Volume62Preview

Horses For

LIFE

Volume 62

For the First Time in English!

30 Years with Nuno Oliveira Michel Henriquet

*Anakalypsi Discovery and our Horses!

Preview Issue Subscribe Online This issue Learning About Forward

Girls & Horses!!

Video Subscriptions Push but No Pull The Breathing Seat Horses For LIFE

2

ADVERTISEMENT

From the gifted artists who support Horses For LIFE * Present Limited Edition Selective Prints * Landscapes * Abstract * Nature * Incredible Print Quality * Challenging the Concept of Light * Archival Paper to last a lifetime.

At Light’s Edge Art Gallery

* The Perfect Gift for you, your friends and for every well loved home. * Art that will touch your heart and engage your senses. * http://atlightsedge.com Horses For LIFE

Eisenberg xX

4

Eisenberg xXi

http://www.cafepress.com/horsesforlife/707852

Horses For LIFE

Eisenberg xXV

6

Eisenberg XxXiV http://www.cafepress.com/horsesforlife/707852

Horses For LIFE

Eisenberg xXxv

8

Eisenberg xXxvi http://www.cafepress.com/horsesforlife/707852

Horses For LIFE

10

*New* Video Subcription Option on Horses For LIFE

Upgrade to our NEW Downloadable Video Enhanced Option of Horses For LIFE It started with Volume 57....

Your NEW downloadable subscription provides you with access to past online issues but NOT to past Downloadable Video Enhanced Versions of Horses For LIFE Don’t wait and miss any of the video issues!

Contact us at equestriansquest@horsesforlife.com to upgrade OR order individual issues goto; http://horsesforlifemagazine.com

In this issue Volume 62 “Push but NO Pull” Find out how one stallion, a few mares and their foals can show us how you work with your horses.

“Truly revealing.”

Horses For LIFE

Order it from the beginning.

**NEW** DVD for your PC

Special Volume 57 to 61 5 Volumes

Video Enhanced Flip Version of Horses For LIFE

12

Save! Order Today http://horsesforlife.com/DVDforyourPC

Horses For LIFE

Conte pg 46 pg 18

14

tent Highlight s PG 102

pg 178 Horses For LIFE

Content s cont’d pg 86

pg 212

16

Volume 61 Exploring Forward. From the Horses Perspective.

310 pages of information.

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

Join Friends of the Horse.org. and become a Friend of the Horse. http://friendsofthehorse.org Horses For LIFE Publications is honoured to sponsor Friends of the Horse

We recognize and salute Dressage &CT for their incredible contribution and as the inspiration for Horses For LIFE with the welcome blessing of Ivan Bezugloff Jr. the editor and founder of Dressage &CT.

Horses For LIFE

Girls

&

Horse

by Joell Dunlap

18

es Horses For LIFE

30 YEARS WITH MASTER NUNO OLIVEIRA

by Michel Henriquet

20

21 Horses For LIFE Horses For LIFE

Training Article:

Push But No Pull 22

Horses For LIFE

With Tears in Her Eyes 24

Horses For LIFE

Old Fashioned

26

Horsemanship

Horses For LIFE

Fire

28

e Breathing Dragon

Horses For LIFE

Anakalypsi: Discovery and our Horses ανακάλυψη discovery

30

ανακάλυψη discovery

Horses For LIFE

Anakalypsi: Soul and Horses Discovery and our Horses

32

It is in joy that we do best with our horses. It seems that it is one of the few emotions that they do respond to. ανακάλυψη discovery

Horses For LIFE

Riding at its most basic is a journey to help us find the connection, an opening, an awareness,

34

Horses For LIFE

a meeting of all life.

36

ανακάλυψη discovery Horses For LIFE

The experience of Gaia: it begins in the physical, in the striving of opening up our awareness of how our actions affect the being we sit on; it progresses as we try to strive to open our awareness further and further, struggling to become hyper-aware of every muscle, every breath, every molecule of the horse. And as we narrow our focus, begin to become more and more aware of another living being, become more aware of their existence and less and less of our own, to the point we begin to realize the truth that in this pair of two, we only exist in our mind, our body begins to cease to exist and only the horse’s body seems to be present, there comes a moment where we go from this very narrow laser-like focus on them and all of a sudden there comes a moment when our consciousness expands and we connect to something much larger than the two of us.

