The Equine Artisan Escape

My dad was very busy in the oil industry, after graduating Lethbridge College at 18. He worked on the oil rigs from the age of 18 until he passed away in 1979, on a well site. When he was home, I got his full attention, he drove me back and forth to school and took me riding to various stables around Calgary. He gave me my first riding lessons on rented horses close to our home in NW Calgary. My dad’s father, on their southern Alberta farm, had worked hard, built up a dairy, developed a mixed farm, instilled the ethics of working hard and finishing school. Even my grandmother had received a full education back in Hungary around the turn of the century. I realize now when I look at pictures and visit their homes that coming to Canada for them was very difficult, leaving prosperous farms and villages with well established vineyards, orchards, cheese, bread making and pottery businesses to come and start from scratch on the prairie.

They did very well, the boys apparently had a bet on to see who would become the first millionaire, they all worked hard, banked their money and invested well, but all died too young to enjoy it. It was very sad, but very impactful. This is where the “rubber meets the road”, you need a balanced lifestyle, you need more than wealth, you need your health, mentally, spiritually and physically. My father had instilled into me the value of hard work, making money and traditional, classical horse training methodologies and techniques he had learned as a child from his Hungarian Hussar father. Many of these philosophies were used and taught to the calvary during the Austro-Hungarian Empire and of course are used at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. The teachings of Nuno Oliveira in Portugal and his protege, Dominique Barbier of France whom now resides in California and Philipe Karl of France and the French School of Saumur. These are just a few of the masters we will be studying, emulating and travelling to learn to develop our own horses and systems to find “flow” in our own life, with our own horses. This love for the art of higher level communication with the horse, training intricacies, developing feel and visualization, lightness and the art of fine, enlightened riding, whether it be English, Western or Spanish has always been my passion.

I began formal equine education shortly after my dad passed away , just before I turned 16. I was lost, I no longer had access to riding and focused on earning as much money as possible. The day I turned 16, I passed my drivers test in the morning and by afternoon was out paying for my first registered Quarter Horse. I began riding with Lyle Jackson, a great trainer close to my home, between Calgary and Cochrane, Alberta. When the school went on strike later that spring, I went to work on a ranch SW of Calgary at Priddis and found my addiction, cutting horse competitions! I began proper western riding in clinics with Bill Collins when I was 16. Bill Collins was a master horseman. He was a triple AQHA and NCHA judge who had won Canada 6 times cutting, 4 times calf-roping and in chuckwagon racing before that. I very fortunately lived a matter of a few miles from Bill, whose stable was between Calgary and Cochrane, where I not only learned to cut, but a lot of solid, foundational skills in the barn and around the horses. How to read each horse and know when one horse needed loping to warm up or another could only be long trotted, while another needed to start with walking or trotting laps out in the summer follow. Each horse was an individual and had a special program to reflect this.

I knew I wanted to train horses and coach, but at the age of seventeen, I had no idea if I wanted to train English or Western, or even train thoroughbreds for the track. I saw so many great things in the horse industry and knew so little. I went to Meredith Manor in West Virginia, for the Western program, but after I watched a few classes, their techniques and the equipment they were using, I realized I may have been learning some valuable lessons in Canada from Bill Collins, Les Timmons, Roger Heintz and other great horsemen in the Calgary area.

I switched to Dressage and Jumping, took jumping under Joe Struby, who had herself trained under an old master calvary man and was a 3 day event specialist. Then learned dressage from Bodo Hangen and Sybille Veigal, both of Germany, in dressage. I never rode western again until I got back home to Canada. My first ride back was eye opening. I got on a c**t that had been out in the pasture, had very little handling at all with humans and prodded on by a trainer who wanted to see “what I’d Learned” (apparently, I hadn’t learned as much as I thought I had!). I ended up coming off 4 times in a row. From that experience, I did learn to to listen to my own feelings and decide when I feel I am ready and listen to the c**t telling me when they are ready! After that, I learned to take the time and do a good job on the ground with young horses and make my own decisions became first and foremost.

