Horses for Life

August 2007 • VOLUME 24 • © HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine

Tell us what you think!

Would you like to see more joy and fun in your riding?

What message would you like to share with Ross or with Manolo?

Do you agree that rollkur passes all international boundaries and that we need to speak up?

Tell us about your success!

What is dressage to you!

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Comments

Written by Dana Green on 2007-09-06 23:02:04

What an extraordinary delight Ostermaier is! Thanks you for the most inspiring riding I think I have ever seen. On a contrasting note, the issue of draw reins needed to be dealt with - well done. In its own way it is just as unedifying, forced and damaging as rollkur. great issue, many thanks. lots of love, Dana

loading
Written by pat voisey on 2007-09-17 18:51:00

very interesting item. we have a mare who had a very nasty accident a few years ago, but is still good enough to load in anything for us, however, she really doesn't travel well in rear loading front facing trailers. in fact she travels best in side loading rear facing vehicles. this is because she can balance much better on her hind quarters, and she likes to spread her forelegs to maximise stability.( she is a medium build, irish sports horse, with very powerful quarters. ) we now ensure we use only her prefered transport, they also tend to be very low to the ground, making them more stable. Pat

susan garvin / instructors
Written by pat voisey on 2007-09-17 19:18:18

How sad i was reading susans 'keeping rabbits instead' for the record, we keep them as well, they have the run of the garden, and keep everything VERY trim!!
it was lovely to see how much susan loves her horse, however her relationship with her instructor doesn't seem as good. you should be able to discuss your requirements, your dreams and your ideas on how you want your horse treating, after all it is your horse, if you are unhappy about something your instructor asks you to do, you should say so at once, and give your reasons,; there has to be a three way relationship going on here, you, your horse and your instructor, i find some instructors often forget the horse as anything other than a tool, forget they are flesh and blood, muscle and bone, a beautiful living being with a mind and spirit of their own.
I am a riding instructor, not one of the manolo's of the world i regret to say, but i work with many horse and rider combinations who have been to hell because of 'experts' who have fitted tack badly, beaten sore horses, as lazy and workshy, used 'gadgets' and over bent them 'till they just couldn't take the pain any more, and expoded.
one of the first things i tell people is that if there is anything i ask them to do they dont understand, or dont want to do, they must please tell me straight away, we can then discuss the situation, and find a way that will satisfy us all.
talk to your instructor and explain your feelings, if he/she is not prepared to listen, you have the wrong instructor for you. like in any relationship, not everyone is suited, and sometimes a few litlle things need to be ironed out.
i ride, and teach many people using the dr. cooks bitless bridle, and some people think i am simply a crazy woman, well maybe i am. and i am obviously not the right instructor for them!!!
i hope all goes well for you, Pat

Catherine Iselin's Pneuma(tic)Feel
Written by pine on 2007-11-03 18:08:42

I much enjoyed this article. My experience in lightness is just that, the energies move through the horse and the rider unblocked (relaxed), the bodies filled and round in a full natural form as if inflated and suspended. Ideally the so-called aids are hardly physical, only hints to the animal, not mechanical clutches that activate engine gears and levers.
As for the other frustrations about the world of dressage, don't get me started... The idea of making a competition out of training an animal to be ridden it's beyond my comprehension. Then, making a sport out of it is even more vain. Whether one agrees that all aspects of training are measurable or not , it's now also a business. Whatever brings medals is on demand and there must be a supply for it. And so many well intentioned horse training lovers are paving this road to hell.

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