An insurgence. Fear. Horses are excited. No more mention of human/equine unity, which after all today may exist only in the rider's imagination and the enclosure of a covered school. At best a make do type of management remains. Straight up the hill. Stay together. Stay on. Restraint released the horses gleefully buck. Finally an opportunity has arrived to close croups, mount backs, shed tensions and - balance.
The human liver sticks under the lungs. Kind of to one side the stomach follows. Gall bladder, kidneys, spleen and the before mentioned organs of the human body roll around the cardio-vascular system, which incessantly pulsates oxygen into the body. Pancreas, colon, intestines and bladder also make for human energy. The uterus brings on new life. All these parts are held in place by a strong, delicate fascia web, which as well places bones, muscles and all other locomotive hardware parts. Core functions like an elastic inner rod support the body.
"... it is necessary to first place the horse correctly. The placed horse is like a well-tuned keyboard on which the rider plays ... ." With these words Etienne Beudant opens the 1929 summary of his work. It also serves as a guide to Baucher, who in the first half of the 19th Century anticipated modern knowledge well ahead of his time. Only, what does Beudant mean?
The biped human is upright. His hands act independent of his feet. His balance is easily defined. The horse's horizontal backbone provides a place for the rider. But what about equine balance? The body mass is placed on the forehand. A majority hangs from a cantilevered vertebra, which bridges front legs and hindquarters. The long and low horse walks with its weight on the forehand. The so called horizontal balance distributed the horse's weight evenly on all four legs. In elevation hindquarters support the majority of weight. The horse can walk on its hind legs and it can jump. When then is it in balance? Or is there something else to it?
No wonder Beudant does not speak of balance. He speaks of the placement of the horse's parts. Head and neck. Shoulders and croup. Back and tail. The ribs. The organs. The muscles systems. Brain, central, peripheral and autonomous nervous systems. Leave alone its feet. He makes no mention of these parts. But considering his results he knew how to place them.
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