The girl is ten years old. The horse is recovering from an injury and her legs are a little tender. Reminds me of M.B. saying in my review of The Horse Whisperer that tug 'o' war is a game you never win with a horse. This girl doesn't play it. You can see the connection between the horse and the girl, she's basically letting the horse know with her eyes what the horse is supposed to be doing, and the horse is trusting her to know what's best to do. The whip never goes anywhere near the horse, it's basically just an accessory to make a little noise that reminds the horse "my human says I'm supposed to be moving." M.B. said when that mojo gets working it's almost supernatural and shit. I think I'm beginning to see a little of what he means by that.
-- Badtux the Youtube-browsin' Penguin
(And no, I have not the foggiest idea how I landed on this video).
This video was a great start for my one-day-a-week job. Thanks, Tux.
ReplyDeleteyup, she knows her way around the drill. the horse, and i loves me some andalusians, is short striding on the right rear leg.
ReplyDeleteone of the really cool things about the andalusians is that the centuries of selective breeding have created a naturally long stride. it makes for an incredibly smooth ride. the old spanish grandees used to show off the quality of their horseflesh by placing glasses of wine on the top of their flat hats and then doing a circuit at the trot without spilling a drop.
it's not the girl's eyes that are giving the cues. it's her body. notice how she is turning her entire body, keeping the buggy whip outstretched in her right arm. (the angle of the whip is the cue for the distance and speed, but, it's like a conductor's baton, it ain't a weapon)
right at the beginning, the girl did things perfectly too. you don't go rushing up face on to a horse. that's a challenge in herd behavior. by coming in from the rear and the side she told the horse "i'm a herd member, we're in this together."
very cool.