Tempus Renatus Riding School

A challenge people frequently come across is the lazy horse: the horse that you have to constantly remind to stay forward, the horse that makes your legs feel like they’re about to fall off from exertion. These horses, while easy to appreciate for a quiet trail ride, can be frustrating when you want to do something a little more. It’s important to realize: there is no such thing as a truly lazy…

A challenge in learning classical riding is refinement. We watch videos and read about “invisible aids” and dream of being that good “one day.” We might sign up for a clinic with a classical rider, one famous for coming from somewhere amazing or studying under someone legendary, but once we get there, there’s frustration. The instructor doesn’t immediately go for that refinement we dream of. Even…

When we think of regenerative agriculture, we usually focus on the earth-focused elements: using companion species, composting, etc. But something we learned from living off-grid is the value that technology can have. Even though I’ve been skeptical of “smart homes” and other similar technology, there are benefits for high-power-usage items that are not necessarily connected to other sensitive…

Many classical riding enthusiasts plunge headfirst into reading the original texts and frequently become daunted by what they read. Some masters contradict others, and some contradict modern understanding altogether. The language, of course, is also a challenge in itself. Then, there are also disturbing passages that make us modern readers cringe. So, is it worth reading them or not? In my…

We need air to breathe, and yet, when we get on a horse, we often forget to breathe. Whether this comes from nerves, concentration, or muscular effort, it can cause a lot of problems. At best, we can become tense, at worst, we can risk getting dizzy. But how we breathe makes a difference. Shallow breaths fail to give us enough oxygen to properly supply our muscles with energy as well as introduce…

It is a cornerstone of classical riding philosophy that the relationship with the horse is based on trust, not fear. As Pluvinel wrote: “You can never rely on a horse that is educated by fear. There will always be something that he fears more than you. But, when he trusts you, he will ask you, what to do when he is afraid.” However, many riders struggle with achieving that trust. They pour their…

I once heard a sobering statistic, and I doubt it has changed much. Some 80% of USDF members ride at Training Level, and something close to 80% of that group believe they never can or will get past that. That’s over half of the members of the USDF believing they will never ride lateral movements, flying changes, simple changes… just walk/trot/canter with 20m circles. That statistic makes me a…

Classical riding scholars and masters frequently repeat that the art is based on only natural movements, but is that true? Where do we see horses perform a half-pass or shoulder-in in nature? Or airs above the ground? Surely these are just things that humans have fabricated? The fascinating thing is all of the classical exercises are observable in nature; you just have to be watching. Foals…