New Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling book

[sixfootblonde]

Just a heads up to say his new book is now shipping from amazon.

[flintfootfilly]

Is that "It's not I who seeks the horse....."?

If so, I hadn't realised it was so new.   I ordered it a week or so back in a little equiamazonian flurry, and just had an email to say it's been despatched to me.  So hopefully I'll find out soon what it's like.

Sarah

[sixfootblonde]

Yes, that's it.

Although it is more like a tome than a book.  Looks to be good value for money, is beautifully presented and seems to cover all the questions left by his first DVD - Dancing with Horses.  It is a how to....  should be interesting

[ukica]

Be interested to hear how it is

[Bradders]

Me too!

[Icy Lady]

Sounds like that might have to be holiday reading 

[Belbe]

Just started reading mine! mahn! if that book hits someone's head they die! it's a boulder! LOL!

but back to what matters, the contect! All I can say is: loads of pictures and clear schematics! loving it so far! (his dvds have the worst camera man ever! always shoots feet and heads and separate body parts but horse and handler working toguether? seldom ever!  )

anyway, just read a couple of pages and got the same impression as the last telephone interviews I've been hearing online: he's taking great effort to explain himself as best he can. He still talks a lot because he's more of an artist than a practical person, but he focused this book mainly on practical aspects, How To! that's what was lacking from all his previous work. I learnt a lot observing his videos and watching my coach, but what he said used to be very vague. Now it appears much clearer! I think 20 years of teaching people will do that to you, even if he only does it for a couple of months at a time. 

Can't wait to dive into it further! I simply adore this guy! It's thanks to him that my 3 yeard old stallion who I didn't trust at all with myself, is now giving lessons to my 4 year old cousin! I still have sooooooooo much to learn but what little I absorbed so far has helped me and my horsies tenfold!

[flintfootfilly]

I've only read a few pages so far.  Some is a little above my head, but will be worth re-reading again and again, I think.  Other sections are just beautiful.  Some lovely ideas.  For example, suggesting that we give our horse plenty of notice of what we intend doing.  So in the school, if we are walking around large, then we start to focus on the point at which we'd like to trot.  Then start focussing on what the trot will feel and look like, the rhythm, the cadence, the tempo...... and when we reach the point, it just happens.

Tried it out with my greenest most opinionated pony...... and he loved it!  I guess it gives a combination  of a subtle aid and plenty of preparation, without being overly physical.

If that's an indication of gems in the rest of the book, it's going to be an amazing read.  Best thing I've bought in a long time!

Sarah

[Bradders]

Right, off to buy it!

[Icy Lady]

Well my copy is in the post as we speak - hopefully it will be here in time for my holiday 

[siskin]

Pah. I was hoping not to buy it and borrow a friends after she'd got over the initial excitment, but now I want my own - NOW!! 

[sixfootblonde]

I'm glad I am not the only one finding it a bit heavy going.  I thought it was because I am blonde  It is a lovely book.  Treat yourselves. 

[Belbe]

just finished it. Repeats itself a lot but i wouldn't write in any other way... for example, he says "keep the shoulders low" soooooooooo many times that i actually keep them low unconsciously even in dangerous situations and the result is marvelous! such a simple thing and yet... like that senile book "equine sciences" says: we have no tail, locked ears and short neck with limited movement, so wa little we do have to comunicate, we have to make the best of it, as clear as can be. And the horse does understand, he has to, undestanding other animals is one of their key ways of detecting danger.

The magic circle thing, also very neat! puts you to the test good time! I played smart and tried the simplest exercise without the inner square in a HUGE school with my stallion calling for the mares... well, it was freezing and I finished up sweating, but I did it! and my horse looked quite puzzled "that was it??". But served to show me how crude my signals still are! even If i chose the worst way to do it. But unlike that senile "scientific" book says, I believe it's absurd to give up on subtle signals just cos we're quite crude to start with! mahn, aren't we laughable when we start skating? can't we achieve jaw-droping grace with training? why shouldn't we achieve the same for the sake of our human-horse partnership? hell, I swear I don't understand scientists sometimes, they seem to play dumb on purpouse. With all their vast knolage and they know nothing about comunication... must be all that isolation a lab time... That's the main reason I gave up on becoming one... love science, hate the method, xcept maybe for astronomy... those are the only ones that actually keep an open mind, LOL

[Icy Lady]

I'm glad I am not the only one finding it a bit heavy going.  I thought it was because I am blonde  It is a lovely book.  Treat yourselves. 

  That makes me feel so much better Maria - I thought it was me!  I took it on holiday and really struggled to get into it but I liked the pictures! 

[SueWhitmore]

I know this thread is pretty old, but I bought it, and have started to read it, just because you lot were talking about it.

I found it the usual Mr Chicken thing - it is like digging for gold in a bran tub. Some of it is just genius. I love the way he uses really cr*p kit, like barrier tape (although I am pretty jealous of the fancy bull hurdles he has acquired this time round..... ) and tarps - all stuff anyone can get for not much money. (And his overalls, I love his overalls, I wear overalls all winter!) I love the way he really does know horses and the way he keeps banging on about safety. The loading was wonderful, the way he said to think about what type of house your horse would be - conceptually brilliant, the reference to archery as a form of meditation - yes, I get that too!

But the acres and acres of self realisation stuff - this is his journey, not mine, it gives me the screaming habdabs

Some of it just cracks me up - his reference to himself in pictures as "the man" - yes, he really does think he is the man.....  and the interpretation of some of the pictures had me howling. For example, p87, picture 3. Mr Chicken says "... the stallion looks at me very trustingly, but also curiously." Well, I have seen that look a thousand times from my lot, and I think it is a look of stupefied amazement, saying "You are completely bonkers, mate."

Then p117, picture 1. Mr Chicken thinks that the body language conveys imminent attack. Well it depends if you call a sharp nip on the bum attack. Because what is happening there is that the stallion is *herding* the leader - he is saying, "get a move on, dopey!"  (or worse, in horse swearing ) Stallions lead from behind - he would have done well to re-iterate that it is unwise to get in front of a stallion, IOW turn your back to it, because you immediately hand it the power position.  The traditional way to lead a stallion is adjacent to its shoulder, 4 feet away. There is a good reason for this!

Having said all that, the picture sequences are really good, and there are many, many gold nuggets in the bran. It is definitely worth persevering with, and cheaper than half an hour's instruction.