Kip Mistral

Cultivating legacy and posterity for classical traditions

Recent Posts

  • Sparkling Marie Antoinette: Irreverent Rider of Donkeys

     Sparkling Marie Antoinette: Irreverent Rider of Donkeys

  • The Vanishing Point of Lightness: Michel Henriquet on Equestrian Art

     The Vanishing Point of Lightness: Michel Henriquet on Equestrian Art

  • Music and Riding

     Music and Riding

  • Magnum Opus – Coming Q4/2024 & Q1-Q2/2025

     Magnum Opus – Coming Q4/2024 & Q1-Q2/2025

  • Glorious Horsemen: The Legendary School of Versailles and Its Legacy for Equitation …

     Glorious Horsemen: The Legendary School of Versailles and Its Legacy for Equitation Today

  • The Ecuyer Cavalcadour…Patient Teacher of Young Horses

     The Ecuyer Cavalcadour…Patient Teacher of Young Horses

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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The Great Unities and Why We Must Keep Them Alive

The Great Unities and Why We Must Keep Them Alive

[“Morning Exercise in the Hofreitschule” by Julius von Blaas, 1890]

In early March of this year 2023, news went around the world that Chief Rider of the Spanish Riding School, Andreas Hausberger, had been relieved of his position after 40 years of service within the school. Persons not familiar with the politics of Vienna and the school itself had a difficult time understanding the issues at hand, let alone why this could have happened to an admired and trusted member of the school, who on top of it all, was the last rider left from the last generation trained under the original classical protocols and methods. Who now would carry the torch for the true, centuries-old traditions?

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Operation Cowboy: The American Contribution to Austrian Equestrian Culture

Operation Cowboy: The American Contribution to Austrian Equestrian Culture

[Regretfully, photographic copyright for image not available. Please advise.]

In his wisdom, American General George S. Patton, who commanded the Third United States Army in France and Germany after the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, gave permission for the U.S. Army to liberate the 300 head of Lipizzan breeding stock that had been hijacked to Germany by the Nazi Army, to be rescued and driven in herds and also in trucks to Bavaria, to safety.

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