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This month we once again dedicate Horses For LIFE to Ivan Bezlugoff Jr. and to Dressage & CT. Sign and share the petition at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ justsayyesto401/ On behalf of all of us at Horses For LIFE may the gift of the horses be with you always.

All material copyright protected by Horses For LIFE Publications. Please contact us for information, suggestions, comments and submissions at equestriansquest@horsesforlife.com or 1-306-383-2588

Just Say YES!! Celebrating the Horse.

Thank you for joining us in this incredible equestrian journey.

Horses For LIFE

Gallop t F

with Magali Delgado a 14

to Freedom

and Frederic Pignon Horses For LIFE

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GALLOP TO FREEDOM - Book Excerpt Frédéric and Magali show you what can be achieved in their performance. They can tell you about what rewards to expect from the trust of a powerful, potentially intelligent animal that for centuries was a key contributor to human progress, but in order to experience the joy and satisfaction of this trust and what it brings in return, you have to embark on the journey yourself. Being told about it is one thing; experiencing it, another.

It goes without saying that technical mastery of a horse has brought pleasure to countless people, but Frédéric and Magali are convinced that the joy of mastery cannot be equated with the joy of achievement when an animal gives to you as much as you give to him, one in which he chooses the speed at which you travel, in which he gives freely of his abilities. And why should he do this? Because, in return, you relieve him of stress. He knows he will not be forced to do anything against his will and that you will protect him from danger and any situation that he does not understand. That is the bargain.

It is easy to forget what extraordinary creatures horses are. In a way it has been their undoing that they are so adaptable. They can and have been, over the centuries, manipulated in countless differ-

Horses For LIFE

ent ways. They can survive the cruelest and the kindest treatment. They can be trained to do a great variety of tasks. They have astonishing endurance. Their weakness is perhaps that they adapt too readily and are therefore too easily manipulated and exploited by man once they have been harnessed and saddled. They can even be forced into submission at liberty within an arena with the use of a whip.

What people do not appreciate is that every time a horse submits to pressure, whether subtle or overt, he is diminished. Probably the great majority of people who achieve their own ends by making their horse submit are not even aware of what they have done. It is a sad fact that a horse can be made to do many things by breaking his will. If he can be persuaded to give his assent freely and pleasurably rather than give into man’s pressure or clever techniques, he is not diminished.

To most people there is no distinction between these alternatives: two horses do a perfect volte or piaffe. To the untrained eye they look the same but one horse has been brought to this point of excellence by rigorous conventional and repetitive training producing stress and tension, of which the trainer may not even be aware. The other horse has arrived at the same degree of excellence as result of pleasurable work interspersed with games

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and never pushed beyond endurance or even beyond what he is prepared freely to give.

Magali and Frédéric can tell the difference by observation. So could the judges in 2002 at the Grand Prix in Essen, Germany, a competition that represents the highest level of dressage, and where Magali was runner-up.

They said how wonderful it was to see a horse that appeared calm and unstressed after so demanding a test. At Essen in 2004, after Magali stunned the competition for a second time, she was asked by the organizer if Frédéric could give an “at liberty” demonstration at the evening gala. Her horse, Dao, was so unstressed that Frédéric was able to bring him back into the arena for an unscheduled and unrehearsed exhibition. (This occasion is described in detail on page 80.)

Everyone is aware of a new generation of horse trainers—including so-called “whisperers”—who achieve extraordinary results with horses in a very short time and with no apparent force, and there are books with precise instructions about how to achieve these results with your own horse. What is it that makes Frédéric and Magali not just another part of this group? One difficulty in answering this question is that neither of them wishes to seem critical of anyone else or to be considered as rivals.

They feel they are part of horsemanship’s classical tra-

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What people do not appreciate is that every time a horse submits to pressure, whether subtle or overt, he is diminished.

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dition and never-ending development of the man-horse relationship. They do not want to be identified with any particular school of thought but to be part of the whole natural growth of equine understanding and to “lower the barriers” between different disciplines of riding.

They are, however, quite different in one respect and it is largely due to Templado, an extraordinary horse who added another dimension to their understanding, that this is so.

Both Frédéric and Magali reached the point where they considered themselves capable trainers and able to deal with more or less any horse and its problems. They had taken part in lots of equestrian events where they put on displays involving anything from high level dressage to trick riding. Then something happened that was to affect their lives: the return of the young Lusitano stallion Templado that Magali’s family breeding farm had sold at the age of one. Here was a horse that did not respond to anything they knew. They were not obliged to rise to the challenge of taming him, and they could have sold him, but fortunately for Templado, and for us, they were prepared to devote years of time and patience in order to discover how to work with this amazing character.

What happened was not so much that they had to find

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new ways of treating this horse. It was more a change of attitude and a fundamental one—in effect, a change of direction. Instead of saying to themselves, as they had done so far, “How can I get this horse to do what I want, albeit in the kindest possible way?” they learned to ask, “What would this horse like to do?” Then slowly but surely they built on what the horse told them. Instead of thinking of themselves as teachers, they had to become pupils. They felt they were entering new territory, one that could only be explored by an absolute determination to put the horse on a more equal footing with themselves and to abide by an immutable set of principles, based on respect and love.

Even now, twenty years after Templado entered their lives, they cannot present you with a detailed map for travel in this territory; they are travelers themselves. But they can give guidance and instill in you the resolve to start the journey and continue it. It is as if you decided to travel around the world on horseback. It would be a constant temptation to resort to quicker means of travel but you must resolve not to do so. Your journey must unfold at a natural pace, the pace of the horse. There are no quick fixes; if you resort to them, it becomes a different sort of journey.

The approach they employ can be called “positive rein-

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For man and horse to meet on a new plain, they have said, “We have to build a bridge and invent a new language.”

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Frédéric and Magali are convinced that the joy of mastery cannot be equated with the joy of achievement when an animal gives to you as much as you give to him, one in which he chooses the speed at which you travel, in which he gives freely of his abilities.

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Excerpt text and photos are from GALLOP TO FREEDOM by Magali Delgado and Frederic Pignon and reprinted by permission from Trafalgar Square Books. GALLOP TO FREEDOM is available at the Trafalgar Square Books online bookstore www.HorseandRiderBooks.com.

Horses For LIFE

“Ivan Bezugloff changed dressage in America. With the development of Dressage Magazine which later became Dressage and CT, he single-handedly provided a unique forum for expression of opinions, articles by experts, questions and answers format that stirred interest in Dressage and Combined Training in America.”

Richard F. Williams Xenophon Press

“You have made a very significant contribution, not only to the particular disciplines with which you are most closely identified, but to the horse community at large. Indeed, Dressage & CT has become a principal forum for thoughtful inquiry into important equestrian issues, whether those of the day or of the ages.”

“As a practical matter, publications that succeed in achieving some measure of longevity, more often seem to have been a labour of love for some farsighted and altruistic person than a mere exercise in economic survival, and this shoe surely fits you. Twenty years ago, I might not have visualized one of the dressage and eventing communities’ knights in shining armour disguised as a six-foot plus Cossack-born engineer, but when I think of you today, I see you surrounded by stacks of dead dragons as you whack away with undiminished enthusiasm at the remaining ones.”

From a letter to the editor from Bill Steinkraus

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Ivan Bezugloff Jr. In Tribute Horses For LIFE

Ivan Bezugloff Jr. In Tribute

In 1991, Ivan took a brief and unusual moment to share a personal look at his life.

“Once in a while, I meet people who haven’t seen me for 20 or more years. Invariably, they ask, “How is electronics?” to which I usually answer, “How should I know? Ask Sony.”

