Hempfling - Different approach to being with horses

[Benv]

As I wrote, I appreciate the ongoing conversation and the opportunity to further clarify my previous statement. English is not my native language; in fact, it is my third language out of five. I am content with my level of proficiency, but I kindly ask for your understanding and forgiveness for any mistakes or unconventional phrasing I may make.

It is clear that I you have a different view, that you are very confident in, as to the prepration needed priot to approching the horse and this is the main point I was interested to hear. And this is ok. For me personally I fully agree with the statement that one should be at Master level in the mentioned disciplined before choosing to engage with horses.

In light of the lengthy and, at times, aggressive reactions my original post has garnered, I find myself wondering why. Did I unintentionally strike a nerve or touch upon a sensitive topic? Was it truly necessary to respond with such scepticism and harsh language? I am genuinely curious as to what triggered such reactions. Perhaps the post contained information that, despite not being revolutionary, was still relevant for some to reconsider and reflect upon.

Thank you for your continued engagement and for taking the time to read and contemplate my thoughts.

[Benv]

I would like to contribute further by adding an additional point to the ongoing discussion. Considering the fact that this individual has a staggering 1.8 million followers on Facebook, his book “Dancing with Horses” has achieved bestseller status with millions of copies sold, and the videos on YouTube have millions of views, it is evident that Hempfling possess a notable presence and a track record of success. While one can certainly engage in a debate about personal preferences and opinions, wouldn’t it be appropriate to acknowledge and respect these established facts? It is essential to exercise caution in our arguments and the manner in which we present them.

We all hold different perspectives and beliefs, but there are ways to express disagreements that maintain the dignity of all parties involved and elevate the overall level of discourse. By doing so, we can foster a more constructive and enriching debate.

Thank you for your continued engagement and for considering this point.

[chestnutmarebeware]

Well, I agreed in general with everything in the summary. Up until the final sentence.

Promoting the benefits of horse/human relationships by removing the horse from the equation just seems odd, and more like a hook needed to make this “technique” stand out as different in the horse-guru market.

[Jealoushe]

@Benv

I would like to contribute further by adding an additional point to the ongoing discussion. Considering the fact that this individual has a staggering 1.8 million followers on Facebook, his book “Dancing with Horses” has achieved bestseller status with millions of copies sold, and the videos on YouTube have millions of views, it is evident that Hempfling possess a notable presence and a track record of success. While one can certainly engage in a debate about personal preferences and opinions, wouldn’t it be appropriate to acknowledge and respect these established facts? It is essential to exercise caution in our arguments and the manner in which we present them.

We all hold different perspectives and beliefs, but there are ways to express disagreements that maintain the dignity of all parties involved and elevate the overall level of discourse. By doing so, we can foster a more constructive and enriching debate.

Thank you for your continued engagement and for considering this point.

Followers on social media does not mean anything in terms of horse training. It simply means they have followers online.

Also, many of us on this board have spent decades getting to know horses on a deep level. To say this dude is the ONLY ONE EVER is simple FALSE.

Considering none of us here have heard of this guy and we are all active on social media, but never had his stuff grace our timelines, I question who these followers are.

I personally don’t believe you can build the relationships you need with your horses without being around them.

[Montanas_Girl]

Handling and riding horses requires the development of muscle memory, reflexes, and instincts that can only be developed by practicing those skills. If one had to become a master horseman before ever touching a horse, there would be no horsemen - and probably no horses anymore.

No one here disputes the importance of the horse/human bond or how powerful it can be. But you can’t bond with an animal with which you never actually interact.

[FjordBCRF]

@Benv

Considering the fact that this individual has a staggering 1.8 million followers on Facebook, his book “Dancing with Horses” has achieved bestseller status with millions of copies sold, and the videos on YouTube have millions of views, it is evident that Hempfling possess a notable presence and a track record of success. While one can certainly engage in a debate about personal preferences and opinions, wouldn’t it be appropriate to acknowledge and respect these established facts?

No one is saying this guy hasn’t sold books and has followers. 1.8 million isnt “staggering”, I follow Fjord Instagram accounts that have over a million followers because their content is cute, fun, and well done.

What they are saying, is those facts alone aren’t that impressive to THIS community. As stated above, this community has MUCH in the way of experience and knowledge, and is why no one is “ooooing and awwwwing” over your posts.

You have the wrong audience and no one is being mean or disrespectful, they just aren’t giving you the response you thought you’d get and you’re trying to argue it. You might get the responses your looking for if you go post on Reddit.

[Benv]

Thank you for you comment. I actually would not say that the idea is to bond with the horse before meeting it. One should be Master is OTHER areas before choosing horses - developing the awarness, instincts, physical skill and more by practicing other activities such as sports, arts eyc. Which sets a much higher entrance level to starting to work with horses.

[Montanas_Girl]

@Benv

One should be Master is OTHER areas before choosing horses - developing the awarness, instincts, physical skill and more by practicing other activities such as sports, arts eyc. Which sets a much higher entrance level to starting to work with horses.

I’m sorry to be so blunt, but this is absurd. For one, it completely ignored the proven benefits of handling horses for people with physical, emotional, and mental disabilities or injuries. Or the personal development that young children can gain from interacting with horses.

