The Art of Natural Dressage

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 Post subject: Hallo from South Africa
PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:21 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:05 pm
Posts: 11
Location: South Africa
Thank you guys for this awesome forum, I am sooooo glad I stumbled across it!!!

I've been horse crazy all my life and started riding when I was 13. After school I went to study Equine Science and this is where I started to research natural horsemanship, in particular Monty Roberts. When I finished my studies I went to work on a well known Warmblood study (Brandenburg Stud) and was fortunate enough to get my own horse, Stefano, who I have had since he was a 2 year old.

Stefano was backed fairly late (at 4 1/2, partially due to the fact that he was injured in a fence as a yearling and I wanted to make sure he was completely sound, and partially due to the fact that I wanted to make sure it was done gently by the right person). We spent the first year hacking out and we had a pretty good relationship.

In his second year I decided it was time to start work and follow my riding dream, I wanted to do dressage like the classical riders, I knew rollkur was bad and wanted to do things right. I found the best dressage instructor in PE and started having lessons. We were making good progress but it just didn't feel right. There was still a lot of pulling and kicking and the lesson would continue even when I felt that Stefano was getting tired and had had enough. He also started walking away from me when I went to catch him instead of coming to me, which he used to do in the past. So I stopped the lessons and started looking into other methods.

I really like the way Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling and Alexander Nevzorov work with horses (I had seen youtube videos of their work before) and started trying to learn their ways. I found AN very negative and found his book to be quit disappointing. KFH's books helped me quit a lot and I started doing some of the exercises with Stefano but a lot of it was still quite difficult to grasp. I recently found a lady called Jenny Pearce who gave webinars that helped me to understand and better grasp what KFH talks about regarding self awareness and being authentic. I hope to learn a lot more from her! I think the trick is to take what you can from each one and figure out how to make it work.

Stefano is now following me with no pressure on the lead rope, at the yard we practice walking from the paddock to the work area without a halter but I'm still a bit wary of doing this outside the security of the enclosed property. I've used clicker training to teach him to kick a ball and yield the hindquarters and we do occasional free lunging. Our relationship has improved drastically and he now comes up to me again when I come into the paddock.

I am really looking forward to learn what this forum has to offer. It finally gives a framework and idea of how to progress with our work. Lately I was again feeling a little lost.

I'm looking forward to all the progress Stefano and I will make thank you to the time and effort you guys have put into it. I can't wait to get going :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:


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PostPosted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 6:05 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:00 am
Posts: 567
Location: Scotland
Welcome , I am glad you are enjoying the forum :) ,i used to live near to PE , in Plett and we travelled to PE a lot
, it seems a small world , hey . :smile:

Quote:
at the yard we practice walking from the paddock to the work area without a halter but I'm still a bit wary of doing this outside the security of the enclosed property


Something that I have been shown a lot, recently , is the strength of a cordeo ( neck rope ) in situations where you might think they would mean nothing . I have written about this in the last post in my diary , how MrC spooked and started to run from a bird bursting out of the bushes , and how he stopped the moment he felt the cordeo . The messages you can give with the cordeo are so strong , when you have a conversation together . :)

I look forwards to reading about you and Stefano , to seeing pictures of places I know :green:

Best Wishes
Ali :f:


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 7:31 am 
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Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:20 am
Posts: 6281
Location: Dresden, Germany
Welcome! :)

I hope you will enjoy the forum. It has turned into something that is more like an archive over the last years, instead of a very busy discussion group. Still I think you will find quite some helpful information here. And if you have any questions, just ask! :)

Looking forward to reading about you and Stefano! :f:

Best wishes,
Romy


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 5:09 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:05 pm
Posts: 11
Location: South Africa
Hi Ali

Yes it is a small world :smile: I've read your diary, you have an amazing connection with MrC, I hope to have that same connection with Stefano some day soon. I've always wanted to use a cordeo but wasn't quit sure how to teach it, it doesn't allow you to use pressure the way it is normally taught. I've copied all the information I think may be relevant to starting this new chapter in our lives and plan to start with a game or two this weekend (if it doesn't rain :sad: ). What did you make your cordeo from and what size should it be. A while back I bought a length of curtain cord and tied a knot in it to use as a cordeo but haven't really used it, I think you mentioned something in your diary about it being able to break?

As soon as I figure out how to post pictures I will do so. I tried to put one on yesterday from facebook but couldn't figure it out. I'll keep trying.

