Duke of Newcastle, William Cavendish (1593-1676), emphasised the role of the rider in his address to the “Noble Horseman” and stated that: “Thus, tho' a perfect horseman rides with art, it seems rather natural than acquired by practice; and he makes his horse appear as if nature has produced such a creature for no other end, to be conducted, governed and ridden by man. What is more, a good horseman rides as one may say with harmony; for his horse being of the same mind as himself, moves in such an exact manner, steps so equally, and keeps such just time; turns, pirouettes, rises so equally, so easily, so lightly, that it is very agreeable to see, as well as a very profitable science to learn.” we come to one of the most neglected facets of riding, which is the rider. Go to any riding lesson and see how little attention is given to the rider. Most of the time the rider is instructed to “do this” to “do that” the horse, but the rider rides gets scant, if any, attention. One cannot expect any beauty if the rider and horse are not in harmony with themselves.

Freedom of the horse: Xenophon stated that submission of the horse should be obtained voluntarily; otherwise the noble nature of the horse would be spoiled. The term submission used here by Sylvia Loch and others is probably not correct according to what the Greeks had in mind. Seen from the standpoint that we are all part of a great whole, there is unity in things, a more appropriate term here would perhaps be "harmony" or "fusion". The aim should be, according to General Decarpentry (1878-1956), the seeking of the cooperation of the horse. This is something not achieved by the use of force, in fact it is something that requires patience, self-awareness, self-knowledge and understanding. The latter four characteristics are not readily achieved, but will only come after deep introspection and contemplation. The ancient Greeks did not emphasise the concept of knowing oneself for nothing.

Lightness: Xenophon, in this regard, advocated the policy of making the horse do what he glories and delights in, an approach later also underlined by Henry Blake. General Decarpentry, saw lightness as being the situation where there is perfect harmony in the play of forces, exactly adjusted to its object. To achieve true lightness the rider and trainer should avoid the common tendency of “doing.” The trainer or rider should put the horse in the required situation (e.g. circle), and then follow the advice of Mark Rashid and allow the horse to sort out things for himself. This may sound to be strange advice, but what horses are extremely sensitive to is the body language of the rider and trainer (see Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling’s books and audiovisual material). All that you have to do is to ride into the circle, and the horse will eventually understand what you mean and then follow suit. Once this is achieved it is possible to ride a shoulder in, for example, with no leg or rein aids!

The art of classical riding, therefore, is not about obtaining the highest accolades, riding high school movements, or forcing the horse into the strictest obedience, but about presenting a magnificent spectacle with the least amount of effort, spectacle which is enjoyable not only for the horse, but for the rider and the onlookers as well.

The essence of classical riding is aptly summarised by three North American psychotherapists, Drs Adele, Marlena and Thomas McCormick. They described classical riding as being a natural method that advocates: “··· gentleness and harmony between horse and rider in all endeavors. Horse and rider are encouraged to develop such refined and loving communication that they become one. When this classical method is followed, the communication often becomes telepathic. Rider and horse progressively learn to read each other by gaining intimacy and attunement. They appear to be connected by an invisible thread and are sensitive to each other’s subtle energy shifts.

The rider rides not only physically but also with his or her mind, spirit, and innermost soul. The horse is encouraged through systematic gymnastic exercises to remain joyful, generous, and happy. Hence, both horse and rider learn to give to each other willingly and lovingly.”

The sentiments expressed by these therapists are exemplified in the engraving taken from François de la Guérinière’s book “Ecole de Cavalerie,”originally published in 1733. The horse is doing a shoulder in. Note the calmness, softness and ease in both rider and horse. The rider is using his body position (slightly turned to the right, and thus also doing a shoulder in by the way) to ride this movement, and not his legs or his hands (so commonly seen today) - everything just flows. The purists will note here that the horse here moves with perfect diagonals and in four tracks.