PART 1 ~ What is Dressage? What is Respect? And what is Lightness?
Written by Pip Easton (27th October, 2008).
When we ride our horses and train Dressage, there is a level of lightness that is required for refinement and collection. A lightness in the self-carriage and balance of the horse and a lightness from the rider which projects elegance and grace. The harmony of togetherness and timing creates a vision of elasticity and ease – of two dancers floating as one; an epitome of style and freedom. A lovely vision but rarely seen today, until one watches the Dressage moves of Philippe Karl in his School of Lightness (Légèreté): Philippe Karl's Philosophy of Ease.
I would like to take you on a journey of discovery and share with you the influence this kind and generous man has had on my riding in six short months.
In April last year, 2008, I had my first introduction to the Master, Philippe Karl. In fact, some call him Einstein as the man is pure genius! An FEI Dressage instructor here in Perth, gave me (a novice rider), a lesson on my five year old Argentinus Warmblood mare Grace, who is hot to trot and a lot of fun!
The very first thing she did, from the ground, was lift my horse's head with an upwards action of the bit in the corners of the mouth – if you can imagine standing in front of the horse with her thumbs looped in the rings of the bit. She started talking about balance and the amount of weight a horse carries on its forehand and this Frenchman (who she fondly calls Philippe Karl), who shows us how to make the horses light by moving their weight from their shoulders to their hind quarters.
Well, I was instantly hooked and saw immediate results in Grace's posture. So when I sat on her and FELT her weight shift to the hind end, I knew this was real and true. Something so simple, basic and obvious that I had never thought of it before and certainly no-one else had ever shown me. This inspiring first lesson had me hungry for more and the first time my eyes laid sight on Philippe Karl's Classical Dressage DVD No. 1 ~ The School of Aids, my brain jumped with joy at the common sense way he described weight distribution, balance, motion and fundamental basics of a horse's anatomy and movement. No-one else I've ever watched on DVD has given more information on the locomotion of this incredible animal or has demonstrated such clear effects the rider has on the horse. I was mesmerised and stunned by the ease of it all, so decided to find out more!
Hungry, thirsty and downright desperate to be able to ride with such elegance and ease, I sent myself on the trip of a lifetime to Germany. Always in my heart to follow this dream, I never expected this trip to be so life changing. So after emailing and contacting all of the Philippe Karl trainers across Germany, I learnt that I was allowed to attend two clinics, watching Philippe Karl train the trainers as a listener and then was invited to ride for nine days in the north of Germany at Sibylle Wiemer's riding school, on her Rubinstein stallion, trained in the Philippe Karl way.
Very excited and knowing that this was the way I'd been searching for for a very long time, I rocked into Stuttgart (in Germany's beautiful south) to Susanne Lohas' indoor school and sat watching, learning and absorbing the teachings of Philippe Karl in the flesh! For four days solid, I wrote down every word Philippe Karl said and saw nine horses a day, from Arabs to Warmbloods and Andalusians to Quarter Horses! Philippe Karl's method was applied consistently, kindly, effectively and quietly. I saw some of the BEST Piaffe steps I've ever seen executed, by a downhill built Quarter Horse and witnessed flying changes being prepared carefully, logically and systematically by the cutest little Haflinger and gorgeous young rider (with a broken wrist). I knew in my bones that Philippe Karl was to become my new teacher.
A passionate rider for over more than forty years, Philippe Karl has studied ALL the Classical Masters before him to the nth degree, has analysed the bio mechanics of the horse and understood why, where and how it carries itself and has trained thousands of riders and horses in this way over the last twenty years. The results speak for themselves. Now some would argue that his proof isn't in the Olympic competition arenas and this point can be debated heavily!
What is Dressage again? Is it something that people strive for in oneness, excellence and harmony with their beloved steed? Or is it an elite few of very talented riders on extremely talented horses winning a ribbon, rug or medal? Western riders can make their horses move sideways, do flying changes and sliding stops with the hind quarters so far underneath themselves that it makes some Olympic Dressage halts appear non-existent! So what is Dressage? Who can do it? And why does it have such an impossible-to-reach top level stigma!?!
Having seen what I've now seen and ridden and felt the incredible lightness of horses trained in Philippe Karl's style, I have not only the understanding and now, some of the knowledge to train the high school movements, I have NO DOUBT that it is easily achievable.
