On 20 July 2012 a young woman from Belgium walked out on Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling’s first full-time one-year course after having studied with the master who dances with horses for a little over seven and a half months. She left behind not only the master himself but also her eight remaining fellow students with whom she had shared a home for so long, and a dream. On 19 March 2013 one of those students phoned an independent Belgian horse centre on behalf of Hempfling’s Akedah International organisation and demanded that the centre cancel courses which were to be given there by the young woman and that the centre remove all materials advertising those courses from its website, implying that if it failed to do so legal action would be taken against it. The centre removed the advertising materials from its website and the young woman again finds herself trying to cast off the master’s shadow.
The young woman
The young woman is Jasmijn Wauters, a highly gifted and sensitive facilitator of mutually rewarding interaction between horses and humans. She had encountered Hempfling through his books and videos well before she joined his one-year course in September 2011.
Jasmijn Wauters grew up amongst horses and ostriches. From the time she was a child she learned that communication is the key to working with animals. Pursuing her own inherent approach, she trained her first horse, a young stallion, called Colorado, using only body language. In 2012 Jasmijn established EDEN, which stands for Escuela Del Equilibrio Natural and represents the essence of what she seeks to achieve. Her school has acquired a Spanish tint through her contact with the breeding regime of Pura Raza Española de Estirpe Cartujana. As in all life arts, interaction with horses can teach us wisdom about life and how we humans can find or rediscover the finest version of the self within us.
Jasmijn and Stanley, the first of three stallions which she took to Hempfling’s one-year course.
You can see this in the vide above, in which Jasmijn plays with a stallion called Stanley. This video was shot in April 2011, some five months before Jasmijn joined Hempfling’s one-year course. Jasmijn’s performance may not be perfect by Hempfling’s standards but horse and human are joyfully in the moment together.
The Hempfling representative
Akedah International is the Danish organisation through which Hempfling provides his courses. Hempfling exercises tight control over what is done and said through Akedah in his name. We may therefore safely assume that the person who called the Belgian centre and demanded that Jasmijn’s courses be halted did so with Hempfling’s full knowledge and authorisation.
Hempfling’s representative in this matter is both a fellow countrywoman to Jasmijn and was a former fellow student to her during the one-year course. Her name is Cecile and she would also have been a fellow student to Vicki and myself, if Hempfling had not thrown us out of his one-year course. In fact, Vicki actually attended Hempfling’s Compact Schooling 1 course with Cecile in 2010.
The demand
Obviously Cecile has stayed on in Denmark after the unfinished one-year course (see more about this in my post entitled Hempfling: Failure and Success) to help Hempfling run his operations. Being Belgian and a Flemish speaker, it must have seemed entirely logical for Cecile to be assigned the task of calling the Belgian centre in Flanders to demand that Jasmijn’s courses be cancelled and that the advertising materials for those courses be removed from the centre’s website.
The rationale for this demand lay in an accusation made by Hempfling’s representative to the effect that at some stage the advertising materials for Jasmijn’s courses had contained claims insinuating more than the facts concerning Jasmijn’s studies with Hempfling. Apparently, this was no longer the case when Cecile called but she insisted, that because students had been recruited on that premise, the courses should be cancelled.
The response
The Belgian centre which Hempfling’s representative called is Aneto Foresta in Mol, just a hop, skip and a jump across the Belgian border not too far from where we live in the south of the Netherlands. To all intents and purposes Aneto Foresta is a stranger to Hempfling and Akedah International, although Hempfling does feature as one of the organisation’s sources of inspiration.
Aneto Foresta represented at the Flanders Horse Expo
Understandably, Aneto Foresta was concerned about an accusation such as this being made by one of the organisation’s sources of inspiration. If Hempfling was to take legal action, what impact would that have on the organisation’s business?
The facts
After Jasmijn abandoned Hempfling’s one-year course, she returned to Belgium, where she started to teach, offering assistance to humans looking for a new way of interacting with horses through her school, EDEN (Escuela Del Equilibrio Natural – for more information about EDEN see this Facebook page). As part of her teaching activities, Jasmijn and EDEN arranged to offer some courses through Aneto Foresta’s centre.
