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Thank you for that story.    I read it 3 times.  Fascinating!  His 
descriptiont seemed sortof familair--then I realized I've experienced it a 
few times, not on ice (thank goodness), but coming onto asphalt down 
transitioning from a gallop, or downhill at a canter, or a muddy downhill at 
a trot....there are wonderful "peak" moments when you really feel your horse 
is in the perfect "collection" for the circumstances of the terrain.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dolores Arste" <darste3@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "ridecamp" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 8:05 PM
Subject: [RC] Balance - a new subject


> Thought folks here might appreciate this one!
>
> Dolores
>
> > The first question is - in these conditions where it's slippery due to
> > heavy snow with some ice underneith, is it best to let the horse not work
> > in such a collection or is it better to keep him more collected?  <
>
> The answer to this question is wonderfully illustrated by an anecdote in
> Otto v.Monteton's book "Ueber die Reitkunst" (1877, 110f., translation: 
> TR):
>
> "A captain v.W. under whom I was lieutenant in 1840, who had participated 
> in
> the 1813 campaign, and who must therefore have been already 45 years old
> when he was assigned his squadron in 1840, was the epitome of a campagne
> rider in our opinion. When I rode in the arena during the evening 
> twilight -
> because I often trained a horse for friends of mine from the countryside -
> this captain used to come by when it was quite icy outside. (He was 
> already
> in his 50s and always rode barefooted horses. He had two Fessra mares and
> was proud of the fact that over time he managed to have only 14 shod 
> horses
> in his squadron, a proof that the horses had to be very well balanced,
> because unbalanced horses suffer tendon injuries in their front legs, when
> they go on wheat footing without shoes for long periods of time). He stuck
> his head in the arena door, called my name and said: "You're sitting in 
> the
> old, musty arena again! Come outside! It's nice and slippery today. There
> you can see if your horse is balanced." And off he went, cantering in
> perfect balance, of course, and in a very slow cadence, a rather large 
> volte
> on a frozen sheet of ice, on the Herrenbreite - nowadays we would call it
> our hippodrome. Of course, I was unable to emulate that, but could only
> admire him, both of which he did not mind. "Now I want to teach you
> something", he said one day on one of these rides. "Let's trot, and when 
> we
> get to the sheet of ice, we stop. If your horse slides in front, he is not
> yet in balance, and this pressure that is put on the front legs in an
> unbalanced down transition ruins them. On ice you can demonstrate this 
> best,
> that unbalanced down transitions harm the front legs." As instructive as
> this may have been, I felt very little inclination to increase my 
> knowledge
> this way, because I have never been a hero on ice. Perhaps that is why I
> have fallen so often on ice.  But he was already trotting, and it could 
> not
> be helped. I was glad when I was merely skidding on elbows and stifles
> across the sheet of ice. While I was still staggering around and it was by
> no means decided yet whether I would stand or fall, he said - only 
> concerned
> with the subject matter: "There you go. Didn't I tell you beforehand that
> the dog was unbalanced!? A balanced horse can slide behind in the halt
> transition, but not in front!"
>
> All due credit to Thomas Ritter
> www.classicaldressage.com
>
>
>
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