I had been searching for a way to describe the difference between how Indians and non Indians relate to horses. I was giving a lesson in Indian horsemanship to a beginner rider. She was used to riding a fully tacked horse. I’m all in favor of tack, and have lots of it myself. However, when I asked her how she felt about tack, she told me that it made her feel safer and more confident, because there was something to grab if things went bad. I realized that the saddle was providing security, but decreased the communication for this rider. Better just not to have things go bad.I had her ride bareback, play the “ be the horse” game, and then ride at a leisurely pace. She said that she felt better about the horse, and riding. This rider was establishing the inner contact that we feel is needed for the foundation for future riding.
In the beginning, it was just kids, some kind of bridle even if it was just rope reins attached to a halter, and the horse. We didn’t have anything else, so we used what was there. We jumped on the horse and spent all day mounted, because it was such joy to be not just on a horse, but with a horse. Were there misadventures? Of course there were, but it was all in the process. I once had a horse throw me about a mile from the corral. It was a long walk back, but I was happy that I had missed a barrel cactus by a few inches in the landing! No matter what, it was good because we were riding the inner horse.
Riding the inner horse means an unspoken but fully understood presence which happens when you and your horse are one. The bareback child communicates with horses like no one else, and it carries onward. I recently watched some adult riders riding bareback across the plains on a reservation. This was an emotional sight, one that has taken place countless times. You could see the “flow” between horses and riders that was so totally different from any other riding activity. No wonder so many army officers described them as the world’s best cavalry. I must have watched them for a few moments, but it was timeless.
Once you can ride the inner horse, go ahead and tack up. The tack allows riders access to a lot of interesting riding, and expands the possibilities. The trick is to find the tack that allows the inner horse and rider to come through equally. Connection is both the road and the destination. Choose tack so that it transmits the inner horse for you and the inner rider for your horse. I do not condemn other approaches by any means. I just offer this one as another way of thinking. However, I can’t close without pointing out a fact – people say” inside out “more often than “outside in.” Maybe it’s more natural.
Tahka Pui