I applied for the Animal Science - Western Horsemanship 2 year program at Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alberta. We did a lot of riding on cattle, c**t training, hoof care, trimming and even shoeing, feeds and nutrition, forage crops, cow calf management and of course all sorts of working cow horse, roping and rodeo events. This balanced my program out nicely and I returned in 1987 to West Virginia to do my Bachelors of Art and Masters in Equestrian Education at Salem College in West Virginia, where I taught the western program and continued to jump under Jean Byrne from Boston, Massachusetts, who had worked with the chef de equipe of the US Olympic team in Jumping. At this time I became very interested in the history of the masters of horsemanship in Europe, Baucher, Grisone, the Spanish Riding School and the way they had developed a very spectacular and detailed riding curriculum back in the renaissance through to the Baroque and Rococo era through the enlightenment.

I was amazed by the similarities of progression in the elite programs for classical dressage and California Vaquerro style training. The step by step building block system to develop a finished horse, were similar, on so many levels. Even many aspects of the tack, the longing cavesson, the Spanish serata and bosal. A bit I bought in an old general store in a virtual ghost town close to Tombstone, Arizona with silver inlay, very western, yet had a place for a lip strap, similar to an English curb or pelham has always inspired me to look deeper to the stem of both western and upper level dressage, similarities and differences. The way in which horses are started under saddle can be so different, as in the way many English riders are started in lessons, kicking and pulling and in so many of the lesson stables I visited when training horses in Austria and Germany, I had never seen such hard mouthed and dead sided horses in my life! However, the system starts very differently, yet when we get to upper level dressage, the horse must go in self carriage, with a looser rein, a light leg and hand and a bridle hand exists which is the left hand (the weaker hand) just as it does in western! The “bridle hand”, in dressage (Nuno Oliveira) is the hand that holds the reins of the curb and in both classical dressage and western is always the left hand (if you are right handed), so that we ride lightly, not with power, but with our bodies, visualizing where we want the horses to go, as opposed to just kicking and spurring and pulling. I studied the masters, I loved the art and visualization necessary to find the unity and flow between horse and rider, coach and student, and I became a serious “student of the horse”. Whereas many people, including Leonardo da Vinci saw “Man as the Center of All Things”, in the Vetruvian Man, I saw, “the horse as the centre of all things”, in the Vienese Horse, The Spanish Riding School, The French, Cadre Noir and Nuno Oliveira.

When I settled back home in Alberta, I worked with Bill Collins’ step son Gary Coleman, as I had in Calgary. He moved north to Edmonton and acquired a stable built by one of my dad’s good friends (before my father passed away in 1979), Don Hunt. I followed Gary up there, where Gary trained cutting horses created a very nice home for a selection of dressage horses and riders as well. “The golden girls”, a group go dressage ladies had some fabulous horses from Germany and Holland brought in some great clinicians from Germany and Holland to train Grand Prix horses, in a very German, foundational style. The ladies lifted weights and worked out to ride these horses, a lot. They continued to kick and pull and when they were done, the horses were lathered, hair wore off in patches from the spurs and the horses rarely got out of the stable under their instruction, as we were told, “every mile of wear and tear on the horse will be with me in the saddle”. Such a “Dutch, lock em in the stall” attitude, which after training horses in Germany and Austria for years afterward, I came to realize was sheerly because all Dutch animals are locked up, because they have no room to do otherwise. I believe the owners and riders of animals in these countries convince themselves this is correct, otherwise how can they live with themselves never turning an animal out? I made many trip to horse traders in Holland, that imported horses from the US and Canada and were sheerly dealers. The horses, many national champions in reining and other disciplines were locked in stalls, with little light if any, cement floors with often not enough bedding and came out bucking. When ever I went shopping for school horses at these horse handlers, I learned to always have the person showing the horses ride them first (buck them out was more often the case for these poor penned up animals!) before I would get on.

Before teaching and training in Germany, I began in Austria by deciding to teach at Innsbruck International High School, after picking up my Bed at the University of Calgary. I taught high school art, history, geography, American history and of course, riding! then, unfortunately in 1995, the American army pulled out many people after serving their 50 years after World War II and we lost a high percentage of our students. The school went bankrupt! Each of the teachers had to do something to get these kids, mostly American but some Canadian and Austrian too, finished grade 12 and ready for college for September. Each of us had to do whatever we could, the parents brought food and paid for heating oil and electricity to keep the buildings going, the English teacher Ed Scruggs busked in the streets with his guitar, the two ski coaches, coached skiing, the German teacher tutored German and I taught lessons and began training horses in the area.