The question is quite legitimate, since when they saw me last, I was busy designing and manufacturing electronic measuring instruments. They just haven’t heard that in 1971, I deserted the slide rule to venture into the land of dressage via a magazine that was to help spread the word.

How did I get mixed up in this business? Well, Laddie Andahazy made me do it.

In the early 1960s, I used to ride at the Lake Erie College Equestrian Center, just outside Painesville, Ohio. This was the creation and domain of Laddie Andahazy. Laddie was perhaps the first horseman I met since I came to the United States who knew what dressage was.

It always bothered me that there was no publication dealing with the theoretical aspects of horsemanship. Something like SANKT GEORG in Germany, or l’INFORMATION HIPPIQUE in France. At that time there was only THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE, edited by Alexander MackaySmith, which would occasionally report on dressage events but didn’t deal with dressage as such. Realizing that the growing interest in dressage faced a critical shortage of qualified instructors, I often bemoaned the absence of an informative publication which would teach its readers about the sport. Finally, my gripes got to Laddie, and he told me, “You know, Pajtas, in this country we have a saying: put up or shut up!”

And so he did. Choosing to go with his passion he gave up his career and business in electronics and chose to begin DRESSAGE which later became DRESSAGE & CT. The contributors are too endless to list, but they included General Albert Stecken, Dr. Reiner Klimke, Colonel Waldemar Seunig, Colonel Alois Podhajsky, Brig. Hans Handler and Brig. Kurt Albrecht, Podhajsky’s successors at the Spanish Riding School, among many others.

Dressage & CT was so venerated that when it went unpublished for two years, it had “generated a following so loyal that subscribers had been 30

willing to support the magazine with cash advances to ensure that it would survive.”

Survival was, unfortunately, a common theme of the three decades of publication. In one editorial, Ivan admitted that “To tell the truth, I do not really like to write a column in my capacity as the publisher of Dressage & CT, since almost invariably, the subject of it will be money.”

I remember the very first time I spoke with Ivan, many years before the founding of Horses For LIFE. A man of many talents, he easily and fluently switched between languages during our conversation when he found out I had spent several years in Germany. And then he went on in a few other languages that kept me guessing! Intelligent, articulate, Ivan was all of that and more. I can’t begin to express my admiration for the man and his work, as I went through my own formative years and found only in Dressage & CT a publication that engaged my mind in a way that no other equestrian publication had before or since. It was inspiring, and it made you think. Ivan often would publish two articles side by side, each article taking the polar position of the other. Agree or disagree, you learned something in every issue.

Ivan was more than a publisher, he was a man inspired to make a difference. In his editorial in February 1990, Ivan was flummoxed by the response to his December editorial for different reasons. One,

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Philippe Karl In North America

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“When you start your sideways movements it’s always better to begin with the shoulder-in.

If you start with haunches in you’re encouraging a fault.

Horses try to escape with haunches coming in. It’s always risky to start with travers.”

Philippe Karl

Horses For LIFE

“Either trot or passage, don’t combine them.”

Photo Credit Christina Turissini

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Horses For LIFE

Eleanor Russell In Tribute E

leanor Russell’s passing came as a shock. A shock that many of us are still trying to recover from. Some, hearing of her age, might be surprised that it came as a shock. But to know Eleanor was to know a brash, to the point, ‘say it as it is’ instructor, breeder and vital human being. Who travelled endless miles to teach, from all over Australia, to South Africa and elsewhere. A woman so vital that having produced a book and DVD on Nuno Oliveira, she was in the midst of writing her first novel, one that was to provide an insight into what goes on behind the scenes at horse shows. The day she died she had gone out to round up some of the cattle that were to go for sale. Does this sound like someone who was at the end of her life? Or a vital, vibrant woman with a zest for life so huge that talking to her was like a breath of fresh air?

When it came time to write this tribute, there was no way I could do this in the normal way. I wanted to celebrate her vitality, her life, her living, not her death. The only way I could see to do this was to share something of Eleanor through her own words, from private conversations, letters and from some of the many interviews that I did with her that say more than I ever could about who and what Eleanor was.

One day I asked Eleanor, “why are you so different?”

“I mean, everyone literally takes what they’ve been taught and makes it their own, speaks about it in their own words. And you have always, for how many years now - twenty years, Eleanor? - refused, absolutely refused to put anything into your own words.”

She responded, “I wrote it down in his words because as his translator and also a student, I knew his funny English and it didn’t bother me, it said what he wanted to say.

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Horses For LIFE

Eleanor Russell In Tribute

“I can remember with the first book, fighting long and hard over the grammar at the beginning of each chapter which begins “When the horse knows well the previous exercise,” and people said to me that’s bad grammar and I said it may be but it’s what he means. It’s not when you know the exercise or you think the horse knows to do the exercise, it’s when the horse himself knows the exercise. And that to me was the difference with him as a trainer - he thought about how the horse was coping with the training and tried to make it simple/easy for the horse to learn what you wanted.”

But in answer to “why are you so different?” Eleanor insisted, “Why would I?” “You know, people used to say to me - visiting pupils who came and rode horses for three or four days or something and you’d hear them talking afterwards... ‘Oh, I don’t know about that but I do like the other bit, so I’ll just discard what I don’t want...’ Now if I was as good as him, I could do that.

I mean I couldn’t believe the arrogance, ‘Oh I just keep what I want.’

“When if I could do what he could do training horses, then I could say that. And sure, I am not a bad trainer, maybe because underneath I’m a farmer, I love training my working doggie, I love training horses, just love it. And I just wish I was as good as him. And when I get to be as good as him, well then, maybe I could interpret what he does. All I can do is say my only interpretation of him is to say that I don’t think he was a trainer per se like other trainers.

“Nobody is ever simple enough. I will die hearing him say ‘do not get complicated’.

“Well, you know, from the experts that you talk to, the books you read written by experts, most of the literature is justifying their own expertise.

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Subscribe Online http://horsesforlife.com for the rest of the article “And sooooooooooo complicated.

“I have seen them justify their versions/ their interpretations of training because they’re so bloody good, but oh so complicated. Now, I’m not that bloody good. I know I can do a lot with training horses – because I can do things with horses that other people can’t do. But that doesn’t make me Nuno Oliveira.

“I had an interesting client over the weekend who cannot stop becoming complicated - all tooooooooo many aids, she says, ‘but I have to use my outside leg to make his quarters come under on the corner’.

“I am afraid I said, as I had had it, ‘his quarters will come around the corner because his hind quarter is attached to his rib cage!!!!’ ”

Horses For LIFE

The Power of the Bit

by Katariina Alongi

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Horses For LIFE

The Power of the Bit by Katariina Alongi

I used to subscribe to mainstream equestrian magazines such as Dressage Today. I also used to regularly read Finnish publications such as Hippos and Hevoset ja Ratsastus which are geared towards the average horse enthusiast. Just a few years ago I found the articles in these magazines helpful and informative. However, since I have found my way onto the less beaten path (of the horse), I haven’t bothered to read such publications as I know they have nothing to offer for someone with my convictions.

So, having only half-heartedly followed the mainstream equestrian world, it has been easy to imagine that some real changes are happening, that people are looking for alternative solutions for their horses. But are they really? Or is it just an illusion created by the fact that I have surrounded myself by a minority which shares my world view?

People who use no force and want no harm. People who base their relationship with their horse on trust and companionship.

Perhaps I’ve been living in a bubble.

