Phillipe Karl 17 December 2013

Way back in December I had the opportunity to go and see my Guru's Guru Phillipe Karl.

I'll be honest here. I trust Becky's judgement and generally think what is good for her, is good for me.... Clearly this wouldn't be the case if I disagreed!  But would I have found PK on my own... Probably not.  I just have too much other stuff to do.  Whilst taking credit for finding myself Mark Rashid a few years ago after my argument with Monty Roberts at Towerlands one night (which is another story). Also I know how much work she puts into her training, it is very much a serious job. So i am pretty happy to go in Becky's direction. 

So 3 years ago or there abouts Becky got accepted out of many, many candidates to train with PK for 3/4 years with the goal to be accepted as one of his accredited coaches in the Ecole de legerete. The school of lightness! To help Becky to learn and learn how to teach this, she offered us the opportunity to be her guinea pigs.  So each time she came back from her training with him she re-taught it to us. Hence how PK Back-up came about.

The first couple of years involved both written and practical and I have to say thanks to these notes I have been able to start all over again with Eager without having initially having to go to Becky.  PK methods and view points are you can train pretty much any horse to do any dressage move through methodical training without gadgets or force.  The hairier pony, the better! I am absolutely convinced that his work kept Zulu sound for as long as he was.  The bending/flexions and lateral work certainly unwound his confused body and eventually I would start almost every session doing shoulder in work, which seemed to release something. The last day I rode him, which happened to be at Ashen in July we still managed the usual travers, renvers, shoulder-in, half pass and the start pirouette.  All this on a horse with grade 2/3 ataxia who doesn't know what he is doing with his legs! 

I am not going start explaining PK's work here.  Mainly because I'm not entirely sure I would make a good job of it, but if you want to keep your horse sound for as long as possible I do think this is the way forward. Please go and read his books and watch the videos. 

Everyone has a view point and I guess there are people out there that think Rollkur/hyperflexion is doing their horse good, despite the fact that many top dressage horses have to live with fractured jaws and vertebra. Ever watch Totilas in slow motion, without the music? take away the emotion and what you actually had was weirdly moving, extremely stressed horse.  Trot was rarely two time and he was so over bent the poor horse couldn't even see where he was going (or breath).  Equally, there are times you can watch in awe he was truly amazing.  Funnily enough, he isn't around anymore... he is only 13 now and hasn't been for about 3 years.  I am not surprised and remember when a group of us sat and watched him at the height of his fame and predicted he wouldn't be around for much longer.  No one, man or beast can be forced to move like that under such constriction and not suffer the consequences.  Anyone, who loves horses and can watch Grand Prix dressage without feeling a little uncomfortable about 50-70% of the horses, has been brain washed by the media.  You go through any horse magazine now and you are hard pushed to see a horse that isn't over bent and behind the vertical. It's becoming acceptable viewing, people start to think this is right.  I really have to keep my mouth shut on Facebook about people's beloved horses.  This is not dressage.  Rant over!

Back to watching PK teach his students....

So, after a long drive up to Northampton to the Holistic Equitation Centre we arrived just as the first of his teaching sessions was finishing (it was after all a days holiday and I'm darned if I was going to get up earlier than I do to go to work). So before lunch (which was booked at the local gastro pub type thing) I think I had seen 3 sessions.  Phillipe was much chattier and funny than I had expected, so made viewing in the freezing cold (ski gear on) more bearable. But, I was a little underwhelmed by the riding I had seen and certainly all of us PK Back Up 3 years students of Becky's pretty much would have out ridden all of them... Without exception.  

So off we went to lunch.  Which was lovely, nothing like a suet topped pie and a pint of ale to warm your cockles!  About 7 of us went to lunch, all Becky students and 2 of them had been auditors for the past 3 years with Phillipe.  So although not riding,they had seen all of the ridden sessions and his teachings. Obviously, I stated what I thought with a few more personal comments about one of the riders.  Everyone laughed at my plain speaking... But agreed. 

Back we went watch Becky's session. Now this weeks training with PK for Becky, I knew was a big thing.  Unfortunately, after the last teacher training I think PK, for whatever reason had pushed her to do things she was uncomfortable with.  This had made her question him, herself and in turn had left a few other people, who don't know her better question her.  It was I think, a very pivotal time. What in turn then happened over the next few months compelled Becky to look even further into Filly's well being (vets, dental, diet) and also to make more use of the clicker training she is brilliant at and to make it more fun again for Filly.

Whilst in 'awe' of Becky's teaching skills. I don't think I have ever been in 'awe' of her riding.  She is clearly far better than me! but she is not naturally brilliant.  She has to work at it. I don't think she would be offended by this and it's probably one of the things that makes her a good coach.  Very few naturally good riders would be able to tell you what they do on a horse, let alone tell you how to sort your insides and do it! 

But what I witnessed for the next 45 minutes was probably one of the most beautiful and in tune with your horse pieces of riding I have ever seen.  I have never been so proud. I sat throughout with a big grin on my face. It was simply stunning.   Apart from telling her which move he wanted to see next I think the only thing he wanted corrected was the speed of the walk and I do recall one small error on the right rein canter depart from walk (it may have been left). Which I can tell you is very different from the other riders seen, which was almost constant correction and instruction. Without a shadow of a doubt, the best rider by a long, long way. When she finished, I saw her outside and gave her the biggest hug and told her what I thought, totes emosh for us both. Love you BC, just saying. To the doubters.... Stick that in your pipe! 

Watched one more rider after this, which turned out to be quite good but a little sad. From what I could gather the rider had been having quite a few problems for sometime.  Stating he was the most difficult horse she had ridden. PK then got on.  Sadly, I am not sure of all of the details but the prognosis wasn't brilliant, meaning she probably couldn't complete the training on him.  But Phillipe's riding is amazing, it is a bit like watching a centaur.  So at ease with the horse and relaxed, it's almost as if it didn't matter what he asked of the horse (and he asked some hard questions) the horse just tried its damnedest to give him the answer he wanted... Even if he couldn't. You can just tell if a horse is stressed and whilst pushed he wasn't stressed (unlike some of your top dressage horses).  If I could say what it was.... There is a backness to his upper body, but not leaning back.  All his limbs can act independently, almost like a perfect marionette puppet.  Amazing.

We left shortly after this to make the long drive home.

So what did I gain from this visit.  Firstly, from Phillipe Karl himself.... That all, the things we teach the horse to do, we must do separately and not get the instructions confused e.g. lift the head, then ask for bend.  Not lift and bend as one.  Small but important.
Secondly, how amazingly Becky has interpreted his work to teach us all to the level we are. We are truly blessed to have her as our coach.  There really is no one better.... Just saying :-)