Horses For LIFE Volume 45 by Castlemare Publications

Horses For LIFE

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Content Highlights

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Contents contâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d pg 16

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This month our cover is one brief glimpse of the visually stunning display of the White Lipizzan Stallions from the White Stallion Productions represented in the issue both in an exclusive interview with the head rider as well as the breathtaking pictorial article White Stallions in Motion.

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

In this issue we explore and discover at many different levels the lesson of the horse and how the horse has so much yet to each and every one of us, no matter what our level of experience, from beginner to advanced. Read the honest and open discoveries from equestrians when they are faced with that lesson one more time. Reminding each of us of the importance of remaining humble and open to the horse no matter how far we think we have come. Then continue with how can you join and become a rider with White Stallion Productions? An expose on the use of the standing martingale currently being used in the hunter ring. Exploring when forward doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work and isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always the right answer and even more what is the perfect piaffe and why the judges may have made a mistake! Thank you for joining us in this incredible equestrian journey.

Horses For LIFE

An interview with the Head Rider of the White Lipizzan Stallion Production, including ‘how does one become one of the riders?’ HFL: You cover a lot of miles. Tony: We do. I actually kept track and it’s kind of a big loop so we did about 60,000 miles in one year. HFL: That is a lot. Tony: So if you just think about the fact that we start out in Florida in the spring, sweep up through the southeast and try to hit the middle, Texas and everything, and then we go up through California and Washington, Oregon and this year we went up to Alaska which will really rack up our mileage. HFL: How was it in Alaska? Tony: It was great. I grew up in Alaska and we actually played the town that I grew up in. HFL: That must have been an incredible feeling. Tony: It was like a family reunion for me. I go home and half the building is either filled with my family or people that I grew up riding horses with. They had a big barbecue dinner for all the riders before the show and everybody got home-cooked meals and felt spoilt. HFL: That’s something you guys must miss, home-cooked food, being on the road like that all the time. Tony: We have a small kitchen in our tour bus and we try to take turns making food so that we’re not eating out all the time. HFL: I’m sure you guys are so busy between taking care of the horses, doing your practices and doing the shows because a lot of time you’re doing the shows twice a day. Tony: Yes. Usually on the weekends we’ll have two shows. Most people need that big break and to relax on the weekend. I really enjoy Mondays and Tuesdays. That’s our weekend, that’s when everything slows waaaay down. HFL: So what town in Alaska are you from? Tony: I grew up in the area and we performed in Seldotna which is 10 8

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White Stallion Lipizzaner Head Rider Horses For LIFE

Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling

Myths of Today and Yesterday Part 2

Horses For LIFE

hempfling: flying pegasus

ho is the horse? What makes this domesticated animal different? Has the horse ever truly been domesticated? And what does this mean to our training? What lesson resides within one of the most well known myths – that of Pegasus and Bellephron? Klaus has been exploring why the horse has been and is so central to so many myths and he now begins to explore what makes the horse so different. Klaus: Then we look to the next aspect of the horse which is very important also to understand the horse. If I have pigs, cows and ducks, and you put them in the wild again, they have great difficulty surviving. Normally they will not survive; even dogs will not survive. You have something like wild dogs in Africa and this is a special type of dog. When I was in Spain, shortly after Franco died, you had many wild dogs running around; and they were dangerous. They formed groups and went stealing; going into the villages, they were really dangerous. Even fighting, fighting against humans. They were stealing; but they were not converting back into wolves again. That was impossible. They were still dogs. They were not free creatures; they were poor creatures, thin creatures. Meanwhile, thank God, they did bring this under control in Spain as they did with all the cats which were there. They did not convert back into wild cats - the wild cats that we have in our forests here in the north are a special ancient species. But the horses, all the wild horses, the mustangs, for example, the Brumbies in Australia named after this General Brumby who left his horses in Australia. We have the Brumbies, we have the mustangs, and we have the Namid Desert horses. All these horses, they turned back into wild horses in half an hour. So bring a horse to the desert, like the Gobi Desert horses in Mongolia; you can do it very easily anywhere, bring them back to their original wildness. So what does it mean? It means the horse is in reality not a tame animal; not like a dog, not like a pig; it’s still wild. It’s also impossible to completely get rid of the wildness in a horse, even if we’re breeding them, the horse still remains wild. This is exactly how I treat the horse. A horse is a wild animal. This is one of the reasons why it’s possible to cope so quickly with them compared to other kinds of animals. Then we have another point, another aspect which is very typical of the horse. We have different types of riding animals: elephants and camels. But they are, compared to a horse, very ‘lame’. You can’t really move together with them. You really can’t stop them. You really can’t substitute them for your legs. You can ride a camel, but to make it go left or right takes a lot of time; you need a stick to deal with them, same with the elephant. So you can’t communicate via your body. But the whole idea with the horse is that the horse absolutely substitutes my legs. So, sitting on a horse I understand to mean that I feel as if I have my feet on the ground. I am walking, I am sitting, I look to the left and the horse goes to the left. I look to the right, I think right and the horse goes to the right. You can see this, I hope you can see this in the small clips we have put on You Tube.