To unconsciously prove myself right, I happened to run across one of the main publications in Finland geared toward the horse-loving public. This magazine has a circulation of over 35,000 which is quite a lot in a small country like Finland. And not only that, the magazine is the official publication for the National Equestrian Federation. Very influential, in other words.

The cover supports a picture of the country’s most famous dressage rider walking down a wooded path with her longtime four-legged international dressage partner. Inside I find a short article written by this rider. I turn to it enthusiastically, since I, too, have admired this woman most of my life. She was and still is, after all, the idol of so many aspiring riders. And once upon a time I was one of them.

Her article is titled “Avoid dangerous situations” which is an important subject. We all want to stay safe around horses. I start to read through, but already the first line makes me wince. “A horse is a big and powerful animal, and it does not think or act like a human.” This is all true, of course, but somehow I am starting to get a premonition of where this is going. I read further.

The article is about the competition season and how to minimize the risks of having an accident with your horse while competing and traveling. There is advice about using gloves while lunging and teaching your horse to stand still when you mount. But there 42

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The Power of the Side-Pull

Horses For LIFE

When I first started my young stallion, I decided to start him in a side-pull. A side-pull is a description of many different types of bridles many of which is called by the same name. Not all of these sidepull bridles work equally on the horse.

Basically a side-pull is a bitless bridle. Reins are attached to rings on either side of the horse’s muzzle. When both reins are pulled, pressure is placed on the horse’s nose, cueing a halt. Pulling on one rein cues the horse to turn its head in that direction - pulling on the

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left rein cues the horse to turn left, and pulling on the right rein cues a right turn.

The simplest side-pulls look and feel like a halter. In fact, many of us have used a ‘side-pull’ by attaching lead ropes to the rings on either side of the noseband of a halter.

Side-pull bridles come in many different designs. Some may be made entirely of leather and some are made of rope. On some, the nose piece may be a very stiff strap (or several layers) of leather. There may be a synthetic or metal wire inside of the leather for more stability. Some side-pulls have nose pieces made of one or two lengths of stiff lariat rope. Knots on the nose pieces of the side-pull add to the pressure when the reins are pulled.

Many trainers start young horses with a side-pull. The idea is that this allows the horse to learn directional signals without placing pressure on a sensitive mouth, believing that this will be much kinder to the horse. Some people choose to use a side-pull for other reasons. There are some horses that have dental problems, malformed jaws or other facial injuries so may be more comfortable in a side-pull than a bit.

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Part 2 at the World Equ

Some of the best mom of the 2011 World Equ S

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uestrian Games

ments uestrian Games Horses For LIFE

This may well be one of the best moments at the World Equestrian Games. Check out the rise of the neck out of the withers. Incredible lift of the front end. Note the front leg lifting pushing straight up right in front of the withers as the hind cannon

Head ahead of the vertical Poll High Base of Neck Over Shoulder Hind Canon Slanting Foreward Withers Actually Higher Than Croup Base Of Tail coming out behind the horse showing bascule of pelvis Neck Rising From Front of Withers Hock Does Not Go Behind Point of Hip

No these moments in this article are not perfect. Nor necessarily are they the best at the WEG’s. This article is about celebrating those better moments caught out of thousands by one photographer. An artilcle celebrating moments of success.

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A walk that is poll high and the throat latch nicely stretched out allowing the hind leg to come underneath the horse.

Horses For LIFE

Beautiful Even Diagonals rarely seen in extension.

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Tremendous lift of the front end in canter!

Horses For LIFE

The lift in the first beat of the canter allows the horse to be poll high in the down beat of the canter. We hardly ever get to see this!

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Poll high allows the hind leg to come under.

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Extension with no toe flick! Hind legs not excessively behind the horse!

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Poll high helps the horse so that he doesn’t come under himself with a backward slanted front leg! Only possible as the base of the neck sits on top of supportive shoulders.

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At a halt poll high and faces ahead of the vertical at the halt!!! We usually see the opposite with horses curled completely under in a strong rollkur position. While this horse begins to move in anticipation it is interesting to see how well his stifle flexes well above the abdomen line with his head so nicely lifted.

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Love the beautiful arch of the topline of the neck!

Note how there is no dip on the topline in the small of the back behind the saddle, how the dock comes out straight behind the horse,a nd how the throat latch is open. This horse has no problems coming underneath himself with the hind leg that is about to land coming up underneath the rider.

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While this horse doesn’t have the nice lifted back behind the saddle being poll high it is still nice to see how he is able to articulate through the stifle! We need to see more of this!

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Check out this stifle with the bascule of the pelvis and the articulation of the femur under the skin of the hip brings the stifle beautifully up and high up into the abdomen! Kudo’s to this pair for this nice moment.

Horses For LIFE

This is clearly is a horse that is up on the front end with poll high, ears pointing forward, head ahead of the vertical a horse that has the look of eagles. The hocks deeply bent with the hind legs cannons slanted forward, this is the engagement of the hind end.

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Horses For LIFE

Canter changes require a horse that up through the poll to be able to change behind.

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Horses For LIFE

Look how forward the front shoulder is.

A head poll high and a face that is ahead of the vertical encourages more reach and range of movement in the front legs and especially in the shoulders.

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Horses For LIFE

Riding By Torchlight

By Susannah Cord for Horses For Life

The Year of the Clinic

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Horses For LIFE

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Subscribe Online http://horsesforlife.com for the rest of the article Whoosh…there went that year. And with the passing of 2010 went the first decade of a new millennium as we enter the second ten years of the next thousand. It’s a little more exciting, a grander vista, when I think of it that way…Where will dressage be a thousand years from now? Well, that I do not know, just fantasizing about that is a whole article in itself, but for now, I will stick to where I 84

have been these past years. The better part of this last decade I have spent here at our farm, starting over and tying up loose ends, building and rebuilding, learning and relearning, discovering and remembering, branching out and filling in the blanks. In other words, what an interesting decade it’s been for yours truly. And no year more so than the past one.

2010 was the year of the clinic, a cornucopia of the learning I have sought after all my life. In past years I have attended anywhere from 2 to 10 clinics yearly, so it is not that clinics are new to me. Living in a rural area, clinics are often the only mode of receiving the kind of instruction I seek. So, since 2005, blessed as I am with a decent facility, I have been actively hosting clinics myself in order to learn as I seek. But in 2010 I experienced the ‘perfect storm’ of clinics – not only did I continue with my long standing Eddo Hoekstra series, exploring a playful and technically challenging version of the classical German system – where, as Eddo’s mentor, Walter Zettl puts it, you ride like a baby in front and a gorilla behind – but, as an ardent student of all things dressage, I also lucked into and welcomed the possibility of hosting both a trainer well versed in the French ideology, Carol McArdle, as well as a long time student of Nuno Oliveira’s, Stephanie Millham. And as if that were not enough, I had the privilege of bringing several horses to a Manolo Mendez clinic hosted by my friend Holly Hansen, who also provided me the opportunity to ride in a trainer’s seminar to be taught by Anja Beran – however, this seminar was unfortunately cancelled at the last minute due to illness. Another time, I hope.

And right there, at the end of the year, I tucked in a visit to the Parelli center in Florida where Linda Parelli invited me to attend and provide feedback on one of her latest concepts in exploring horsemanship – the Game of Contact.

I have come away from this year with a deep and profound respect for each of these teachers, a sincere appreciation of their individual journeys and a little awed at their commitment to the horse and to teaching according to their beliefs.

