Ms. Hollingsworth-Jones is giving clinics in six different venues around the country. If you have time, even if you do not totally agree with the method, go and watch her work. Its is honest, effective and always puts the horse first.
Enjoy!
https://www.facebook.com/notes/willow-grove-ranch/clinicians-trainers-and-bad-behavior/1020846338065839/
Is this an advertisement for this person’s clinics?
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If she is wonderful where are the pictures of her riding? Now I agree the examples she gives are not good horsemanship but it is easier to criticize others …
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Meh. The Legerte crap is every bit as much of a cult as the natural horsemanship nonsense. I wouldn’t let either group near my horses.
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IME the certified Legerte instructors have been through a rigorous training procedure and have a lot to offer.
However the program has some serious internet marketing problems in that it’s almost impossible to find good video of anyone working at the intermediate/advanced levels.
You can find video of people doing beginner basics and of PK himself doing piaffe, but little to nothing that would communicate the usefulness of the program to the average ammie or trainer moving from let’s say 2nd level up to PSG or GP.
Perhaps that’s not the aim of the program marketing. Perhaps it is designed to be taught in person via the certified instructors.
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Yes, one does wonder why it is so difficult to find video evidence of legerete clinics where people are doing more than beginner basics or, say, able to ride in collected canter for 10 minutes in a row.
But I mean, why spend $400 to ride with someone who trained a Pan Am silver medalist when you can spend $950 learning how to hold your hands seven feet up in the air and devolve to a training level balance for the next 45 minutes.
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I understand the lockdown on photos and videos from clinics was intentional to give participants a safe place to develop. But it has the unintended consequence of there being no good visuals to supply to counter misconceptions like the ones in this thread. OP if you are involved in the American Legerete program, that’s something you might consider.
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I can see why the participants might not want to subject themselves to the internet critics. But if you are an instructor you had better be transparent enough to give examples of your riding. Both still shots and video if you are charging big bucks. Because having some sort of secret certification means nothing to me and I would not pay to audit much less ride with someone that I know nothing of their skill level. If you can’t ride ( or couldn’t ride) all the theory in the world really doesn’t count for much.
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Is the canter not a gait in French?
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With the horses head in your face, it could be uncomfortable and the French are fond of their comforts. Please note in the video that Karl rises to the extended trot.
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Having come from a competition background, this method really helped me above other methods, with my big heavy warmblood. I had to deal with a horse on the front end, difficult to relax, difficult to supple and thus difficult to focus and constantly spooking.
I diligently tried different instructors and, yes, made some progress but after trying I don’t know how many bits, being told to constantly keep this horse very forward, being told that my legs and seat weren’t strong enough for this horse, I had thought it pretty close to impossible to lighten this particular horse. The constant transitions, backing, lateral work, hillwork up and down, etc… were very helpful but this horse was just not progressing as he should toward fluidness, lightness and impulsion.
After researching and auditing a few Légèreté clinics with Mr. Ravoux and subsequently with Ms. Hollingsworth-Jones, I decided to try some lessons with her. Yes, they were much more affordable and accessible with a newly licensed instructor as opposed to a master.
After diligently following this method for 2 years now I have seen a marked improvement in this particular horse. The ground work, primarily, helped me learn a lot about his physiology, and also helped me monitor his level of relaxation. Basically if this horse is not relaxed he does not give his back and does not go forward.
By putting a simple snaffle in his mouth, removing the caveson entirely and performing diligently the flexions, he has relaxed his jaw, poll, neck and subsequently his back. He now supple in his poll, neck back and hind quarters, is able to develop impulsion without falling to the front end and most importantly is able to keep his poll at the highest point.
I enjoy working with this trainer and the method and have seen improvements in many of the horses that participate in our clinics, be they western horses or traditional dressage horses or eventers. I also love the fact that she gets on my horse and demonstrates what she is wanting, getting it successfully, putting me back on and working toward that goal.
I totally agree that there is no credible video out there showing good sound work in this method, on the contrary, some the the videos are pretty poor. This I hope will improve in the near future as more instructors are licensed. There are now 2 licensed instructors in the U.S. MS Hollingsworth-Jones and Mr. James Riedeman of New Mexico.
This is just an example of my personal experience with the method. I have been a Cother for a while and and quite familiar with the personalities on this forum. I do not expect you all to agree or even accept. That is not the reason I am posting. All I am doing is recounting my story.
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belgian, thank you so much for posting. Its interesting to hear from someone who has experience with this work. It sounds like it really suits you and your horse.
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I just started riding with a Légèreté trainer. Reading responses to threads like this kind of scares me. But I’ve done 5 lessons so far and the change in my rides is astounding. My horse isn’t particularly heavy, but he has learned to hang and get behind the leg.
One of my concerns going into the lessons was that there would be too much focus on the head and neck and getting the balance first, as one of the things I read is that the horse has to be balanced before they can go forward. My new trainer has been having me go really forward from the first lesson. The difference was the balance in the forward, which we achieved through the flexions. Now we are finding the point where he is going forward, but still holding himself up and working on building his strength to hold himself there.
So after 5 lessons I have a horse who’s got a spring in his trot, is more consistent in his contact when stretching, and now has lipstick after most rides. I’m not saying another trainer couldn’t get the same results in this time span, but at the very least Légèreté isn’t damaging our progress.
But I’m just a Training Level rider, so take from that what you will.
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Thank you for sharing your experience Bewildered. One of our clinic members is having a very similar experience to yours. She was also a training level rider and has been practising Légèreté for 18 months. Her horse can now hold himself up through all the 3 gaits with impulsion. The pair can execute shoulder-in, travers, renvers and flechi-droite with precision, impulsion and balance.
As I mentioned above, quality videos are sorely needed on Youtube as well as a professionally and American produced set of DVDs. These can’t come soon enough.
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What is « flechi-droite »?
Never heard of that in English or French.
So this rider got from Training level to 3rd level in a year and a half? Not totally unheard of if the training is consistent with the right horse.
But Mrs HJ has videos on youtube that aren’t that flattering. Nothing harsh or the like, just plain low level kinda trick riding style video. Nothing impressive.
She might very well be able to convey her thought to beginner students and be a good soft and gentle teacher but not one I would seek for if I wanted to compete or even do more serious dressage training higher than 2-3rd level. Just my opninion of course.
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I think it’s that neck-in thing you see all of them doing in photos. It’s not that they are trying to doing a shoulder-in, but it’s some kind of test to make sure the horse is following the shoulders and not the nose.
My limited experience with this, if people understand the why and the mechanics behind it, and also have a sense of timing it works. However, the people I have seen, very few, trying to learn this way have none of the above. So it ends up going sideways. I have met people that have benefited from it as well. It is not something I would NOT recommend it to the uneducated nor would I pay that much money for a clinic.
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But that term doesn’t seem to exist in the dressage litterature.