We are pleased to present this introduction to Empowered Horses by the translator, Kristina McCormack - An Introduction to a new series in Horses For LIFE

by kristina mccormack

Introducing: “Empowered Horses”. Nearly ten years ago a book called “Selbstbewusste Pferde” was published in Germany. The title was carefully and deliberately chosen to get attention, to make a prospective reader do a double-take. It was somewhat strange sounding, perhaps even a bit disturbing. “Selbstbewusst” is not a term that is typically used in connection with horses; it is not a quality commonly associated with them. In fact, most traditional horsemen (including most practitioners of “natural horsemanship”) would likely tell you that it is not at all desirable, or safe, to have a horse who is “selbstbewusst.” So, what does this adjective mean? And why does it sound strange and slightly unsettling when used in connection with horses?

Empowered Introducti

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Horses ion

“Selbstbewusst” literally means “consciousness of self, self awareness.” This quality of consciousness was traditionally considered by scientists and philosophers to be what sets human beings apart from other animals and, furthermore, that this distinguishing feature is what entitles mankind to his dominion over the rest of creation. Ascribing this quality of consciousness to a “lesser” creature, to a horse, goes against what many human beings have long seen as the right and natural order of things. It turns a fundamental belief about the world, about life, on its head. Horses For LIFE

After all, if a horse has this same consciousness of self that has long been considered unique to human beings, what happens to mankind’s supposed entitlement to the spot at the top of the evolutionary heap? What happens to our “god given” prerogative to exploit nature and all her creatures for our own ends? What happens to our “right” to use horses as we please and do with them what we wish? At the root of every training method, every “school of horsemanship,” every system of keeping and educating horses, there is the implicit assumption that human beings have the absolute right to use horses, to impose our

empowered horses: Introduction

will upon them. This book asks us to question that assumption. “Selbstbewusst” is commonly translated into English as “self-confident.” Even “selfconfident” is not a description we like to use in connection with horses, but the German term means so much more. “Self-confident”, yes, and also self-possessed, self-assured, supremely self-aware, fully conscious of one’s ability, power and presence. To convey all of this in English, I chose the word “empowered.” Empowered horses. An empowered horse. What does that term conjure up....

E Russell In Saumur

Eleanor Russell Exclusive Interview Part 2 of 3 Eleanor: I want to mention about this woman who found this whole box of books at the back of a cupboard, that she bought years ago as presents and never used and now she’s moving. She’s just discovered this box and she’s happy to sell them. Except that she wants quite a lot for them. There are a few blue books, and there are quite a lot of green books They are in pristine board condition; they genuinely are in a box and have been in this cupboard all these years. The blue one is From Old Master Trainer to Young Trainers, which for me is the really good one. I think it’s even better than the brown book. The green one is Horses and Riders. HFL: I think From Old Master to Young Trainers has always been my favorite. Eleanor: When the phone rang and Nuno said he’d found a horse for me, it turned out to be Victorieux, who was French, and at that time being trained by Patrick Le Rolland . Patrick was the resident national trainer for France in dressage. So I flew over there and rode the horse, loved him. He wasn’t perfect - he could have been another inch taller for me, but you don’t buy the perfect horse ever. That leads me into some (LET’S MAKE THAT “something else”—I’ve just found these notes on buying a horse which we’ll go into another day. Or I’ll go over them and

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make them better than they are. But in principle they’re very good, very good advice this man gave me about people buying horses. He’s a dealer and has been for 35 years. Because I bought the horse, Nuno was just incredible - maybe it was because I translated his books and I wouldn’t let him pay me for it, but he organized for me to go to Saumur and be trained by Patrick, and that was just wonderful. Saumur absolutely fascinated me because they practiced all four Olympic disciplines, plus racing and steeplechasing. They worked their horses outside as much as they could. Certainly they worked them inside in the Grand Ecole which was this huge indoor school where they did demonstrations and performances and things like that. But I was just cross-eyed at what was going on there. The training—I used to sit in the Grand Ecole and I’d sit in the front row of the seating when they were working during the day. All these people,...

