The Art of Natural Dressage

We are in the early stages of organising an event for 2009 at our place. We are still discussing this but the idea is to have a smaller event for people who would like to study Klaus's method in more depth.

As an onlooker at the event on Sunday I felt that I was able to absorb more information but I am quite happy to go with the flow of things.

On Sunday I was fascinated by the way Klaus used the whip. Before he started working with Wiper Mandy removed the bridle and bit , he was still wearing a head collar. The head collar was made of thin cord like material and the nose band could be tightened by pulling on the lead rope. Klaus told her that this was causing the horse a lot of pain and was part of the reason why he did not like his head to be touched. After they had finished she put the bridle back on in order to lead him from the arena. The horse looked devastated and you could almost feel him begging klaus to intervene. I along with many others in the audience called remove the bridle, Klaus turned to Mandy and told her to remove both the bridle and head collar, he then fetched an ordinary head collar.

He showed her how to lead Wiper with just an ordinary head collar and a slack rope. At the end of the leading lesson he wanted Wiper to stand while the audience applauded quietly. Mandy stood in front of her horse rope in her left hand whip in the right hand, the rope was slack. As the audience applaud Whiper swung to her right. As I understood it the idea was for her to stand quietly , calmly and grounded with absolutely no tension in her body. Shoulders down arms by her side and elbows in, the whip held in her right hand pointing at the ground. To raise and vibrate the whip only the hand must move the rest of the body remaining still and relaxed. Klaus hovered in the background ready to move in if things got out of hand.

I have seen horses who have been forced to stand, they are rigid with fear and tension. This was nothing at all like that as Mandy gently vibrated the whip Wiper began to stand and relax all the tension leaving his body and he eventually lowered his head. There was definitely something going on beneath the surface quite what I do not know.

The belly-hip thing is taking some sorting if my body is tense I can do it relax my body and my whole body joins in

Eileen

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Listen! Or your tongue will make you deaf.

Cherokee Saying

I am drawing on my own experience with my Andalusian stallion Gouch who came to the UK from Spain last year. He was so ill both physically and mentally that until this connection had been made and the healing process begun it was not possible to work with him. He was spaced out and stuck in fight or flight mode 24/7, when he was able to release his pain I noticed a physical difference with the expression on his face. Previously the area on his forehead where the third eye is found was pinched and closed down. After the healing process began this area softened and opened up making the forehead look wider. The expression in his eyes changed becoming darker, deeper and much softer.

After Klaus had finished working with the Arab stallion I noticed a similar expression on his face as though he to had released his pain. Klaus did not say that Mandy's horse was cured he told her that he was in therapy and discussed a training programme for when she returned home. At a later stage he also suggested that it would be nice if these three horses from the clinic could come together again in the future to see how they had progressed.

Several times during the event he stressed that people should follow their own instincts with regard to their horses. I got the feeling that this event was a one of and he perhaps is more interested in working with people who want to study his method in depth, but that is only my opinion and I may be wrong.

I did gain a lot from the experience because my horse had similar problems but if that had not been the case perhaps I would have felt differently. I would love to see him work with an unspoilt youngster.

It is much better if these problems can be worked through in private but clinics do give the wider public a chance to see a method. Unlike a DVD nothing was edited and I tried to watch the horse carefully to see if any of his methods upset or frightened him. I am glad to say that I only saw positive things and it felt right.

Eileen

PS. All my other horses are clicker trained a method I have been using for ten years. The extent of Gouch's suffering was so deep that I was unable to reach him with a clicker. I tried for a very long time it was only after doing Gwens 'Progressive Partnership Course' (a method similar to the one KFH uses) that I was able to reach him and we were able to begin a journey of healing.

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Listen! Or your tongue will make you deaf.



Cherokee Saying

Great write up I was there too. Annie, are you the Anne I know from the hoof clinic...?

I also did a write up on another forum. I will post the link if I may. I only attended the Sunday but found it very inspirational.

