XENOPHON
EQUUS CENTRE     
For the love of Horses

Good riding should be the "calling card" of the equestrian expert, yet good riding must not be confused with showing/competing successfully. Scoring well, during an evaluation, under special circumstances that lasts for a few minutes, is proof of good showmanship, but not adequate proof of good horsemanship.

 

According to the classical tradition of horsemanship, respect for riders is aligned to their riding wisdom and their understanding of each horse Today, riders' equitation is seldom corrected.  Instead, lessons concentrate mainly on "teaching the horse" regardless of the inefficiencies of an ineffective rider.  An improperly sitting rider who gives the aids poorly cannot improve himself or the horse, just by being on the horse, regardless of how many times school "figures and patterns" are repeated.  In riding there is no neutral - we either improve or deteriorate.  At Xenophon Equus Centre we are passionate about improving ourselves as well as our horses.  

 

Every person, when riding, reveals his inner self. Facial expressions, bodily posture, manners toward the horse, attitude toward the task at hand, allow us to read the rider like an open book. When on a horse, we cannot hide from the perceptions of an informed, knowledgable observer. If we accept that elegance is the result of doing anything well without being self-conscious about it, then elegant riding is the result of the equestrian's art.

 

Teaching to attain that, instead of collecting a high score in competitions, should be the task of equestrian professionals. My hope is that the riding public will change their demands from vanity-oriented couching to an uncompromising desire for impeccable equitation -

for the Good of the Horse.