Soon after the original advertising materials appeared on the Aneto Foresta website, they were updated to reflect no more than some of the bald facts of Jasmijn’s experience, which includes her two stints with Hempfling in Denmark. And the facts of Jasmijn’s Hempfling experience are as follows:
- she studied Hempfling’s approach towards horses through his books and videos;
- she attended Hempfling’s Pure Practical Performance in 2010;
- during the period from September 2011 to July 2012 she spent a total of a little over seven and a half months attending a full-time course with Hempfling along with nine other students, which was supposed to last 12 months but by the time of writing had not gone beyond the tenth month;
- during her studies with Hempfling she worked with three different stallions, which she had taken with her to his school;
- she was the only student who regularly worked with a stallion during her studies with Hempfling, as the latter took over the training of the only other stallion available during the one-year course (Habanero, the small, black stallion owned by Hempfling’s senior body awareness coach, Jo Ross);
- she was only one of two of the one-year students whom Hempfling felt were good enough to feature briefly in one of the numerous videos which he published on YouTube during the one-year course.
Jasmijn features briefly with Esperado, the second stallion which she took to Hempfling’s one-year course, from about 8:38 on the timeline.
These are the facts of Jasmijn’s studies with Hempfling and inasmuch as they have helped to define her approach towards helping humans be with horses, she would be shirking her responsibility to mention her defining influences (which include Hempfling) if she failed to include at least some of them in her publicity materials. In this, she is not unique. Many if not most trainers acknowledge their defining influences in their professional profile. To suggest that Jasmijn is implying anything more by mentioning them is to play loose with the truth.
Ignorance and fear
Given that Jasmijn’s few references to her defining Hempfling influences in her advertising materials for her Aneto Foresta courses were unembellished facts, why then did the organisation remove them from its website after Hempfling’s representative demanded that it do so? To be sure, it had a legitimate concern for its business but there were more important issues at stake.
Aneto Foresta felt that it had become embroiled in a dispute which was not of its making and which essentially had nothing to do with it. Clearly this was a dispute between Akedah and Hempfling, on the one hand, and Jasmijn, on the other. Akedah and Hempfling were simply trying to prevent Jasmijn from earning a living through any horse-human training whose advertising materials included a professional profile of the trainer which contained any reference to either of them, but they did not dare to take action against her directly. Is it because they were aware that such action might unlawfully prejudice her rights or that it might contravene European competition law? This time Akedah and Hempfling tackled Jasmijn through Aneto Foresta. Who will it be next time? … if they dare.
Ultimately though, Aneto Foresta had a choice. Instead of removing the advertising materials for Jasmijn’s courses as Hempfling’s representative demanded, it could have left them in place after rightfully insisting that Cecile contact Jasmijn directly. Were Akedah and Hempfling counting on Aneto Foresta to act on the basis of ignorance and fear?
David and Goliath
And what of Jasmijn? When the master sent his representative to effectively intimidate an organisation into abandoning courses which would have enabled his former student not only to earn some money through those courses but also to extend her reputation and attract more business further down the track, what effect was that designed to have on her?
In the short time that EDEN has been operating, Jasmijn has been trying to generate an income that will enable her to live independently of state or family support. And she has been trying to do this by teaching humans to interact with horses in a way that is beneficial to both horse and human. Yet here we have the single most important external defining influence on her approach, a man who is so immensely popular (as he seeks to remind us through his publicity materials by incessantly citing his Facebook Likes and YouTube view count) as to enjoy widespread authority, behaving like a veritable Goliath in relation to the David of his former student. Yet he only does so indirectly and dares not do so to her face.
Casting off the master’s shadow
Late at night just hours before leaving Akedah International’s one-year schooling course Jasmijn wrote an email to Hempfling in an effort to explain her decision. For numerous reasons it was a very difficult decision, because it also meant that Jasmijn was abandoning a dream which she and her father had made huge sacrifices to realise. There is a line in that email which brings tears to my eyes every time I read it, and it is this. The student writes to the master:
‘It feels for me as if I am a little tree living in the shadow of a big tree – whose shadow is so great that it blocks the sunlight.’