E Russell In Saumur

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NUNO OLIVEIRA New!! DVD 1 & 2

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is... a dream come true to observe Oliveira at workâ&#x20AC;?

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Horses For LIFE

What is “Classical” Dressage? From The Way of Dressage By Susan Medenica What is Classical? History of the Word Originally, the term “Classical” in Western thought referred to a return to the ideals of nature as exemplified by the architecture, sculpture, drama, poetry and music of ancient Greece and Rome. In short, “Classical” had to do with the best of its kind for all time. As seen by later generations, these ideals were something to recapture and bring into the Renaissance and Classical periods of art in Western Europe. “Classical” dressage begins in ancient Greece (c. 400 B.C.) with the principles set forth by Xenophon in his work, The Art of Horsemanship. It is given rebirth in the Renaissance and Classical periods (c. 15th to 19th Centuries) in the works of Pluvinel, de la Guérinière, the Duke of Newcastle, Decarpentry, and later, in the more modern masters such as Steinbrecht, Fillis, Baucher, and Mueseler. When formulating a definition of the word “Classical,” and especially as it pertains to the riding and training of the dressage horse, Webster leaves much to be desired. Instead, the areas of philosophy and aesthetics, (the study of beauty), provide a way of exploring and determining just exactly what is and what is not “Classical.” There are some rather rigorous criteria to adhere to when fulfilling the definition, but without such intense attention, the word and its potential become hollow and superficial - in short, powerless to convey its original meaning. Definition of “Classical” So what, then, did the ancient Greeks have in mind when they invented the word? They came up with seven concepts which had to be met before a work could be considered to be “Classical.” Inasmuch as

By Su

hat is “Classical” Dressage?

usan Medenica

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Susan Medenica

The Way of Dressage

“... unapologetically classical...”

“... a guide for transformation...”

To Order: $23.95 US plus $3.50 Internation Shipping Click Here to Order Direct Through Horses For LIFE

From “USDF Connection,” July, 2005 - “Feed your head.” - “... the Zen of horsemanship.” - “... unapologetically classical...”

From “Dressage Today,” May, 2005 - “... a guide for transformation...” - “profound discourses...” - “soaring descriptions...”

p.4 “Man is a part of nature,as nature is a part of man.” p.4 “...the classical principles arise from man’s longing to enter into the natural world through the horse.” p.4 “the horse is neither good nor bad; he is quite simply a horde.” p.7 “... the prime responsibility of the trainer is to never act unjustly toward his charge and to make it his constant obsession to become ever more just in his dealings through self=effacing refinement of his own self.” p.7 ...”the horse is a master of time and space.” p. 11 “Absolute symmetry is not “natural”; we always ride two different horses at a time.” p. 11 “All living creatures, without exception display an animate urge as they fulfill their lives.” p.18 “The ideal (of classical dressage) was one of partnership: a mutually satisfying government between two unlike creatures for the betterment of both.” p. 25 “The horse is here to teach us something: who we are, where we fit within the world, has to live in mindfulness and grace.” p. 35 “First comes ‘forward,’ then comes ‘round.’” p. 66 “When seeking to influence an animal, learn from another one.” p. 88 “The seat, then, is both an anchor and a compass.” Horses For LIFE

Standing Martinga Uses & ABUSES Or Idiot Hunters

Standing Martingales Uses and Abuses By Anon as Per Request â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the show in Dillon, only a few hunters wore a properly adjusted standing martingale. Hunters are allowed to wear standing martingales and this piece of tack is considered part of the outfit for showing. I am well aware that many other horse sports distain the use of a standing martingale â&#x20AC;Śbut 28

torchlight: classical riders from Mars

ale

knowing how to dress your hunter properly is a big part of a winning show presentation. There were too many rounds that were spoiled by the horse getting itsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; head up on the approach to the fences. Jumping is exciting and a properly adjusted standing martingale helps remind the hunter to stay in Horses For LIFE

a more level frame. Without a martingale, the

horses would get their head up and in this inverted frame their strides were irregular and choppy. Remember the most important part of riding a hunter is to maintain a relaxed and consistent rhythm.”

