Philosophy
“In your own mind you have to have a picture of what you want from the horse, but you are the leader and you can ask him to follow you, just like dancing. It’s a rhythm, a harmony – you want your body and his body to become one. This is our goal.” Ray Hunt
The philosophy behind our Balance-Center-Connect Riding Program is rooted in the very core of the horse-human relationship. How can we be better partners with our horses? How can we ride better and improve our horses’ lives? How can we connect with our horses in a way that creates a solid foundation for our riding? Our goal is to make you a better rider through teaching you how to balance, center and connect with your horse. These are three principles that can be used in any riding discipline, and, in fact, should be the core of every riding discipline. As you see from the quotes on this page, horsepeople from different disciplines and different time periods have all pointed to the principles of center, balance, and connection as the key to making us better horsepeople. They may use different terms, but those three principles are at the base of everything they say.
“Horse and rider have found the inner secret of the art of riding in the integration of their respective unities of balance into one, into the unity of balance.” Henry Wynmalen
What we are all seeking from the horse-human relationship, when it comes to riding, is that ultimate feeling of harmony, the feeling of oneness — whether you are riding a dressage test or a reining pattern, out on the trail or riding at home. The emphasis in riding today has focused too much on superficial – and sometimes entirely inaccurate – concepts that claim to help people have a better relationship with their horse. But in the end, they don’t work. Why? Because they aren’t based in the three key principles of balance, center and connection that make us better riders, make our horses healthier and happier, and create a better relationship between us and our horses.
“From then on it is a matter of learning the importance of the body’s balance. I began to recognize the feel of the horse when I began to realize the importance of working with that body balance.” Tom Dorrance
It is time to reclaim what the true horse-human relationship should be – and really is – about. It is time to set aside ideas of perfection and predator-prey and gimmicks. It is time to learn how what we do affects our horse and how to correct those things that have a negative influence. It is time for us to become true partners to our horses, and thereby, have a true relationship with them. When we balance, center, and connect with our horses, those things can finally and truly happen.