Recently we attended another of our clinics for classical equitation taught by Manuel Trigo. The weekend was, as Sally says, “magical.” It was Valentine’s Day and the weather was perfect. People were delighted, the food was delicious, and everyone was in a good mood. I worked harder than a galley slave in a Greek trireme, and I think I made progress.
It comes to me that there is a correlation between classical equitation and archaeology. We build knowledge (grooves in the brain) and physical ability (muscle memory) much in the same way as the archaeologist digs a 10 foot deep hole with a whisk broom. The difference is that his process is linear, while ours is counter intuitive: we are constantly arguing with our bodies which tell us to react one way to the horse’s movements, when the correct response is usually the opposite!
Love,love,love it. I actually thought I was a fairly decent rider before my first clinic with Manuel. There used to not be a horse I wouldn’t get on, could stay on through quite a bit too!.Now, I feel like I’m a bloody beginner, always fighting my body, my grabby hands all in the elusive hunt of that truly independent seat. My little temperamental horse exposes all my faults,for a tiny shift in my improved balance can still send him off in a tissy.I guess we teach our horses to be more sensitive, and then they also get more sensitive to our own problems then they used to be.Or is it that we are recognizing the signs better that they’ve been giving us all along?