Martial History of Horseriding

Researching the history of Chinese martial arts, we find many references to horses. From the ancient Chinese texts like "the art of war" to the naming of postures or patterns like "Mustang ruffles mane" in taichi and Shaolin. These facts pose the question "How does martial training relate to the art of horsemanship?"

Within most martial art styles there is a basic stance called the horse stance (Ma bu, Kiba-dachi) which is used to strengthen the legs and provide an exercise for sinking the chi. another aspect of this fundamental stance is its ability to make you more balanced and durable in the saddle.

Through further research we find specific kung-fu styles dedicated to horse movement, in the horse form of northern Shaolin we find a whole pattern based on the movements of the horse, they believed that the horse was a useful working animal that should be studied and its natural advantages in nature utilised. In this pattern we find techniques with such colourful names as "crazy horse biting at a bear" and "Meteor hoof punch". A practitioner, while practising the horse form, would keep his/her trunk firm and stable, his/her steps powerful and steady. His/her fists would be held to look like hooves of the horse. The muscles would be relaxed and the body movement natural.

Taking these examples and many others we can see that horses played a major role in the cultivation of martial arts in china. The Chinese even named a year after this revered animal.

The horse was revered throughout china from the most ancient of time. In February another huge burial site from 660-480 B.C. was uncovered. There are thousands of clay soldiers, though smaller than the warriors of Xian. the central, most sacred area was occupied by 6 horses and 3 complete chariots, the body of a king's relative, a couple of slaves and wives. Some of the earliest forms of writing we have from china are about the care of horses, listing the attributes of the learned "literati"; the Han dynasty texts list the needed qualities of, horsemanship, archery, calligraphy and poetry.

It was the Mongols who, via their beloved horses, who changed history and conquered the world. How? Through the platform stirrup. their saddle, with both a high front and back, locked the rider in. instead of stabbing with a spear or swinging a straight sword like the rest of the world, they would brace their spear into their shoulder or saddle and, just before impact, stand up in the platform stirrup to connect the horse's power into the spear and literally become a tank. Even the sabre was invented for its ease of use on horseback. The Chinese quickly adapted that from the Mongols as well.

It was in archery that the Mongols truly used the horse for its advantage. The horses were trained to run with an almost flat gait. The platform saddle and stirrup allowed the rider to control strictly with knees and voice, leaving the hands free to shoot a barrage of arrows from their laminated compound bows. They were so accurate that the Chinese phrase "be careful" (Xiao shin dien) means "small heart smaller", because if a Mongol on horseback could see you for a second he could put an arrow into your heart.