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Dressage, Naturally
with Karen Rohlf
Creating healthy biomechanics and stronger partnerships through combining natural horsemanship principles with the art of dressage... photo: Peggy Finnerty
never underestimate the potential for harmony & lightness to improve in ways you cannot yet imagine
Welcome back to the Temenos... Temenos is an ancient Greek word. It refers to a sacred space that has no limits, where special rules apply and extra-ordinary events are free to occur.
One more week to order the book/DVD at the special ‘pre-release’ price.. I have been overwhelmed by the interest in this book! I have received orders from all over the world... as far as Pakistan! Due to the volume, it still may be a couple weeks before some of you receive your order. We are doing our best to get it to you all! For those of you just joining us here, the New instructional Dressage Naturally book/DVD is currently available only to you, my newsletter subscribers..The only way to get it is to:. CLICK HERE for Pre-Release ordering...
This special page for ordering is made just for you! After April 1st he book will appear on my regular web-shop at the full price. The rest of this newsletter will be dedicated to my students...Enjoy some photos and experiences from your fellow Dressage Naturally enthusiasts!
Clinic schedule: CLICK HERE
Upcoming Clinics: April 6-11 Temenos Fields, Ocala, FL for Parelli students starting to do the basics of dressage naturally. FULL (no outside auditors for this one)
April 25-27 North Carolina Contact: ncparelliclinics@bellsouth.net Only a couple rider spots left! Auditors welcome and encouraged!
The book is 184 pages, with 59 exercises, 53 figures/illustrations by ‘yours truly’ and 3 hours of DVD!
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The Open Format Workshops wind up for this season... it was a healthy mix of progress and fun! The open format workshops were held once a month for the past 5 months. Students came for one or 2 sessions a day. The idea was to create a format where everyone could get help, but could have an independent focus. Do you ever ride by yourself and really wish someone was there to see what you just did, to give help or confirmation? Or have you ever been in a clinic where the exercise being taught, although valuable, is not the best one for you and your horse at that particular moment? The Open Format is designed so students can use the time as they like. They let me know their specific concerns, so I can keep an eye out, then they are free to observe, practice, come get me for help or rest as I assisted, demoed rode or discussed theory as needed with the individual participants.... I really enjoyed the group and I look forward to continuing this highly effective and fun format!
Thank you, Caralee, for the photos!
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Dressage Naturally student, Diane Brooks spends 2 weeks in the Temenos!
“All of the dressage competitions I have won have never made me feel as successful as I do now.”
Recently I arranged to have 2 weeks of lessons with Karen Rohlf. my husband and I, our two great danes and our 2 horse, Jeri and Lucky Teddy, drove 1200 miles from Ontario Canada to Florida. Dressage riding is my hobby but I found with previous instruction that there was nothing natural about what I had to do to my horse to get him to perform. I saw DVD of Karen and I immediately thought: “wow, what if I could take lessons from her? So I spoke to my husband and he encouraged me to contact Karen and ask her if we would be able to have some lesson time with her in Florida. It turns out the answer was yes so we started making plans for the longest trip I have ever taken two horses on.
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She remained focused on teaching me to be aware of Jeri’s body, alignment and energy, but also his emotional state. Her intent was to teach me further and further away form Lucky, slowly so that the emotional state of Jeri wasn’t high. It worked, as by my 4th lesson we were on the other side of the property and the two horses were in a relaxed frame of mind to accept learning. Karen taught me to read my horses, and listen to their body language so that I could be aware if my horse and I were still having a conversation. She showed me how to talk to my horses through their bodies. We learned so many exercises to help us through the things we found difficult. Jeri is very sensitive, not only to extraneous things, but to whatever aids I give him. He can do what you ask but have very little focus on you. He likes to push his left shoulder out which makes it difficult to get any bend.
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would have me halt and get the horse into the proper position, relax and then continue in the walk or trot keeping that bend in mind. At times we would be steaming around the ring at a forward canter or trot and Karen would ask: “How about doing a freestyle back up?” Of course she always asked when it looked impossible. She wanted to check that I was riding the horse and not that the horse was taking me for a ride! She would check when we went down to a walk to see if we could canter from that. She challenged me constantly to make sure that I was always aware of what I was doing and what I was getting from my horse to help us become harmonious. My other horse, Lucky, tends to be a slow moving, unmotivated type who had talent but I have had difficulty tapping into the talent.
