Journey Horse

05/17/2026

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Not because the lion would lack words.
But because his entire world — his experience of reality itself — is fundamentally different from ours.
I often think about this sentence when I work with horses.
Modern humans tend to believe that language is the highest form of intelligence. We assume that if an animal cannot explain itself in words, then its inner world must somehow be simpler, smaller, or less meaningful.
But horses remind us every single day how limited that assumption really is.
A horse does not experience the world through abstract concepts, philosophy, politics, status, or social media.
It experiences rhythm.
Presence.
Tension.
Energy.
Safety.
Movement.
Attention.
Trust.
A horse reads what we often cannot even perceive in ourselves.
The slightest change in breathing.
The smallest hesitation.
The shift of balance before movement even begins.
The emotional state hidden beneath the mask of human language.
That is why true horsemanship can never be reduced to technique alone.
You can learn every aid.
You can memorize every training scale.
You can study biomechanics for decades.
And still never truly communicate with a horse.
Because real communication with horses does not happen primarily through commands.
It happens through participation in their world.
This is where Wittgenstein becomes so fascinating.
He believed that understanding is not simply about translating words. Understanding depends on sharing a “form of life” — a common lived reality.
And horses live in a radically different reality from ours.
They do not think in human narratives of success and failure.
They do not care about titles.
They do not care about reputation.
They do not lie.
They do not flatter.
They do not pretend.
They respond to what is actually there.
That is why horses expose us so completely.

05/13/2026

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One of the most amazing aspects of the Tellington TTouch Method is its capacity to go beyond simply training a specific skills or behaviors in horses. Instead, it focuses on enhancing their overall ability to learn. Linda Tellington-Jones started exploring this concept half a century ago, when it was considered really "out there"! It was not about suppressing or punishing the behavior out of a horse, it was about changing how the FEEL which changes how they act or respond to the world.

By positively influencing how an animal feels in its own body, the method fosters a sense of safety and confidence. This, in turn, enables them to absorb information more effectively, adapt to various situations, and exhibit self-control to overcome instinctual coping mechanisms. Time and time again, we've witnessed remarkable transformations in horse behavior through exercises that do not seem to be directly linked to addressing a specific issue.

For example, if a horse has difficulty with trailer loading, we do not start at the trailer. We would see how we can improve balance, posture and coordination AWAY from the trailer, to make trailer loading (and the ride in the trailer itself) feel safer for the horse.

Your horse has difficulty rushing under saddle? We would look at tension patterns in the body and balance first which will often help the "root" of the rush-iness rather than adding deterrents, circling, more bit, etc which are a more common suggestion.

When you help your horse feel safer, they are better equipped to cooperate and activate a parasympathetic response in the nervous system, resulting in an engaged, willing partner.

While it all started with horses in the 1970's, we have now applied this concept to practically any species that interacts with people. In the 1990's we began a formal training with dogs and companion animals and found the concepts to be applicable with incredible results.

Focusing on how any animal feels physically to result a positive change in behavior or "trainability" means that you do not necessarily need to change what already works well for you but gives you new tools and an overall approach that can be adapted for a variety of situations and individual animals.

If you are interested in learning how the Tellington TTouch approach can enhance how you work with animals, check out one of our free online courses: https://learn.ttouch.ca/product-category/free/

05/04/2026

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The biomechanics of Unity. We call the shared center of balance and movement between horse and rider Unity. This is when the horse and rider move as one being. It is one of those principles of horsemanship that is easier to describe than to accomplish.

The images show the location of a typical human's and a typical horse's center of balance with red dots. The bottom image shows how the two centers, human and horse, merge into a shared center of balance with the red circle around the white dot.

Simply stated, the rider must lower their center of balance while the horse raises theirs. This is the "easier said than done" part.

This shared balance requires that the horse be moving, and the rider deepens their seat such that their center of balance moves downward to meet the horse's center of balance. Henry Wynmalen tells us how to accomplish this with his brilliant comment, "Let the horse move you."

Likewise, the horse must raise its center of balance to meet and merge with the rider's, which is another "easier said than done". The best way to coax a horse into raising their center of balance is with collection. The rider must encourage their horse to collect by means of engaging the hind. This cannot be forced, although today many riders believe force will work but it does not.

The engaged hind of a horse reaches more powerfully under itself, thus shortening the distance between the hind and fore legs. That shortened distance causes the horse's back to rise in order to deal with the shortened distance of the legs. The horse's body mass must go somewhere because it cannot be compressed, so it rises into a bit of an arc, thus raising the horse's center of balance.

When the horse's center of balance rises through collection and at the same time the rider lowers their center of balance by deepening their seat, Unity is achieved. It is that simple, however developing the rider's body awareness and feel for the horse's center of balance during movement does not happen overnight. This is the work of horsemanship.

