Many excellent works have dealt with the training and gymnastics of the horse, many excellent horse experts write books and articles and hold workshops on the mental handling of living beings, which are so sensitive and honest due to their evolution, and so strong and convincing in their physical presence. But what riders should work out for themselves in order to achieve the spectrum of mental and physical fitness that is required for successful coexistence between horse and human - there is still room for this in the world of horse books!
This work aims to close the gap that can cloud riding pleasure: be it through the provocation of physical complaints, dissatisfaction with one's own ideas and implementation or through seemingly insurmountable disharmonies in the human-horse system.
Equestrian fitness perhaps represents the most extensive demands on the qualities of physical and mental balance in the entire sporting world.
In addition to the basics of endurance, coordination and strength, a maximum of balance, perception and concentration is required in harmony with sovereignty, composure and self-control. Forward thinking already implies an extraordinary ability to perceive. Selectively coordinating stimulation and achieving differentiated positioning and perfect body control are basic skills of the highest standards. Stress resilience, when patience is at risk of breaking or critical situations need to be mastered, is part of everyday life as a rider.
The horse became a partner to humans thousands of years ago. As a draft and pack animal, war horse, leisure or sports partner and in the professional sector as a colleague or ward, it is an integral part of human history with all its abilities. During domestication, there was not always respectful interaction in coexistence, so the desire to dominate is often still in the minds of riders, trainers and breeders. The captains of the old school already taught that the horse's enormous power cannot be controlled through counterforce through physical strength, but through mental strength. “Mens sana in corpore sano - A healthy mind lives in a healthy body,” the Roman satirist Juvenal used this paradigm to get to the heart of what makes riding a sport and an attitude to life: the harmony of body, mind and intellect Creating a balance that signals to our horse partner with his strong escape instinct: “Here you will find someone who is responsible, who you can trust, who will hold your soul just as you carry his body”. This attitude enables a beneficial, joyful symbiosis between living beings who accompany each other on a journey through life, perhaps into old age - be it in competitive or recreational sports, in therapy, in ground work, but always out of friendship.
