Ruso Pitskhelauri on childhood dreams, super power, and self-development

Horsewoman, architect by profession, co-founder of Material Hunters. With all her being she is involved In horsemanship. Ruso particularly loves horses (and people) with the sense of dignity.

When did you first come into contact with horses and what feeling do you remember from that moment?

I remember being 10-11 years old, spending holidays in Bakuriani. One of my friends had brought a Sony PlayStation and I was so thrilled with it that I could not imagine anything more entertaining. Any activity - be it eating, learning, or reading - was followed by playing the console as an award.

Then I saw a horse for the first time. A girl was riding it and the moment it caught my eye, the Sony console and everything else that was important before lost its meaning.

I told my Mum that I wanted to ride the horse too. She was being cautious and did not let me ride it without any preparation, but she let me on a carriage, so my first journey with a horse was in the carriage. When we got back to Tbilisi, I didn’t stop talking about this experience and my mum let it slip that there were horses in Tbilisi as well. Of course, I did not back down until my mum took me to the hippodrome while also warning me that this particular sport was an expensive one and we wouldn't be able to attend regularly.

When we reached the hippodrome, I ran up to the first person I saw (thinking that I should not give my mum a chance to interfere with my plans) and asked - “what does it cost to take up horse riding lessons with you?” “30 Laris” he answered (for the whole month). Thus I started taking horse riding lessons. After school, I would immediately get on bus #50 and go to the hippodrome.

As soon as I learned how to ride a horse independently and my teacher noticed my enthusiasm, little by little he started disregarding me. He was lazy to pay attention to me. When I got there, he would usually tell me - “go get this horse, go get that horse”. I would happily take out around five horses, ride them and then let them rest and graze. I would spend the whole day there until sunset.

What feelings do you remember from that time?

I felt strong self-confidence, which was powered by some supernatural inner force, as if I could speak horses’ language.

This feeling gave me immense pleasure and a sense of freedom. I remember there was one aged horse named Tsutsa. He had stopped running a long time ago, but as soon as I would sit in her saddle she would start galloping around immediately. Even my teacher would look at me astonished and say - “I could never imagine she would gallop again”.

In about a year, my “teacher” got even lazier and he wouldn't bother himself to teach me anything new at all. He left both - me and the horses in my own hands. I used to go to one lost stable every day. Later, I learned that other student groups gathered at the hippodrome and even tournaments were held, I had no clue about that and would seldom see other human in my area.

My teenage years also did not help. My desire to communicate with intellectual beings (other than the horses) - humans of my age, grew stronger. Gradually and eventually, I left the hippodrome and the horses.

Did you wave goodbye to your relationship with the horses? Did you leave them in your childhood?

No, never. Quite the opposite, unconsciously I always felt that someday I would cross paths with the horses again. Neither did I lose the feeling of this special bond, a force that connected me and the horses and that I understood them as nobody else did.

A few years later, when I was an architecture student at Tbilisi State Academy of Arts and working as an architect, I was unexpectedly gifted with a 1-year-old horse, whom I named Happy Nessy.

From that day on everything changed. My first impulse was to train Nessy to create a loving relationship with her. I did not want to own a horse just for the sake of it.

I read tons of books, watched lots of videos about how a human can communicate with a horse. I learned that it happened through body language - the same way horses communicate with each other.

Every day after work (sometimes even at 10 pm) I would go to Tbilisi Sea Stables, where Nessy was taken care of. I would feel no pleasure from a warm home, delicious food or spending time with friends if I did not visit Nessy first, take care of her and make sure that everything was ok. It directly correlated with my well-being and peace of mind.

I always thought that I would grow old before I sat behind the wheel but, because of Nessy, I learned how to drive a car, so that I could go see her every day (before I would have to change multiple buses to get to Tbilisi Sea).

At first, she would fight me when I opened the stables. After a couple of months, with lots of effort from my side, she would start galloping towards me as soon as I called her name, she knew she could trust me.

What did you get in return after giving all that effort? Your life most definitely got more complicated, right?

Yes, my life did change and got more complicated, but every day I understood that my relationship with Nessy, her trust and love gave me so much energy and happiness that I could never give that up.

A year later, I realized that something that brought me so much joy deserved to be pushed forward. I had a strong urge to make my relations with horsemanship much more interesting and tight, to learn more about this field and to make something more out of it than just a hobby.