I started teaching in the German language in Austria, before I could understand German! I had minimal German, had taken a short introductory course and had a list of necessary words for forwards, sidewards, back wards, bend, leg, hand, seat, etc. People often came and asked me a question after the lesson and I would be calling for my boss, I had no idea what they were asking! Eventually, I took more classes to learn German, then ended up training in Germany. I taught lessons, judged and showed, winning the Hessen Meister in Horsemanship, Reining and Trail and then the German, open junior reining on a little paint horse, Colored Sensation. I had the opportunity to ride and show some very good horses and meet amazing people who I am still often in contact with today and love to have visit me!

Many people I got to know in Europe that told me how cruel they thought we are in Canada, because we let our cattle and horses stay outside when it was -20 (I thought that is nothing, they stay out when it is -50 too!) Horses on full feed, with heated water in Canada and not wet and damp, as is often the case in Europe, where it rains a lot in the winter are fine, as long as they have shelter. The coldest winters of my life were training in Germany and Austria where stables and arenas are not heated and everything is damp and chills you to the bones. I thought it was terrible the way cows were chained up inside and horses stalled 24/7 in the winter in Germany and Austria, with very little turn out. It took me awhile to realize, that people have to do the best for their animals, wherever they are according to what mother nature gives them for weather and for feed. I learned a lot about different systems and what works in one place does not always work in another due to land, weather, feed and often regulations.

We don’t leave animals chained indoor in stalls all winter on concrete floors, like many places in Europe, we do start two year olds and I have witnessed younger and younger babies being started, and more and more “kissing spine” being discovered. Any coincidences here? I am very pleased with regulations in associations such as in the Working Equitation Association making rules that two year olds can not be shown and seeing ages increasing and data driven evidence being used to formulate regulations. We definitely want our horses to last, have forever homes, live a healthy life physically and mentally, get turned out daily and have solid, healthy bone structures. We all know, soundness wise, the more a horse is locked up, the less mass and strength his/her bones have and the easier they break down. Ever since the experience of seeing people locking horses up in stalls, complaining when my well trained horses were dangerous, after they went to other stables or bucked and I had asked, “Are you turning them out?”, followed by silence on the other end of the line. What are people thinking? That horses are machines? For a herd animal, to be kept locked up and away from friends and to still maintain sanity is ludicrous. I believe we need to look at things from a horses’ perspective, we must watch and learn to think like a horse. What makes them tick? If you want that effervescent sparkle, they need to be happy to work with you in unison! It takes at least 30 rides to start developing true unison, great riders (and great catch riders) will do this quickly, on the other hand, some people will need a year to build a strong relationship, it all depends on the amount of time and level of mastery and trust. Every horse and every rider is an individual, and we must do our best to positively celebrate each and every little improvement!

I have learned it is imperative to reward each positive movement with immediate reward and release. We need to see things from a horses point of view, sometimes we have to give in to certain things a horse really wants to do in order to figure them out and actually train them to do the things we need them to do. We need to encourage a horse by thinking what we want him to do, is actually what they want to do, a horse happily working with us is the first step to finding the German “feinigheit”, state of fine riding (and teaching), in which true “flow” follows. Turning that farm truck into the Mercedes Benz. We must read every horse carefully, some of the most brilliant people and horses have quirks or flashbacks to issues that happened long before you met the horse. Maybe it even happened in your own barn, with your own staff or students, that you may have not been privy to. Things happen and we have to read our horses and reduce their fears, utilize good, solid foundational and safe practices on the ground and on their backs on a routine that works best for each horse, especially when starting young horses. Reading and feeling your horse, utilizing an assessment for learning patterning. Then knowing the next step in the program, where are your gaps? Where are you? Where do you wish to go? You must be able to visualize exactly what you wish to achieve and allow this to happen through flow, feel, timing and release of any pressure on the horse. Then, the immediate follow through, feedback loops, to the horse and back to you. Rewarding the horse immediately, in a variety of ways and knowing which is the best reward for what, is crucial to further development of our upper level horses.

