Zen and the Horse uses horseback riding as an activity for refining the rider’s posture, breathing and awareness.

Zen and the Horse is about seeing horses and riding as a Way, becoming an activity of self-development and spiritual training.

By viewing the horse as a mirror, a rider can see the direct consequences of his or her actions. Often, the horse is doing exactly what the rider’s body has asked of it, although this may not be what the rider conceptually wants the horse to do. The rider must first look to his or her own posture, breathing and awareness before looking to the horse in instances where the horse is not responding to what the rider wants. Riding is accomplished through using the rider’s entire body, and needs to be done with the rider’s awareness in the present moment.

People ride for different reasons. Many ride for pleasure, some to compete, some for exercise and still others to spend time with their horses. Whatever the reason, know that you can use riding as a discipline to refine your posture, breath and awareness. What you learn through refining these on your horse can be brought into your daily life. Ultimately, riding a horse can lead to an awareness of being connected to all life and become a journey of improving one’s own life as well as one’s riding.

The relationship encouraged between riders and horses are one of mutual respect. Zen and the Horse emphasizes the efficient use of riders’ bodies and can be applied to any riding discipline. Ideally, people participating in Zen and the Horse learn to see their riding as training for life out of the saddle, and take what they learn and experience from riding into their daily lives.

As riders refine their posture and breath, their frames of mind begin to change. They become more aware of their own bodies, as well as the horses beneath them. As the boundaries between riders and horses soften, riders are able to refine the process of connecting with their horses.

Zazen and Riding

On the surface, it would seem that zazen and riding a horse would have little in common. The first activity takes place on a stationary cushion and the other occurs on the back of a moving animal. Your legs are crossed in meditation, while on a horse they straddle each side. Your hands are placed together for zazen, while riding they can separately hold each rein. Given these differences, the principles of posture, breathing and awareness for zazen can and do apply to horseback riding.

From a Zen perspective, your posture is adjusted to bring your spine into alignment. To accomplish this, the bottom of your spine is lengthened downward as the top is extended upward. In most people, the chin protrudes forward and disrupts the natural alignment of the spine and head. In zazen, your ears should be in line with your shoulders as if the top of your head were suspended from above. Also, tension in your neck and upper body needs to be released. This can be accomplished by moving the front of your pelvis upward in the direction of your nose, allowing the trunk of your body to rest squarely over your legs.

From a riding perspective, the posture of a rider on a horse is referred to as the “seat” of the rider. If you keep your position in the saddle by self-carriage and balance, allowing yourself to follow the motion of the horse, you are said to have an independent seat. W. Müseler in Riding Logic refers to das Kreuz anziehen, an action of the rider’s lower back that is essential for a stable and balanced seat. In das Kreuz anziehen, the lumbar spine and sacrum are displaced forward. This levels the pelvis by pushing the front up and the rear down.

When your pelvis is level, your diaphragm can expand into your lower abdomen. In zazen, the spine lengthens on both inhalation and exhalation. Your focus should be on making the exhalation long and even. Your inhalation should occur without effort. If your exhalation is complete, air will flow into your lungs in a similar manner to water filling an eyedropper when the bulb is released.

In riding, breathing can be used to stabilize both rider and horse. By using a long and even exhalation, you release tension from your upper body and maintain your center. Your inhalation can be used as a half-halt to rebalance your horse, which is discussed in Zen and Horseback Riding.

In zazen, your field of vision spans 180 degrees. In riding, your eyes must be able to see the complete field of vision while looking ahead. Such a diffused field of vision prevents your attention from being taken up by individual stimuli in both zazen and riding.

If posture and breathing are correct, then awareness becomes correct. Words cannot accurately describe the awareness cultivated by Zen training. This awareness is nondualistic, transcending the either-or of subject-object. At the highest level of awareness, thinking, acting and feeling become one.

The horse is trained to respond to the aids of the rider. You, as rider, must clearly communicate your intentions to the horse. Through refining posture, breathing and awareness, you can experience your connection with the horse. The horse can serve as a mirror to reflect the results of this refinement.

At the highest levels of riding, the rider follows the motion of the horse and the horse responds to the rider so closely that both appear to become “one with” each other. The ultimate goal of riding at this level is to transcend the duality of “rider” and “horse.”

While maintaining different forms, the posture, breathing and awareness of zazen and riding have fundamental similarities. The principles and techniques of zazen can be used to train and develop the rider. Riding can be used to develop posture and breath in movement. The end result of both is to fully experience and respond to each moment, whether in stillness or in motion.