Friday, 30 July 2010
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• VOLUME 44 • © HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine
Dominique Barbier – Reflections on French Classical Dressage By Jean Llewellyn “A horse is the mirror of your soul, of who you really are. It is your reflection that you see through his eyes.” The partnership between a horse and rider that truly encompasses precision, harmony, rhythm, lightness and relaxation – yet is totally unencumbered by invasive control or pronounced aids - is an “ethereal” experience. For Dominique Barbier, an extraordinary teacher, trainer and clinician in French classical dressage, “using the power of the mind is the most important aid,” as his methodology epitomizes the art of communication and visualization. “Partnership”, he believes, is essential for forging a strong relationship, “based upon absolute trust, cooperation, and willingness” – that together cement the bonds of mutual respect – regardless of a horse’s background or abilities. “You cannot develop a rigid plan where you, as the rider or trainer, determine the specifics for each training session in advance, because you will likely be disappointed. Horses are not machines to be manipulated at will, but living beings that will respond to us and communicate their desires if we open our eyes and ears and allow them to.” Born in France in 1950, Dominique Barbier attended a Jesuit school in Poitiers and, at the age of 15, traveled to Crabbett Park Equestrian Centre in West Sussex, England where he certified as a British Horse Society Assistant Instructor (BHSAI). “I was 15 years old and my teacher put me at the back of the class on a bad horse thinking ‘He won’t understand much because he doesn’t speak English.’ But at the end of the course the administrator spoke to my father in English – which I translated into French – asking if I could return to continue with the professional course…. And I completed it in almost half the time!” … Listen to the birds! In 1972, Barbier attended the renowned Talland School of Equitation in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, under the instruction of Mrs. Molly Siveright, FBHS, DBHS. “At the time, I was completely misdirected in my goals. I wanted to be a good rider technically so I developed a series of tricks in order to be able to ride and train horses better and more quickly – or so I thought! It was a disaster. I rode one horse, Golden Caledon, for two weeks and she made me realize how useless my physical-trick approach really was.” Witnessing Barbier’s frustration, Siveright told him to simply “Walk around the field and listen to the birds!” Although he thought the suggestion “laughable”, it was a defining moment in Barbier’s life. “As soon as your mind relaxes, your body relaxes; the horse senses the mood through your body and reacts to it. It can go in either direction; just as a horse reacts to stress, he reacts to relaxation. That experience proved to be an important revelation in clarifying my attitude towards horses as well as towards life in general. I realized that riding was not a series of tricks, but a relationship with the horse based on friendship, trust and mutual respect.” As Siveright told him, when you want a horse to do something, “You only have to ask – politely!” The visualization technique Together, Barbier and Golden Caledon progressed effortlessly to more advanced movements, and the mare’s level of anticipation kicked in, typically indicating the point at which the training has become too repetitious. “I only had to think ‘flying change’ and she did it. I was amazed!” But, while many riders would simply change their routine to avoid the issue of habituation, Barbier began to wonder whether he was thinking too loudly! Was there another layer to the art of mental communication? “I decided that I had to develop another way of thinking. That was when I started to develop the ability to create two minds, one that was readily available to the horse that he could read, and another, far removed. The first would say, ‘I am going to do nothing,’ while the second would whisper ‘I am going to do a flying change over there by the big bush.” This technique, combined with finely tuned sensitivity, convinced Barbier that ‘visualization’ had replaced ‘anticipation’. For the next eight years, Barbier sharpened his riding skills at a number of highly regarded facilities throughout Europe, pursuing various disciplines, including showjumping, three-day eventing, dressage and steeplechasing. He then based himself in Portugal for two years studying with the legendary Mestre Nuno Oliveira where his riding skills were enhanced by perfecting his “mental and physical attitude.” This experience was another defining moment that inspired Dominique’s belief in keeping a horse “light and happy,” known as “la belle légerèté à la Française.” A strong advocate of the ancient traditions of French classical dressage, Barbier began training stallions up to “high school” level, including teaching the Lusitano stallion, Dom Giovanni, to canter on the spot and backwards!!!! Dom Giovanni was a Cinderella story par excellence! At the age of four he was facing enthanasia because he was exhibiting aggressive behaviour and had already crippled a groom. In Barbier’s hands, however, and with the help of Oliveira, Dom Giovanni became his “most brilliant horse as far as his mental ability and his general nature go. But he required an enormous amount of constant love, understanding and patience.” The stallion also reinforced Barbier’s firm belief in mental communication. “One day I was helping my assistant perform passage on my other stallion, Dom Pasquale. I was very intensely involved with her work, visualizing passage while sitting on Giovanni, who was on a loose rein. Suddenly he began to passage for me. I was amazed, since I knew that this horse normally needed a considerable readjustment in his balance and position before attempting this movement. Technically speaking, what he was doing was impossible, but he was doing it nevertheless! […] It was the best illustration of visualization possible. Physically, I wasn’t doing anything. If you want it badly enough, the horse does it.” … No room for anger! Barbier recalls entering a new era of self-education when he first arrived in the United States in the mid 1970s to work as a clinician. “I was given very little time with an individual horse, so I had to establish communication with him very quickly. Most problems I came across were with spoiled or abused horses. […] For instance, one horse might associate some movement or position with discomfort. He might have mental flashbacks to a situation that had been frightening or demeaning to him. It is very difficult for a horse to overcome fear. […] His brain is saying ‘You are in big trouble, protect yourself.’ In order to establish myself quickly and successfully in a working communication with these horses, my own mental attitude proved crucial. An open, analytical, unconditionally accepting attitude is necessary, with no room for anger or a sense of superiority.” Continuing, Barbier said, "I found that I could create an instant relationship and communicate with the horse if I could get rid of all the negative, preconceived ideas.” He illuminated this concept by explaining
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An Equestrian Legacy