When something makes you especially happy, you realize that that is where you can develop the most.

I always liked watching tournaments, especially barrier jumping, and I thought, maybe me and Nessy together would be able to overcome those obstacles.

As Tbilisi Sea did not have appropriate amenities for that, I started practicing at Lisi hippodrome (with a professional teacher this time). After practice I would go to Tbilisi Sea to visit Nessy and then to work. Although, at this point, my job totally lost meaning to me. After a little while, I transferred Nessy to Lisi as well, left my job, and started working on private architectural projects in the company that I and my friends founded together.

What changed from Tbilisi Sea to Tbilisi hippodrome? What observations did you make and what new things did you learn?

Being at Tbilisi Hippodrome reminded me of being a child again. In childhood my favorite thing was playing with kids outside. Leaving the hippodrome reminds me of that feeling when Mum called me back home, all the other kids stayed outside and all I wanted was to stay with them and continue playing. When I leave the hippodrome, no matter where I'm headed - the only thing on my mind is that I need to return there as soon as possible.

Besides training, I also volunteer - I take care of the horses that I practice with and try my best to make sure that they stay in the best shape.

The process of taking care is very important to me, not only for the sake of physical appearance of the horse but also from the perspective of communication with them, getting to know them better and gaining their trust.

The energy and effort put into taking care of the horse reflects on the quality of practice and success in competitions. The everyday routine looks like this - taking care of the specific horse, training with them, and, in the end, getting them settled in the stable. I am entrusted from 3 to 5 horses every day (it's the same horses) and with each and every one of them, I go through this process.

In the process I learned how to tell horse’s character. Horses are, in fact, just like humans and they all have their special qualities - some of them are cowards, some are cheeky, some are brash and others - mischievous (Nessy, for example). Understanding horses’ character helps me in finding a better way to communicate with them, which means I can control them better. It won't be a surprise if I say that I love noble horses (and humans), who treat you the way you treat them and, at the same time, have adequate reactions to the events happening around them.

So far, this activity is not the source of my income (I get my income from architectural projects) and it's not easy, of course. But I still chose the activity that brings me immense joy to be my number one priority and I feel that this is my true path to develop as a human.

I have been involved with painting, architecture, different programs, but I have never experienced the desire of learning and developing with as much strength and intensity as I have in horsemanship. It has been 4 years since I started spending every day at the hippodrome and up to this day, the desire to learn something new each single day has never left me. I never feel lazy going to the hippodrome even in chilly, windy or rainy weather.

Do you want to progress more as a rider or as an expert in this field?

I want to progress in both directions. It seems these are two different paths but actually, they are deeply intertwined.

Please, tell me a bit more about each of these paths. How do you progress as a rider? What is your strength?

I think it's my deep love and enthusiasm.

Every day I train and work on improving my technique. I participate in tournaments, sometimes as a non-competitor (to improve my skills). I have been to Italy several times, where I took short-term courses in horsemanship.

I do have difficult days, when I feel disappointed with my training and my self-confidence disappears. I can hear my own voice in my head saying - “you should have mastered this by now”, - “you are making such silly mistakes”. But I keep working on myself and reminding myself that even the most accomplished riders sometimes make similar mistakes. I acknowledge my mistakes and realize that it's part of the learning process.

-”It's ok if you need more practice than others do” - I reassure myself, - “some may achieve this easier but you are competing against yourself, aren't you?” My motivation returns in its place by the next day.

Where do you envision yourself as a specialist and a supporter of this field?

I believe that with my knowledge, insight, and experience I can make a difference in this field on the local scale.

For the past 4 years, I have been studying horsemanship thoroughly. I constantly read, watch videos, and get acquainted with the new information - about taking care of horses, grooming, horse physiology, traumas, psychology, etc. Horsemanship as a sport is a very complex field involving lots of details. The International Horsemanship Federation works on making this sport a comfortable experience for the horses and every year they publish a new set of rules and standards. I want to always keep up with the news and innovations and have comprehensive theoretical knowledge.

I keep thinking about what kind of base should be built locally, what type of system should be integrated in this base, what events should be held in order to participate in international championships. When the time of working on these projects comes, I might have a unique insight and offer a different point of view for solving specific problems, based on my daily experience of working with the horses at the hippodrome.

I see my participation in all of the above mentioned very clearly, just as I clearly see and feel that I am exactly where I am supposed to be and I'm doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing.