TRICK OR TREAT
- Isaac Ares
Piaffe cannot be stolen.
It must be earned.
There are paths we rush through.And others we cultivate slowly, like a fine wine that’s not yet ready to be opened.
In hand work is, to me, one of those noble paths.
It’s where true understanding is born: in calm, in detail, in closeness.
It’s where leg yield, half pass, and pirouettes are gently built.
And where the trot and canter refine their nuances:from working to collected, from extended to floating.
But there is one point where I draw the line.
Not out of pride.
But out of respect.
The piaffe.
That whisper of haute école, that vibration between earth and sky…
I don’t teach it in hand.Because the piaffe is not a trick you pull with pressure.
It is an act of trust.
Of strength earned.
Of balance found deep within.
It cannot be imposed from the outside.
It must be awakened from within.
When forced in hand, the horse doesn’t understand he reacts.
He jumps in place, yes.But he doesn’t sit.
And what may look like art is merely a conditioned reflex.
The pressure taught piaffe is just a costume.
The real piaffe is revelation.There are no shortcuts when you’re seeking truth.
Only preparation, patience, conscious gymnastic work,and a rider’s hand that listens.
It’s not a circus act.
It’s the echo of a well written story.
Tonight, in this twilight of shadows and lanterns…
I ask you: Trick or treat?
Isaac Ares
