Sensitive
Horses are sensitive by nature. Should dressage then be as sensitive?. I’m talking not about the actual riding but about the sport, the guidelines that keep us on track. Should they be so sensitive that we bend them to our will?. Surely because horses are sensitive we should be full of courage at how insensitive the rules of riding are! We could take courage knowing we can and should do better. The current climate of dressage makes us the wrong kind of rigid, stuck in a frozen space. Too nervous to examine truthfully, staying shallow and surface level in looking at what we’re doing with our horses. Afraid to be blunt with the truth, blunt with the thought of what we add to them. Learning how can often make us fragile. Leaving us insensitive to exploring outside that surface level, considering thoughtfully what we’re doing all the while making ourselves less able to cope with bad news. Could it be the bad news pulls us back on track. Back to where we put the horse first, what’s wholesom...