We connect to life.

38

ανακάλυψη discovery

In our recent downloadable versions of Horses For LIFE beginning with Connections we have a series of video articles that some might understand. I am not sure everyone will. The first is Connections… a video that tries to return us to that place and time where we did not exist in the horse’s life, a place to experience how perfect and complete their life is and always has been without us. Without us they had each other. They had family. They had the grass and the water. They had friends who never left them. They had the sun bring warmth to their bodies and they had clean fresh air to breathe and endless miles to travel and to experience new smells, sights and sounds.

The second video is The Chosen One. It is a truly surprising true life event, incredibly caught on film. A complete herd, stallion, mares and foals living with little outside contact, left to live their lives beside a lake.

Their lives encompassed by the grass, the

Horses For LIFE

40

Their lives encompass the sky, the water, the grass and each other. ανακάλυψη discovery

Horses For LIFE

sky and the water and each other. One day, upon entering the field, a mare observing the human decides to walk away from the herd.

She walks up and stops as if to say, I choose you. She stands there as if offering herself, giving complete and utter trust from the very first moment, as if in the choosing, the decision had already been made that there was a trust to be shared beyond anything that is usually experienced, even with years of sharing our lives with our horses.

Within moments, as the human strokes her face, her head drops as she literally begins to fall asleep so content is she in the human’s presence. Then suddenly, she lies down at the human’s feet. Complete and utter trust, a trust that had not been asked for. A trust that came from the horse to the human. A trust that said it is okay for you to lie down with me. Lie down and watch the ducks swim by on the lake, lie down and absorb the quieting warmth of the sun, lie down and rest with me.

42

ανακάλυψη discovery The lesson that day was, have we forgotten a time when the horse chooses us? Can we even begin to imagine the kind of relationships that we might be missing with our horses, because we no longer let them choose the person that they feel they are meant to be there for?

Whether we realize it or not, we often let our animals choose us. It is the friendly puppy who jumps towards us or the kitten who sticks his paws through the wire mesh that makes our heart melt and we take that one home. There is no doubt that in some distant past that when we began our relationship with our horses, there were certain horses that walked up to certain people, like this mare walked up to me that day.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime event. What are the chances that any horse would leave their herd to walk up to us, fall asleep at our very feet, trusting us that completely, allowing, actually inviting us to lie down with them?

Horses For LIFE

Anakalypsi: The horses invite you to lie down with them.

44

ανακάλυψη discovery

Horses For LIFE

46

ανακάλυψη discovery

Anakalypsi: An Invitation to Become Part of the Herd Horses For LIFE

What you can’t see in the video, what makes the events of the day even more extraordinary, was what it took to catch this on film. How the mare stood at exactly the perfect spot, at a perfect distance from the camera for this to be caught on film. How the mare stood there perfectly still while I slipped back and forth from mare to camera again and again, to refocus the camera, to start and stop the video, changing the angle of view. How she patiently waited in the same position as the photographer tried the impossible task of trying to be both subject and photographer at the same time. What you can’t see is how, once the mare lay down, she showed infinite patience and trust, as the camera was set at different heights and different directions and different distances to get all the shots that you see in the final video.

What you can’t see is her patiently waiting as the long legs of the tripod had to be reset again and again right next to her, the camera and tripod often placed between her and the photographer. But how, through all of this,

48

ανακάλυψη discovery the connection, the magic and peace of the moment was never disturbed.

What are the chances of all of this happening?

Add to that, what are the probabilities that this happened to someone who had the ability and the purpose to share this with others through an online magazine?

Coincidence. Are there coincidences with the horses? As I grow older, I believe less and less in coincidence, but cannot help realizing and have my awareness heightened, that there are many days when they are there, waiting to teach me a life lesson.