Standing Martingales Uses and Abuses This is an example of what is being judged in the hunter ring. The above quote is from a hunter judge. “Without a martingale, the horses would get their head up and in this inverted frame their strides were irregular and choppy. Remember the most important part of riding a hunter is to maintain a relaxed and consistent rhythm”.

When did a standing martingale become part of “a winning show presentation”? What idiot decided that? Sure it’s legal

Running Martingale

Horses For LIFE

Pandoraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Box of Natural Horsemanship Subscribe at http://horsesforlife.com 32

The Pandora’s Box of Natural Horsemanship

Before you start down the long and arduous path of Natural Horsemanship, here is a cautionary tale for you when considering whether this is what you really want. Picture if you will the perfect horse. It exists, I had one. Tas was an ex-racehorse who had raced from an early age on the flat, over hurdles, steeplechasing and finally in point-to-points. He was everything I did not like in a horse. To start off, he was a Thoroughbred, then he was 16.2 and a smidge, and to finish off my prejudices he was a very bright chestnut. That is him up there in the picture. But I hear you mutter to yourselves, that picture does not seem to indicate anything like a perfect horse. Ah well, read closely, readers, and all will be revealed. I had decided that at the great of 55, after many years hunting with the most amazing hunter well, apart from lack of brakes, but that is another story - it was time for me to set my sights a little lower and get a nice quiet cob, coloured would be fun and 15 hands would suit my 5ft. 2 frame. So how did I end up with Tas? Good question. After being unceremoniously dumped a few times by said small coloured cob, the last time in the middle of the road which left me very badly bruised and in danger of not being able to ski again, I sent him off to be schooled and sold. The very kind lady who took him offered to lend me a horse until I found my perfect horse. Borrow this TB, she says, NO, NO, I cry, not a TB, not a racehorse, not chestnut. I was nevertheless persuaded to have him on loan for a few months. Wow, what a horse, I decided after a couple of weeks! Completely bombproof in all traffic - tractors, juggernauts, motorbikes - you name it, he ignored it. Walk, trot, canter, gallop – if he could be bothered, jump, no hassle, BRAKES, quite amazing. If anything he was a bit lazy, not terribly willing. I could quite see why he had not bothered to win any races. Easy to catch, box, shoe and I would have been hard put to find any fault – everybody’s dream horse. So of course he stayed. Enter the Pandora’s Box of Natural Horsemanship! Fired up after attending the Parelli conference in 2007, I decided to change my relationship with my horses and get into rope wriggling! Having been avoiding riding my manic mare who had only one gear, and that was full steam ahead, I decided to start on my nice quiet TB. Got the kit: carrot stick, natural head collar and 12 ft. rope. Can’t be that hard, I say to myself. After all I am reasonably intelligent and have spent 50 years with horses, so off I go into the field with Tas. Like all learners, I got very tangled up in rope and carrot stick and the horse looked snootily down his nose at me and refused to co-operate. I enlist the help of a friend who educates me in the important rope-wriggling business and how to play the friendly game before going on to direct the horse with rope and stick. I get the DVDs and study them avidly. I am on a mission and show all the classic symptoms of a convert. Horses For LIFE

Dumbledore Begins Teaching or The Horse That Listens I had no idea, when I renamed Dudley as the ‘one day wise and learned Dumbledore’, that he would begin to teach us so soon. That within his body were answers that I did not even realize to ask the questions for. He has in one brief ride opened my eyes to things that I didn’t even know were there. But before he even began with me, he had many lessons to impart to Brie. The first was what to do with a horse that listens, that literally follows each of your instructions. This may surprise you how difficult it is to ride a horse that “really” listens to you. As we began to release and change Brie, we in turn began to change and release Dumbledore. No longer could he use a tight body to hold himself up and propel against the arena floor, instead with every joint beginning to release - especially in the hindquarters. Now his muscles had to do so much more than propel his skeletal structure. His muscles now not only had to provide movement, but by releasing every muscle group, had to carry as well. A difficult transition for any horse, to go from pushing to carrying. Brie working on her own sent a video with Dumbledore’s latest offerings. One that was frustrating her and questioning what the heck was going on. Because all of sudden no matter how much she asked, he refused to trot. He would go faster and faster, till he was literally offering her a running walk, but a walk it was. Everything that she tried within her repertoire could not find trot in this horse. What the heck was going on? Watching the CD I could not help but break out laughing. I laughed and laughed and laughed. It was so hilarious to watch. To see this horse going faster and faster and faster and listening to her every step of the way! Those legs of his couldn’t move any faster if he tried. So what was happening?

