Well this was fun but I got to get back to work…
I know I came off as rather mean spirited, it was too prove a point to people who bully others for having a different viewpoint. I had quite a few people Email and PM me with a thank you too, so its not just me that feels the same few always gang up on anyone who doesn’t see it the way they do.
Point two began after point one, when I was challenged on my claims of my horses being able to handle surroundings almost unthinkable for the ones I was arguing with, and I was accused of endangered recklessness for being able to ride my horses to Burger King. I hate Burger King by the way…
I believe the video clips made it more than clear, just how socialized my horses are. My horses can do what I say they can do…And I owe it all to great trainers who shared their life’s work with me.
For the record, its ok to disagree. Its OK if you dont feel comfortable doing certain things with your horses. If you have fear your horse will have fear… It is not OK to force your viewpoint on others.
Some people will tell you things in good faith, because that is what they believe or all they know. . Others just want you to agree with whatever they believe or they not being able to do something, feel no one else can either.
Learn all you can, and do the best you can for your horses. They didnt choose to be in your barn. No different than children it is our responsibility to make sure they are prepared for the world….
That being said I leave this thread with these words.
Dressage is not what you think it is, or what I think it is.
According the Masters it is an Art Form.
Two people can never create the exact same Art…Even if they are both abstract artists, or minimalists or whatever…
What one person considers art or Dressage you may not, but don’t forget Competition Dressage is relatively new.
After the Court Schools fell out of favor the CIRCUS was the only place one could see Dressage. There were no competitons. Dressage as we know it today owes much to the Circus and has its roots deeply planted in Circensic Equitation. Never forget those One Tempes as well as other things you wish to train your horse to do were at one time exclusively Circus Movements.
Times change, people change but horses remain the same. They are reflections of ourselves and their kindness and nobility is not too be taken for granted.
You please the judge, exhibition riders please the crowd. Doesn’t make either of you right or wrong-AS LONG AS THE HORSES BEST INTEREST ARE IN YOUR HEART….
As long as he is Emotionally, Mentally and Physically ready to do what you require and you have the tact to communicate what you are requesting of him…THEN EVEN A RANCH/TRAIL horse is a Dressage horse. He has been prepared and is confident in doing what it is you request of him.
To me that is what Dressage is…Again its perfectly OK with me if you disagree, or you like Competing….
.There is nothing about teaching your horse to do fun stuff that will keep him from being a Grand Prix Horse. It might even be fun for them to do something different. If you choose another form of ground work that’s fine, don’t begrudge someone else the joy they find in whatever they choose.
Take what is good from each method and leave the rest on the plate. I certainly hope there are horses in Heaven. Because all the great masters agreed on ONE THING for sure.
That one lifetime is not enough to learn all there is to learn about horses.
Do not follow in their footsteps, seek what they sought. How sad those men would be to know we are doing or trying to do exactly what they did then. Why do you think they wrote it all down. Certainly not wealth and fame is useless to dead people. I think they were trying to give us a head start they didn’t have.
I do believe if the Classical Masters were alive today, they would train very differently. From Baucher to Oliveira to Fillis to whoever. Their ideas and beliefs changed through their life. Horsemanship, much like reality is not static.
With each horse and each experience we grow, its those bad days and tough horses that make us better trainers/communicators.
"Herbermann points out that "it takes an enormous amount of adequate experience, often requiring years of study, in order to even begin to recognize the details which differentiate right from wrong or better aspects from less good ones. " What I think he means by this is that one lifetime is not enough time to discover the “right” way to train a horse. Rather as he suggests we must “build our work on the hard-fought ground won by past generations of dedicated riders.”—Cathy Morelli
If you do choose to listen to someone exclusively, please find a GRAND PRIX trainer to follow.
To those of you bullies out there…beware or I might come back out of lurk-dom!
Do carry on…
Now I going back to lurking and learning…
Sincerely,
PI