It was also a year of being pulled and swayed in all directions, sometimes frustrating, other times enlightening, often confusing – but always interesting! The pendulum swung in every direction, and sometimes I was not sure which way was up, but as so often is the case, the ultimate answer often lay in ‘It depends’ and ‘In moderation’. Most of all, I learned to trust and depend upon my own feel and the feedback of my horses.

Horses For LIFE

Matisse In Loving Memory

(This is a true story. The names have been changed to protect me from the guilty…)

Matisse was born into a well-known stable. Well bred, with high expectations, he was so funny looking, we just had to laugh at him. At three days old his neck was erect like a chess game Knight. But before long, he balanced out, developed smoother lines and came into himself, blossoming into a handsome chestnut fellow.

From birth he was sensitive and easily frightened as most foals are, but he quickly developed curiosity, and eventually some bravery. He always tried to be a good boy and figure out what we humans wanted him to do. He was all “colt” in the herd, though, never one to be pushed around.

Matisse’s physical development, conformation and movement were fine enough that he took gold at his foal inspection – the cream of the crop! Everyone knew he was destined for greatness. As the economy and horse market turned south, foals didn’t sell and soon nothing would sell – except Matisse, who sold for a handsome sum. His new owner rarely came to visit him as he stayed in “the program” the high-end barn offered to well-heeled owners.

Loafing and playing with friends in expansive green pastures for nearly three years, he was happy and gregarious, but not much was done with him besides an occasional free-jumping session. Even so, Matisse was the best to lead up to the work pens.

Spring of his three year old year arrived, and I began to work with him only one or two hours a week, at the most. We practiced and developed ground work, saddling, bridling, ground driving, desensitizing to human “stuff”, and work at the mounting block. Eventually I was sitting on his strong, beautiful back. We got to the point where Matisse was beginning to accept being led while carrying a human. Any difficulty Matisse had arose from his very sensitive nature, but he always tried so hard and learned quickly whenever he felt supported, calm and confident. Prior to our developing a relationship, being all alone in the pen was cause for a literal melt-down – running, bucking, amazing leaps and screaming – which he seemed almost incapable of resolving on his own. This was fear, concern and angst, but no joy. He was an emotional horse, wearing his “heart on his sleeve”.

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Matisse - In Loving Memory

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One didn’t have to wonder how Matisse felt about something. Everything just took time, patience and support. Once Matisse discovered that I was there to help him, not torment him or push him over jumps, he began to search for the answers rather than run or buck in fear. On the line while circling, he repeated his somewhat frantic behavior until he started to understand that we were doing something specific together. Then he was the best of the bunch.

Slowly but surely he developed. Confidence emerged, allowing him to demonstrate a great willingness to work, along with high intelligence. He was so easy to train, as long as he was not afraid, and he trusted me. Wherever there was fear or uncertainty, he might buck or run, so we’d back up and add any number of smaller steps, breaking it all down and putting it back together again as he understood and said, “I’m okay now. I got it. I can do it. No problem.”

The surcingle was no big deal, although at first saddling there were some concerns, of course. Allowing him time to understand and feel supported and guided rather than fear something was the key. Ground driving with the lines around his hips and hocks was also very scary at first, but it all became no big deal.

He quickly accepted the bridle and driving line’s support. One thing after another became just fine with him, despite the minimal training time for which the barn was willing to pay.

After his initial discovery that he and I were working together, being together, and that we could connect, and once he realized that I would explain and wait for him to understand, Matisse became just about the best at trying. Throughout the training process, he showed excellent ability to learn and progress. He tried to get with me, find the answers and feel proud. He would touch me ever so softly with his dark, velvety muzzle – looking me squarely in the eye – his big, liquid eyes locked onto mine, his red coat gleaming, burnished gold and copper, fiery in the sunlight, blaze on his elegant face shining bright as a neon light.

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Matisse was always ready for whatever I had in mind. Horses are acutely intelligent – far more than we give them credit for -- and Matisse was no exception.

So, it was no surprise that he maintained his level of knowledge and training, even though the work was so sporadic and limited. Then our sessions together ended. The barn owner/trainer had other plans, which were not to include me….

Time passed, and Matisse lingered in the pasture, until suddenly he was thrust into a “natural horsemanship colt starting program” under “Big Name-Start‘em-In-An-Hour” trainer. From all reports, it did not go well for him. He bucked, for one thing, ran, for another. I refused to watch any part of it. I’m not sure how many hours were put on him, subjecting him to being chased, run hard, flagged and flagged and flagged, roped, and everything repeated. It went on for days. He survived round one, and was moved to the Big Barn. More time passed. He was flagged some more. I am sure he missed his pasture days.

Some months later, knowing that “Big Name” was training at the farm from time to time, I casually asked one of his caretakers, “How’s Matisse?” The length of pause that followed was painful. My empathic side knew it was all wrong – the news would not be good, but my ever-positive, conscientious-togood-energy side was steering me away from fully “going there” to that darker feeling of foreboding I had.

Still, the dwell in the conversation continued. My gaze zeroed in upon her face, refusing to alter the course. I was asking with full knowledge that I might not like the answer. I waited to hear the worst, desperately hoping to be wrong.

As she realized I would wait for her answer regardless of this indefinite silence, she seemed to have to gather courage from somewhere outside of herself.

“I hoped you’d never, ever ask…” her voice was husky. “Matisse died.” It burst from her lips in a slight gasp.

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Hey, Judge… Smile! You’re on Candid Camera! The pen is mightier than the sword, but a camcorder trumps them all!

How did we get into this mess?

Several breeds today have reputations for being “Flighty”, Olympic gold medalists are on runaway horses, screaming for help during award ceremonies. Halter horses are out of control, and at some of the really disgusting shows, stupid people stand along the alley so they can shake cans and paper bags at horses as they enter the show ring. They believe this helps them look prettier!

A friend told me that she feels horse shows seem to have become a spectacle of poor horsemanship, and a lack of understanding and/or concern for the HORSES who are their raison d’etre.

I agree, but what is worse is that this has not only been tolerated, but it has come to be expected!

Personally, I blame judges for all of the problems in the show ring, and those problems that are the result of who or what they pin.

There is an old saying “What is rewarded in the show ring will influence what happens in the breeding shed”.

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Hey Judge You’re on Candid Camera!

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The Importance of Loose Work

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The Importance of Loose Work “In allowing a horse to be a horse, we can become more effective as trainers.”

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LOOSE WORK - part one

‘In allowing a horse to be a horse, we can become more effective as trainers.”

Introduction -

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Stressage or Dressage?

by Dr. Bob Cook

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Stressage or Dressage?

Three articles in the December 2010 issue of the online journal ‘Horses For Life’ provide yet more evidence of the need to reform the reality of FEI dressage, a reality that is diametrically opposed to that required by the rules.

First, in an illustrated editorial, Nadja King documents the outrageous hyperflexion of a horse by a dressage competitor at the World Equestrian Games.

Such a practice has been widely condemned in the warm-up arena, and for good reason. But to see it practiced in the ring at such a prestigious event indicates the depths to which dressage has fallen. Hyperflexion is expressly outlawed by FEI rules and yet here was an example of the rule being brazenly flouted and condoned by judges (Fig.1).

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Fig.1 ‘U’ bend distortion of the airway from hyperflexion, with airway obstruction especially marked at the points marked with an X Secondly, a cri de coeur from Dressage For the Rest of Us - who, in ‘Reflections, World Equestrian Games,’ expresses her profound disappointment that the dressage was a ‘hyperflexion heaven’ and decides not to renew her membership of a horse sport world that rewards the use of force and domination. “It is becoming increasingly apparent” she writes, “that another equestrian venue is required to accommodate the wishes of a worldwide audience.”

