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A Newsletter Promoting a Healthy, Balanced Equine Relationship August 2007 |
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A Newsletter Promoting a Healthy, Balanced Equine Relationship August 2007 |
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Horse Handling & Riding Through Feel Clinics October 6-8 Riverside, CA October 13-14 Napa, CA October 27-31 Aguanga, CA
Vaquero Days
October 20-21 Descanso, CA Now Available! 10-CD A
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by Tiffany Deering printer friendly version (PDF) It is rumored that we are now in a "Horsemanship Renaissance". For one reason or another, it seems that in less than a century of the horse losing his pivotal place in our society, people in general lost their ability to train and ride horses. It is amazing to consider that in a similar amount of time, societies such as the Native Americans and Mexicans became accomplished horsemen with such skill and without the formal education available to their European counterparts. The natives of North America adapted very unique styles of riding to suit their purposes. The Spanish conquistadors undoubtedly initiated the livelihood of the vaquero as they colonized Mexico and introduced horses, tack and cattle to the region, but the native herdsmen deserve the credit for refining their horsemanship style and gear. They did not not attend anything like the Vienna Riding Academy, nor were they schooled in the teachings of Xenophon. Rather, their skill was developed by their own experience and dedication, with hours day in and day out spent on horseback working cattle. American Indian tribes learned how to ride the wild mustangs without the benefit of bit or saddle or recruitment of the Dons, and on top of that were capable of shooting arrows and fighting in battles horseback. Amazingly, these skills were developed within just a few generations within societies that had never even seen horses before, some thinking they were large dogs the first time they beheld them. My point in all this is that there is no excuse for riders today to not be as adept at equitation as the horsemen of the past. For millennia the bond between man, be he warrior, soldier, vaquero, or cowboy, and the horse was remarkable, their very lives depending on their relationship and their ability to ride. Nowadays, most horse riders today are nervous to even trot and canter. Perhaps it is the lack of a purpose that has led to such a large number of rider's stagnant in their horsemanship. Continued... |
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