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The Horse That Listens Horses For LIFE

“

Quite Often the fear is not statistically or rationally justified.

”

The Human Condition The following is a part 2 of a transcript of a rather *long*, but totally pertinent, dialogue between Dr. Michele Friend, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, George Washington University and myself that began in the Fall of 2008 and is still in process (on-going). Dr. Friend and I are long-time friends who have traveled extensively throughout Europe together--riding horses in various types of settings. Sherry Ackerman (MF=Michele Friend and SA=Sherry Ackerman): MF: If someone wants to jump off a balcony, they will find one to jump off, or find a cliff, or whatever. But now we get to another aspect which compounds and aggravates the problem. None of us wants to be culpable for the pain of another person. This is partly for legal reasons, partly out of squeamishness (we don’t want to witness something unpleasant), or we might have forgot-

The Human condition fear Subscribe at http://horsesforlife.com Horses For LIFE

Dumbledore teaches the teacher It came to me that Dumbledore had no education about how aids can be a language, both in our legs and in our hands. The feels becoming a conversation between you and your horse. A conversation that, yes, only comes in lightness but also is so much more. That each feel is a different gradation, going from rider to horse. And that there are different feels coming because the riderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hands are unlocked. Some riders like to see their instructor ride, others prefer to do all the training directly, thinking that this is one way that they can actually learn to do it themselves. I asked Brie if she had a preference or if she felt comfortable for me to climb aboard even for a few minutes to see if I could introduce Dumbledore to the concept of a variety of feels, which become a conversation that accesses and talks directly to the horse`s body. What happened was beyond any of my expectations. It was amazing and totally unexpected. Especially considering how little riding I had been doing because of an illness that I was just beginning to recover from over the last few years, and because of the beginning level of the horse that I was climbing aboard. From the moment my seat touched down upon the saddle, I was at home. I was so at home that I knew I felt like I was in my own skin and I knew exactly as I picked up the reins and began to take a feel, how to caress with my seat, with my calf, with a quick lightning ruffling with my heel that lasted just for a moment, within seconds I had taken this uneducated horse and at a halt he began to collect. More touches here and there and we moved forward to the wall a few feet away, and he came together even more, this horse that only lived on his forehand lifted through the withers, lifted through the shoulder, became empowered and energy gathered, the bleachers straight ahead begged to be climbed as muscles engaged and fired and

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Horses For LIFE

White Lipizzan Stallions In Motion

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When Forward Doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Work or Pushing the Wheelbarrow Horses For LIFE

Pushing the Wheelbarrow OR When Forward Doesn’t Work Forward is often the answer that you are looking for. Energy, power, activity are the main ingredients that we need. We can divert, mold, create when we sit astride exploding energy . Even the most basic of transitions require forward - we cannot accomplish even the most basic transition from halt to walk, for example, without forward. An accomplished horseman knows that is especially true when we are not going forward. A reinback is asking for forward, never backwards, requiring far more forward, both in direction and activity, than any other time that we actually ask our horse to move forward, forward as in direction. And of course any and all lateral work beginning with the basic corners requires more forward than does moving forward on the straight. These are truths that many riders have discovered and re-discovered through the ages. Forward is seen as the solution to many - or at least almost all - of our problems. How many instructors through the world can be heard to say again and again “forward”, “forward” more “forward”! We need forward so much that we are willing to do anything to get it.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the trained horse, the desire for forward movement must be passionate and have the powerful rigour, the acute intensity, of a permanent and imperious physical urge. To foster this and, if necessary, to develop this passion, must be for a rider a haunting obsession, for he must be constantly aware of the helplessness of his situation as soon as impulsion is lost. At the slightest sign of fading, the rider must instantly fully restore it, leaving all other matters pending, by resuming without delay the lesson of the spur, adjusted to the seriousness of the case.â&#x20AC;? from General Decarpentry, Academic Equitation Horses For LIFE

