Cordoba
Cordoba: A Study in Connection
Limited Edition High-Relief Sculpture
This high relief sculpture celebrates a moment of telepathic connection between a good and an ethical rider and a happy horse.
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"It’s an amazing piece that shows the relationship between human and horse. It’s incredibly powerful and beautiful. It truly captures the essence of what I believe is true horsemanship."
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Michelle | Horse owner and dressage rider | USA
Cordoba
Here I also celebrate the strength and beauty of the famous Lipizzaner horse, first bred in Spain in the 16th century in the ancient town of Cordoba. These horses are probably best known now for their world famous dressage performances at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. ​
Dimensions: 10.5" W x 10.3" H approx.
Price: €POA - foundry cost dependent + P&P
Material: Cast bronze or aluminium
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"Oh my goodness.
I immediately see a baroque type horse with a Vaquera/Vaquero rider. This piece of art shows power and softness at the same time.
Each angle draws my eye to a different aspect.
I see the rider’s softness and the horse’s response, from the gentle hand to the horse’s inward ear. The movement of the horse displays strength and power contained with soft communication between both partners. This is beautiful work".
Teri | Rider | United States
From the 'Frying Pan of Spain' to the Studio
This sculpture celebrating ethical horsemanship and showcasing this particular breed of horse - one I'd longed to meet since I was a child, was inspired by a visit to the Royal School of Equestrian Arts in Cordoba, Southern Spain.
Though my main interest had always been dressage, horse work wages had always been low and a ticket to London to see the Lipizzaner’s dance was for most of my life, as unaffordable as a trip to Vienna, so when I found myself at the Royal Stables in 2018 at the age of 60, meeting my first Lipizzaner, it felt like a seismic event.
Appropriately enough it was the hottest week in the hottest year on record in an area known as 'the frying pan of Spain' where I took my seat on the front row and looking up the centre line, wept as I watched these horses working. One pair in particular stood out. On return home, I immediately started work on this piece. It took me 2 years to complete.
Dressage is often likened to dance but it's very similar to yoga too. It comprises a set of movements that is designed to develop a horse's athleticism and flexibility, movements which have been honed to an art form from their inception by the ancient Greeks.
Done well, ie progressively, ethically and with 'feel', horses thrive on it - they love connecting with good riders, are healthier when fit and flexible, they blossom when rewarded and as with all herd and pack animals, they're happiest with a routine and a clearly defined role.
This is a clip of Royal Cordoba Stables which i filmed the day after saw those Lippizarna's dancing - they open up in the afternoons for anyone who wants to come and watch the horses being schooled. This horseman was, I think, the boss.
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'Feel' as mentioned above, refers to the rider's ability to accurately read a horse and adapt instantly to whatever's most appropriate in that moment. This will earn a horse's trust and the rider will be offered a connection so close, it'll feel telepathic. This connection I'd describe as a state of bliss and is what this sculpture is about.
All dressage movements except for tempi changes are natural, they are ones that horses will perform at will as an expression of excited exuberance or as they play with their friends in the field. What makes them Grand Prix dressage movements, like the Piaffe the horse in this sculpture is doing, is that they're performed on request, in a specified manner, at a certain spot and for a certain number of steps. Piaffe would be introduced about a decade into a dressage horse’s training programme, when he's developed enough to be able to perform and sustain it with ease.
Here though the horse is offering piaffe, unrequested, pure joie de vivre. His head I've placed in an ‘at liberty’ attitude, neither in classical dressage outline nor overbent as the Spanish tend to ride. His nose is slightly tilted to the side, a free shake of the head, a moment in time, unrestricted and comfortable in mind and in body.
But the horse is still listening very closely to his rider - you can see this in the angle of the turn of the ears - a horse's ears tell you an enormous amount about what a horse is doing, thinking and how he's feeling.
Why No Tack?
Both saddle and bridle have been used for millennia - the saddle centering the rider as close to the horse's centre of gravity as possible with the bridle affording nuanced communication. When this tack is well fitted, well-kept and in experienced hands, it's the most comfortable and beneficial arrangement for both horse and rider.
But the idea of riding bareback with no bridle either, always had an appeal for me as a child - evoking ideas of wildness and freedom, closeness of contact and crucially, absence of rider domination, ideas which I found, as i got to know horses better and improved as a rider, had been be made up by Disney and unhorsey romantics. Though fantasy, that idealistic image still conjures the concept of kindness for the majority, so it's with artistic licence that I've sculpted this horse with no tack.
I've taken no such liberty with the rider, who is notable for his classic correctness of seat - a straight line running down from his ear, through his shoulder and his hip to his heal, giving him access to perfect balance over the horse's centre of gravity and the ability to lightly apply the aids (subtle nudges and alterations in weight) with maximum efficiency and minimum disturbance to balance.
In this sculpture, I have the rider turning inward, his right hand reaching back to touch his horse, a tender gesture that's central to this piece that honours ethical horsemanship.
Why honour ethical horsemanship? Does that mean that most riding is cruel?
While horse riding per se isn't cruel, competition can make it so, by driving a shortcut mentality that can lead, unintentionally to abuse. Fuelled by ego and the desire for the prize of wealth and status that winnings bring, competition can drive riders to push horses too early, beyond their comfort and ability and to take unreasonable risks. Hundreds of racehorses die every year from racing and similarly, event horses, showjumpers, polo ponies etc can sustain serious injury from the things they're asked to do. Competition dressage too can bring out the worst in trainers who perhaps through laziness or pressure from an impatient owner, are tempted to take short cuts, use restrictive techniques or lose their temper, all of which will sabotage training and trust.
But to tar every horse rider with a 'cruelty' brush would be crazy. Competition riders are the visible part of the equestrian world, but they represent a tiny minority. While the competition rider's focus is on winning, recreational riders have a completely different mind-set and spend an inordinate amount of time, thought, effort and money putting their horse's welfare first with no desire to rush or risk injury to out-do competition.
There's a huge following now, on social media, growing in size and influence, that's dedicated to promoting horse welfare in competition, promoting Classical Dressage as the primary training method and promoting opposition to blood sports and the like. Sadly, money rules our world and I can't see racing going anywhere, but rest assured, horse welfare is being monitored like never before. If you're interested in supporting any of these groups, a Google search will give you online sites, if you have any problems finding them, please drop me an email.
"Cordoba is a masterpiece. I love the combination of tautness and fluidity in the horse’s muscles, and the harmony between horse and rider. The precision of outline is extraordinary, like a super-sharp engraving."
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Emily
"I can't even pretend to be an expert, but I absolutely love the hand of the rider resting on the hind quarters of the horse. It seems like a private interactive connection, and that is what gets me hooked."
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Tara | USA
"I like what this does artistically, I’m initially seeing the power, motion and control of the horse. As the riders face is partially covered (as is the horse’s to some degree) I'd assume that your intention was to pull the focus down. I think it makes it really interesting."
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Susan | Rider & Artist | UK
"You could have given this horse paws instead of hooves and my jaw would still hit the ground. Stunning!"
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Courtney | UK
Explore More
Horses have featured in my life since I was a small child, I never owned one but I've drawn them, worked with them and now I sculpt them. Donkeys I have huge respect for, musicians and good people too, I honour them all in clay. Explore the wider collection of hand-cast and original sculptures.
