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This month we celebrate the exclusive private celebration of the RCMP 125 Depot Anniversary. With the World Equestrian Games over we begin a new series closely examining the horses and the rides. Join us in the series on how to learn to ride from your body and not from your hands! 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! Contest Free subscriptions to anyone of your choice. Send us your inspiration. Pictures, videos, stories and/or quotes of what inspires you with your work with your horses. It is time for us to figure out what we stand for, which is a much more difficult exercise than standing against something. Send your entries to us or goto http://just-say-yes.info and upload your pictures and video on our facebook account. Just Say YES!! Celebrating the Horse. Thank you for joining us in this incredible equestrian journey.
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RCMP 125th Depot Anniversary ****A Private Tribute
*RCMP: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
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A private exclusive, behind the scenes look at how the RCMP members privately, both individually and as a group, remembered and celebrated the many years that the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) have served and trained at the Depot. The Depot in Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan in Canada, is the where all RCMP from across Canada come to be trained. Originally this was where the stables of the RCMP was centered, and where the famous muscial ride trained. Returning to the Depot to celebrate the 125th anniversary was a very special event not only for the public but especially for the members themselves. You could see how much it meant to them. There were moments of joy, moments of solemness, moments of quiet remembrance. It was an opportunity for them to personally honour those who had gone before. It was an opportunity for the riders to re-visit the original training arena. A connection to those who had gone before. Who had also dedicated their lives in the service of others. It was an opportunity for those who were not riders to
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momentarily remember how much horses had always been a part of the RCMP. It was an opporunity to remember the rich history of the beginnings of the NWMP North West Mounted Police as they were first and best known as. These were the men and now women, that the frontiermens and the natives trusted. Who when they gave their word, their protection or help with justice, could always be trusted. You could see how each one was touched just to be there. To ride down the roads not only where each and every RCMP member is trained, but where every mountie has been trained for 125 years. In a way - it was a coming home. The following pictures show a private rememberance of the RCMP. One the public was not privileged to see. One were individual members actively insisted on visiting places that have meant so much through the years. The church, the oldest building on the Depot as the original mess hall; the incredible riding and training arena; the memorial, where a flame flickers for those who have given their lives in service in front of the parade square; and most of all the members of the Depot themselves who came out to give honour to the horses. The horses who have been there with them from the beginning.
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CORE-BREATHING- to E CORE-BREATHING- to ENHANCE CONNECTION
with Jenny Rolfe
Core breathing is an extremely potent tool which can help us connect with our horse. The power of less stimulation is that it will very quickly create a more sensitive response. Our calm, focused state of mind will help us to communicate with more awareness and perception. The horse is an extremely sensitive herd animal so we can use this trait to gain more subtle communication. His language is to be constantly aware of changes in body language, tension and breathing which would ensure his survival in his natural environment. One significant connection between man and horse is the deep outward sigh. You may have a horse that feels tense in his work. He could be an overachiever, always trying to please, or he may just be excitable and spooky, lacking in confidence. To restore a calmer attitude, just ride on a loose rein in walk or come to a halt. Then give a deep outward sigh to encourage the horse to release his tension. This can be repeated at regular intervals, both throughout training and always at the end of a session of work. Soon the horse will take a sigh as he needs to release tension, which will help to create a more harmonious relationship. Stress related illness will also be alleviated as the horse feels more confident and calm. Strong leg aids and spurs can often be replaced by using power and mobility within our core.
