Why Learn Theory?

One lesson type that confuses people when it comes to riding is theory lessons. What kind of theory is there to learn about riding? How could a theory lesson be helpful? Why pay for a theory lesson and take an hour for one when they can pay for a ride?

There’s actually many benefits to taking a dedicated theory lesson. There’s a lot of theory in riding, but a lot of it is confusing and complicated. There’s hundreds of books out there for riding, but many of them have information that is often conflicting or just difficult to understand. In a theory lesson, it’s easier to dig into an element of theory and understand what the different viewpoints are saying. Theory lessons are often student-oriented, answering a student’s individual questions about what they’re doing. For students who don’t have any immediate questions, theory can cover anatomy and physiology, history, horse psychology, and so much more.

It’s also beneficial to cover theory when not on the horse for a few reasons. One is to make the time on the horse more effective, spending more time actually riding instead of going over the theory. It’s impossible to escape theory; it has to happen to make what we’re doing on the horse make sense. Another reason, and perhaps the reason most advanced riders really treasure theory lessons, is that a rider’s focus is divided while on a horse. My students know that I equate riding to patting your head, rubbing your belly, hopping on one foot, and reciting the Gettysburg Address (backwards). When you’re riding, you’re so focused on controlling your body and therefore the horse that a lot of information either A) doesn’t make sense, or B) doesn’t get remembered by the end of the ride. How many of us while riding forget how to count up to 10, discern left from right, and so many other things that are basic when we’re off the horse? Therefore, how can anyone remember something more complicated like what the nuchal ligament is and why we need to know about it when it comes to riding? I have very few students who can retain that kind of information from a riding lesson. Theory can also cover riding patterns that a student has performed. During a lesson, it’s easy to follow the teacher’s instructions, but after the lesson is over, it’s easy to forget the details of a pattern (or two or three patterns). Taking a theory lesson can help clarify those patterns and add nuances that the student wasn’t ready to cover during the riding lesson.

While some of the theory seems extraneous knowledge, it’s actually really important when confronted with other information. Having a basic grasp of anatomy and seeing how the internal structures work can help a rider filter through information they find online or elsewhere, and it can help clarify passages in books. Riding is a combination of science, art, and sport, but of those three, it is mostly art, as no two riders or horses are the same. Therefore, riders who’ve written books often struggle to put into words something that is so feel-based with scientific backing, and this makes books often complicated. Having a theory foundation in anatomy and physiology helps the students understand what some of these writers are trying to say. That’s not to say we have to go insanely deep in the anatomy knowledge; just a basic understanding of a few systems can be enormously helpful. It’s also easier to learn some of these things in a theory lesson with a horse you can touch and feel (with a model of a skeleton or playing with a 3-D computer program that lets you see the different systems in layers and how they interact) instead of just looking at pictures in a book.

There’s also other theory besides riding that helps riding. Horse care is always a moving target, and knowing some basics like how to tell if your saddle or bit fit or how the horse’s digestive system works for ulcer prevention. Even show grooming and learning different braids can count in a theory lesson! For riders, there’s theory for fitness plans, nutrition, falling safely, and so much more. History is also important for understanding how we’ve gotten to where we are in riding nowadays as well as why people say what they say in some of the books. Many of the books written on horsemanship are politically influenced; Steinbrecht constantly talks badly about Baucher, but not too long before his book was published, France and Prussia (now called Germany) were at war. Each generation also likes to point out the ills of the previous generation, which created a bias against Medieval knowledge that was magnified during the Victorian era. Saddle and bridle design has also changed and fluctuated enormously over the centuries, which changes how we read books from even the 19th century (I’d even argue that designs have changed enormously even in the last century).

There’s so much that can be covered in theory lessons that one could probably take weekly theory lessons and still have more to learn! So why not take some theory lessons and get a tailored approach to learning, pulling out books, models, diagrams, etc. that can only help your riding? Theory lessons are a great alternative if the weather turns foul, as you can even take them virtually over Zoom or another video conferencing platform from the comfort of your own home. They’re also great if you feel like you’re just not going to be up to snuff in your riding that day (such as if you’re stressed or aren’t in a good mental space to ride, ouchy from an injury or from other aches and pains, etc.).

So if you’re looking to improve your riding knowledge at your own pace, check out our theory lessons!