"I have a new student, who was taught, not to look at the horse when she rode, not even to just look up, but to look off the horse's shoulder onto the ground. I have no idea why." Chis said, refilling his pipe as we walked back to the stable.
"You mean she looks where she's been, not where she's going." I asked as I peered around Marlow's big head. My lesson was over and I was heading back to put him away.
"Yes, like some modification of a hunter style. I think."
"I've known riders to ride like that. They do it because it's cool."
"COOL??" He asked, incredulously.
"Yes," I nodded. "It has 'attitude'."
Chris smiled.
"Let me tell you a story." He began. "A friend of mine was auditioning to join the Riding School of Vienna before they stopped taking foreign students. He was in the large arena and asked to execute a canter. He put the Lippizaner stallion he was being tested on, into a canter and in seconds lost control of the big animal as the horse bombed along the track on the long side of the arena. Coming towards them in the opposite direction was a student of the school also riding a big Lippizaner stallion but executing an exquisite Passage along the track. The two riders were on a collision course and as all good riders know, the Passage has ultimate precidence and MUST be yielded to at all times by all other riders. My friend could NOT stop this horse and was at the point where he was going to just close his eyes and pray for the best, when the student and his Lippy moved (still in Passage) out of the track of the arena allowing the out of control pair to barrel past, and then with equal style and grace, moved back into the arena track without losing a heartbeat of the Passage and without either the horse or the student so much as looking at my friend, changing their facial expression, composition or organization. It was as thought they were the only horse and rider in the arena."
Chris paused and added, "Now THAT's cool."