Unifying the horse's and rider's centers of balance, means establishing and maintaining it in both the longitudinal (hind to poll) and lateral (left to right) planes. This is why we don't lean in on the turns or lean back in the saddle more than 5 degrees or close our shoulders and lean too far forward.

In my opinion modern Dressage has hijacked the principle of Unity in horsemanship and perverted it. Today we see dressage riders forcing a horse into a frame of false collection, leaning back in the saddle using their body weight against their horse. We see rider's thighs jammed against huge knee rolls or thigh blocks to force the shortening of the distance between their horse's hind and fore legs in a facsimile of collection that is only a compressed neck. What gives away the falsehood of their misconception is in the horse's back. If the back is hollow or dished downward, it is wrong. If the back rises upward into an arc, it is correct and beautiful.

Many riders who have not been trained to achieve Unity have experienced it in moments. It's that exhilarating feeling of being one with your horse. These moments of Unity tend to be accidental, leaving the rider wanting more. Riders who work at this can have Unity whenever they want. It's addictive.

This post is for Bella.

05/04/2026

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When new riders first try to adopt the perfect position, it can often look unnatural and rigid. This is normal and, in the beginning, you’re going to have to really concentrate on maintaining the correct position.

A good idea is to start each training session with a positional check-in.

So, as you are walking your horse and warming him up, check each of your positional parts individually and put them all in the correct place.

As you begin to work your horse, you may notice that your perfect position starts to slip away from you, especially in the trot and the canter. This is to be expected. During your walk breaks, when you are allowing your horse to stretch, and when you are riding the halt, check your position again and make any necessary adjustments.

Over time, muscle memory will start to kick in, and you’ll find yourself having to correct your position less and less. Very soon, you won’t even have to think about how to sit, you will just do it instinctively. When you reach this point, your position will start to look more natural and elegant.

From this post --> https://howtodressage.com/article/correct-position-dressage/

Illustrations created and copyrighted by How To Dressage

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05/03/2026

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04/26/2026

TRUE, and it is up to us to help them.

04/06/2026

This deeply touches me....... grateful to have had my last rides on Juan walking and remembering all that we did together as dance partners

There were maybe eight of us in the arena that morning.

Just a handful of his most devoted students, standing quietly by the rail, watching the old man walk across the dirt toward the mounting block.

He was 83. Maybe 84. I can't remember now. What I remember is the way he moved. Slow, deliberate, like every step cost him something but he was willing to pay it.

Quatar was already tacked. A big bay gelding, 20-something years old, with kind eyes and a neck that had learned to arch without being asked decades ago.
___________________________

We all knew what this was.

His last ride.

He'd been saying it for months, but none of us believed him. Men like him don't retire. They just keep going until they can't anymore.

But that morning, standing in the early light with the arena dust hanging in the air like fog, I believed it.

One of the younger students, maybe 19, still green, still hungry, whispered to the woman next to her: "What do you think he's going to do?"

Linda, the older woman, didn't answer. Just shook her head slightly.

I wanted to tell the girl: He's not here to perform for you.

But I didn't. She'd figure it out.
___________________________

He mounted from his step with the help of one of his grooms.

Took him a full minute to settle into the saddle, adjust his reins, find his seat.

Then he nodded and the groom stepped back.

And he walked.
___________________________

That's it. He just... walked.

No warm-up trot. No collected canter. No piaffe, no passage, no extended anything.

He walked a 20-meter circle. Slowly. Quietly.

Quatar's ears were soft, flicking back toward him every few strides like they were having a chat no one else could hear.

The old man's hands were still. His legs barely moved. His seat, my god, his seat, it was like he'd dissolved into the saddle.

One lap. Two laps. Three.

The young student shifted her weight. I could feel her confusion radiating off her in waves.

This is it? This is the last ride of a man who trained Olympic horses?
___________________________

But Linda, she understood.

I saw it happen.

Her face went still first. Then her eyes filled. Then her hand came up to cover her mouth and she turned away so no one would see her cry.

But I saw.

Because I was crying too.
___________________________

See, here's what that young student didn't understand yet:

After 65 years of training horses, 65 years of piaffe and passage and Grand Prix and podiums and students and lessons and competitions, you don't need to prove anything anymore.

You don't need to remind people that you were once great.

You just need to walk with your horse.

Just two old partners who've spent decades learning how to talk together, saying goodbye the only way that matters.
___________________________

He only rode for maybe 15 minutes.

Then he halted. Sat there for a long moment, one hand resting on Quatar's neck.

His horse stood perfectly still. Not tense. Waiting for the next command that would never come.