Karen started off with getting responsiveness and energy when I asked for it. She did this by starting off at a walk and asking me to rate the energy of the walk. She had me play with a more and less energetic walk to get the feel for a range of walks. She On my first day of lesson Karen asked She helped me be aware of the slack then asked me to think about the walk me what I had done with my horses I needed on my inside rein except i liked the best and had me maintain and where I wanted to go with them. when I had to gently show the nose this. I lucky change the energy of the She then had me show her what wer and chest of the horse the direction walk I was to make it more expensive were working on. My two horses we were going for a brief moment. for him by asking for a much more each have their own horsonality [sic]. energetic walk than I wanted. Lucky Jeri is right brain extrovert and Lucky These exercises made me so aware soon realized that if he didn’t maintain Teddy is a left brain introvert. of what I was aksing my horse and the energy in the gait we were riding what he was doing. Every step was a he would have to do a lot more than During out first lesson with Jeri he thinking step and part of the commu- he bargained for. This exercise was was very emotional and was not nication and conversation we were applied to the trot and canter, too. happy being away from his buddy having. Instead of standing there and “Lucky”. Karen just took it all in stride telling you “your horse doesn’t have To work on responsiveness, Karen and had me realign my body and enough bend and there is too much had me riding freestyle and performJeri’s body to a spot where we both angle in the shoulder-in” Karen would ing back-ups, front and hind end might be more comfortable. explain how to get the bend and keep yields on a grid pattern in the arena. in at the halt. They were done at specific areas to She also moved out teaching area get to the point where Lucky would beside the paddock where Lucky was Then when we went to walk or trot I ask me a question when we got to in order to reduce the anxiety of Jeri. could pay attention to the bend so one of the areas where I had been that when she told me I didn’t have asking him to do something. It was a enough I would know how to move fantastic exercise to get Lucky really the horse. If I couldn’t get it she checking in with me rather than going copyright 2008 Temenos Fields, Inc March
Karen had us at the walk going from shoulder-in to haunches-in to renvers to a small circle, etc. She mad sure the outside rein was soft and that there was no pull on either rein.
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horses and my body and how they were aligned. We did not actually ask for collection, but we set the horse up with various exercises so that he offered collection. She was also very aware of her body language during our lessons and did not point her energy towards my horse like many instructors unwittingly do. Her attention to detail has made me aware of how fun riding dressage naturally can be and now I am well on my way to riding a happy horse with lightness.
around mindlessly while I dictated what he was to do. This way he got light on his feet, very responsive and he seemed to enjoy the rapport we were having. By the third lesson I hardly needed anything to get Lucky to turn or back up. By the fifth day I had energy when I asked for it and all I did was ride it and remind him when his energy dropped below what I was asking. In the past I was told to ride with a whip and spurs to get this horse moving and now here I was riding this huge horse who only required very light aids.
end of each lesson when things were going really well, Karen would have me jump off my horse to reward him for a good ride. She always thanked the horse and told him he was a star. I was amazed how each day when I went to ride and play with my horses they both came over to me with keen interest. Even though we were working hard mentally in the lessons, sometimes physically, too, Karen had me ride in such a way as to preserve the dignity of the horses and not compromise the relationship.
All of the dressage competitions I have won have never made me feel as successful as I do now. Thank you Karen for your knowledge and excellent teaching skills and I look forward with anticipation to our next trip to Florida.
Thanks, Diane for taking the time to write that... It was a pleasure to have you in my Temenos!
Diane (pictured here on Lucky) came to me very well prepared, In fact the relationship got better since with an already very good partnow my hroses were able to understand what I wanted and they wanted nership and foundation with her horses. They were all ready for to perform for me. We were finally having a conversation. the information I had to offer.
By the last two lessons, this lazy horse was doing piaffe, I wasn’t asking for it, he just started doing it for me while I was asking for a shoulderin on a circle. Karen told me I should thank him for that but let him know we Karen is a wonderful instructor, she weren’t having that conversation right put a lot of focus towards our lessons now. and I learned an enormous amount of information and useful exercises from She focused on things that need work her. Over the course of two weeks and reinforcing, and not on things he we were able to gain rhythm, straightdid well. There were always lots of ness, collection etc and all through breaks for both my horses and at the just being more aware of both my 4
Now when I ride I will always be thinking is the horse responding to my request? Is there enough energy? Are we balanced? And if the answer is ‘no’ I will know how to change things to make it better for myself and my horse.
