This is Capote – Session Two: He is Innocent.
- Jane Frizzell
- Apr 5
- 3 min read
Fixing a Tense Lusitano in Western Tack (The Quiet Rehabilitation)
This isn’t “inspired by” classical training. It is classical training—followed line for line.
Chapter One: The Mantra
Loosen. Engage. Proceed.
That’s the rhythm now. That’s the mantra. Even after four days off, the horse can come back into that simple, rhythmic system. It keeps both of us honest. It’s not just about doing the thing—it’s about doing it in the right order.
Loosen, engage, proceed. Loosen, engage, proceed. Loosen, engage, proceed.
It resets everything.
Chapter Two: The Advertising Dilemma
Sometimes the best advertising is your own students.
Other times you think—no. Don’t tell anybody. It’s a secret. Because when you’re being quietly stolen from while also being disregarded... it’s not just annoying. It’s absurd.
But I know I’m building one of the most interesting, diverse, and skilled stables in the world.
So, what do I say? “My riders are better than yours”?
Sounds like bragging. But it’s true.
Chapter Three: On the Word “Brace”
Harry Boldt’s translated instructions says brace the back.
But what is “brace”? Because he didn’t ride hard. In real life he’s quiet, controlled.
So what did he mean?
Maybe “brace” was a poor translation for engagement. "Das kreuz" is the crux ;)
When we let the weight drop and don’t hold tension—that’s what it feels like. Our back isn’t stiff. It’s just dropping the weight through into the horse.
Words matter. Because “brace” has led people to ruin—over-muscled riders, stiff necks, hard seats. The whole modern overcorrection. And the young horse programs? Awful.
The horse should not be braced. He should be weight bearing.
Chapter Four: The Looseness Timeline
When you ride with looseness, time changes. You get more of it. In a pirouette, or a simple walk—once you’re loose, you can choose when to adjust. You find space between the beats.
One of us said it well:
“You have time to make the chord. You have time to make that change.”
That came from a guitar teacher. But it applies here.
Chapter Five: Innocence
Capote is not a bad horse. He was never a bad horse.
“He is innocent,” the Major would say.
And he would pronounce it with gravity:
In. Oh. Sent.
Not pity. Not sentimentality. Just a solemn truth. He has been charged with crimes he didn’t commit. And now, our job is to prove his innocence through the method itself.
Through riding.
Chapter Six: Rebuilding Weight
The goal is not to remove weight, but to teach the horse to carry it.
“He must learn to carry the weight where it is.”
They shift weight to reduce their own effort. That's natural. But training’s about teaching the horse to accept and bear the weight in a way that feels like freedom. When I soften, he doesn’t escape. He organizes.
“Hug. Soft. Hug. Off.”
Chapter Seven: Rhythm of the Combined Mass
“Loosen. Soften. Go.”
For Capote, this was huge. He didn’t blow up. He began to carry.
“Loose and carry left. Loose and carry left.”
It’s like piaffe on a circle—but not dramatic. Just weight, softness, permission.
Chapter Eight: Fear and Recovery
We talked about a buckskin's bucking fit. The one where he blew through fences, didn’t stop, kept bucking. But even that doesn’t mean he’s malicious.
It means someone got greedy.
“The horsemanship was lacking. Ego got greedy.”
The horse was brilliant. Then he wasn’t. And instead of adjusting, they dug into him.
But he can come back.We’re seeing it.
Chapter Nine: Healing Through Normal Riding
This session is living proof:
“We are healing a frazzled, fried horse through systematic normal riding.”
We didn’t take his head around. We didn’t try to 'supple' him. We rode him FORWARD.
Not a clinic. Not a spectacle.
Just real weight. Real riding. Real change.
Final Chapter: The Halt
He stood, quietly. Not frozen. Not punished. Just... standing.
And I whispered:
“He is innocent.” MAJOR ANDERS LINDGREN
Now he knows we know. ❤️
Bibliography
Every training action seen here is grounded in:
Saumur
Warendorf
Tor di Quinto
Strömsholm
Ft. Riley
Vienna’s Spanish Riding School
The Iberian Vaquero tradition
Podhajsky (pp. 108–130)
Major Lindgren (pp. 46–54)
Steinbrecht’s Gymnasium of the Horse (pp. 34–35)
Saumur & Ft. Riley, Section 27
Class 103: The 4 Events (demonstrated + dissected)
This isn’t “inspired by” classical training.It is classical training—followed line for line.
🔁 Return to the Beginning
⬅️ Start with Session One: A Stunning Lusitano →(Replace # with the actual blog URL once published.)
[End: This is Capote – Session Two]
(c) Jane Frizzell / Basic Military Riding. All rights reserved.
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