perfect piaffe

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T EC F R PE FFE PIA 48

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EC F For LIFE R PE FFE

``Lifting of the forehand is a consequence of the lowering of the hindquarters produced by their greater engagement. It is an indication and a consequence of collection. In a correctly collected horse the croup and buttock muscles of the engaged hindquarters exert a powerful tug downwards and backwards upon the muscles of the back connected to them, thus lifting the chest and neck vertebrae of the spine and taking some of the load of the forehand. The more the neck is stretched forwards and upwards, the easier contact with the bit becomes.`` Seunig “However, the relative obliqueness of the arm must not bring the forelimbs too much under the body. This latter disposition results in the whole weight of the forehand overhanging the forelegs. This is most detrimental to the lightness of the front... “General Decarpentry from Academic Equitation Arab saying “Never trust a horse whose feet are under thine own.” ...definition of impulsion: the condition whereby a horses propelling forces are constantly at the disposal of its rider for the immediate and generous execution of any requested movement. Jean Saint-Fort Paillard from Understanding Equitation

This is the original picture.

It is important to always ensure to judge all pictorials on the same level, while it can work sometimes to align the horizon often that is not the correct adjustment to make as a horse that is going across the diagonal or has his shoulders or hindquarters, closer or farther away from you, will be skewed. A much better parameter is to use both the horizon and if possible the shadow of the horse to get a clear indication of the true current balance of the horse. In this case we can see that the picture was taken so that there is more space in the foreground, in effect making the horse look like his withers were higher than they actually were. This is very, very common misrepresentation and should be watched for anytime you are critiquing photo’s or film of a horse and his way of going. 50

...places at our disposal its impulsive forces. General LHotte We hear from the judges that they can only judge what is placed before them. But we can only judge the judges by the marks that they give. One must assume that the piaffe that is marked a ten is perfect. The horse has two sides and in piaffe there will be two seperate diagonals. With two different diagonals which while in a perfect scenario might be exactly the same, reality says that these two diagonals will be slightly different. Looking at the one diagonal we will let you judge whether it represents the perfect piaffe. Whether the horse is supporting himself through this front or his hind legs. Whether this horse was ever what would be classically collected.

When we compare the original picture with the adjusted alignment we can more clearly see how the horse is not poll high. When a picture has artificially raised the forehand of the horse it can look as if the horse is more poll high than he actually is. Always check on any visual aid to see if the there is a greater distance from the bottom of the photo to the front feet than from the bottom of the hind feet. A clear indication that the horse is not being correctly represented in his actual balance.

Once the correct alignment is straightened out we can see much more clearly how the croup is actually higher than the back. A clear indication that buttock and hip muscles are not â&#x20AC;&#x153;pullingâ&#x20AC;? and raising the back. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In a correctly collected horse the croup and buttock muscles of the engaged hindquarters exert a powerful tug downwards and backwards upon the muscles of the back connected to them, thus lifting the chest and neck vertebrae of the spine and taking some of the load of the forehand.`` Seunig Horses For LIFE

perfect piaffe

We can see that the hock point is well in advance of the buttock point a clear indicator that the horse has stepped well underneath himself. A hock that is even with the buttock point is a horse that is not in the third level of balance but in the second and not yet collected. Unfortunately we see too many horses with their horses clearly out behind the buttock point, a key element in the increased appearance and development of kissing spine in the horse of today.

We also look to see where the front leg is. The more a front leg comes underneath the horse and more underneath the rider, the more clearly the horse is carrying more weight on the front end than on the hind end. A horse that is carrying weight on the forehand in this manner is not a freely mobile animal, he is too busy holding himself on his front legs to be nimble and quick through his front end. The more weight carried on the front end, the more the articulation we will see in the hind joints, as the front legs carry weight leaving the hind legs more free to be more mobile. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, the relative obliqueness of the arm must not bring the forelimbs too much under the body. This latter disposition results in the whole weight of the forehand overhanging the forelegs. This is most detrimental to the lightness of the front... â&#x20AC;&#x153;General Decarpentry from Academic Equitation

A foreleg that is slanted backwards is a clear indication that the horse is carrying more weight on the front end. The foreleg should at the least stand upright in a correctly balanced and collected piaffe. Arab saying “Never trust a horse whose feet are under thine own.”

Here we can see that not only is the foreleg slanted backward but so is the head of the horse when we look at the bridge of the nose. It is not surprising to see a direct correlation between the horse on the forehand with a slanting back foreleg and a horse that is not poll high, behind the vertical and croup high. Often these same horses are out behind as well. Basic biomechanics of the horse demand that the horse behind the vertical can never be in true collection. This is the perfect piaffe as designated by a panel of FEI judges. These standards have to change. We should not mark perfect what is not. It becomes misdirection for all of those who look to those at the top levels for examples of correct work. Sadly a few years ago this same horse amazed me with the fluidity of his piaffe, elegant and correct a horse that surprised one how far he could come undernetah himself. But when given the opportunity the judges never rewarded what they saw in front on them at that time.

