December 2007 • VOLUME 28 • © HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine

You have excelled yourself - again!

How do you find these amazing people - Nevzorov for example - and Karen Rohlf!

Although I cannot agree totally with the former that bits are instruments of torture - one can ride sympathetically and I could not risk being out on my 3/4 bred without one - his riding is extraordinary!

Well done you - what a performance! You are magnificent.

Dana

Dear Editor,

I was almost in tears when I saw the new bridle that has been approved by the FEI. It was a timely article because I had been debating renewing my membership with a local USDF club. Previously I disagreed with the USDF and no longer compete but I had been supporting the state club in order to try and promote dressage in our rather un-dressagey state. However seeing that bridle I refuse to send one more cent to any organization that supports or has anything to do with the FEI!

Thank you for your wonderfully provocative and educational magazine. It is a continual inspiration to stay true to the horses!

Robyn Redpath
Montana

Hi Nadja,

Thank you very much for yet another great edition of your magazine. Kudos to J.C.Racinet for his clarifying article about the French philosophy of “ease.”

Like I reported in one of the earlier editions, I had the honor and great pleasure to spend some time at the training facility of another great French Master, Philippe Karl in France last October to see and learn first hand what Baucher really meant and practiced. I can only confirm that following this teaching and trying to even get judges to understand this kind of “Lightness” seem to be an impossible task. Looks like if you want to train your horse in the absence of force, you have very little chance in modern competition.

It does not come as a surprise then, to read about the latest “ stunt “ by the FEI to approve the new bridle, as presented in your Nov. edition.

I stand by my statement. Let's change the name of this kind of “Dressage” into Circus riding! It certainly has nothing to do with the “art of classical “ training and teaching.

Thank you again for speaking out, we need a voice in this industry!

Hans Hollenbach

XENORA Horse Empowerment.

Acton Ontario

xenora@sympatico.ca

Dear Nadja,

I was astonished at the daisy wheel spurs and roller/snaffle/link bit as well as the bridle allowed in dressage competitions by the FEI (went to their web site). If anything indicates the sorry state of training, those images say more than words. Also, I have been unable to find a pretty new bridle without a crank noseband to replace my old bridles. My horses do not look good in the clunky stuff currently in fashion (OK, call me a "fashionista"). May actually have to buy a bridle, throw out the cavesson and see if the cavesson from my old bridle will look OK with the new. Or have a cavesson custom made. Rarely do I make absolute statements, but here goes. There are NO circumstances where a horse needs its jaw tied shut. If there are problems with tongue and jaw, then the horse has veterinary issues, tack fit problems (saddle, bit design or placement), or its training has failed in a fundamental way to address relaxation and throughness.

Also, the parotid gland article was a shocker!

Thanks for the heads up in the November issue, Nancy

Postscript:

Some years ago I took some clinic lessons with a senior judge. She looked at my bridle, which had its cavesson (NO drop, NO flash) adjusted so four fingers fit under it, and tightened it, announced to the audience, "You have made a training level mistake!" So I faked having to go to the restroom and led my Vulkan out of the arena, loosened the cavesson, came back in. She was too busy to notice that I had readjusted the bridle. I never went back to that person again for lessons. At one point in showing, I kept a flash strip of leather only to put on in the warm-up and arena, and it was adjusted as loose as I could make it without it flopping because one of my classical instructors had said that you would never be marked down for faults with the mouth if the judge saw the restricting noseband - they really could not see how loose it was! Now I do not bother with anything but my plain old cavesson with plenty of room for 4 fingers. But you see, the problem of how to train a horse badly has deep roots in some professionals who know nothing but have control over policy. As my mentor Dr. Henri van Shaik said, "People ride how they are judged." Veterinarian Gerd Heuschmann in his new book "Tug of War: Classical versus Modern Dressage" is very clear on the responsibilities of judges and trainers to be guardians of correct knowledge.

This is an enquiry e-mail from Sascha Day (happydays@bordernet.com.au)

Dear editor,

Firstly, congratulations and thank you for your progressive and entertaining magazine. It is my one monthly subscription I cannot do without!

And secondly, a big thank you for your article on the revolutionary horseman, Alexander Nevzorov. I wonder if there has ever been a man in history such as he, who has brought such a level of awareness, enlightenment and understanding to the world of horses. Always and uncompromisingly focused on the utter wellbeing and emancipation of the horse - Alexander Nevzorov and his School will lift the horse out of a life of pain, servitude and submission into a life that is 100% complete and happy, and some would argue, as being a life that the horse has as a fundamental right to live.

He brings this understanding to others for only the cost of letting go of what they think they know about horse training and simply opening their hearts to have a true friendship with their horse and genuine mutual understanding.

Thank you, Alexander and Lydia Nevzorov!

Hi , I have spoken to someone in your office before. This is just to remind you all that I am among those people eager to read your magazine, but unwilling to sit at a computer to do so. For one thing, it took my computer 4 minutes to download just your home page !!!!

So, I am hoping that eventually your publisher will offer us the option of a hard copy. I would be willing to pay MORE per subscription, but I am not willing to spend time reading your publication on a computer. There are many people out there that deserve to have access to your excellent articles and who, upon reading the articles, might help make a difference for the HORSE.

Personally I feel that if your company is really concerned about the well being of the HORSE, you would open offer your excellent and interesting and IMPORTANT articles to the many horsemen and women who have no desire nor time to read a magazine on the computer.

Polly