The unbelievable amount of information that is in Philippe Karl's set of four DVDs is invaluable in its delivery. Philippe Karl illustrates where the weight is being carried by the horse, draws diagrams to show where we as riders should be sitting to be in accordance and balance with the horse and systematically trains the riders brain with logical steps and examples of HOW.
The man should be given a medal for unwrapping the mysteries surrounding Dressage and showing the way to the millions of riders out there who are searching for a peaceful and gentle alternative.
In the Stuttgart clinic, the riders were very lovely, dedicated and natural with their horses. The common thread of love and respect for their animals was apparent with the lessons carried out quietly, professionally and politely. There was never a harsh word spoken and the horses were treated to many a break to rest and understand the tasks which were being asked of them. Philippe Karl KNOWS that a horse is learning when he is tasting the bit with a lively mouth. All ethologists know that the mobility of the mouth is a sign of relaxation and submission. Pat Parelli knows it and Monty Roberts knows it. It's no longer a secret people ~ the horses are our greatest teachers and if they can't talk to us with a relaxed, light communication in the mouth, then what else can they do to make themselves heard?
Grinding their teeth and swishing their tails is probably, in horse language, a raised voice in a loud discussion and in no uncertain terms, the bucking, rearing and running away from the bit, horses are the ones screaming for HELP! Help from hard hands, too much leg, constant spur, more whip and no rest! Horses being ridden so called, to the highest level of equitation are being drilled into the ground for "kilometres" on end.
Philippe Karl is the most passionate man on the planet today when it comes to the welfare of the horse. The first thing he will determine with ANY horse is its ability to conversate and that is why you will see him taking off the jaw shutting flash nosebands and greatly loosening the cavesson – so the horse can have a chance to speak and communicate with the riders hand.
This should be mandatory in my personal opinion! Cranking the nosebands as tightly shut as they can be shows disrespect and force straight up! NO question!
So by first having the trust of the horse with the mouth, Philippe Karl then goes on to suppling exercises, like that of which you would see a dancer doing to stretch his muscles before a training workout. So left and right bending of the neck, up and down lifting of the neck gives the horse the flexibility of movements in one of the biggest muscle groups in his body.
It also gives an understanding and respect of the bit and lightness of the riders hand from the horses perspective AND gives the rider a feeling of security and control in being able to put the hoses head anywhere and to click the central-thinking-system into gear so it can function in a learning environment for training of lateral movements and transitions.
The next most fundamental thing I witnessed was the horses being trained patiently in WALK."The mother of all gaits" (François Baucher) and one Philippe Karl believes you have to master in order to replicate the trained movements in trot and canter. We all know horses are forward going creatures and that Dressage is aimed at making the horse dance. So wouldn't it be logical to ascertain that by making a horse light to the leg and hand and in balance in walk, a horse will learn easily to do it just as lightly in trot? And when balanced in the future, in canter where the beauty of the dance is shown in flowing half pass zigzags with effortless flying changes.
The Philosophy of Ease, Légèreté is an awakening for sensitive humans, who have compassion and respect for their four legged friends. Philippe Karl's School of Lightness (Ecole de Légèreté) is a masterpiece of a system, designed by a professional and extremely knowledgeable horseman with one very important message, "that even extremely untalented horses can do correct flying changes and Piaffe and passage." And that by understanding the aids and effect a rider has on a horses back, any rider can train a horse to lightness if they follow his systematic and clear training regime.
I don't know about you, but I know what is real for me and having the best ride I can every day with my horse happy and light in my hand, and light to my legs is what keeps me happy in life. After all, if you're not happy, why do it?
Websters New World Dictionary and Thesaurus defines it as this, "To feel or show honour or esteem for; to show consideration for; to regard, value, look up to, admire, treat with consideration; heed notice, recognise, to be kind to, to show courtesy to (also see appreciate)."
I personally, as do many many people across Europe and the world, hold a very high esteem for this gentle, polite and incredibly humble man, Philippe Karl. I respect his opinion, am in awe of his knowledge and am totally honoured to have met him and to be training under his methods. I cannot thank him enough on behalf of the horses for his insight, dedication and passion. And going back to Einstein, Philippe Karl deducted this equation which is just perfect when nutshelling Dressage:
Dressage article series: What is Dressage ~ Part 1 » Part 2 » Part 3
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