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ENHANCE CONNECTION
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DRESSAGE FOR THE REST OF US
“I promised ahead of time to keep his identity secret in order to get honest and open statements from him.�
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The Man Who Rode With Grace by Dressage For The Rest of Us In volume 52 you read “Refund Policy Please”. In it I wrote of my dismay as to how I had been taught insufficiently for decades, and how terribly lacking certain parts of my equine education had previously been. I cited a specific event at a clinic with the dressage Master Walter Zettl in which I had been on the wrong diagonal and he told me I was posting “on the wrong hind leg”, a thing I had never before heard of until that moment. In my education, the focus was always on what the front legs were doing and that’s how I based my posting. On “seeing” and not on “feeling”. “Refund Policy Please” addressed the issues as to how inadequately many of us had been taught. I question why so many of us had been taught to ride with a focus on the front end as opposed to learning the feel of the back end, and this little incident was testimony to that fact. It was my own little personal wake up call. After that edition of Horses For Life had been published, I found myself speaking to a friend about it. She agreed with my rantings, but then totally surprised me with a statement. “I know a guy who rides like that. I know that he does because I’ve worked with him, and he’s told me that before. He always says to post on the inside hind.”
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Immediately my curiosity was piqued, and it was with great excitement that we arranged to meet in order to discuss this riding philosophy. I hadn’t heard of anyone teaching like that. I just had to meet him. I promised ahead of time to keep his identity secret in order to get honest and open statements from him. He didn’t want to take the chance of offending any of his students and I totally agreed with him. His identity isn’t important, only his story is. However, I would mention that this trainer is at the top of his game and has many competitive accomplishments. So I’ve honored my word, just as he has honored his promise to tell me “like it is”. Weeks passed slowly as I awaited that weekend, but eventually it came and I went to meet the man who posts on the inside hind. I took advantage of the sunny day to get my tan on at that summer’s weekend show. It was promising to become blistering hot and I have to admit I was awfully glad not to be showing, which is odd for me. Normally I am seized by the moment and I get the itch to be showing, but that day’s heat caused me not to be envious in the least. It was a first. I saw him mounting his horse to ride in the warm-up ring before I had gotten a chance to introduce myself. As such he had no idea I was there, nor would he know me by appearance as we’d never before met or even spoken. He was easy to spot really. Knowing the color horse he would be riding did make it easier, but there was something else. His horse was totally relaxed from the moment the ride began to the time that it ended. He focused on transitions, all done with the hand of a master, the horse willingly working in partnership with him. He rode so very quietly, just trusting in his horse and he didn’t seem to worry if every moment of his warm-up was perfect or not, though it looked to me to be so. A little adjustment here, a rebalancing there. His ride was calm and he didn’t Horses For LIFE
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Horses For LIFE
Excerpt - Chapter 6 Photographing Wild Horses Excerpt - Chapter 6 Photographing Wild Horses Because most of the wild horses in this country live on public lands, we can visit and photograph them. They are our horses, on our public lands. Photographing wild horses is exciting, challenging and very inspiring. No herd and no day in any herd is the same as another. Horses living in the wild move around, and different from domestic horses, they are not going to accept direction from you. The more you know about wild horses and their behavior, the better the photos you are going to get. 32
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Left page: I got on my belly in the flowers to wait for this young foal to wake up and his stallion Morning Star almost ran over me thinking I was a predator.
Where to Go Wild horses are currently living in 10 western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the United States Forest Service are the two government agencies that manage the wild horses and the lands that they roam upon. The BLM has the vast majority of herd management areas (HMAs) under their control. In order to find wild horses, I would suggest you start by deciding to what state and what area you would like to go, and then use the internet. Google search for wild horses, Wyoming, BLM, for example, and you will get a list of field offices in Wyoming that manage wild horse areas. You can get information about the herds on the field office website, and you can also call the field office and Horses For LIFE
ask to speak to the wild horse expert. They can give you information about the herd, and sell you maps of the areas of public land that they administer; sometimes there will be a wild horse loop trail with a map to the herd area. The American Mustang Guidebook, by Lisa Dines, is a helpful book with information about many wild horse herd areas. Or you can look for a commercial company which specializes in tours of the wild horses. However you get there, the best time to photograph wild horses is in the spring and summer, when the foals are being born and stallions are fighting, and there is the most activity. If you decide to go out on your own to photograph wild horses, prepare yourself for an adventure. Most of the roads are dirt and in horrible shape, so a four wheel drive vehicle is usually a must, as is a spare tire or two. NEVER go when it is wet—you can become mired deeply in the mud. If you are going in winter, make sure the ground is frozen enough so that you don’t become stuck.
