Bits and pieces

In the equestrian world, non-riders, in a similar way like to think that horses are for sitting on and they can’t wait to hop on. They get dumped. If you don’t understand a horse from the ground up, you will never be a true rider, merely a bully with no understanding. In the few instances I’ve taught people to ride they do not get to sit on a horse until they are ready. If that takes six months then that’s what it takes. They first have to develop a relationship with the horse on the ground and get to understand and be understood by the horse. Just as with horse sense, Aiki sense begins from the ground up. Positioning is paramount in both instances. If you can’t catch a horse on open ground by drawing the horse to you, you are no horseman. Until then you do not really deserve to ride or be considered a rider. The true equestrian catches untamed horses like this as well. It’s nothing mystical, but a skill. There’s no need for hard chases, yards, ropes, pulleys and buck jumping. That’s for the unskilled.