Music and Riding

Music and Riding

(Author unknown but believed to be an Australian who posted on an early website from 2002. Artist for the image also unknown; please advise if either are known.)

Music is often considered to be one of the highest art forms, due to its wholly abstract nature and yet uncanny ability to evoke emotions and feelings in the listener directly without the literal intervening use of words, paint or stone. It is that most intellectual of pursuits which demands the abeyance of the intellectual faculties for its enjoyment. This consideration of music is also due to its ephemerality; the moment a note sounds it is also disappearing into the abyss of silence which existed before it started, and which ultimately awaits every composition at its conclusion.

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The Ecuyer Cavalcadour…Patient Teacher of Young Horses

The Ecuyer Cavalcadour…Patient Teacher of Young Horses

[Johan Elias Ridinger (Attributed) “Cheval d’Holstein”]

© Kip Mistral 2024

“We shall take great care not to annoy the horse and spoil his friendly charm, for it is like the scent of a blossom – once lost it will never return.”  ~ Antoine de Pluvinel (1552-1620)

In the United States, my country, in many communities it is common practice to put a young horse under saddle on or around the time of its second birthday. For some reason, to many people that mark in time seems to make a horse fair game for work. Why feed a horse that isn’t earning its keep, seems to be a sentiment simmering in the background.

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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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If He Does Not Have Your Love, He Has to Face the World Alone

If He Does Not Have Your Love, He Has to Face the World Alone

A week or two ago, in the same week two people asked to learn more about my life and equestrian journey. I had to admit that I don’t usually talk about my personal life (other than animal stories), but my point of view does come through the subjects that I’ve written about over the past 20 plus years. These kind peoples’ questions started me thinking, though…how did it come to pass that I became an equestrian journalist, author of a training manual best-selling in its Amazon category for nearly 10 years, blogger and publisher? Looking back, my experiences all unfolded and just took on a life of their own. I was looking for something better, something I couldn’t describe other than I did find that over time, I knew it when I saw it.

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Back to the Future: Why Classical Training is Still the Gold Standard

Back to the Future: Why Classical Training is Still the Gold Standard

[copyright Kip Mistral 2023. “Dame de la Brigade des Abeses” by Jean Berain, Illustrator, 1685.]

I spent the pandemic in 18th century France.

For month after month I sift through faded, handwritten registers of births, baptisms, marriages and deaths, and a 2,000 page historical almanac of the time. The purpose is to research the lives of several of the King of France’s royal ecuyers, about whom little is really known. (But that will be changing soon.)

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