We must keep tour horses happy and looking forward to working with us, to keep them bright, sharp and trying for us, with a lot of reward for any small improvements, often even repetition of a difficult maneuver they have not fully mastered yet. Ride your horse for short periods of training, or long relaxed trail rides, but with a plan in mind, not over riding until they are sore, lame or sour. Bill Collins always said, even just out on the trail, the maximum time for a 2 year old is 2 hours, a 3 year old 3, a four year old 4, and once they are 5 or 6 you can take them on all day rides, but this is not training sessions. Good training sessions may be 15 minutes, every other day for a two year old, always quit on a good note! It is so important. At the Spanish riding school, the sessions are 45 minutes long and that is it, including warm up and they are out of the arena. Many days the horses are longed, as are the riders and worked in hand on the ground. A very important place to begin all training correctly, in hand, on the ground. If there are problems on the ground, they will eventually carry over under saddle, holes in the program should be assessed on an assessment for learning check list, especially by non-pros or amateurs. Once again, there are those quirky horses that may have an area to be avoided, but these horses usually are open competition horses and not for amateurs. Know your bloodlines when purchasing a horse, even better, have a professional trainer or coach that you know, trust and will be working with help you purchase your horse and not until you have achieved a great degree on lesson horses ideally.

Bill Collins, one of the greatest horsemen and mentors I ever knew, was willing to work around fanatical, but high end cutting horses that possibly could not be tied, or had other issues, but would win for you and earn their way. Bill went with his customers and helped them find the horse they needed if he did not have one suitable for them. Bill’s students won a lot by listening to Bill. He also taught me when it is time to sit a customer down and explain why you won’t take a certain animal or even a variety package of animals they have out in a field, even if they have the money to pay you to train them all. There are horses not worth putting a lot of money into. You need to look at the big picture and what you wish to achieve and with what. You can not turn a sows ear into a silk purse.

Always focus on quality and not quantity if you want to not only win, but develop that closeness and relationship with your horse. You can after all, develop a relationship and improve any horse, but if you want to win, you do need a horse that has the bloodlines, mind, aptitude, soundness and conformation to do what it is you want to do. I have won Canadian championships or reserve Canadian championships, on horses that may have been just a drop in a bucket in price, compared to what some very wealthy people could afford, but they did have the mind and conformation and just needed the time, patience and training. I know it was my hours and hours of hard work, dedication, systematic program (with a dressage foundation) and the building up of a trusting relationship with my horses, that often put me in the winners seat!

Whether you are an amateur and plan to stay amateur and enjoy riding in unity with your horse or have greater aspirations (no matter what your age and stage) of getting back into competition, you need a plan. Where are you realistically at right now? Mentally, spiritually, physically, with your weight, stiffness and body issues? How long has it been since you rode regularly? Can you comfortably even get on and sit on a horse? What will it take to get you there? Do you have a horse and is it the right horse? Do you have someone to help you make that evaluation? Is it safe, functional, the correct size? Do you even need a horse? Would you be better off taking lessons on someone else’s horse that is more suitable? Do you have a goal of getting a certain horse back in the game? What plans do you have? What program are you on? Do you have one? Do you need one? Do you have someone to work with? Would you like to work with others in the same predicament....there are a lot of us! Where to begin?

Let’s start together and begin designing a unique program for you, and your horse(s) if you have one or more horses. We need to be very realistic, not negative, there can be no negativity, only positive thought. There can not be any “I will try”, this is lame and leaves too much room for flimsy excuses. There can only be “I will”, you must now focus on you, this is your time, horse time. The family and work have taken enough of your precious time, you only have so many years left to get riding. The more time you spend debating and thinking about it, the older, stiffer and more out of shape you become and the harder it will be until the point of no return. By moving and taking action now you will get in better shape, live longer and healthier, be happier and able to do a lot of things, include mental functioning and avoidance of dementia and Alzheimer's, which studies have shown to be held off through good exercise, aerobic and weight bearing, which all come into play with daily riding and horse care, healthy eating and a positive mental attitude.

We will begin with visionary goal setting, assessment for learning and step by step targeted planning for the realization of what seems to be at the moment only dreams. The art, beauty and metamorphosis reached on the journey and throughout the process is integral to the art of equine escape. Finding the time and the path to follow, in achieving, "flow", through lifestyle engineering and coaching is included in this process. Ultimately the formation of a community of eco friendly artisans having time to enjoy nature is paramount. The process of painting, photography, sculpture, drawing, dancing, riding horses, doing pilates or what have you in nature's glory and celebrating with gratitude all God has created for us, with our family and friends defines our escape physically. We also believe in virtual escapism, stories, videos, photos and anything beautiful that uplifts ones' spirit is welcome!