Thirdly, the editor provides a digest of a research article published in the online journal “Public Library of Science”. The research on stereotypical behavior in the horse was carried out by a team of behaviorists in the Department of Human and Animal Ethology at the University of Rennes, France (Hausberger et al. 2009). Their research has comparative value as it relates to stress at work in both man and horse. I had not previously considered the possibility that behavioral disorders in the horse

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Fig.2 Distribution of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve; I = ophthalmic, II = maxillary and III = mandibular branch. Bit-induced pain from the bars of the mouth, tongue or teeth is the cause of direct pain registered immediately in the brain &/or referred pain in the other two branches of this major sensory nerve, as indicated by the arrows...

and psychological disorders in man might both be triggered by the work each does. Hausberger’s team points out a possible connection. In their summary they write, “To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of potential effects of work stressors on the emergence of abnormal behaviours in an animal species. It raises an important line of thought on the chronic impact of the work situation on the daily life of individuals.�

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Their research documents a connection between the increased frequency of stress-induced stereotypical behavior in the dressage horse (compared with other disciplines) caused by the conjunction of stabling for 23 hours out of 24 and dressage. It is not well known that dressage horses exhibit a higher frequency of cribbing, wind-sucking and head nodding in the stable than horses used for other disciplines.

I believe it is no coincidence that the region of anatomy especially involved and common to all the stereotypical behaviors encountered in this study of 76 horses at the Ecole Nationale d’Equitation, Saumur is - the mouth. Furthermore, all the behaviours are characterised by symptoms consistent with being caused by bit-induced trigeminal neuralgia, i.e. the severe and stabbing nerve pain in the face which, in human medicine, is known as tic douloureux; one of the most painful conditions known to man. On first glance, the definition of stereotypical behavior quoted by King seems reasonable - “abnormal repetitive behaviors which serve no useful function.” Nevertheless, I suggest that such behaviour may serve a sort of function, albeit a not very effective one. All these stereotypical behaviors could temporarily lessen the distress (hypersensitivity, ‘pins and needles’ or intense pain) caused by trigeminal neuralgia (Fig.2).

For example, cribbing or wind-sucking, by placing pressure on the upper incisor teeth could be a way to counter, if only momentarily, referred pain in the maxillary branch of the Trigeminal nerve. Head nodding or head shaking in the stable and at work is a common response to neuralgia in one or more branches of the Trigeminal (Cook 1999, 2003, Cook and Strasser 2003).

Similarly, ‘tongue play’, biting, and repetitive licking are consistent with these behaviours providing some relief from Trigeminal neuralgia by stimulating alternative neural pathways that momentarily ‘block’ pain transmission. The relief can only be transient but this very fact now neatly explains why these disorders are repetitive.

Other workers have correlated stereotypic behavior in the horse with poor welfare (Mason & Latham 2004, Mason & Rushen 2007, and Mason et al 2006), and have suggested that such behavior is a way for animals to cope with a stressful environment (Cooper and Mason 1998, Mason 1991). If my explanation is correct, the temporary relief obtained by damping pain signals

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with a different sensory stimulus, suggests a mechanism whereby stereotypical behavior enables such damaged horses to manage their infliction.

The only behavioral disorder in the group of 76 horses that did not at first seem to fit this explanation was the relatively infrequent occurrence of ‘weaving.’ However, it now occurs to me that even weaving could be similarly explained. Just as head shaking (movement in a vertical axis) may provide some relief from trigeminal neuralgia, so too may lateral movement of the head in ‘weaving’. In other words, ‘weaving’ could be just another category of head shaking.

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In sum, the management practice of caging a horse 23/24 hours a day causes stress. A zoo zebra has more freedom. The mandated use of one or more bits also causes stress. The currently condoned method of ‘dressing’ a horse by hyperflexing the head (Rollkur) undoubtedly increases the stress and the risk of them developing bit-induced trigeminal neuralgia and, in turn, the stereotypical behaviors of crib-biting, wind-sucking, head nodding, weaving, ‘tongue play’, biting and licking.

In the last decade it has been repeatedly demonstrated that all horses can be trained (‘dressed’) without mouth irons. Yet the FEI and national federations continue to mandate two mouth irons and a curb chain for dressage (Fig.3). This prompts the question, can such a sport be ethically justified? At the very least, dressage competitors should have the option of participating without being obliged to inflict pain and stress on their horses.

Fig.3 X-ray of the mandated mouth irons You wouldn’t do it to a dog!

The use of force on horses will stop when judges use the force of Article 401 on riders.

Until such time as they do, I propose that we reserve the word ‘dressage’ for an ethical sport and use the word ‘stressage’ for the unsporting FEI version.

References Cook W R (1999): “Pathophysiology of Bit Control in the Horse.” J Eq Vet Sci 19: 196204 Cook, W.R (2003): “Bit-Induced Pain; a cause of fear, flight, fight and facial neuralgia in the horse.” Pferdeheilkunde,19, 1-8 Cook, W.R. and Strasser, H (2003): “Metal in the Mouth: The Abusive Effects of Bitted Bridles.” Sabine Kells, Qualicum Beach, BC Canada Cooper J.J, Mason G (1998): “The identification of abnormal behaviour and behavioural problems in stabled horses and their relationship to horse welfare: a comparative review.”

Eq Vet J 27: 5-9 Hausberger M, Gautier E, Biquand D, Lunel C, and Jego, P (2009): “Could Work Be a Source of Behavioural Disorders? A Study in Horses.” PLoS 4(10): e7625 Mason G (1991): “Stereotypies: a critical review.” Anim. Behav. 41: 1015-1037 Mason G, Latham N (2004): “Can’t stop, won’t stop: is stereotypy a reliable animal welfare indicator?” In: Kirkwood J K, Roberts E A, Vickery S, editors. Proc of UFAW Int. Symp.

Science Service Anim Welfare. Anim Welfare 13: 57- 69 Mason G, Clubb R, Latham N, Vickery S, (2006): “What and how should we use environmental enrichment to tackle stereotypic behaviour?” Appl Anim Behav Sci. 102: 163-188 Mason G, Rushen J (2007): “Stereotypic behaviour in captive animals: fundamentals and applications for welfare (2nd ed.) Wallingford: CAB International Horses For LIFE

Equestrian News from Around the Globe from our facebook Pa g e 108

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Keeping Up In Facebook Keeping Up In Facebook It has only been few months since we have been active on Facebook and the journey has been incredible. What a wonderful opportunity to hear back from so many people - it has proven this past month invaluable in providing us with a place to have a voice in between editions.

Without this presence on Facebook, we would be mute, unable to speak out, I now wonder how we ever did without it.

But we realize not everyone utilizes Facebook, so we want to use this space to catch eveyone up on some of the posts to date.

The following is in order of date posted, not necessarily in date of importance. To see all the posts and comments that were posted, please visit our Facebook Page.

We do hope, though, that you utilize our Facebook page to post your stories, pictures and videos to our JUST SAY YES campaign.

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Australia: Pass this on

by Horses For LIFE Publications on Monday, January 10, 2011 at 10:03pm.

As you probably have heard the floods in Queensland which cover a huge amount of land – perhaps as much as 1 million sq km, about 4 times the area of New Zealand, have been devastatin for people and livestock alike. More than 22 cities and towns are flooded. Farms are covered with water and animals have drowned. Crops are under water.

Please pass this on with the link to the facebook page below so that others can find out where to give and to get help.