What to bring Regardless of your travel method, bring water, a GPS device, food, and a cell phone (but don’t rely on service). Binoculars are very helpful when trying to spot horses at a distance.
Approaching Wild Horses Horses in different herd areas vary in their response to visitors, depending on how much human contact they have had. For example, horses in some of the herd areas in Wyoming are extremely skittish and hard to approach because there have not been many people or vehicles in their areas.
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They might run away before you get out of your vehicle. On the other hand, there are herds whose members have become so used to people, they ignore them and simply go on about their daily activities. Here are some safety guidelines: Don’t get too close to wild horses. Don’t come between a stallion and his family, or between a mare and a foal. If a stallion comes toward you aggressively, stand up tall and wave your arms, and yell. If two stallions are fighting and running toward you, not paying attention to you, get out of the way quickly and run if you need to–I have! Three tips that will serve you well if you are trying to get close enough to observe and or photograph wild horses: be patient, be quiet and move slowly. Horses are very curious, even the wild ones, and they will often draw near and investigate if you wait quietly. I have had many horses come very close because I have sat down and waited for them to come to me. If you watch quietly, they will carry on with their normal activities and ignore you, which allows you to photograph their behavior.
Equipment to use When photographing wild horses, a long lens is a must. If you like zooms for their price and flexibility, I recommend the 100 – 400mm telephoto lens. Both Canon and Nikon have these. Nikon has an excellent zoom for wildlife, the 200 – 400mm telephoto. I like to use fixed lenses because they can work under lower light situations, they focus fast and they are very sharp. My two favorites lenses for photographing wild horses are the 300mm and the 500mm. Of course, if you are using these longer lenses they are very hard to hold steady, so I recommend a monopod or a tripod. A monopod is very handy if you are hiking or moving around a lot, following the horses. 38
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Wild Horses – Vanishing Quickly The more time that you spend with wild horses, the better you will be able to understand them and predict their behavior, and the more chances you will have to create some really wonderful photographs. I fell in love with the wild horses after spending time with them. I have listed some suggested reading in the Resources section in case you, too, fall under the spell of these remarkable beings and want to find out how you can help them. Wild horses are fast disappearing from our public lands, with the BLM on a mission to reduce their numbers dramatically in the next few years. If you have an opportunity to go and see them in the wild, take it. And remember that your stories and photos can inspire other people to join the effort to keep the horses where they belong, wild and free on our public lands.
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STOP MicroManaging YOUR HORSE! 44
Most humans strive for control. Why do we like control so much? Maybe because subconciously when we have control we feel we are safe. If we are the ones in control, then we get to dictate what will happen next. And we are always worried about the unexpected. If we don’t know what is about to happen, how can we ensure that we will not be hurt either physically - or emotionally? The more that someone has had a troubled past, the more likely that control is vitally important. Control can also be about definition of self. To give up control means to be vulnerable. It can mean to give up who we are, or what we believe in, when we trust someone or something else to have control. From learning to walk when we control which foot
Horses For LIFE
will go forward next, to a child fighing for the right to choose their own clothes, giving them control over their sense of self, control is an important element of our human existence. And the more we fear something, the more control we try to exert. That is definitely true with our horses. At some level we are well aware of their power and their strength. Working with a horse is much more challenging than with a bicycle or a car, as the horse has a mind and a will of its own, often working in unexpected and opposite directions to what we want. We definitely do not want them taking off at a moment’s notice, running as fast as they can from a perceived danger, leaving us on the ground or running uncontrollably, possibly into danger like a busy road. That it is why it is normal for us to want control, whether we are driving a car or when we are riding a horse. But this control comes at a price for our horses. The price is horses that are told by the millimeter where to put their head and neck, when to move, when not to move their head and neck, told to hold their poll in a certain position, told to hold this position whether natural or unnatural for an endless duration of our choosing. We seem to forget that within our own body we are constantly changing position ever so subtly, to relieve tension, to find a different balance, to find comfort. But do we always allow the same for our horses? Sadly, no. Most riders have no idea that they are constantly micro-managing their horses. We do it when we are on our horses and most of us do it in our daily lives in a million little ways without even realizing it.