Just... there.

Together.

The old man dismounted, slowly, carefully, with the groom's help again and stood next to his horse for a minute, forehead pressed against Quatar's shoulder.

None of us moved.
None of us spoke.

What the hell do you say after witnessing something like that?
___________________________

Finally, he turned and walked toward us.

The young student opened her mouth, maybe to ask a question, maybe to say something polite, but Linda put a hand on her arm.

Don't.

The old man stopped in front of us. Looked at each of us, one by one.

Then he said, voice quiet and rough:

"It was always about the walk."
___________________________

When he left, the groom led the horse back to the barn.

We stood there in silence, watching him go.

The young student looked at Linda and asked, voice shaking:
"Why are you crying?"

Linda wiped her eyes. Laughed a little.

"Because I just spent twenty years trying to make my horse do something impressive," she said. "And I just realized I never learned how to walk."
___________________________

I think about an 83-year-old man choosing to spend his last ride doing the simplest thing a horse and rider can do together.

Walking.

Not because it was easy.

Not because it was all he had left.

But because after sixty years of making horses dance, he finally understood:

The walk was never the beginning.
It was always the destination.

04/06/2026

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“The horse is the best judge of a good rider, not the spectator. If the horse has a high opinion of the rider, he will let himself be guided, if not, he will resist.” — Nuno Oliveira

A timeless reminder that true horsemanship is not about appearances, but about feel, trust, and harmony between horse and rider. The real conversation happens in the saddle, and the horse always knows. 🐴✨



The Timeless Wisdom of Nuno Oliveira: A Master of Classical Dressage

Few names in the world of horsemanship carry the quiet authority and reverence of Nuno Oliveira. Often described as one of the last great masters of classical dressage, Oliveira’s legacy continues to shape riders who seek not just technique, but true harmony with the horse.

A Life Devoted to the Art of Riding

Born in Lisbon in 1925, Nuno Oliveira dedicated his life to the study and teaching of equestrian art. Trained under Joaquim Gonçalves de Miranda, whose methods were rooted in the historic French school of Versailles, Oliveira inherited a deep respect for classical principles that date back centuries.

Rather than chasing competition success, Oliveira focused on something far more enduring: the relationship between horse and rider. He traveled widely, taught internationally, and authored numerous influential books, sharing his philosophy with generations of riders.

He was even offered the prestigious role of director at the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, an honor he declined, choosing instead to follow his own path.

Dressage as an Art, Not a Sport

At the heart of Oliveira’s teachings lies a powerful idea:
equitation is an art form, not merely a competitive discipline.

He drew inspiration from historic masters like François Robichon de La Guérinière, François Baucher, and Gustav Steinbrecht, blending their ideas into a philosophy centered on lightness, balance, and empathy.

For Oliveira, true riding was not about control. It was about communication. He believed that:

The horse should be a willing partner, not a tool
Subtlety and tact outweigh force
Timing, feel, and kindness are the rider’s greatest aids

His approach aligned closely with what many today call classical or baroque dressage, a tradition that emphasizes harmony and the natural movement of the horse.

The Philosophy: Feel Over Force

Oliveira’s words continue to resonate because they capture something universal about working with horses, and perhaps even about leadership itself.

He emphasized that understanding the horse requires sensitivity:

“Only the one who loves, understands and feels the horse can have the tact.”

To him, riding was a conversation, one built on trust rather than dominance. The ultimate goal was not obedience, but mutual understanding.

This philosophy is beautifully reflected in one of his most famous ideas:
A horse reveals the truth about the rider.

A Global Legacy

Throughout his career, Oliveira taught students from around the world, influencing both classical dressage and modern horsemanship. Many of his students went on to become respected trainers, carrying forward his methods and philosophy.

His writings, including Reflections on Equestrian Art and Classical Principles of the Art of Training Horses, remain essential reading for riders seeking a deeper connection with their horses.

Even today, he is often referred to as “the last master” of classical dressage, a bridge between centuries-old tradition and modern riding.

Why Nuno Oliveira Still Matters Today

In a world where competition and performance often dominate equestrian sport, Oliveira’s teachings feel more relevant than ever. He reminds us that:

Progress should never come at the expense of the horse
True mastery lies in softness, not strength
The best judges of our riding are the horses themselves

His legacy invites riders to pause, listen, and refine not just their technique, but their empathy.

Final Thoughts

Nuno Oliveira didn’t just train horses. He shaped a philosophy, one that elevates riding from a set of skills to a lifelong pursuit of harmony.

Whether you are a seasoned dressage rider or simply someone who admires horses, his message is clear:

The greatest achievement in horsemanship is not control, it is connection.

03/09/2026

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03/08/2026

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