The floods began with rain early in December after a long period of drought. A tropical cyclone hit Queensland at Christmas time, bringing very heavy rain. Rivers have flooded and in some places the water on the land is 9m deep and the rain has not stopped yet.

Now -- Eight people were killed with over 70 others missing, as flash floods swept across southeastern Queensland State of Australia, local police said on Tuesday, which is today or Monday in North America.

Queensland police deputy commissioner Ian Stewart said “Mother nature has delivered something terrible in the last 48 hours but there’s more to go,” she told the Nine Network, noting that more tragic stories may take place Tuesday. Rescue crews fear that the toll may rise, with so many missing with Lockyer Valley hit by walls of water that earlier tore through Toowoomba.

Police urged up to 5,000 people to flee their homes Monday night, warning of a “7m wall of water” as the flood surged into the Lockyer Valley, east of Toowoomba.

The video below gives an indication of the impact http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1JxXzVMdyE&feature=player_embedded#!

Please share with others that there is a new facebook page created where anyone can help and where Australians are helping other Australians with their horses, especially those that need transport or for those need to find high ground. The more people that you pass this information on to, the more chance that people will find this helpful facebook page, especially those who are living in Australia and may not know of this resource. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=179897608709353

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Dr Cook on Our Last Issue of Horses For LIFE .by Horses For LIFE Publications on Monday, December 13, 2010 at 7:38pm.

Dr Cook sent us this kind letter after our last issue Volume 55 RCMP 125 Years. http://horsesforlife.com/Volume55RCMP With his permission we share it with you today and hope that together we can answer his question what can/should we do next.

We are happy to present the one article LDR at the WEGs Part1 please feel free to share our web version!

Please note that you can see more pictures from this article in full in our flip version of our magazine Warm Regards, Nadja King Editor Horses For LIFE Publications

Dear Nadja, The December issue of Horses for Life contained at least two very important articles, each of which may well have resulted in your telephone ringing off the hook!

I want to thank and congratulate you on both.

Firstly, your illustrated editorial produced heartbreaking but important evidence. Blatant Rollkur, ‘in broad daylight’ as it were, and actually IN the competition arena at the WEGs, of all events. This particular competitor would almost certainly have been doing the same or worse in the warm-up ring, yet neither the stewards nor the judges exercised their authority (and responsibility) to disqualify her. The evidence indicts the FEI for allowing such a thing to happen and indicates their total disregard for the welfare of the horse. I commend you for having the courage to expose this act of cruelty. Have you any suggestions as to what steps can now be taken to censor the FEI for this infringement of their own rules?

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Secondly, thank you from the bottom of my heart for drawing my attention to the article by Hausberger et al 2009. I read your excellent digest of this research with mounting excitement, as it contains such fascinating new evidence on stereotypies. Naturally, I was delighted to see that the evidence supports my long-held contention that the bit is a cause of head shaking. But now, there is also reason to hold the bit responsible for at least some (perhaps many) occurrences of cribbing, wind-sucking, and weaving, three so-called vices the causes of which have puzzled horsemen for a thousand years and veterinarians for as long as there has been such a profession (a mere 200 years!).

I promptly searched online for the original article and have spent a very happy afternoon studying it. Thank you so much. It was a further reward to see that the authors cited some of my work.

The additional evidence on equine stress and what causes it has led me to invent a new name for the hyperflexion dressage that is now being practiced with the full connivance of the FEI. It should be called STRESSAGE. I especially liked the way you drew attention, in your editorial, to the position of the ears as an indicator of false collection. I feel a short article beginning to occupy my thoughts on stressage. Would you be interested?

Thank you again for your heroic work.

Kind regards, Bob Robert Cook FRCVS, PhDProfessor of Surgery EmeritusTufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Chairman and CEO, BitlessBridle Inc.www.bitlessbridle.com drcook@bitlessbridle.com

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What do you think re helmets in dressage?

by Horses For LIFE Publications on Friday, January 28, 2011 at 10:11am.

Just recently the USEF updated their requirements of helmets in dresssage. What do you think? Do you think this goes far enough? Do you think this goes too far? What do you think the FEI should do at an international level? Or is this something for each country to deal with?

Which countries do you think are still lacking in adequater helmet standards?

Ruling Protective Headgear Rules for Dressage Effective March 1, 2011, the following rules apply to Dressage Competitions and Regular Competitions holding Dressage classes: 1.Riders under age 18 must wear protective headgear, as defined by DR120.5 and in compliance with GR801, at all times while mounted on the competition grounds. This includes noncompeting riders as well as those competing at any level.

2.While on horses competing in national level tests (Fourth Level and below), riders must wear protective headgear as defined by DR120.5 and in compliance with GR801, at all times while mounted on the competition grounds. This includes non-competing riders on horses competing in national level tests.

3.While on horses competing in USEF or FEI Young Horse Tests, and FEI Junior Tests, riders must wear protective headgear as defined by DR120.5 and in compliance with GR801, at all times while mounted on the competition grounds.

4.All riders competing in Para-Equestrian tests must wear protective headgear at all times while mounted on the competition grounds. Riders who compete in PE tests must wear protective headgear on every horse they ride, no matter the level or test.

5.All riders of any age while on non-competing horses must wear protective headgear at all times while mounted on the competition grounds.

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6.All riders under age 18 and all riders while on horses competing in national level tests, who choose to wear Armed Services or police uniform, must wear protective headgear as defined in DR120.5 and in compliance with GR801 at all times while mounted on the competition grounds. Riders age 18 and over who wear Armed Services or police uniform on horses that are competing only in FEI levels and tests at the Prix St. Georges level and above must wear either protective headgear or the appropriate military/police cap or hat for their branch of service.

7.When a horse is competing in both national and FEI levels or tests (e.g. Fourth Level and PSG), the rider must wear protective headgear at all times when mounted on that horse on the competition grounds and during all tests.

8.While on horses that are competing only in FEI levels and tests at the Prix St. Georges level and above (including FEI Young Rider Tests, the USEF Developing Prix St. Georges Test and the USEF Brentina Cup Test), riders age 18 and over are not required to wear protective headgear in warm up or during competition. However, these riders may wear protective headgear without penalty from the judge.

9.In FEI-recognized (CDI, CDI-Y, CDI-J, CDI-P, etc.) classes, FEI rules take precedence and protective headgear is permitted but not required.

10.All riders while on horses competing in national level classes such as Equitation, Materiale and DSHB Under Saddle are required to wear protective headgear at all times when mounted on the competition grounds.

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So what do you think? http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/horses-for-life-publications/what-do-you-think-re-helmets-in-dressage/493934176133

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FEI Press Release: FEI Eventing Risk Management Action Plan on target . For LIFE Publications on Monday, January .by Horses 31, 2011 at 3:11pm.

FEI PRESS RELEASE

The following is a FEI Press Release on the current state of affairs in Risk Management which they seem to be defining as the number of falls. This is a subject that we have taken a keen interest in. We dedicated Volume 33 to this very subject under the disturbing title “Three Dead Horses”.

The FEI Eventing Risk Management Action Plan, which was launched in January 2010, is on target, as shown by the steady decrease in the percentage of Cross-Country falls.

It was a time when we had international attention on eventing with some very disturbing deaths. Then came the Rolex and the death of Frodo Baggins caught international attention. The topic was one that many seemed to have an opinion on.

