Alexandre Khondji “Dressage” at Sweetwater, Berlin

At about a twenty-meter distance, and an inclination of five to ten degrees, life inside an indoor riding arena seems just about perfect from head to toe. No distortion but the confirmation that what you see is how you feel. A reality check if you will. Haunches-in, haunches-out, half-pass or appuyer, a final pirouette. See? This is all about correcting horsy’s straightness, addressing the asymmetry, keeping it all well balanced. From the hand to the mouth, and with the acceptance of the bit, contact is ensured, communication smooth. First the emitter and then the receiver. Or is it the other way around? Left right, right left, you are now moving in the four-beat walk, the two-beat trot. Look up, eyes forward now.

This is a process of synchronization. An exercise in control and discipline. Arms and hands, legs and feet, hips and seat. Sit tall with a straight back. Hips should be supple, heels should be down, hands steady with your thumbs on top. Now rein-back and piaffe. Who said this was about control? One-two-three-four. Remember, everything happens before it appears. This is the disconnect, proprioception at its best.

Now turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches. Half-halt. Serpentines! Even the smallest of movements means something here. This is the bidirectional world, where everything communicates. A straight line connecting the elbow to the mouth. And the montage-machine, the infinite loop. If I turn, it turns, and back to the beginning. Feel the weight shifting in front of you?

at Sweetwater, Berlin
until April 17, 2025