Arab saying “Never trust a horse whose feet are under thine own.”

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¿Qué es un cambio de pie? Bueno, lo primero y más importante por recordar is que un cambio de pie es una transición. Una transición se define como el cambio de un aire a otro, o un cambio de un movimiento a otro. Un cambio de pie en el aire no debe ser temido más que otra transición que uno hace todo el tiempo. Uno hace una transición cada vez que le pedimos al caballo pasar de alto a paso, o de trote a paso. Cuando uno va de un aire rápido a uno mas lento se suele llamar transición hacia abajo (downward transtition), Un cambio en el aire es en esencia cuando le pedimos al caballo que cambie la secuencia de sus patas al galope como si fueramos a cambiar de dirección, cosa que a veces hacemos y a veces no. Cuando no pedimos el cambio pero vamos en la dirección opuesta es llamado contra-galope, Así, en esencia, nosotros tendríamos al caballo usando la secuencia de patas que usaría para ir hacia la derecha por ejemplo, pero él realmente estaría yendo a la izquierda, a esto lo llamaríamos contra-galope, En el galope nosotros pensamos al caballo como “salpicando” 1 con un pata, en nuestro caso, o su caso, los miembros de un lado guiando a los del otro. Así, por ejemplo, si fuéramos a salpicar/galopar en un círculo contrario a las agujas del reloj o hacia la izquierda, nosotros galoparíamos con la pierna izquierda aparentando ir más alto. El lado izquierdo guía entonces al derecho. Lo mismo para el caballo, las patas del caballo parecerían ir adelante - nótese adelante en el espacio y no anticipándose en el tiempo- en la secuencia, delante de los miembros derechos, Entender el galope no es necesario para lograr los primeros cambios de pie en el aire, pero puede ayudar a estar física y mentalmente preparado para cabalgarlo con el caballo, en lugar de contra el caballo, cuando uno pida el primer cambio de pie. En adiestramiento tenemos cambios de pie cada-dos, tres, cuatro y cada-un galope, este es cuando el caballo cambia el pie guía en cada galope, usualmente es la primera vez que logramos un cambio de pie la mas excitante y difícil, es el paso de base con que todas las series están construidas.

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¿Qué es un cambio de pie?