[Benv]

Thank you for the comment. It is totaly ok that no one is amazed - though I am. I am surely not expecting everyone to have the same opinion. I am actually happy to hear the other side and possibly present an alternative view for your cosideration.

[Benv]

That is ok. Thank you for your honest opinion.

[Janet]

I think the idea that one must master OTHER arts BEFORE interacting with horses is absurd.

BUT, the idea of combining horsemanship with other arts is not new, and makes more sense.

The French “National Equestrian Academy of Versailles” combines dance, stage fencing, voice training, and traditional Japanese archery, with horse work, and has been doing so for at least 20 years.

Equestrian Academy of Versailles - Bartabas

[Benv]

Thank you for the comment - valid opinion.

[Scribbler]

Yes, the idea that you postpone working with horses to go down other avenues is absurd to me. I agree that basic fitness off the horse is important and I recognize that naturally talented multi athletes learn to ride faster than most of us. But you learn horses through horses. And if someone is out there claiming otherwise, that’s a full stop red flag for me.

SM followers or views mean nothing in and of themselves, other than that the person can run a good SM channels Very often such channels are meant for armchair observers in whatever discipline or endeavor. I follow stuff I have no interest in ever doing personally because it shows me a new part of the world.

Nothing in this thread makes me want to watch more of him.

[Jealoushe]

Especially considering being with horses is a lifelong education. If you wait until you have all these skills before you start… well you’re missing decades of learning with horses.

Not to mention how working with horses helps you grow and develop in other areas of your life.

[Jackie_Cochran]

If I had to “prove” myself in various mental, educational, sport and physical pursuits before daring to ride a horse I would never have been able to start.

I have Multiple Sclerosis. There is just no way and I know this because I TRIED decades ago (Modern Dance was somewhat helpful but I dropped it when I finally got my driver’s license and could go RIDE MY HORSE!)

I have always followed Vladimir Littauer’s books, especially “Common Sense Horsemanship.”
Since I was horse poor I could not afford many lessons, I could not afford to send my horse out for training (he was green broke-three weeks-when I got him), so I just read the books, did my best to ride 1 to 2 hours a day 6-7 days a week, and I LISTENED TO MY HORSE.

To extend my education I knew I had to ride other horses. With the costs of good lessons rising rapidly I bought, raised, and when the time came trained weanlings. After getting my land I had a wonderful period when I had 4 horses to ride and I tried to ride daily. Lessons? I could not fine really good ones and I could not afford them anyway. Sending my horses out to a trainer? No money for luxuries like that. I did it all myself.

Then a drunk driver drove head on into my car, my MS got really active, and all my dreams of horsie achievements burst.

Nowadays I ride lesson horses. I actually IMPROVE these lesson horses (my main riding teacher put me on some hopeless cases.) I ride with double bridles. The horses generally do what I ask and as I get them trained with my way of riding (Forward Seat) they improve in spite of my MS totally messing up my balance, coordination and endurance.

If I had followed what this guy says I would NEVER had dared to get up on a horse, I would NEVER have learned how to ride effectively, I would NEVER learned how to train a horse, I would no longer be able to walk on my own two feet and I would probably have died in a nursing home when the Covid-19 pandemic first came through.

I will just keep doing stuff my way, riding Forward Seat and following Littauer’s program and philosophy (and I never met Littauer either.) It was a shock to me when I finally had to take lessons again to ride “safe” horses in a safe environment, when I realized that my riding teachers listen to me, consider what I say, look at what the horse under me is doing, and often end up agreeing with my methods, as I putter around the ring on elderly NQR lesson horses for 30 minutes a week.

If I had followed Hempfling I would never have gotten here at all.

Free forward movement with impulse, that is what I like and what I usually get from the lesson horses I ride even though it may take me a while to get there.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Hempfling book on Archive.org

You can read it for free

[skydy]

I think this person is marketing to beginners, especially since the number of social media followers is mentioned, in what seems like an attempt to impress. There aren’t many beginners here, so the marketing has missed its mark.

We all know that learning to ride and train requires working with horses. Appropriate horses. Beginners don’t need to know how to train horses to rear or how to manage stallions. There is nothing wrong with reading books (depending on the book) and there are plenty of time tested books out there to read. However, beginners need hands on instruction, in person, not online, with a competent instructor and an appropriate horse.

[quietann]

I’m starting to think AI generated comments, though I’m not sure whether AIs have been trained to generate English by non-native English speakers yet.

[findeight]

Not really that familiar with the AI options but it does seem there is no real back and forth discussion here. No direct response to direct questions, just canned generalities and the oft used cliche “ you are a bunch of meany poo poo heads and I am never coming back”. Ironically repeated every time they continue posting. Like who ever/whatever is posting doesn’t comprehend the meaning of “ never coming back”.

My impression of the OP is it’s an ad for something thats not new and available for free, even the book. Not a question or legit discussion topic.

Never heard of this guy or his book. No interest in investigating. Stallions are not my preference, no need to teach tricks like rearing and decades of experience in groundwork and actually, you know, riding the horse. Do keep and open mind and still learn new things but don’t see anything useful to me here.

[FjordBCRF]

I agree, the “interaction” for lack of a better word, is very odd.