What is a thinking, feeling equestrian?
Sound weird?
A thinking, feeling equestrian is everyone. It is you, it is me, it is everyone who has ever sat on a horse and began those first glorious steps forward in that beautiful rhythm of hoofbeats, with the gentle smell of its fur & its kind and willing nature.
Riding has many variables, complex relationships & every moment is different to the next. Each and every moment we are receiving feedback from the horse’s body & we are giving feedback to the horse as well, whether we are aware of it or not.
All actions begin in our brain, where the neurons and synapses send messages to our motor nuerons that tell our muscles to act. Whether these thoughts are conscious or subconscious; we think, our brains direct & our body acts. Whenever you have a thought, there is a corresponding chemical reaction in your mind and body as a result. This is important to realize when working with your horse. The way you think, what you think, and how much you think all play an important role in the training of the horse.
Simply put, when we train our horses, we ask them a series of questions* & then we receive feedback from them (feeling) which we then need to process (thinking), & deal with accordingly in order to continue and complete the question (exercise.)
This of course all happens in a micro instant – our mind and its relationship to our body is incredible. Horses, the magical creatures that they are, allow us to continually ask questions and correct them while we ride them. It is our duty to ensure that we are asking the right questions (thinking) & processing their feedback (feeling) as best we can.
Each individual person has a tendancy to be a more dominant thinking rider or a more dominant feeling rider. There is no absolute, however. Every rider has to think at least a little, and every rider has to feel a little. It’s possible for a rider to be perhaps 90% feeling and only 10% thinking. The reverse is also possible.
Our Goal as Riders and Trainers is to be 50% thinking and 50% feeling. Just like our horses, we need balance to be our best. Just like our horses, we need to have a good foundation in order to progress. The best way to achieve that foundation is to strive to be a balanced rider with equal parts Knowledge (thinking) & Practice (feeling), and over time we gain Understanding (experience.)
*These series of questions are what we call an exercise like a shoulder-in, leg yield, or even a “simple” circle. Exercises are always questions. We are applying an aid (part of the question), the horse is giving us a response (answer), and we are telling him if he was correct by what we do next.
About
Janessa Peterson
I grew up riding trails in a western saddle on thoroughbreds, arabians and appaloosas in Idaho. When I was 20 I moved to Australia where I started natural horsemanship with my 13 year old ottb mare.
In 2014 I began training in classical dressage and traveled to various European countries to learn classical and historical riding. After studying mounted combat, the history of riding and dabbling in a bit of jousting, I decided that in order to pursue my desired career of working with young horses in classical dressage, I would have to make a move.
For 3 years I studied in Portugal at the prestigious equestrian centre of Leziria Grande in Portugal, run by the famous master Mr Luis Valenca. Here I learned french classical in hand work, long reins, and all of the high school dressage.
Later I was able to apply, develop and refine this precious experience into the methodology I use with all horses that is based on teaching a horse how to use and develop its body in a stress free way.
My next professional endeavour took me to Tempel Lipizzans in Chicago, IL where the focus was on preparing young horses for performances. Here I also performed the levade with a wonderful lipizzan called Favory IX Ivana bred by Tempel Lipizzans.
My life’s focus is on preparing horses to have the best life they possibly can, and that means to teach the horse to use its body properly and move in balance and beauty, and to also have confidence in people and in its surroundings. The more the horse knows, the better it is as a riding horse, the better chance it has at a good life. I am comitted to passing on the knowledge I’ve gained over more than 20 years of horse riding experience to riders who want to develop a better relationship with their horse.
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Thinking Feeling Equestrian 