A trebuchet. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
When I was in 10th grade in high school, my physics teacher gave us all a very challenging but fun final exam. We were going to team up in groups of four and build a trebuchet. A trebuchet is a siege engine that was originally used in the Middle Ages. It’s also referred to as a “counterweight trebuchet” because the whole thing works by using the energy of a raised counterweight to throw a projectile.
In order to get an “A” in the class, our trebuchets had to be able to hurl a cabbage 100 feet. Your grade went down a letter for every ten feet under 100. My team was comprised of four girls, and we were not expected to do very well because females apparently cannot build anything. Ha! Well, not only was our trebuchet solidly put together, but we threw the second furthest in our entire physics class and received an A.
I got to thinking about how horses and riding revolves heavily around physics. Lindle and Denny are constantly saying things like “It’s just physics … think about it.” Which brings me to my very first dressage lesson with Denny … a memorable one. Not only was I completely terrified, but I had no idea what to expect, as this was my very first lesson with him ever. The first five minutes were humiliating to say the least. My position was all wrong. I was staring down at my horse’s neck. My stirrups were the wrong length. My hands were too wide apart. I couldn’t get my horse on the bit to save my life. The list goes on and on.
Within the first 10 minutes, Denny got on my mare while I stood on the ground watching. He was explaining to me that horses and riding horses is so much about physics. He would ask me a question, such as: What is her inside hind leg doing right now? I would pause and think to myself … um, well … I think. Denny would stop me and say: The inside hind leg is the weight-bearing leg. She has to sit and lift. Literally, she has to squat down and lift her own weight. She has trouble doing this. You do it. I responded: Huh? Denny asked me to squat while I was walking. He told me to squat lower. Finally, I realized what was going on.
Valonia coiling before a jump.
Denny has this amazing way of explaining a concept so that anyone can understand it. He asks and quizzes you on daily basis, which makes it impossible to not learn. I never realized how much of what we do and what we are trying to do revolves around physics. A horse that can sit, and lift, and carry himself or herself is going to have a much easier time in dressage and jumping compared to a horse that tries to hurl himself on his forehand every day.
Of course, there’s a great deal of other factors that go into our horses and our riding, but when stripped down to the lowest common denominator, horses can be looked at and thought of in a mechanical way. How are things put together on this horse? Why can this horse jump the way she does and this horse can’t? Why is it easier to jump when my horse’s head is the highest body part? Why can’t I attempt flying lead changes in this strung out canter? All these questions can be answered when you examine them from a mechanical point of view. It’s so much about physics, really.
