helgstrand teaching piaffe/passage and assorted warm-up videos in arenas around the world

And CLICK HERE to see more footage courtesy of Epona TV of various warm-up practices using rollkur, draw reins, and more nightmarish techniques to control the horses and put them far behind the vertical. (once you get to part one, look to your right on Epona's site to see parts 2, 3, and 4)



And a powerful video from Nadja King:

quick note re: FEI meeting Tuesday

Tomorrow evening (Monday) I plan to put up the NO ROLLKUR logo with a brief statement on both blogs and on my Facebook page and will leave it there through Tuesday afternoon.

I'm doing this in support of Gerd Heuschmann's attendance at the FEI round table meeting to discuss rollkur, and to say, again, that I do NOT SUPPORT this training method.

I suggested this on the Blue Tongue Facebook page as a way to quietly but powerfully hold up our signs around the world, simultaneously, as an indication that we are aware of the meeting and although not there, present our viewpoints.

I invite anyone who reads here to join in. You can take the image and/or statement from my blog and put it on your own blog and/or FB page. If you'd like me to copy and paste the html for you to make this even easier, send me your email in a comment. I won't publish the emails, but will send you the info to paste into your blog.

The more places this appears, the more powerful the message.

another great letter, to Gerd Heuschmann, in support

Letter from Colonel Carde to Dr. Heuschmann in preparation for the FEI Feb. 9th discussion.

Dear Gerd,

You have been invited to take part in the FEI roundtable discussion scheduled for February, 9th.

At the heart of the debate will be the hyperflexion of the horse’s neck. I want to personally let you know that like many trainers, judges and thousands of riders, all my thoughts will be with you on that day.

Rollkur must be strongly discouraged in riding/training and banned from competition:

- Because it has no place in a philosophy of training designed to develop horses into happy athletes.
- Because it is contrary to the classical Dressage principles applied in all the Schools.*
- Because it is dangerous to the horse's health when badly executed – which is the overwhelming majority of cases.

In Dressage competition, it must be forbidden for the entire duration of the competitions. In order to implement this rule, at the very least, the warm-up should be monitored by a judge and at the very best, it should be scored and that score should be included in the competitors' final ranking.

Good luck, we are counting on you.

Colonel Christian Carde
Ancien écuyer en chef de l’Ecole Nationale d’Equitation et du Cadre Noir de Saumur
(Former Head Rider of the French National School of Riding and of the Cadre Noir in Saumur.)

Klaus Balkenhol's Wonderful Letter to the FEI

(Translated from
the German)

Originally Sent Feb. 3 2010
Federation Equestre International
Avenue Rumine 37
CH ˆ 1005 Lausanne Rosendahl
SWITZERLAND

February 3, 2010

Dear Sirs and Madames:

We submit herewith some comments concerning your upcoming roundtable
discussion, scheduled for February 9th, at which you will be
establishing a final plan for the handling of the topic of
Rollkur/Hyperflexion.

Those of us who have signed this letter wish to point out sharply that
new or amended rules with regard to the accepted classical precepts of
riding, which are contained in the guidelines written down in your
Handbook, are absolutely superfluous and therefore unnecessary. These
precepts, which the FEI has up until now felt obliged to uphold, are
already fully developed, tried and tested! They are already recognized
world-wide as authoritative, and as fair to the horse. Based on
centuries of experience, they offer a stable and secure foundation even
for today's riding.

No changes may be made that constitute a burden to the well-being of the
horse, either physically or mentally. If you accept riding in
hyperflexion as a permissible training method, you legitimize aggressive
riding. We protest that in the strongest possible terms!

As horse people, we expect the FEI to maintain unaltered their
regulations, which have until now been valid, resting as they do upon
the classical precepts of riding ˆ for the good of the horses and
the continued good repute of international equestrian sport.

The undersigned support this statement:

Klaus Balkenhol (Olympic medalist)

(Joined by, in alphabetical order)
- Laura Bechtolsheimer (British Record Holder, 3. Europameisterschaften
2009)
- Wilfried Bechtolsheimer (Trainer)
- Ingrid Klimke (Olympic medalist)
- Ruth Klimke (Vice President of the German Riders Union)
- Beezie Madden (Olympic medalist)
- John Madden (Trainer)
- Debbie McDonald (Olympic Bronze medalist)
- Susanne Miesner (Trainer)
- George Morris (Chef d'equipe USEF show jumping team, Olympic
silver medalist)
- Martin Plewa (former German national Three-Day Event trainer, Director
of the Riding and Driving School of Westfalia)
- Michael Putz (Trainer and judge)
- Klaus-Martin Rath (Trainer, member of the Dressage Committee of the
German Olympic
Committee)
- Matthias Alexander Rath (German Meister 2009)
- Hinrich Romeike (Olympic medalist)
- Hubertus Schmidt (Olympic medalist)
- Günter Seidel (Olympic bronze medalist)
- Christine Stückelberger (Olympiic medalist)
- Paul Stecken (Trainer)
- Hans Günter Winkler (Olympic medalist)
- Harry Boldt, Dressur. Doppel-Olympiasieger, früherer Bundestrainer
Dressur, GBR
- Beatrice Büchler-Keller, Swiss, FEI O-Richter
- Nadine Capellmann, Dressur, Olympiasiegrin
- Carsten Huck, Springen, Olympia Bronze-Gewinner
- Michael Klimke, Deuscther Meister, Dressur
- Ann Kathrinne Linsenhoff, Olympiasiegerin, WElt- und Europameisterin,
Mitglied im FN-Präsidium
- Michael Robert, Olympia-Gewinner Bronze, Trainer

horses and what they know

When I went out to the barn this morning I told the herd, "I'm okay, but I'm going to be slow."

The demeanor in the barn was absolutely quiet and respectful. Cody stood in the back door of his stall, as if to say "I'm giving you plenty of space, don't worry!"

There was no Hanoverian chorus, no pony hoof, no squeaky hinges. They were prepared to wait, even when I had to make 3 trips, a cautionary measure, as it is raining AGAIN and I normally have quite an armful when I walk out to make breakfast tubs.

Funny, though, when my daughter arrived to help, the volume went on and up. It was as if they knew: she has back-up now, so we can get back to our normal breakfast routine!

By the end of it, as tubs were being served, Keil Bay had held in so much anticipatory energy he was about to burst. He was bobbing his head wildly over the stall door, and drool was flinging everywhere. But when I got to his door and said "go to your manger" he did it, knowing that today I really couldn't tolerate any sudden moves.

It's the same as when someone who isn't used to horses comes to the barn, and they are that much more careful around that person, knowing somehow that they need to be a bit more mindful than usual.

It doesn't surprise me when the horses respond this way, because it's what they are wired to do - but it always gives me pause and a sense of awe.

I'm a little bit sore today from being bowled over, but I think a hot bath will help with that. Moving through the morning chores (slowly, carefully) already worked out some of the kinks.

Now if we can just get through this rain without floating away.