As a photographer, I unfortunately view so much pain, so much distress on the part of the horse, most often unwittingly done by caring, loving riders who know no better, who only do what they see others do. My job as a photographer in those moments is

Horses For LIFE

to capture those moments, and in my heart I send a thought to each of these incredible souls and say, I am so sorry I cannot help you in this moment, but I can with this picture, with this video, have your life and what you are going through mean something, I promise I will help others see what you are going through. Your experience and your life will mean something.

Your silent suffering will not be for naught.

Those days I promise the horses to share of their lives. In this case, it was more like the mare chose me, knowing that the lesson, all of which I still don’t understand, would go far beyond just me.

The third video in the series, The Chosen One Part 2, goes further. It is the confusing story of the unusual events that followed. Incredible as the first story is, to have the other events follow is even more startling. As so often in life it happens, it is a story of three parts. The first part of the story is the story told in The Chosen One Part 1, of a mare who walks delib-

50

ανακάλυψη discovery erately away from her friends, and her herd to stand before a human and say, I choose you. Who gives the human an absolute and unconditional trust. What an incredible gift.

How humbling it is to be at the receiving end. And in some ways so confusing.

Why, how… why now…

The second part of the story is the story of a bay gelding shown in The Chosen One Part 2 video in Volume 61 The French Tradition. Taking pictures, quietly, trying to give off so little energy that the herd of horses continue to go on with their daily lives as if there was no one there, hoping they would interact normally as the morning light crept up in the sky behind, lighting up the horses ahead, suddenly without notice, a warm breath warms the nape of your neck. Somehow this bay gelding sneaks up without notice and chooses to stay there breathing on you, warm and close in the cool dawn, glued, wanting to stay just with you. A horse that

Horses For LIFE

52

Anakalypsi: A wild fawn comes out of the grass to visit.

ανακάλυψη discovery

Horses For LIFE

stands so tight, so close, there was never a chance to get a picture or video of anything but of the shadows of the two, horse and human. No matter how long you wait, for some strange reason he doesn’t want to leave. Finally during a break of taking pictures of the other horses, you reach for the mosquito spray, as they are biting, to spray yourself and an ahah moment comes, well a little bit of fly spray on the legs and he should go flying away, you think smugly.

And the opposite happens. He stands there, quietly, serenely, completely trusting. Boldly you try higher, farther, more challenging areas, areas normally guaranteed to chase off any horse which is not trapped by halter and lead line. And he stands happy to just be there, chest, neck, ears and then finally even the groin area, and he could care less.

He is not interested in moving off with his curious friends. He is content just to be with you.

Just to stand there. To do nothing but just be

54

ανακάλυψη discovery there. It is as if time is unending as he stays and stays and stays, as the sun’s light moves higher and higher in the sky.

The third event was perhaps even the most surprising of all. A beautiful wild fawn comes running up while you walk on a quiet gravel road. Hi, there! He seems to say.

We spend some time together first on the road and then in the fields mere yards apart.

Enough time to take a number of pictures and video to document the event before he bounds away in the deep prairie grass.

No one could call any one of these three events an everyday event. Each was unique, strange, unexpected and wonderful. Not everyone will necessarily see that all three are connected. Not everyone will necessarily see that the experience of the fawn was about the horses. All three coming together was clearly, at least to me, the universe trying to send a message.

Horses For LIFE

Some kind of message. Some kind of lesson.

I have spent months questioning and trying to understand the message. To this day I am not sure what the message/question/lesson is. I am not even sure if the message, the lesson was for me.

My thoughts tumble round and round trying to understand. The one question that seemed to come to the surface‌is why now? Has something changed in me that something like this could possibly happen?

I struggled with that question for several months and then I meet one more horse that had something to show me.

It seems it is often when I am at my most smug that the horses have a clear definitive message to send me, one that slaps any smugness out of my very silly little system.

56

ανακάλυψη discovery Video Series Connections Volume 59 The Chosen One Part 1 Volume 60 The Chosen One Part 2 Volume 61

Horses For LIFE

Anakalypsi: Discovery

58

ανακάλυψη discovery

Horses For LIFE

IS IT

THAT DOESN’T HAVE FORWARD? 60

THE HORSE

Horses For LIFE

I

The World Equestrian Games

s it truly the horse that doesn’t have Forward?

