ridecamp@endurance.net: Art v. Science (was HRM) (LONG)

Art v. Science (was HRM) (LONG)

K S Swigart (katswig@deltanet.com)
Tue, 18 Feb 1997 14:10:19 -0800 (PST)

Ever since I was a little kid, I have always wanted to play the piano.
When I was first learning to play the piano, the practice music had
little numbers written by each note telling me which finger to put on
which key (1-5 for each hand). Those of you who have learned to play
the piano may be familiar with this.

With years and years of piano lessons and hours and hours of practice, I
was never able to progress past the stage of putting "finger #5 on b-
flat" and even when I played the piece right it still didn't sound
right. It sounded as if I was playing by numbers (which I was). Those
of you who have learned to play the piano will also know that this ain't
no way to play the piano.

If you look at the music for concert pianists or even for people who
have progressed beyond pure novice, the music does not contain little
numbers next to each note telling you which finger to use.

What, you say, does this have to do with endurance riding?

I have a friend of mine who wants to write an article on "Is Riding
Horses and Art or a Science?" For me, the answer is obvious, riding is
an art; in the same way that playing the piano is an art. I could
practice and practice and practice (which I did) at playing the piano,
but until I stopped playing notes by putting my fingers on keys (the
science of piano playing) and started playing music (the art of piano
playing), I was never going to be any good as a piano player. I needed
to be able to FEEL the music, not just play the notes. (In case anybody
wonders, I have never learned this, and gave up playing the piano years
ago).

Using a heart rate monitor (HRM) is "riding by numbers" and there is far
more to riding and conditioning a horse than a number on an HRM.
Reading a horse's vital signs (of which heart rate is one) can be
informative, but even the vets know that vital signs are not enough. I
have yet to go to an endurance ride where the vet has not asked me, "So,
how's your horse doing?" The vet is not asking about my horse's vital
signs; he can read those himself. He wants to know how my horse FEELS
to you. If I had to guess, my ability to answer this question
coherently is a substantial factor in the vet's evaluation of the
condition of my horse (it would be if I were a vet).

To the person who said about HRMs "if you don't have one, you shouldn't
be riding." My response could as easily be, "if you need an HRM to tell
you the metabolic condition of your horse, you shouldn't be riding."
Good riders can FEEL it, long before the HRM tells them anything.

Which isn't to say that HRMs are not useful tools, just as all aspects
of the science and technique of horses and riding are (e.g.
understanding the metabolizing of energy, a course in anatomy, the
science of nutrition, the aids to ask for the canter, etc.).

It is also true that understanding the science of music (e.g. tonality,
intervals, the mixing of sound waves, Fourier transforms, acoustics,
etc.) are useful tools in the creation of music. But understanding all
this science of music does not make a musician. To be a great musician,
one must be an artist. And a great music teacher will help a student to
develop the art and emphasize its importance--even though the technique
is much easier to teach.

To be a great rider, one must get past the technique and be able to feel
the art of riding. And a great riding teacher will help a student to
develop the art and emphasize its importance--even though the technique
may be much easier to teach.

What you read on an HRM may be informative, gut sounds may be
informative, capillary refill may be informative, the way your horse
twitches its ears when you ask it to canter may be informative, there
are a multitude of signs that can be read that are informative (of which
the number coming out of a HRM I rank pretty low on the informative
list), but until you can put them all together and feel what they mean
you will just be riding by numbers.

And just as "playing by numbers" ain't no way to play the piano, "riding
by numbers" ain't no way to ride a horse. Close you eyes, forget about
all the data, and feel your horse.

Every artist has his own methods, mediums, and tools that he uses, so
should it be with riding. The only thing that ought to be required to
ride endurance is a horse; everything else is optional. So far, that's
what the AERC rules say. Here's to hoping it stays that way.

kat
Orange County, Calif.

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