It's worth pointing out that the girl with the stallion recieved a LOT of support from the audience - it was a nice atmosphere and I'm pretty sure no-one was judging her. She'd tried her absolute best for that horse, I was in no doubt about that.

Now this discussion has been very interesting but I don't think you have spent enough time on the important issue of the hips KFH thrusting his hips in imaginary trot was almost too much for me

Hey Charlotte, didn't know you were here
Yes it is me from that lovely hoof disection, what a small world, our paths do cross don't they!

I have to say, I did feel very sorry for that young girl, and your right, she did get alot support from the audience, Idid love her beaming smile though as she left with her boy.

And as for Klaus's hips, well.... did you see when we were all in the arena doing the hip excercises, as they should move when riding bareback, and he called that girl over and stood behing her, holding her hips moveing his hips with hers, well I was stood behind them, I looked to the woman next to me and pretended to put my hand up and said very quietly, 'Excuse me Klaus, I think I'm getting it all wrong too' I don't think she had my humour though, but I did giggle to myself, oh the weekend was worth it just for Klaus's hips

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We never stop learning

Oh, and I would love to see your report, we can all see things differently, would be great to read your take on it all.

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We never stop learning

I know that when I first saw his video where he he at some point starts dancing - my friend who I was watching the video with sexclaimed 'It's like watching a cat on heat!' when Klaus was doing all the interesting looking manouvres on the floor.

Of course it's very bad of us to giggle about something so good and natural - but really, I can't help it!

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New horse book: Mandala horses!

Never stop making mistakes! Natural Dressage

Oh come on, Miriam, there's nothing quite so serious while being so uproariously funny as sex.

That could be what, most often, makes it such a beautiful thing after all. <chuckle><blush>

Donald.

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Love is Trust, trust is All
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So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.

What an amazing typo....!

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"Ride reverently, as if each step is the axis on which the earth revolves"

LOL, typo or amazingly enlarged -- sense of humor.

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Love is Trust, trust is All
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So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.

Paging Dr. Freud! Paging Dr. Freud!






Leigh

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"Ours is the portal of hope. Come as you are." -- Rumi
www.imaginalinstitute.com

oh god, there we go again... Why is it that people get all giggly over Klaus

He sure makes people get in touch with...

Anyway, when is this clinic at your place?
Maybe a good excuse to visit

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www.equusuniversalis.com

Not wanting to sound like a desperate house wife!!!!!! But he does give off a real earthy, natural sexyness, so when those hips go....welll, Oh here I go again, like Donald says, it's all perfectly natural, and anyway, I'm sure he'd be real flattered if he heard all of this.

Josepha, I do reccomend his clinics, they're very entertaining

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We never stop learning

Not sure of the dates yet but will keep you posted.

Eileen

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Listen! Or your tongue will make you deaf.



Cherokee Saying

HAHAHA it's all my fault for mentioning the hips I'm sorry...

Here is the write up that I did - Josepha et al I hope it is ok to post a link - if not then of course remove it

http://bitlesshorse.forumotion.com/trai ... ay-t74.htm

What a great read! I have been intrigued by KFH for a while having found him several years ago.

Eileen - please do let us know if you get some dates together. I would be interested in coming along. I like this guy and I understand a lot of what he is up to.

I like Miriam's insight - that it is not about the man so much as a way to approach horses.

I also have to say that I too would avoid a group exposed personal vulnerable thing. Don't mind being exposed in a group when I am having a personal revelation/break down/aha, etc because its still private. So much care is needed. Egos abound - all over the place. I have been involved in personal development stuff for years and I am constantly amazed by people's ability to unwittingly dump their unconscious load, especially when they 'should' be much better placed. But hey, we're all human!!!

Klaus clearly has much to offer and he is such a strong force that his own path of development must have been messy at times. All good ultimately though eh!!

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To put down everything I think I know about horses and to listen!