Romy, thank you for the warm welcome, I'm sure Stefano and I are going to learn a ton :sun:


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PostPosted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:29 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:00 am
Posts: 567
Location: Scotland
Thank you for your kind words :kiss: ,
It is great that you want to use a cordeo , for us , we have only just started walking with just the cordeo . But when we walked with the halter , I was always super aware and super careful of never letting the loop of slack on the rope go . So for this reason , when we decided to just walk with a cordeo , it was no different from walking with the halter , as we do not use any pressure either way :) . The cordeo I use made out of climber's rope , which Romy recommended to me . I have put a picture a few pages back in my diary of the cordeo breakpoint that I sewed in ( just scowl down a bit ) . Before this I used an ordinary lunge line that I found , but the climber's rope is so lovely and light , and really easy to coil up . As far as sizing goes , I am not really sure as I have never measured it , I just put it around the base of his neck and made sure it wasn't to loose or to tight by moving the ring that the clip clips onto ( see the pictures ).
, and we have a great sticky , telling you how to post a picture

It will be lovely to see Stefano , it is funny as whenever I read that name I cant help thinking of Shakespeare's Stefano , from the tempest , though I am sure his character is nothing like that :funny: .
Best Wishes
Ali :f:


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 11:06 am 
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Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 7:42 am
Posts: 2147
Location: Vienna, Austria
Welcome! :f: Nice you found your way here!

Concerning self-made cordeos, I can point you to these two threads:
My homemade cordeo
My homemade leadrope

_________________
Volker

The horse owes us nothing.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 12:52 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:05 pm
Posts: 11
Location: South Africa
Thank you Ali and Volker for your help with the cordeo. I think I'm going to experiment a bit and see what works best for us. I had no luck spending any time with Stefano this weekend, it's been bucketing rain since Friday evening :sad: and it's only going to clear up on Wednesday. I'm don't want to complain too much though, we need the rain.

I'm going to try to post a picture instead, hope it works :pray:

Image


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2014 1:21 pm 
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Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 7:42 am
Posts: 2147
Location: Vienna, Austria
Lovely, he's really got a beautiful face! Hoping for more pictures :)

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Volker

The horse owes us nothing.


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2014 5:50 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:00 pm
Posts: 1684
Location: Belgium/Tielt-Winge
hi, a big welcome from me as well
Stefano looks so wise...

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Horseriding is an art

My horse is a beautiful living sculpture


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 3:50 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:05 pm
Posts: 11
Location: South Africa
Hi Volker & Barbara

Here are more pictures as requested. Sorry so many, was having a hard time choosing which ones, it must be :love: :yes: Barbara I've always thought of Stefano as a bit of wise old sage, I think its his eyes. He amazes me often in how well he can read me and the things he teaches me when I listen are amazing. When I'm working with him, the minute I lose focus or start struggling with what I should do next he just starts to ignore me :funny: I've been reading quit a few of your posts, you have a really amazing relationship with Beau ;)

I hope to start playing the first game with him tomorrow, the one where you just go into the field and amuse myself. I've been trying to decide if I should take Stefano to another paddock, away from his friends or to just do it in the field with his buddies. He is quit herd bound but and if he chooses me over his friends it would be great, but it might cause him some stress. So I think I'm just going to try it in the field with his friends and then test our relationship over time by going further and further away. I have worked with him and "lead" him around without a halter on in the past so I think it will go pretty quick anyway.

Has anyone else got any suggestions, maybe something I'm missing? I kind of like the trial and error learning, Stefano is teaching me so much :)

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 4:05 pm 
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Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2007 8:20 am
Posts: 6281
Location: Dresden, Germany
I have fixed the image links in your post - just use the "direct link" and it should work. Oh, and Stefano looks totally awesome! :)

Concerning the question of where to work with a horse (e.g. in the field or elsewhere), there are different opinions. Personally I prefer to start interacting with a horse in his natural habitat, merging into the things he is doinng there anyway and then gradually establishing a joint language from there. If you want to read more: Different ways of starting to interact with your horse

However, once we are on talking terms, so to speak, I love the opportunities that a more naturally challenging situation is offering us, for example when we go for walks. We have discussed the benefits of context over here: Influences of context and situation


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:53 pm 
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Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:00 pm
Posts: 1684
Location: Belgium/Tielt-Winge
thank you for the nice compliment... I know for sure you will have fantastic adventures with Stefano, just try whatever you feel and see what happens, the journey will be so interesting!

_________________
Horseriding is an art

My horse is a beautiful living sculpture


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:31 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:00 am
Posts: 567
Location: Scotland
I love the pictures of Stefano , he looks very beautiful .
As Romy has linked you some topics , all I have to say is that yes , it is a trial and error thing , though I prefer the analogy of making a language together , as to me , this is more an exploration of a new dimension together , in a very exciting way , and as your create new words , more will follow as course . Though there may be a few words that come at first that some people do not like , like no for instance , though for us the usage and exercising of the word no , is something that we rejoice in , though I realise this has not happened recently .As no makes many things so much more easier , and makes the process of creating words together less with worry of not being careful enough in your experimentation and enthusiasm .
I so look forwards to reading more of you and Stefano :)


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