Reading online, I came across a discussion about a problem a rider was having. The solution offered by everyone was that the problem would be solved if the rider had more forward from her horse.

In many ways, the concept of what forward is would take many articles - perhaps even a book of its own.

It keeps surprising me how malleable our horses are.

How without any strong intention on our part, we can change them so much. We can change the way they move. One example is the shuffling that we see in a Western jog, and the change to their posture. It particularly surprises me when you see an Andalusian bred to have a big powerful upright neck, end up with a pencil bend neck that appears to come out from the bottom of chest straight out forward and coming nowhere near to being upright.

So it should come as no surprise that there are infinitestimal small ways that we influence our horses that affect the concept of forward.

62

DO THESE HORSES BELIEVE THAT THEIR RIDERS WANT FORWARD? Just recently, I had an experience that completely surprised me. A beautiful bay Andalusian gelding with an incredibly sweet temperament, trained to be a trail horse. One day, playing in the arena, I was watching the rider, and we were surprised to find out that through small tiny indications of the positions of my hands, I could control this horse from a long distance away. Not only could I control him but I could control him better with my aids through my body language than through the aids that he was receiving from the rider on his back. When the rider noticed, she broke out laughing, dropping her reins on the horse’s neck and suggested that I take over from where I stood!

I felt this was the opportune time to show the rider, using this horse, how through free lunging, you could do quite intricate work with your horse. This really seemed like the horse to do it with. I mean after all, if the small tiny indications of my fingers and hands could have such an influence on the horse with the rider on his back, then I should be able to do amazing things with no rider to interfere. Or at least that was the thought process.

And one more, time the horse showed me that I had a lesson to learn that I had no idea was com-

Horses For LIFE

“Push But No Pull Video�

A video that shows us how the horses interact mirrors our own training methods.

64

VIDEO Page

Horses For LIFE

WHAT CAUSES SOFT PALATE PROBLEMS AND BLEEDING IN RACEHORSES? 66

Horses For LIFE

Project Safety Net

68

Horses For LIFE

Keeping Up With Facebook

70

70 Horses For LIFE

Horses For LIFE 71 Horses For LIFE

72

Friends of the Horse.org

Horses For LIFE

Become A Friend

“Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.” ~Rod McKuen We would love for you to become our new friend! A new friend is always exciting! Especially when you get to make friends with others that care about the same things that you do.

We love horses and we know that you do too.

Friends of the Horse are a group of people that love horses and want to be a friend to the horse.

Horses are incredible gentle, sweet, noble creatures. They put up with our inept fumbling as we first learn to ride. They accept everything we do to them and ask really nothing in return.

They prove themselves again and again as they patiently cart around young children, as they help disabled children learn balance, and as they challenge the rest of us. They have been by mankind’s side as we have built our civilization – all for a bit of hay.

74

“Wherever man has left his footprint in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization we will find the hoofprint of the horse beside it.” ~John Moore Unfortunately the horse has no voice. He doesn’t bark or mew, or yelp or whine. His language is one that we are often guessing at as to what he is thinking and sometimes what he might be feeling.

But if anyone deserves a voice, deserves our protection after all he has done for us for centuries, it is definitely the horse.

As Charlie Brown said to Snoopy “Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don’t worry…I’m here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you.”

They have been taking care of us for a very long time. It is time for us to take care of them.

For the joy, the beauty, the love, the strength that they so freely share with all of us.

Join us and become ‘A Friend of the Horse’ Together let’s promise the horse that “I will always be here to take care of you.” http://friendsofthehorse.org/

Horses For LIFE

Advertisement

76

Give the Gift of Horses For LIFE for the horses that you love! http://horsesforlife.com equestriansquest@horsesforlife.com 1-306-383-2588

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 78

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

“All horses deserve, at least once in t lives, to be loved by a little girl.�

80

their

Horses For LIFE

The Great European Schools of CLASSICAL DRESSAGE

by Alain Laurioux and Guillaume Henry Reprinted with kind permission from CADMOS http://www.cadmos.co.uk/ and Trafalgar Square http://www.horseandriderbooks.com/ 82

82

Order at www.ipgbook.com