The Art of Horse Training and Discipline

Written by: Mehran Darg

❖ Nana Jan’s Principles of Horse Training​

My late grandfather owned three horses and two mares. He always kept them separated in individual stables, following a specific method of training. During the training phase, the horses were kept apart from the mares and made to run in open fields. This training period lasted four months.

❖ Method of Horse Training​

Nana Jan ensured that young horses remained out of sight of the mares. They were trained in complete isolation, even avoiding eye contact between the sexes.

If a horse started to misbehave, he would jerk the iron-bit bar in its mouth, refocusing the horse’s attention on the training.

Horses were trained in various gaits such as Tezgam, Rala Gam, and the most graceful, Chobaz Gam.

❖ The Elegance of Chobaz Gam​

In Chobaz Gam, the horse strikes the ground with all four hooves in such a smooth and balanced rhythm that a glass of water placed on its back would neither spill nor tremble. According to Nana Jan, when a horse ran in this gait, it seemed as if it were gliding a few inches above the ground.

❖ Philosophy Behind Training​

Nana Jan often remarked that when a purebred horse in Chobaz Gam gallops past, one should stand in respect, for it is a well-disciplined and resilient creation. On the Day of Judgment, believers will pass over Sirat like such horses—marked with signs of prostration on their foreheads, and their ablution-washed limbs shining with light.

❖ Discipline and Separation​

According to Nana Jan, the most crucial principle in training was separation from the opposite gender, ensuring the horse’s complete focus. He often cited the story of Junayd Baghdadi, emphasizing that even in the most sacred place—Baytullah—it is not appropriate to teach men and women together.

❖ Modern Training and Social Issues​

Nana Jan’s training principles hold significant relevance today. He associated the rise in social issues and moral decay to co-educational systems and lack of focused upbringing. The failure to provide a structured and morally sound environment is, in his view, the root cause of modern societal problems.

❖ Conclusion​

Training a horse is not merely a physical discipline; it is a psychological process. Just as a horse needs focus and separation for proper development, the human intellect and psyche demand a neutral and distraction-free environment for fair and just growth.

A reflection on discipline, tradition, and societal insight by Mehran Darg