Those who participate in the sport were saying ‘there will always be risks but these are risks we accept as being part of the sport’. However those outside of the sport were having quite a different reaction. It reached such national prominence that even the Gallup poll became involved, with one poll showing that 38% of those surveyed were in favor of not changing but actually abolishing sports that involve competition where one animal was competing against another. You can read more in the following free article for all, no registration required.. http://horsesforlife.com/EventingWhatCanWeDoBetter

The following free Article, which only requires registration to see, is even more disturbing as we re-lived the tragedy of Frodo Baggins at the Rolex. http://horsesforlife.com/ThreeDeadHorses We would like to hear what you think. Is the FEI going in the right direction? Have we done enough?

What is acceptable risk?

Lausanne (SUI), 31 January 2011 FEI Eventing Risk Management Action Plan on target

National Safety Officers (NSOs) from 22 nations who attended the FEI’s annual NSO seminar in Greenwich, London (GBR) on 29-30 January were shown provisional statistics for 2010 which demonstrate that as numbers of international events and participants increase, the incidence of falls continues to decrease.

Since 2005, the rate has dropped steadily from one Cross-Country fall per 17 starters to one in 19 in 200910. In 2009, there were 778 falls from 14,206 starters (an incidence of 5.48%); in 2010, this figure was 767 from 15,518 (4.94%). The number of international events has grown from 318 in 2004 to 479 in 2010.

“The statistics show that our vision for the Risk Management Action Plan was correct and that the systems we have put in place are moving in the right direction”, commented Giuseppe Della Chiesa (ITA), Chair of the FEI Eventing Committee. “It also shows the steady pace at which the sport is increasing worldwide and the fact that officials and competitors are working well together.

“Of course, we are happy to have a growing Eventing community, but we must make sure that these competitors who are coming into the sport and progressing up it are properly prepared for each level. Our priority is always to ensure competitors do not face any unnecessary risk in what inevitably will remain a risk sport.

“The number of falls at 1* level, and the proportion of horse falls (240 in 2010), is still of concern, as is the consistency of national methods of record-keeping, and we are continually striving to find ways of educating officials and riders, and standardising data collection throughout the world.”

Topics for discussion by NSOs at the meeting included the implementation of new rules, simplifying require-

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ments for medical cards and national qualifying procedures for CCI1*s. The major aim for this year is to produce a DVD to help everyone involved in the sport (riders, owners, organising committees, National Federations and officials) share a common vision of Cross-Country riding in line with the FEI Eventing Risk Management Policy.

Christina Klingspor, representing the Swedish Federation, commented: “This weekend has been really inspiring. It allows us to re-evaluate the progress we are making and we can now go back to our country with new ideas.”

Peter Gray, Canada’s NSO, said: “Much of our Federation’s work in Canada revolves around what I can take back from these annual meetings. They are really helpful, as everyone brings a different skill and viewpoint, and we have been able to make great strides in improving the structure of our sport.”

Notes to editors: Eventing constitutes an exciting and challenging all-round test of riding ability and horsemanship within an accepted and acceptable level of risk.

Every effort must be made to ensure that, at each level, responsible athletes are participating with progressively trained horses in order not to be exposed to a higher risk than what is strictly inherent to the nature of the competition.

A number of new FEI rules were put in place in 2010 to aid risk management, including penalties for dangerous riding and the breaking of a frangible obstacle or device. The rules for dangerous riding and abuse of the horse have been separated for increased clarity. For Eventing Rule Changes for 2010, visit www.fei.org For the 2009 FEI Eventing Statistics Report , visit www.fei.org. The complete 2010 statistics will be published next month after they have been validated.

Media Contact: Grania Willis FEI Director Press Relations ISPCA stressing Equine Problem “NOT” overstated .by Horses For LIFE Publications on Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 9:04am.

Reports of 10,000 to 20,000 horses in trouble has recently been the focus of media attention around the world. While there are those that state the problem has been overstated, the ISPCA has released a statement that emphasizes the scale of the problem. But we need to address not only what the problem is but why it is happening all around the world.

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ISPCA Press Release 16 February 2011 ISPCA defends coverage of equine welfare problems The ISPCA has moved to emphasize the scale of the equine welfare problems that it is facing in response to a statement from Horse Sport Ireland suggesting that coverage of the crisis was “overstated and unbalanced”.

Joe Collins, president of the Veterinary Council of Ireland and author of an in-depth study on horse welfare in Ireland, was widely quoted last year giving the estimated number of “surplus horses” in the country as 10,000 to 20,000. This was due to overproduction of poor or moderate quality animals and the resultant saturation of the market with virtually valueless animals.

While this figure referred to “surplus” animals, the number was picked up by the foreign media with some erroneously reporting that there are tens of thousands of equines wandering loose around the island of Ireland.

Conor Dowling, Chief Inspector with the ISPCA, said “While we would agree that some of the European reporting of our equine situation has been inaccurate and sensationalist, it would be a grave error to attempt to downplay the scale of the problem facing this country”.

The ISPCA has been attempting to highlight this escalating problem since 2008 during which time the number of calls made to the organisation’s National Animal Helpline has doubled year on year. The numbers of equines taken into care by the charity’s Inspectors has also increased drastically with nearly as many rescued in the first six weeks of 2011 as in the whole of 2010.

Last year’s figure was, in turn, twice that of 2009.

While the society acknowledges that the numbers of animals being accommodated by charities does not compare with the enormous figures quoted in some reports it is keen to point out that the animals in rescue centres are only the very worst examples.

Mr. Dowling said “Due to the limitations of our charitable resources we must focus on those animals most in need. We are visiting equines in conditions we would not have tolerated a few years ago but are forced to leave them where they are as we do not have the finances, manpower or facilities to help them all”.

In addition to the dozens of equines taken into ISPCA facilities in the opening weeks of 2011, the society’s Inspectors have arranged the euthanasia of 12 others and have encountered in excess of 30 carcasses.

Chief Inspector Dowling does not agree with Horse Sport Ireland’s assertion that “a small number” of horses are neglected saying “our representatives are seeing equines all over the country that are not receiving the standard of care that they should. These may not be the type of horses with which the HSI is normally familiar but they are equines nonetheless”.

While recognising that it is inaccurate and unfair to attempt to blame any particular sector for the current problems, the ISPCA believes that all parts of the equine industry contributed in 118

some way and should therefore all be involved in the solution.

The organisation’s staff are becoming increasingly frustrated with the pressures they are facing daily and their inability to help more animals. Mr. Dowling said “we are receiving criticism from the public for not doing more but there is no point in us expending all our resources this month and ceasing to operate next month. We need help in dealing with this crisis”. =================== In the meanwhile, Denis Lynch, Rider of the Year 2010 and ranked 9th in the world, considers this to be a confirmation of his work. Two months ago the Irish show jumping rider has initiated a donation campaign to take care of the suffering horses in Ireland. Lynch works together with the Irish animal welfare organisation ispca. The Irishman living in Münster (Germany) has already collected €130,000 in Germany and Swizzerland.

Overbreeding has been cited as one of the possible reasons for the current problem, reminding all of us of the responsibilities that we all have as equestrians to our horses. Breeding should be a serious business requiring a great deal of education, knowledge and experience. Breeding indiscriminately leads to this kind of problem. Unfortunately around the world we are seeing problems with many breeding programs, as the conformation and quality of many of the breeds are being compromised. This should be a huge concern for all of us as horsemen all around the globe. This is a problem that is far-reaching and currently escalating as too often, “fashion of the day” overtakes too many breeding operations.

