Alois Podhajsky Quotes & Sayings

...the horse is by no means a 'wild beast' or a stupid animal as sometimes described by thoughtless persons. — Alois Podhajsky

There is one principle that should never be abandoned, namely, that the rider must learn to control himself before he can control his horse. This is the basic, most important principle to be preserved in equitation. — Alois Podhajsky

The objective of the Classical Art of Riding is to train the horse not only to be brilliant in the movements and the exercises of the High School but also to be quiet, supple and obedient and by his smooth movements to make riding a true pleasure — Alois Podhajsky

Just as experience dictates to the ballet teacher the length of time necessary to train his students, so the horse, too, needs time to mature into a great four legged dancer. This fact cannot be obliterated by seeming successes that supposedly prove the opposite. For, even if someone should succeed in training a horse to high school level by the age of eight, this individual occurrence cannot shake the foundations of the classical art of riding, if this dressage horse is completely unsound and unusable by the age of ten. — Alois Podhajsky

Whenever difficulties appear, the rider must ask himself: does the horse not want execute my demands, does he not understand what I want, or is he physically unable to carry them out? The rider's conscience must find the answer. — Alois Podhajsky

Theory without practice is of little value, whereas practice is the proof of theory.Theory is the knowledge, practice the ability. — Alois Podhajsky

Nature can exist without Art, but Art can never exist without Nature. — Alois Podhajsky