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Shambles at the World
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Equestrian Games
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The entire ride we see the ears literally horizontal to the ground. Literally pointing to the audience. This is not normal. Complete slavish submission. Not able to see, not able to hear, would mean death to any horse in a natural setting.
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‘Behind the vertical’ in the front leads to ‘Behind the vertical’ in the back end, with the hind legs out behind the horse. Which leg is supporting the weight not only of the rider but of the horse as well? The dipped back showing how little weight the hind legs are carrying as the pelvis tips out behind. Breeding for tall withers is not the collection spoken of the masters where the hind legs increase their carrying power and lift from the hind through to the front end raising the withers. Horses For LIFE
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Is the grounded front, or the grounded hind leg, underneath the horse and the added weight of the rider, and carrying the weight? Look where the lifted hind leg will land as the horse travels forward. Normally the front end carries 60% of the weight, now it carries even more, stressing vulnerable ligaments and critical skeletal structures.
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And then it goes from bad to worse. 58
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You could ski down the slope that this horse’s neck topline! Compressed Parotid Gland, Dipped Back, Ears facing down to the ground, how is this being allowed in the show ring with the world watching on. What does this say about us as equestrians?
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There is no support for the back from the hind legs. The ears continue to point down to the ground....
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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
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A supple poll as the highest point of the neck according to the stage of training and the extension or collection of the pace, describes the best posture for developing the dressage horse in a healthy and respectful manner.�
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This goes beyond a little poll low or a little behind the vertical. Not only does this ride not deserve good marks, truly the rider should have been dismissed from the arena, if the FEI truly stood behind their stand to end rollkur and their statement that they stand first and foremost for the welfare of the horse.
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It just goes on and on with no relief for the horse. This is not natural. Horses do not naturally travel with their ears pointed down to the ground. Eyes staring down. Where is the pride of the stallion? His regal look? 72
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The exit. Proof that the horse is quite capable of having his ears normally upright.
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We do not need to worry about what is going on in the warm-up ring, but instead what is going on in the actual competition arena, when rides such as these are allowed.
by Nadja King Editor Horses for LIFE Publications Horses For LIFE
RESEARCH
Is Dressage Failing Our Horses? We know from current research that stress is unhealthy for any of us, leading to an increase in everything from depression, anxiety disorders and heart attacks. What effect does anxiety have on our horses and what can we use as a measure that our horses are stressed? Researchers have suggested that we consider certain behaviours as signs that horses are stressed., which they called stereotypies - defined as, abnormal repetitive behaviours which serve no useful function. Behaviours such as - cribbing, windsucking, head shaking, which they consider serious stereotypies. More mild stereotypies are licking and biting at enviromental structures. The findings, published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE, indicated that horses, like people, faced stresses in their daily life. The researchers - Martine Hausberger, Emmanuel Gautier, VÊronique Biquand, Christophe Lunel, and Patrick Jego - set about studying 76 French Saddlebred horses stabled at the Ecole Nationale d’Equitation in Sanur. The horses, aged six to 15, were all geldings and housed in the same conditions, spending 23 hours a day in their stables. They received the same diet. The only difference was in the kind of discipline they performed each day for an hour. 76
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The Tracks W Complete Video Article for subscribers only
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Mystery of the Complete Video Article for subscribers only
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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 82
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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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/ 86
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