Entonces, ¿cómo enseñamos el cambio de pie? Una de las formas en que con más frecuencia vemos a los jinetes tratando de lograr un cambio de pie sobre su caballo es des-balanceando al caballo. En efecto, el jinete hace un sorpresivo y fuerte cambio en la distribución de su peso mientras por ejemplo hace una figura de ocho al galope. Ciertamente esto no nos permite ayudar al caballo con su cambio de pie. No hay preparación involucrada que le permita al caballo hacer una transición limpia. Por transición limpia queremos decir que tanto las patas como manos hagan el cambio simultáneamente. Aparentemente, los caballos no tienen problemas con la idea de galopar a una mano con las manos y a otra con las patas. A lo mejor es ésta la razón por la que con tanta frecuencia vemos un caballo galopando “cruzado”. Otra forma de describir el galope cruzado es cuando el caballo se mantiene a la vieja mano en las patas traseras pero ha cambiado en las delanteras. Es interesante notar que cuando nos referimos a un caballo galopando cruzado durante un cambio de pie, realmente terminamos hablando de un caballo que está galopando a la mano deseada, o lo que llamamos correcta, con las manos y no con las patas-- un signo seguro de que la transición no fue pedida desde las patas o con mayor probabilidad que las patas no estaban “Involucradas”2 cuando se pidió la transición. Arrojando el peso violentamente hacia un lado y enviando el caballo sobre sus manos y hombros no es necesariamente la mejor preparación para una transición limpia para ningún jinete. En su lugar necesitamos crear un ambiente donde preparamos la situación de tal forma que el caballo haga el cambio sin ser des-balanceado. No solo des-balanceado1 de un lado a otro, tampoco deseamos queremos que el caballo aprenda a hacer el cambio de pie con el peso puesto sobre las manos. Es importante que desde el principio el caballo haga los cambios correctamente, como vamos a enseñar primero es el patrón por el que vamos a entrenar, y esto significa que el cambio de pie tiene que reflejar un galope realmente excelente. Un movimiento elevado3 que provea el tiempo de aire que el caballo precisa para un cambio limpio. Nosotros no queremos que el caballo comience los cambios con el peso sobre las manos, porque esto representará un problema más tarde. Nuestros métodos de entrenamiento precisan no solo reflejar la acción que queremos, que en este caso es el cambio de pie. Necesitamos alentar un galope elevado, con un tiempo en el aire bueno y limpio, cambios adelante y atrás, sin que el jinete desbalancee el caballo. Queremos que el jinete esté balanceado, alentando y ayudando al caballo. Una forma de ayudar al caballo con suspensión y un buen tiempo de aire es introducir trabajo con caballetes trabajando el caballo al galope. Hay exposiciones excelentes sobre como hacerlo, escritos por varios maestros. Una de las formas más fáciles es poner una serie de caballetes que imitan los pasos al galope del caballo, pidiéndole que pase sobre un caballete por cada galope. Entonces no es una serie de saltos sino una serie de galopes dejando al caballo encontrar elevación en cada galope. Una nota al margen es que el caballo habitualmente no solo encuentra elevación sino que también logra reunión ya que coloca las patas más hacia abajo del cuerpo. Por esta razón suele ser necesario acortar la distancia entre caballetes cuando el caballo comienza a reunirse y elevarse más. Esto es algo que debe ser alentado y no desalentado, por lo que es importante tener una persona cerca ayudándonos en el piso cuando hacemos el ejercicio. El momento en que el caballo comienza a ofrecer este cambio es el momento exacto en el que hay que ajustar la distancia entre caballetes. Tomamos el concepto del cavallete un paso más adelante e introducimos los cambios de pie en el aire. El cavallete nos ayuda a ayudar al caballo a aprender a elevarse en el primer elemento del galope. Nos ayuda a encontrar buen tiempo de aire. Mientras los maestros usaban los caballetes no como saltos sino como galopes más grandes, nosotros tomamos ventaja del hecho de que en esencia el caballete puede también sugerir un pequeño salto. 60

Sabemos que muchos caballos cambiarán naturalmente de pie cuando realizan un salto. Es la inclinación natural de la que podemos tomar ventajas al usar los caballetes para enseñarle al caballo su primer cambio de pie. El mejor lugar para comenzar es el trote. Comenzamos cabalgando en un círculo a un lado del caballete pasando varias veces al trote, luego de varios círculos comenzamos a cabalgar en una diagonal sobre el caballete y comenzando un circulo yendo en la dirección opuesta al otro lado del caballete. A veces ayuda al comienzo colocar el caballete sin altura, de manera que el énfasis no está puesto en el salto sino en la figura, una figura de ocho con el circulo repetido en ambos lados. Queremos estar seguros de que vamos en la diagonal solo en una dirección. No queremos invertir el patrón dado que solo esperamos introducir una dirección de cambio inicialmente. Por ejemplo, no queremos enseñarle a un caballo el cambio de izquierda a derecha y al mismo tiempo el de derecha a izquierda. Al elegir una dirección preferida sobre la otra usualmente ayuda ir de la mano más dura o difícil a la más fácil o mejor. Esperamos que el caballo tenga más deseos de cambiar hacia la mano que le resulta más fácil. Una vez que el patrón ha sido establecido, elevamos los cavalletes de tal manera de esperar que el caballo realice un salto. Una vez que el caballo está saltando sobre los cavalletes confortablemente es el momento de introducir el cambio. La mayoría de los jinetes encuentran la agradable sorpresa de que el caballo realiza el cambio de pie en el primer intento. El ejercicio ha sido usado por muchos entrenadores de distintas disciplinas desde el estilo Inglés al Western (vaquero) para introducir al caballo y jinete a los cambios de pies en el aire. Recordemos que siempre buscar un tiempo de aire limpio y bueno es lo que hace la diferencia para un buen cambio de pie-

(1) En ingles “skip” es marchar con saltos y rebotes, un típico juego de chicos. En casa lo llamábamos “salpicar” pero no se si inventamos el término. (2) Engaged en el original. Se refiere a que el caballo desplaza las patas hacia adelante soportando más peso que el caballo no entrenado. Es un paso hacia la reunión. (3) Uphill. No solo se refiere a la elevación sino a que el caballo al transferir peso a las patas y alivianar consecuentemente las manos, baja el anca y eleva estas.

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