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QUOTES BY OTTO VON MONTETON
On the Rider's Seat and Aids
"Therefore, the calf should feel hairs, in order to detect the sideways drifting of the ribs and the haunches, so that it is able to re-establish the straight line by the same pressure."
(1877)
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"A clumsy rider will hardly be embarrassed on a trained horse. The most skilled rider, on the other hand, can get into the most embarrassing situations on an untrained horse. For that reason: Always focus on the horses, not on the people. For in order to give correct aids, they have to sit correctly. But the most beautiful seat is useless on an untrained horse, and it is much more difficult to teach and to learn a good seat on an untrained horse, because everything becomes a struggle, whereas on a trained horse, who is completely supple, the seat falls into the correct shape all by itself and maintains itself in it."
1877
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"I want to mention one thing out of a thousand: the rider’s hand. I always call it the ‘glass of water hand’, because I don’t know a better description than to imagine carrying a full glass of water in each hand, without spilling anything. The invisible influence of the mind on the body achieves several things during this visualization. The fist must not make the same motions as the rider’s body. Otherwise the glass spills over. The horse must have an even, yielding contact. Otherwise it spills over as well. The muscles of the hand must be attentive and alive, but neither limp nor cramped. Otherwise the same scenario happens."
1877
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Last Update: January 13, 2007