I came upon this petition put out by Philippe Karl and anyone interested in stopping the abusive practices that are happening around the world in dressage and other disciplines may want to look it up and sign it. In my opinion, this is a start and one way to let the judges and sponsors know that the grading they are currently giving the "stars" is not okay with everyone. Most of these "stars" use abusive training methods to make up a horse quickly and get them out there exhibiting the flash and dash that some uneducated audiences want to see. Most of these poor horses are thrown out by the time they are eight or nine years old. That’s right. Can you believe that? It’s disgusting what some people will do for their egos and money.
It might also be a good idea to write to the sponsors of these "stars" and let them know that we will no longer buy their products if they are endorsed by riders and trainers who employ rollkur - or as the judges so conveniently call it now "hyper-flexion." No matter what name it goes by, it is still abuse. We have to start somewhere to let them know that what dressage has become is no longer acceptable and must be brought back to the original classical style. The horses need someone to speak for them and make this nonsense stop.
JMEhas also posted this particular link on her blog with a well written post, titled Dressage Detox, check it out and the comments as well.
Horses do not make a specific noise when they are in pain and yet with practice it is possible to read their state of health from their face and especially their eyes.
One years work went into developing the unique 3-D animation which clearly
demonstrates where false riding hurts and why.
IF HORSES COULD SPEAK
by Dr. Gerd Heuschmann
75 minute DVD by Dr. Gerhard Heuschmann
Introduction spoken by Hans-Heinrich Isenbart
The moving 3D-horse at walk and trot is a world novelty, which clearly depicts what happens in the horse's body with hyperflexion techniques that are currently widely rewarded in competition arenas around the world.
Positive and negative live rides by Hans Riegler (Chief écuyer Spanish Riding School, Vienna) and David de Wispelaere (Grand Prix Rider, awarded with the Piaffe Horsemanship award 2008) and others.
Computer professionals, who had worked on known movies like Jurassic Park, King Kong and other 3D-animations developped this project. The animation lets the viewer understand completely, why false riding must lead to permanent damages!
With the complex 3D-animation, work movements can be depicted now. Currently, you see the horse standing with moving neck and head and its anatomic effects on back and hindquarters. Drawings of skeletons and muscles literally become vivid. The whole walk and trot mechanism will also be shown in the movie.
Everyone who loves his horse will watch this movie to understand: The rider who does not want to understand the horse's anatomy will torture his horse consciously in the future. What horseman does really want that?
Below is a synopsis of the DVD Review I condensed from this site. If you would like to read the full review go to:
This video shows how incorrect modern riding negatively affects horses' health. Experienced rider and horse veterinarian Dr. Gerd Heuschmann employs the highest level of technological help to capture the horse in 3D and clearly demonstrates the biomechanics of the horse and displays the 'torture' that ‘rollkur’ can cause in the breakdown of the horse.
The material here explicitly details each gait and riding techniques that are currently rewarded in competition arenas around the world. His plain speaking on behalf of the horse and his depth of research and understanding of the horse in both mind and body will impress any rider.
The production is of the highest quality and Dr. Heuschmann has presented a factual basis for asking judges around the world to return to rewarding the true classical training of a horse. Input from the highly regarded Dr. Heinz Meyer, Jochin Schleese (saddle maker and rider) and Johann Riegler of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna provide their own points of view on the subject.
About the Author
Dr. med. vet. Gerhard Heuschmann
He is a vet, a rider and above all a true horse lover. He is the man who currently pours all his energy into educating riders to develop an awareness of what is really needed to make their sport more horse friendly. He is not afraid to speak up for his cause and if need be to lend the horses his voice.
His book “Tug of War – Classical Versus “Modern” Dressage” – was published by Wu Wei Verlag, Schondorf.
First released at the end of 2006 – exactly one year later the revised second edition is released including an open letter to the FEI, the FN and the German horse riding authorities. Over 25,000 copies have been sold to date making it one of the most successful horse books in recent years and it has so far been translated into 9 languages. It explains impressively and clearly what riders have to know so that their horses stay healthy.
