Riding Mayfield Pzazz in the Final Dressage Freestyle 

 

 

By Kerry Mack

 

'The whole is more than the some of the parts when it comes to horse riding'

 

Well Equitana is done and dusted for another year. It is always fun to be part of it. I leave these events with lots of food for thought. I reflect on what I could have done better, how I can achieve it next time. For the dressage riders, Equitana is the biggest audience we can show our horses' skills to. 

 

At the end of the freestyle test on Saturday night, compere Roger Fitzhardinge asked me to talk about what it is like to have the trusting relationship that I have with Pzazz, with more than a decade competing together (spanning 13 years with breaks when he was injured). Now in the light of day I would like to give a better answer than I did on the night. It is wonderful to ride into that arena knowing that even if Pzazz may be a bit excited by the atmosphere we will both enjoy the test. When I think about it I have realised that I would find it close to impossible to stand up and perform in front of 4,000 people without him. For example, I have had to learn to be successful at speaking in public. Actually, I am not an excessively confident person. I don't find it easy to perform in front of people. Because I have confidence in Pzazz, that he is such a talented and beautiful creature, we can go together and do what we have practised. I can do it because of him. So it is reciprocal. If he is nervous about the crowds and the lights I can reassure him by keeping him occupied, show him leadership. He trusts me, I believe that he will accept me asking him to do something a bit scary, going into those big arenas. On the other hand the confidence that I have in him allows me to put myself in front of the crowd too. I don't believe that I am unique in feeling this way. I suspect that many riders find themselves able to do more than they could without their horse. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Like the centaur myth. I had the same experience jumping and eventing. I had confidence in my good horses that allowed me to face up to big tracks and puissance walls, and all kinds of things that were challenging and frightening too. I think it's not only elite riders who experience this connection that gives them confidence. It's ‘horses for courses’ as we say in the trade. It is the same phenomenon whether it's the elite rider at the big championships, a child and a pony, an inexperienced rider out on a trail.

 

We have seen that the relationship is important. Some horses at a top level do transfer to other riders, but we know that not all will. Totilas comes to mind. I wonder if the really outstanding achievements we see, such as the mastery of Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro, are another example of the synergy of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. I can only imagine the confidence in him that she must feel. He is so beautiful, so reliable, so talented. They have an obvious connection. The confidence the rider has in his/her partner brings out the best in them both.