Long search yields a fine horse

Jie Chang

In recent years, the driving force in Liang Tsai Lin’s life has been closely tied to the horses.

At first he changed his old car for a Hummer, a car with a rich, classical aesthetic that has endured for thirty years, its elegant and lofty disposition deeply attracted him.

Five years ago, in order to keep healthy, improve cardiopulmonary function and sort out long term back pain, Liang Tsai Lin began horse riding at the Shanhaiguan riding club, not a million miles from his home. From that day onward, he has been a dedicated horse rider.

A year later, the subject of his work changed to welding horses.

After the inspiration of welding horses, Liang Tsai Lin could often be seen sat, cigar in mouth admiring the poetic charm of the horses as they paraded around the arena; so intrigued by the interaction of human and horse that he would often stay and watch all day.

Of all the sights of horses a man may see, none is more moving that the sight of a recently born foal being led in play by its mother and father, rolling around and practicing small, faltering steps. The responsibility of this training falls upon the mother’s shoulders, while the father horse does not idle his time, warmly accompanying them, attentively watching over these golden days of their family.

However, the frame of mind of mounted rider and dismounted rider are poles apart.

Galloping on horseback is not only an honourable exercise, it requires more than simple brute strength, demanding the rider be wise, patient, courageous and compassionate. Unlike other exercise tools, horses are alive, they have feelings and the rider must understand the horse’s temperament, in turn be able to distinguish between friendly and difficult horses. A horse with its ears facing forward is friendly, whereas a horse with ears slanted backwards, staring and baring its teeth is an unfriendly beast. If you don’t figure out the nature of your horse early on, you’ll probably learn the hard way!

If a rider can tune into the rhythm and rhyme during a rising trot, a joyful oneness may be attained where the boundaries between horse and human dissolve, this is truly a feeling that cannot be described in words.

After the rider has dismounted from the horse, in order to reward the beast for its toils, the owner washes and grooms the horse, feeds it, and returns the horse to its stable to rest. All of these multitudinous actions have been duly observed by Liang Tsai Lin and he has carefully stored them in his memory bank.

From the first stretch of the morning, face buffeted by the strong wind, the pant after a gallop, a stare, weariness, stubbornness, boredom, thirst, a stolen glance, even a horse waiting for its opportunity to escape after nightfall, all of these have been skilfully captured by Liang Tsai Lin’s astute eye, it is as if only he can see the true nature of the horse.

Liang Tsai Lin has long been contemplating the silent beauty of the horse, forging an emotional dialogue, capturing the many subtle, oft overlooked nuances of movement and action in horses’ lives. All of these he has duly recorded in his heart over the past four years; through his ingenuity and skill this series has finally come to fruition.