All of the above material was taken from different sites because their information is better than anything I could write. Below are
' My Thoughts '
While the video itself is rather pricey at around $60, it is worth every dollar. If you check around the internet or Google ‘If Horses Could Speak’ many sites come up and while I haven’t checked them all out I think you may be able to purchase it for less. I should also add that even though the video I uploaded from You Tube has subtitles, the version I have is dubbed over in English so you can watch it without reading the scroll at the bottom. There is also a site where you can rent this video called: Giddyupflix.com.
I feel everyone could benefit from watching this DVD, whether you ride English or Western . Educating ourselves and discovering a better way to ride by incorporating how our horses bodies work in our training can only help us form a better partnership with our horses. A happy healthy horse should be the goal we constantly strive to attain.
Until next time
Quote for Today
What the horse does under compulsion...is done without understanding...and there is no beauty in it.
" What's this I hear... award's ... must be for me"!
Kreativ Blogger Award
One of my favorite horse blogs, The Journeys Of Cactus Jack Splash , has recently given me this award. Thank you Jack and DOR for the nice things you said about me on your blog. Jack is a wonderful and handsome Appaloosa who is desperately trying to teach his DOR (Dope On a Rope) how to become a better horsewoman.It’s a time consuming and sometimes-frustrating job but someone’s got to do it.Seriously, Jack’s mom is one very nice lady who is always trying to learn as much as she can to better her relationship with her horses. So I am honored that she thought of me for this particular award. Now the hard part is passing it on to seven other Kreativ bloggers.Since I feel everyone who has a blog is a Kreativ Blogger for simply writing and publishing posts I wouldn’t know where to start choosing just a few. In addition, since I don’t know how long this has been around and who has already been nominated I think I might just put it up for the taking.If you’re interested in having this award for yourself and would like to pass it around to your favorite blogs. Please be my guest and take it for your own.
Here are the 7 STEPS of this award:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the seven blogs letting them know they have been nominated
Now on to the seven interesting things about me:
I…
Apparently, I am not as interesting as I thought I was because I simply cannot come up with anything even remotely worth mentioning that hasn’t been written on previous blog posts.We’ll just have to leave it at that for now and I’ll work on finding a personality in the near future.
The Zombie Chicken Award
This particular award was bestowed on me by a wonderful girl who treats her horse (and a half) with unbridled love and attention .She is a rider who is always trying to do the best for her horses and better her riding skills .So I would like to thank On The Bit for this um different sort of award and for the kind things she said about me on her blog.
The Blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the Zombie Chicken – excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all…
I am afraid I’m going to have to risk the wrath of a whole flock of raving zombie chickens and suggest again that anyone who wants to have some fun with this award is welcome to take it and run with it.
Run fast, don’t look back the zombie chickens are nipping at your heels!!
Until next time
Quote for Today
In my opinion, a horse is the animal to have. 1100 pounds of raw muscle, power, grace, and sweat between your legs - it's something you just can't get from a pet hamster. - Anonymous
It has finally happened; I was able to get back on a horse.I am happy to report my first ride since my knee replacement surgery was uneventful.Dusty was my horse of choice and she behaved exceptionally well considering she has not been ridden in over a year.There was some apprehension on my part since I haven’t ridden since last summer.In hindsight, she probably wasn’t the smartest choice for my first ride but I feel it all comes down to knowing your horses.Blue was tacked up and ready to go when I got to the barn but intuition told me to let my daughter ride him instead.It’s a good thing too because he was in one of his stubborn I’m not listening to you today moods and gave my daughter quite a ride.
Dusty on the other hand stood at the mounting block like a little statue while I mounted.This made me feel especially confident because getting on her has usually been the worst part of our riding experience.We proceeded to walk around calmly on a loose rein with a few minor unauthorized threats to trot or canter.There was only one instance when she could not contain her excitement anymore: as we were walking over some caveletti’s she did pick up a canter and jumped the last one. It has been so long and she was so excited to have a job today, no matter how small, I really couldn’t fault her for her enthusiasm. She mostly listened to the rein aids and voice commands and came right back when asked to.
So in closing I’d like to thank my little palomino mare for being such a brilliant girl today and basically taking care of me on my first ride back in the saddle. I’m sure she can’t wait to get on with it and do some real training. I can promise her that in short order we will do just that. For now, I’m just relieved to have survived our first ride in a very long time.
Until next time
Quote for Today
Gypsy gold does not chink and glitter. It gleams in the sun and neighs in the dark. - Saying of the Gladdagh Gypsies of Galway
