Dr Gerd Heuschmann clinic/demo/lecture

[Wendy]

lol

Excellent write-up thank you! 

[Christine]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading that  Thanks Joe*

[Jo*]

Wow, I was preparing myself for a different reception   Glad you've found it useful, like I said this is only my notes and I didn't write down a lot of the biomechanics stuff as I had already read that and just absorbed it instead of writing notes on it. I would very much recommend his book. I think its very important to remember the perspective he is coming from- he is a veterinarian who is looking from the horse from a biological point of view- training the horse to enhance it's physical strength and longevity. Through this search he found classical dressage and has learnt quietness, stillness and harmony afterwards, but his primary goal is to achieve a healthy horse. I think some people who have come to classical dressage because they don't want to use force with their horses may look at some of Gerd's riding as harsh in certain instances. He often used very exaggerated hand movements which some riders mimicked when they sat on their own horses, but what those riders did not see was the use of his seat which was exceptional, he would walk around with completely loose reins to the buckle, talking to the spectators, with the horse doing a series of lateral movements. He is not proclaiming to be the quietest rider in the world, why go to a football star for tips on rugby?! I am not saying that he used a lot of force, but he was actively teaching the horses what the aids meant. He made things clear for the horses he rode, he used the same aids time and time again, he was very consistent and fair with the horses he rode. He may have used a stronger hand than would be ideal, but this would be on a horse that had been pulled into an outline in the past and a horse he had trained as a youngster would have been taught gently what the bit meant and what the legs meant, but occasionally he got a horse that had never been taught this and had shut off to these aids. He escalated his aids slightly and once the horse understood what was meant by these clearer aids, they then became smaller and smaller. He really taught the horses, he really tried to make them understand what all his aids meant and at all times tried to keep them quiet and relaxed. He said himself that he is always learning, always trying to improve and we all know from our own journeys that we will never be perfect and what is so admirable about him is that he has put himself in the lime light even though he appreciates that he is half way through the journey and not at the end. I heard so much chitter chatter at the clinic, so much that I had to move at one point because the chatter was so loud that I couldn't hear Gerd speak! So many people in the horse world have their own opinions and cannot understand that someone is coming from a different standpoint and that their way of doing things may also be valid. I applaud him for carrying on despite the heavy criticism he has faced in the past because he genuinely has the interest of the horse at heart and not his ego or the egos of his audience. I am sad that the thread has been removed from BD, I hope someone stuck up for him!

[issywizz]

      Jo, you already know my thoughts on escalation of the aids but as we already discussed and as you explain here , Gerd is trying to put one piece of the equestrian puzzle across to his audience and that is the biomechanics and above all the release of the back and what it looks/feels like.
I appreciate that within a demo situation such as this it is pretty much impossible to address horsemanship from what I would consider a more appropriate psychological angle.
Klaus never got round to riding a horse in a whole years course because every horse he was presented with needed to go back to the beginning.
Things are similar with Ben Hart in that he also addresses the relationship first and most relationships that arrive at a clinic are way away from being ready to ride unfortunately.
I do disagree with Gerds approach in ethical terms but I do think his biomechanics are extremely sound and that is what he is trying to get across.

[annep]

Hi Jo*-just to say thanks again for your very lengthy post and explaination-you have given  a lot of time and it is much appreciated  As I said, having read the book I would certainly have loved to have been there at the lecture.
Maybe some of the posters on the BD forum have not really listened and have just judged from what they saw-or what they wanted to see-anyway, as I wasn't there I can't add my 10penny worth! There were folk on BD who did support Dr Heuschmann -It seemed to me from the comments on the thread that his good intentions as a vet, got lost in what was percieved to be bad riding.
It would be really interesting to watch a DVD from the clinic. 

[Jo*]

A lot of people there seemed to just want acknowledgement that what they were doing was right, not to actually learn from Gerd    He did look funny sometimes, in forward seat trotting around, but if you listened the purpose was clear and you could see the horses improving underneath him.

As for the escalation of the aids- I saw a teacher riding those horses, not a dictator. Yes, he used his hands and legs strongly in some instances but briefly, for horses that didn't yet understand what those aids meant. He taught them what the hands and legs meant so that after a few minutes they understood and the aids could be refined to something much smaller. No horse did he pull about for the whole session, he showed the horse what was expected and then was fair and consistent with his aids after. This is complete consistency is what many riders do not posses (myself included I am sure!). Interestingly though, the horses reaction told it all, some of them didn't understand at the beginning, he tried to keep them calm and not to stress them out, but he was very clear about when they were doing what was asked of them and their ears were back on him, concentrating and they were much calmer and more relaxed once they realised that the signals and expectations were always the same. There are many ways to Rome and although this may not be your perfect way, at least he did have a relaxed, calm horse after a few minutes, there are all too many horses that never achieve this state of mind, whether aids are escalated or not.

[annep]

Well what you are saying seems to make sense to me Jo*-and yes I can well imagine that some folk would want to be told that what they are doing is right and that they would want to put their fingers in their ears and go "La, la la" if they didn't like what they heard!

[whisper's mum]

Thanks, Jo. 

[sixfootblonde]

Fascinating write up. Thank you Jo. I have seen Gerd numerous times and agree with a lot of what you've said about him. May I copy your report and put it on my western FB page? No worries if not.

[Jo*]

sixfootblonde- your PM box is full!

[jenb]

There are indeed many roads to Rome.  Good write up and thanks for taking the time to do it.  I like Gerd and what he is trying to do, I have seen him ride too and can appreciate exactly what you mean. 

You touched on something that Francois was harping on about last week - "Always use the same aids to obtain the same effect"  Don't confuse the horse by changing the rules on him!  This is something I need to get better at.  We spent a lot of time moving from shoulder in to half pass and vice versa, as Francois was trying to emphasise that *nothing* changes about the aids, you just shift your weight, the hands and legs stay in the same place (assuming that you stay on the same rein, of course!).