Kip Mistral
Cultivating legacy and posterity for classical horsemanship and traditions

Reasons for Riding (On the Freedom, Lightness and Enjoyment of the Horse)

Reasons for Riding (On the Freedom, Lightness and Enjoyment of the Horse)

(I printed out this article from an old internet site (http://members.ozmail.com.au/) on 7/12/02. It does not display the name of the author. The site’s name may have had something to do with Inner Riding. I put out a call for help on Facebook to see if anyone is familiar with the author, his/her esoteric writing or the old site, but so far have had no luck. If I could be in contact of course I would seek permission to reprint! I have kept the original UK spellings of the wording.)

Reasons for Riding: On the Freedom, Lightness and Enjoyment of the Horse

Watching riders work their horses, and handling them on the ground, makes me wonder sometimes why we own horses. I see riders who seem to have lost all sight of why they first were attracted to horses and riding, or what they are trying to achieve with their horses.

They shout at their horses and hit them every time they do something wrong (‘wrong’ in their owners’ eyes, anyway). I wonder if they realise that all they’re doing is displaying their lack of knowledge and understanding of horses.

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“Caballos Con Arte”: Pure Blood Reflections with Peter Müller Peter

“Caballos Con Arte”: Pure Blood Reflections with Peter Müller Peter

[© by Kip Mistral 2012. First published in The PRE Horse magazine, Issue III 2012. Feature image by Peter Müller Peter. Painting by PETER PAUl. RUBENS / * The Triumph of the Church (1628)* / Flemish School / © Prado Museum, Madrid.]

It seems that Peter Müller Peter does nothing in a small way. Even his award-winning, oversize, magnificent book “Caballos Con Arte” (Horses with Art) is the coffee-table book to end all coffee-table books.

An internationally acclaimed advertising photographer, Peter has executed major campaigns for a wide-ranging list of clients including Coca-Cola, De Beers, Smirnoff, Credit Suisse, Rolex, Spain’s National Tourist Board, Iberia Airlines and more. His photographs have been featured in magazines from Vogue to Playboy. Though honored with numerous awards in his career, Peter admits that his biggest passion is horses. Peter describes the inspiration for his book and artistic masterpiece Caballos Con Arte (Horses with Art) which won Spain’s esteemed Gold Lux Award. The stunning photographic series now forms a touring exhibition entitled Pureblood Reflections which has already traveled Spain to Istanbul, Qatar and recently, Switzerland.

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Book Review: “30 Years With Master Nuno Oliveira: Correspondence, Photographs, and Notes” Chronicled by Michel Henriquet

Book Review: “30 Years With Master Nuno Oliveira: Correspondence, Photographs, and Notes” Chronicled by Michel Henriquet

[“30 Years With Master Nuno Oliveira: Correspondence, Photographs, and Notes” Chronicled by Michel Henriquet. Translated by Hilda Nelson. Published by Xenophon Press LLC 2011]

This remarkable book will be of great interest to anyone following the work of Master Nuno Oliveira, its author French écuyer Michel Henriquet, and the subjects of classical training of the highest level and equitation history in general.

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This is a School for Princes

This is a School for Princes

Ferdinand II of Spain in a letter of May 23, 1498 to the Marquis of Mantua:

“To answer here what you asked me, that is to say, whether it is necessary that a well-trained horse should obey both the leg and the hand as if, without the repeated action of the hand or the leg, one could not direct all the operations decided by the Cavalier; while you have also seen horses evolve without any help with the firm legs of the rider which seemed immobile, and still others who guided their horse very well without the help of their legs.

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“Oliveira Shows His Art of Riding: An Insight into Training Methods” Horse and Hound 1987

“Oliveira Shows His Art of Riding: An Insight into Training Methods” Horse and Hound 1987

[“Oliveira Shows His Art of Riding,” by Elizabeth Polling, Horse and Hound, November 1987.]

SEVEN HUNDRED enthusiasts drawn from all walks of the equestrian world gave a standing ovation to Nuno Oliveira following a day of equestrian artistry at New Hall Riding Centre near Chelmsford, Essex.

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