The practice of dressage as a lifelong discipline requires five types of energy or qualities : strong determination, familiarization with both yourself and your horse, the energy of goodness, reproach, and aspiration.
Strong Determination means that you do not waste time. You recognize that you and your practice are one, and that your practice strengthens both you and the horse. It builds a longing for familiarity.
Familiarization is the application of strong desire which leads you on the journey. You long for it, and so you are driven to every old book and teacher you can find. Determination over time brings you back to the barn day after day and keeps you there until your exhaustion forces you home. You find and train connection with the horse. The link becomes gold and everything about the presence of the horse becomes familiar and natural. You simply naturally connect.
In this next case, you lead and follow the energy of goodness. This means that your body, speech, and mind are all dedicated to propagating kindness and generosity toward yourself and the horse. There is a forgiveness toward the horse and a tolerance of your own mistakes and shortcomings.
The strength of reproach is based on reproaching your own ego. You are willing to see all problems as arising from your ego, Resistances do not exist in the horse, but are created and maintained by a trainer/rider whose mind is confused and whose actions are disconnected. A resistor, needs a resistee for who would resist their own body. So it is that we find, live and work in harmony always. Even in horses which suffer from physical issues, a way of kindness can usually be found. Yes, difficulties can be presented, but resistances can be worked with and resolved.
Aspiration is the desire to find the balance. Dressage is the basic aspiration to taking a vow of service to the horse. It is also creates a general instruction to help one to become a very pliable person, a true horse person that the horse can use as a working basis for their enjoyment of sanity.
These are the five energies which help restore sanity. When they are balanced and circulate true, a great joy is present in the horse and human. The centaur effect is born. Such lightness which comes to pass through these energies releases and heals. This is the dressage which each of us must personally discover.
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