Diane, I know it was difficult to go home to the cold after 2 weeks in Florida..I appreciate the effort involved in getting here and back. ~Karen
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Dylan & Lisa Howell Lisa and her horse, Jiff attended my very first Dressage Naturally clinic here in Ocala... back when for sure no one knew what ‘Dressage Naturally’ meant! Lisa has stayed in touch and has come back for more throughout the last 4 years, and now I have had the pleasure to play with her and her younger horse, Dylan. Lisa bred him, raised him and has done everything with him herself... And she has done fabulously with him. But he is a character! Loves his treats, sometimes doesn’t steer, sometimes doesn’t go and sometimes goes so well you almost wish he would not be so light, just so you have something to hold on to!! (kidding)
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“...Wow! & Thank you. I’m on that soft, supple, happy dance such an incredible cloud of hope partner. It is so exciting and and enthusiasm after riding Dylan and I thank you for it!” Dylan & lessoning with you. Thanks, Lisa, for the kind words... it makes me so happy to see you and Dylan You’ve made my dream come true and given me the assurance experiencing those kinds of results... in harmony! ~K1 of what I always felt & believed could happen in riding
Dylan was really ready to take things to a new level. I played with building his confidence to being let loose to energy. Also steering and alignment needed to improve. He would drift with his big powerful body, and then get crooked and ‘stuck’. This especially effected his canter departs. He knew he was uncomfortable cantering crooked and would freeze up. I focused on having real conversations with him. I made sure the basic communications were well understood and easy for him to do. I was very conscious not to desensitize him with stronger aids when he was getting stuck, but instead asked him a more simple but more obvious question that would help resolve the original reason why he was getting stuck. After 3 days of real basics at high quality (response to energy, relaxation and yields of hind and fore-hand) The proverbial quarter dropped and Lisa returned to find a lovely, willing partner that seemed to be saying: ‘Hey, Mom, Look what I can do!” Lisa did a wonderful job of putting Parelli’s Principle # 7 into practice: “Horses teach Humans, and Humans teach Horses”. Congratulations, Lisa! With her permission I will share what she wrote in a lovely note that included these pictures that her husband took:
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Ancora Imparo. This was what Michelangelo said after completing the Sistine Chapel... It means: “I am still learning”.
“Good thoughts are no better than good dreams, unless they be executed.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Why was I so excited to rent a skid steer? Was it the Kansas-born part of me wanting to reconnect with my farm girl past...that couldn’t be it, my father is a university professor and I left Kansas when I was 4. Was it the NY girl feeling a desire to fully commit to her new farm girl lifestyle? Yikes... when did I become a farm-girl? I like cappuccinos and martinis! I like stimulating conversations about quantum physics and water that forms crystals when you tell it you love it! Sure, I like horses and the outdoors... and I am very self sufficient, but when certain things are out of order, one should just be able to call the landlord. Oh, I guess that’s it... I am the landlord. There is always a mixed emotion every time I realize that. PVC breaks and spews a fountain of water: “how beautiful, but someone should really fix that...” You would be amazed at how good I am with a little PVC cement. I know there is debate about clear versus the blue cement.... I prefer blue...it’s prettier. I can even hang a steel gate by myself. Just me, my car jack and my cappuccino getting cold sitting on the post. I have a sense of resentful pride... I am proud that I can do it, but wish I didn’t have 6
to! And still, there are things that I just never seem to get to; they seem out of my range of abilities. And I can think of many reasons why it is not my fault they aren’t in a good state. Recently a good friend, David, came to study with me, and to trade he did work around my place. For months I excitedly compiled the ‘The List’. NOW those things can get done! Watching his flurry of activity was impressive. Once he found where I had hidden all my tools he got an amazing amount done and it truly inspired me. Maybe it is like when you clean the house to prepare for the cleaning lady.... maybe it was my competitive nature, but suddenly I felt ready to take on some of ‘those things’ that needed to be done that I had been unconfident about doing. And nothing is more therapeutic and cathartic than moving dirt from here to there. So that is what I did. I rented a skid steer and filled in holes so my pasture mower guy’s tractor won’t fall in (again), removed some trees in the way of my arena, leveled around my round pen and took the ruts out of my driveway. If you have taken clinics with
me you know I talk about “not being afraid to mess things up” ... and so I fearlessly messed up my driveway. And then I made it better! I learned how to make the machine rear up and do handstands. I also learned that 8 hours on the thing is more than enough... the fun stops after about 1 hour. The headache 3 hours, the vibration lasts for 2 days. But the satisfaction of having mobilized far outweighed the headache, dirt in the face and deafness... Sometimes you’ve got to take action, to move the earth a little in order to remove the ruts in life... to do the things you know need to be done. There are always things I know I need to address to take care of myself and my horses... I really should get an opinion on those hooves, refit that saddle, address that confidence issue... research that question... My driveway was so rutted that only a truck could get down it. My friend’s Prius just about got stuck like some poor whale caught with the tide out. I can only imagine the possibilities that can effortlessly roll into my life now.
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looking for new moms... My working student, Claire has a lovely gaited horse for sale... he is a fun, handsome horse!!
Fly Boy, Tennessee Walking Horse, 11 years old, 15.3H I have passed most of my level 3 online, liberty and freestyle on him. He has been to CO for the 6 week course over the summer. He's great on trails, he has a wonderful gait but also can canter and jump. His personality would tend to be that he would go more right brain in a scary situation, but he rarely does anymore, he is very confident now. Asking $3700 but anyone interested should contact Claire. If anyone wants more info or pictures they can email at Coodles88@aol.com or call at 239-784-0973
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And Jedi... 10 yr old 16h National Show horse. Many awards in western pleasure, now he also has Parelli and basic dressage training. This is such a lovely individual, My working student, Tiffany has been leasing him and he is a joy. If he doesn’t sell, I will probably keep him myself, but really he needs a special human to be an amazing partner with and teach them. He is interviewing now for that new special human in his life! $5000 ... negotiable if Jedi really likes you! please contact karen at Karenrohlf@dressagenaturally.net
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