The horse, along with the dog,
has accompanied man through evolution. Horses began as prey
and were then domesticated
to be ridden, used to pull vehicles and agricultural
equipment. Thus, horses have been part of human life from
huntergatherer period to nomadic times and then from the
settled farmers to the industrial age. Horses have evolved
in all climates around the world. Their different uses and
the different mentalities of their breeders are what have
characterized the different breeds around the world
including the different builds and temperaments. Horses are
quick and strong but very gentle and sensitive and have
hence always exemplified the special bond that people can
have with animals. Still in the modern world of today,
horses have various roles; they have been used as weapons,
engines and are still considered a status symbol in some
places. The Mongolian Empire, or the expanding settlements
in Australia and the Americas would not have been imaginable
without the use of horses. Despite the years of
domestication that horses have undergone they have never
lost their social behaviour, nor their flight instinct.
Different types of ‘riding culture’ have developed through
the various conditions
that horses were ridden in, for example the cowboys
developed a different style of horsemanship to the Bedouins
or the riders of the Spanish Riding School. However, one
might argue that these have more similarities than
differences when analysing their philosophies on handling
horses. Good horsemen only differ in nuances.
Through my role as a cameraman and filmmaker I have had the
privilege of visiting more than a hundred countries over the
last
decades. I was infected with the ‘horse bug’ at an early age
and through my travels I experienced a large variety of
different types
of people working with different horses for different
reasons and in different styles. This gave me the chance to
always follow
and learn more about my passion. The success of the film,
‘School of Horsemanship’ was the catalyst for the series of
films, ‘Horses of the World,’ and deepened my friendship
with Egon von Neindorff. Since then we have developed over a
dozen films covering different topics. Whether a donkey,
zebra or Przewalskihorse, these equine creatures are all
related to our riding-horses and are very similar in
their behaviour. Even the rodeo cowboys are sportsmen that
consider their horses as partners. During the time I spent
filming
‘Riding as a Therapy,’ I was able to witness some incredible
bonds and communication between people and horses. During
the
months I spent in the Mongolian deserts, where people’s
livelihoods still depend very much on horses, I was
fortunate enough to
have some most memorable experiences of how close the
relationship can be between man and horse. The memories I
have
gathered from the ménage of the Circus Knie, to different
breeders’ paddocks, to the Icelandic horses, very much show
that working with horses is much more than just a mere
activity. Horses and people are part of a culture.