It is difficult though to blame the breeders who are only breeding horses that they hope will sell. It is up to all of us, the average horseman to make clear choices when we are in the process of acquiring horses on behalf of ourselves or our clients. It is also all of our responsibility to remember that first and foremost we need to respect the basic biomechanics of the horse and that correct conformation is the basis of correct work. Everytime we breed for a lower head set or a horse that goes out further behind, or horses that are wither high so that they can mimic the frame of collection, we are not only hurting the horse for this generation but for many generations to come. In the end, this becomes our fault and our repsonsibility.

A few years ago one researcher noted that in high speed photography that she saw a positive placement of the hind leg in trot rather than the pure diagonal that the masters strived for. We never stopped to question if at that point our breeding programs had begun to take us in the wrong direction. Instead today we are breeding horses that are even farther away from any kind of pure diagonal and breeding horses that we can see the the advanced diagonal placement with our naked eye. Since these horses are the ones being placed and marked highly in the dressage arena, the trend will only continue.

Unless we speak up and stop it.

Our horses are counting on us.

Nadja King Editor Horses For LIFE

The Endangered Caspian Breed Hit Hard by Flooding in Australia .by Horses For LIFE Publications on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 11:38am.

Press Release: “Years of careful breeding could be wiped out unless we act now.”

“In 1965, Louise Firouz, an American woman living in Iran risks everything, including imprisonment, to save a breed so old that it was thought to be extinct. She would make the incredible discovery of an ancient breed lost to the rest of the world since the time of Alexander the Great!”

From http://horsesforlife.com/EndangeredCaspianHorse

Equus Survival Trust EST- ACTION ALERT February 15, 2011 CASPIAN HORSE FLOOD VICTIMS NEED HELP The Caspian Horse Society (UK) is raising funds to help feed the rare and beautiful Caspian Horses affected by the floods that recently devastated Australia. Floodwaters raged high above fencing, flooding paddocks, barns and homes in Queensland and Victoria, home to a significant segment of the world’s Caspian population.

Listed as Critical by the Equus Survival Trust, Caspian Horses average 11-12 hands and have the elegant appearance of well-bred horses. Despite their size, they are not ponies, but a ancient, hot-blooded breed of horse thought to have been extinct until rediscovered in northern Iran in the 1960s by an American woman. The Caspians in Australia are descendants of precious imported bloodlines from the 1970’s. c, however thanks to the dilligence and sleepless nights of dedicated owners, no Caspians were lost. Yet the aftermath may prove more dangerous. Substaintial farming areas in the Queensland were completely inundated, turning the area into a muddy wasteland.

Many surviving horses are now miserably affected with laminitis, hoof abscesses and mud fever. Feedstuffs and hay will have to be shipped long distances and are now only available at hugely inflated prices.

THE CASPIANS NEED YOUR HELP! 120

The Caspian Horse Society in the UK has set up a donation page on the website ‘justgiving. com’ to raise funds for fellow Caspian breeders trying to cope with the enormous cost of obtaining fodder following the terrible floods.

All donations will be shared amongst the Australian Caspian breeders affected. If you have friends or family who might be interested in helping, you can help by forwarding this message and link to them. http://www.justgiving.com/John-Sansome (CHS treasurer who has sponsored the page.)

We are grateful for anything you can do to help!

Liz Webster,Chairman, Caspian Horse Society United Kingdom

For additional information contact: Equus Survival Trust 775 Flippin Road, Lowgap, NC 27024 (336) 352- 5520 EquusSurvivalTrust@yahoo.com www.Equus-Survival-Trust.org

Horses For LIFE

Keeping Up In Facebook

HeartFire

It has only been few months since we have been active on Facebook and the journey has been incredible. What a wonderful opportunity to hear back from so many people - it has proven this past month invaluable in providing us with a place to have a voice in between editions.

Without this presence on Facebook, we would be mute, unable to speak out, I now wonder how we ever did without it.

But we realize not everyone utilizes Facebook, so we want to use this space to catch eveyone up on some of the posts to date.

The following is in order of date posted, not necessarily in date of importance. To see all the posts and comments that were posted, please visit our Facebook Page.

We do hope, though, that you utilize our Facebook page to post your stories, pictures and videos to our JUST SAY YES campaign.

Shockwas on Face-

Eitan In .

Tues2010

`..his neigh is like the bidding of a monarch, and his countenance enforces homage...` William Shakespeare

At a

ing this past month when Eitan collapse the first day of the WEG’s. on our book page.

Beth-Halachmy Intensive Care day, August 3,

recent clinic Dr. Heuschmann was given a difficult horse. According to Dr. Heuschmann he had problems with the horse taking off on him, it took a few minutes but shortly after he was able to put the horse in much more relaxed frame.

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Horses For LIFE

Sign and Share the Petition that asks the FEI: Uphold the Rules!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/justsayyesto401/

We ask that the FEI returns to strictly upholding its Standards, the FEI Rules for Dressage Events, Article 401: Object and Principles of Dressage and Article 419.

Article 401 Object and General Principles of Dressage 5.” …the head should remain in a steady position, as a rule slightly in front of the vertical, with a supple poll as the highest point of the neck…” p.11 A supple poll as the highest point of the neck according to the stage of training and the extension or collection of the pace, represents the optimal anatomical, physiological and biomechanical way to develop the dressage horse according to the FEI Rules. Without a supple 124

poll at the highest point, the Object of Dressage to develop a calm, keen, attentive, confident horse that is supple, loose and flexible cannot be met.

Article 419 Object of International Dressage Events “The FEI instituted an International Dressage Event in 1929 in order to preserve the Equestrian Art from the abuses to which it can be exposed and to preserve it in the purity of its principles, so that it could be handed on intact to generations of athletes to come.” p.28 Thus as articulated in Article 419, the paramount duty of FEI Officials is to protect and uphold the existing rules for future generations. It should not be within the moral or ethical jurisdiction of any particular group or at any time to take decisions or pass rules that contradict completely the spirit and letter of the existing Rules and of Article 401 in particular.

Among the Signators to Date Colonel Carde FEI “I” Judge Selected for the Moscow Olympic Games Former National Dressage Coach for France Former Head Rider of the French National School of Riding and of the Cadre Noir in Saumur Claudia Saunders, Publisher and editor in chief, Dressur Studien Laetitia Bataille, Rédacteur en chef, Cheval Savoir Linda Tellington-Jones Creator of the Tellington Method and Tellington TTouch Training, founding member of the California Dressage Society, Worked and cliniced with Dr. Reiner Klimke, Ingrid Klimke, Klaus Balkenhol.

Christine Stuckelburger, Kyra Kurkland, Anne-Katrin Linsenhof, Elena Petushkova & Trainers from the Spanish Riding School.

Dr. Gerd Heuschmann: veterinarian, bereiter, founding member of Xenophon, author of “Tug of War” and “If Horses Could Speak”

The Fair Play Standard

Dr. Robert Cook

No result can be meaningful or valid if it has not been achieved “on a level playing field.” There is no level playing field when some riders adhere to the letter of the law and others break it. It is unjust for an organization that has strayed from its mission to penalize riders who embrace and abide by the rules as written, and rewards riders who disregard them with no concern for consequences.

Dr. Brie Hamblin Walter Zettl Dominique Barbier Pat Parelli Linda Parelli http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/justsayyesto401/ Horses For LIFE

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Horses For LIFE

The Great European Schools of CLASSICAL DRESSAGE

by Alain Laurioux and Guillaume Henry Reprinted with kind permisson from CADMOS http://www.cadmos.co.uk/ and Trafalgar Square http://www.horseandriderbooks.com/ 128

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Order at www.ipgbook.com