sojourn from the storm

Yesterday morning I opened the curtains to our front windows to find a small flock of birds taking refuge from the rain.

They were on the chairs, on the porch rail, and even lined up on the threshold of our front door.

The cats were lined up begging to be let out there, as it was the day of the big rain from Hurricane Ida and the front porch is a way to get outside without getting wet. I made them wait, though, because the birds were obviously trying to find a place to sit and dry out.

Today most of the rain has gone and now we're weathering gray skies and big wind.

As I did my daily check-in on Facebook, to see what news there might be in the rollkur debate, I found a reference to a book called Empowered Horses by Imke Spilker. Further research yielded THIS, a blog post that looks at Spilker's philosophy and work with horses.

I've ordered it, my own little sojourn from rollkur and the insanity in the dressage world.

Gerd Heuschmann and Joni Bentley - EXCELLENT article

READ IT HERE.


And please make sure you scroll all the way down to the photos of Anky and Patrik Kittel riding in Windsor 2009.

I don't think anything I could ever write on this blog can express the horrors of rollkur better than those photographs.

And the fact that judges give them ribbons speaks to the insanity in the sport as a whole.

we have redtails and donkey races today

This morning I went out with the intention to get all the barn chores done early, as we are expecting two days of possibly heavy rain associated with Hurricane Ida. I fed breakfast tubs and then stood in the little barnyard while the horses and donkeys ate.

The redtail couple came out together for the first time. I've only seen the male, in a series of close encounters written about previously, and although I assumed there was a female close by, had never seen her.

Today, beneath the gray sky and still brilliant autumn color, including that rich tobacco brown of leaves past their prime, the redtails carried on a lovely conversation, pinwheeling along from fence post to fence post, while I watched.

As equines finished up their tubs, we opened the arena gate in hopes that the donkeys and Salina would go in and get some exercise, but the way it ended up was that Rafer went in, was quickly joined by Redford and Salina, and then Rafer decided he wanted to play, but on his own terms.

So he went through the arena fence into the paddock where he could face off with Redford through the fence. The two of them played a new donkey game today, in which they played hide and seek from either side of the fence and the mounting block. Redford would peep out at Rafer, then paw the ground. Rafer would prick his ears and Redford would gallop a full circle of the arena, return to Rafer, roll, and then they would start it all over again.

At some point Rafer decided he wanted to race. The dirt paddock is a long rectangle that parallels the arena, and since we're using the back field this week, Rafer was able to run down the paddock, through the back gate, and around the outside of the arena all the way around except for the short side by the woods.

He and Redford raced like this for about 15 minutes, and at some point Cody joined in from the back field and he and Rafer were neck and neck on the outside, while Redford kept up inside the arena.

I have never seen anything quite like it. I began to have visions of building a race track, and having our own donkey derby in the spring. We could drive the truck into the center of the arena and have our own private tailgate party!

As quickly as it began, it ended. I'm not sure who the winner was, but they got quite a work-out this morning and should be all set to enjoy the rainy part of the day when it rolls in.

For now we have a slight wind blowing and leaves gliding and then cascading in groups as the wind picks up. The longer the rain holds off the better, but we're ready for it when it gets here.

Monday: catch up on the rollkur debate

Epona TV has a wonderful article up titled Rollkur Round-Up: Fact and Fiction. Julie Taylor and Luise Thomsen look point by point at the FEI's 2006 investigation of rollkur and break it down showing what research was done, how it was done, and what it actually revealed. This is a very good look at what is being cited as "the evidence" that rollkur does no harm. And how flawed that conclusion actually is.

Over the weekend a number of links were posted that indicate clearly that Patrik Kittel's use of rollkur and harsh techniques was not a momentary lapse in Odense that just happened to get captured on video.

On September 19, 2008, THIS appeared on St. Georg Magazine's blog. I have provided a translation below:

Scandic, which means something like Scandinavian. And the name fits the chestnut, who starts at the CHI in Donauschingen in the mediacup of the up and coming Grand Prix horses. It fits, because the Swedish rider Patrick Kittel is a Scandinavian, it also matches the temperatures however, which reign in the palace park o...f the Duke of Donauschingen. In the morning it is bittercold and the thermometer barely reaches freezing point. However the kind of training which is meted out to the chestnut by Kittel lets the blood freeze in the veins of the spectators: Head pulled down to the chest. Always properly tight and hard (!!) "positioned" to the left and to the right. Until the chestnut puts the emergency brakes on. He must have bitten on his own tongue, at least the blood was dripping from his mouth. No steward was present, who could have noticed. Only when the flow of blood was not to be stopped, even after the groom had routinely mopped the horse’s mouth a second time, did Kittel stop!

There was also a link to a photo of Kittel riding Scandic in a double bridle with a dropped noseband that was so tight the horse looked as if he were gagging and choking. Unfortunately I cannot provide you with the link because the photo has now been removed.

But someone captured it:

http://picasaweb.google.com/paci.hu/InternationalenWiesbadenerPfingstTurnier200905290601?feat=comment_notification#5344294266374100754

A quick google search just turned up THIS:


Patrik Kittel in trouble

A video on You Tube about Swedish team rider Patrik Kittel has shocked the dressage world. The fragment shows Kittel losing his stallion Watermill Scandic in Odense in Denmark in a low frame. The moment Patrik realizes that the horse’s tongue is out, he stops and pushes the tongue back. The flood of negative reactions forced FEI dressage director Trond Asmyr and FEI Executive Director sports David Holmes make an official statement prior to their lectures at the Global Dressage Forum in The Netherlands last Monday that the FEI will investigate the incident.
Meanwhile Kittel is shell shocked by the flood of negative reactions, although the tone in Sweden has mellowed. Watermill Scandic is owned by Dutch team veterinarian Jan Greve who says, “Patrik Kittel has a perfect relationship to Scandic and the situation that has arisen now is absolutely overdone. Yes, the tongue has been out for a short while. This can happen. But nothing harmful has been done.”
The British Riding Association has urged the FEI to start a more thorough discussion about hyperflexion. Other countries will probably follow Britain.


