In Service of the Horse
Well-ridden horses are able to work well for a longer period of time. In the past, horses were important and valuable, and the objective was not to demonstrate a human being’s dominance over the animal. Training a riding horse was, for our forebears, a matter of economics and fairness.
Good riding helps the horse.
That is why, even today, the rider's suggestions to his horse are still called "aids."
Giving aids is not dominating or disciplining.
The language of aids is a system of mutual support. Whether I am sitting on his back or walking alongside him, I accompany my horse and go with his motion. Giving aids is a mutual undertaking.
The aids are the language of riding art.
They support and help the horse in his service to mankind. They are the compensation for what my horse does for me.
A person who wants to be carried by a horse must first learn to listen to his horse. In this endeavor it is helpful to have a horse who gives clear answers right from the start: a communicative horse."Riding art begins with the perfection of simple things."
Nuno Oliveira
