George Morris Horsemastership Training Sessions: Day 4 Recap

It was back to flatwork today, but this time there were no stirrups.

The Twitter-verse speculated George might have let out his evil side today…

But seeing as how George did not one but two stirrup free demonstrations, I think he just proved how committed his teaching philosophy is to proper seat, leg and especially hand position. Those skills are exactly what he drilled all morning long. “Practice doesn’t make perfect.  Perfect practice makes perfect.”

New George-isms:

“I don’t teach according to fashion, I teach according to classical methods.”

“The horse must accept the aids – leg, seat, hand.” –George later described how “proper hands” are often the last thing learned, well after seat and leg.

“This country always was allergic to contact.”

“Don’t be afraid of your hands. Don’t be afraid of your legs. Don’t be afraid of your seat.”

“Resistance meets resistance. Submission… relaxation.”

“Repetition teaches the horse.”

“The first rule is calm… equestrian tact.” –on training out resistance in a horse.

“I like all horses… most all horses. I like very few people.” –Trivia: His list of people he does like included Jon Stewart. Which Jon Stewart wasn’t clarified (Google tells me there are a few horse trainers by the same name — or maybe it was hunter-jumper trainer Don Stewart?), but I like to think it was the comedian/newscaster.

“In teaching, there’s one chief!”

“The physical and mental nature of the horse takes precedence over training.” –on how every horse is different and on each individual you need to ask for 5% improvement, 30%, 50% according to their needs.

The sessions continue through Saturday, January 3. You can watch the live stream via the USEF Network here. Join us next Monday night, January 5, at 7 p.m. EST for a George Morris roast roundtable discussion about the sessions featuring celebrity guests and reader participation  — you can send in your questions/comments through the Google+ event page or Twitter @Horse_Nation. Keep it locked on Horse Nation throughout the week for more details.

Go Riding!