Interestingly, there was also the following:

In Lyon this happened to Edward Gal. On Thursday the competition had started in a very disappointing way for the runner up of Odense. Sisther de Jeu had only moments before entering the ring for the Grand Prix bitten her lip, causing a small wound that started to bleed. The bleeding was stopped quickly. The sympathetic officials even allowed Gal to take the mare to the stable for a while and return later for a new start. He and his trainer Nicole Werner however, decided to let that chance go by. “Everything was alright, but we considered the risk that Sisther might bite her lip again during the test, to be too high. It’s a shame of the 600 mile ride to Lyon, but so be it”, Edward Gal said.

Edward Gal also uses rollkur and I'm finding it slightly horrifying that we are seeing horses biting their tongues and lips to the point of blood flow that actually inhibits the ride. And more importantly, does not seem to be necessitating any adjustment of the bits/bridles!

If you have time to write new emails and/or letters to the FEI, please include these examples as evidence that something is seriously wrong in this sport.

update on the anti-rollkur 'campaign' front

It's been a busy week and many, many people have been working hard to educate themselves on this issue, take action, and keep the issue alive as the FEI continues its investigation.

Richard Johnson, Director of Communications for the FEI, posted on Facebook this morning:

Official Statement from FEI

As previously announced, the FEI is conducting an investigation into the events in the Odense warm-up arena. Such procedures always take time as it is important that they are done in a thorough and fair way. The FEI is aware of the high-level of interest in the issues raised in the video and... the subsequent online debate and would like to thank everyone who has contacted us for their feedback. We understand the concern and we will make the findings of the investigation public as soon as we are in a position to do so.

The FEI is also giving the issue of Rollkür special attention. This topic has been put on the agenda of the FEI Bureau meeting, which is taking place on 15 November in Copenhagen. Important developments will be announced as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, LVM Insurance company will "most probably" stop sponsoring Patrik Kittel due to the many letters and emails protesting. They did ask him for a statement but say as well that he is "on very thin ice"...

Read HERE.

We all need to remember that Patrik is not the only rider out there utilizing rollkur, and while the video that jump-started this movement at this time featured him, we need to extend the circle to include other top riders and trainers who promote this technique.

If you've written to the FEI, thank you! While we wait for them to do their job, find sponsors who support riders and trainers using rollkur and let them know how you feel about that.


ADDED IN AS I JUST COULDN'T RESIST, from the Facebook Blue Tongue group:

OK, I am ready with the first list of sponsors and form letter. As stated before, use it any way you want, as inspiration, in part or all of it, but be sure to personalize it, (add your own comments and of course name) date it and add your country. I am relatively inept on the computer, so if there is a better way to p...ost this, do let me know. Most of these are links to a contact page, no emails were available, so copy/paste in address bar and go from there. Ladies and gentlemen, start your keyboards :-) here we go.

Drumroll, please - let's go for the gold, shall we? We start with - Anky.

Anky van Grunsven Sponsors

Van Grunsven Groep

info@grunsvengroep.nl

Cavalor cavaloramerica@cavalor.com

For dutch contact, go to http://www.cavalor.com/contact.php

Volkswagen http://www.volkswagencampers.nl/contact/volkswagen-klantenservice/contact.html

Gazelle http://www.gazelle.nl/nl/service/stel-uw-vraag.html

IPS http://www.ipshorsegroup.nl/en/contact

Rabobank https://www.perscentrumrabobank.com/contactform

NOC-NSF http://www.noc-nsf.nl/cms/showpage.aspx?id=958 MAN http://www.man-mn.nl/nl/contact.jsp

(I can't take the time right now to make those all embedded links - but hopefully you can cut and paste for now - billie)


In an exciting announcement, Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling will be doing a live teleseminar speaking to this issue and responding to the video. This will happen on November 15th, the same day that the FEI Bureau meeting described above will be held.

Go HERE to register.

This is an opportunity to "vote" by registering and supporting a rider and trainer who is openly speaking out against rollkur. And it's free!

Dressage Disgrace, the site hosting the teleseminar, is a great way to stay up to date on what's going on. Support them by joining and by commenting.


And finally, I'd like to remind myself and all of us that as we look at and evaluate riders and trainers who are out there in the public eye, competing and being videotaped, we must also look to our own backyards and barns and arenas to evaluate our own riding, training, and horsemanship, as well as the lifestyle we are providing for our own horses.

Are we interacting with our equines with kindness, consistency, and clarity?

Are we staying active on the journey to better horsemanship? (in my opinion this journey never ends)

Are our own horses happy in mind, body, and spirit?

I've had a head cold all week so it's been easier than usual to spend so much time on this issue. (and on the computer!)

And I'm not done! But I'm taking the weekend off to relax with horses and family, enjoy the sudden drop in temps we had last night (we had to bring the porch plants in!) and celebrate my favorite time of year.

I may put up a few photos as the weekend rolls on, but otherwise, see you on Monday!