Eno del Cid, the third stallion taken by Jasmijn to Hempfling’s one-year course, leaving Akedah in Denmark and returning home to Belgium
Among the many reasons why Jasmijn left Hempfling, this is the most poignant. The student sought to cast off the master’s shadow. Eight months later she finds herself still trying to do so, as the master’s shadow mushrooms and threatens to engulf her world in darkness.
A plea to the master
O master who dances with horses, I know that you will read this, for your trusted servant, Cecile will again alert you to what I have written, just as she did after every one of my posts featuring you during your one-year schooling course. Yes, I was amazed to hear from eye witnesses that this had occurred, as was Vicki. And we were both astounded by how often we were mentioned by you during that course and with such emphatic feeling. This must be some type of record for people who were not even in attendance.
O master who dances with horses, I fall on my knees to beg you to allow your former student, Jasmijn, to pursue her professional life while acknowledging your defining influence. She does justice to your influence probably more than any other student you have ever had. Jasmijn is the only student you have had study with you so long who worked with stallions during her studies with you and who is now actively teaching humans how to interact with stallions and other horses in a way that acknowledges the nobility of both species. More importantly, she is doing so not as a slavish, sect-like, robotic follower but as a free, independent spirit seeking to empathise and empower horses and humans, and through this to achieve enlightenment. And she is doing this while acknowledging your defining influence.
O master, please cut off the branch that casts such a long, dark shadow!
How great that you are helping Jasmijn. I loved watching her in the video. She could certainly help a lot of people ! I hope that she is able to have a nice career. The world is abundant, there should be enough students for any instructor with a good heart.
Dear Anne-Marie
Yes, Jasmijn has something special in her approach to horses. I sincerely hope that she has the opportunity to help a lot of people and to be helped by them.
Be well!
Andrew
Dear Andrew, it is good to read again a blog of yours – I was just thinking the other day “I wonder what interesting topic Andrew will come up with this time” – and interesting it is – once again …..
I understand – or at least I think I understand – that you feel compelled to help Jasmijn – it is heartwarming to know that people support her in her endeavours – after all the actions taken by the Akedah front do not really feel kind of honest or justified – at the same time I feel that even with your help, but then perhaps in a different shape and form, it is Jasmijn’s responsibility to get herself out of the shadow she got herself into in the first place – but that is my feeling…
Imagine what it would feel like – what and how you would feel like – if ‘the master who dances with horses’ decides to listen to your begging plea and QUOTE cuts off the branch that casts such a long, dark shadow UNQUOTE and that same branch falls on this little tree crushing and cleaving it to pieces – as a result of which all the little tree’s juices of life forming a beautiful, however once in a lifetime, fountain of drops that glisten and sparkle like tiny little diamonds in the sun – Father Sun who at last and finally can and will cast its loving light through the space the cut off branch has created – however the little tree is no more …..
Whatever you would then wish to say to the big tree, after and if and when this dramatic accident has occured, will perhaps have little to no effect – the big tree has done what you asked it to do, what more do you want …..
It feels SPRING has arrived at last – I have suggested to Jasmijn to QUOTE pick up her roots and run and find herself another fertile piece of earth UNQUOTE …………
Warmly,
Geerteke
Dear Geerteke
You continue to keep me on my toes. Thank you.
You mention that, ‘it is Jasmijn’s responsibility to get herself out of the shadow she got herself into in the first place’. You would be right, I think, if it was indeed Jasmijn who got herself into the shadow in the first place. As I understand it, Jasmijn went to Hempfling and Akedah as the next step on the way towards fulfilling a dream. She was seeking the sunlight and thought that she was stepping towards it. The shadow came to her. It is, I think, the responsibility of the creator of that shadow to remove it, and not the person it casts into the dark.
To take the metaphor further, if the master who dances with horses were to cut off the branch that casts a long shadow, it is highly unlikely that it will fall on the little tree cloaked in its darkness. After all, the longer the shadow, the further removed from its source that little tree is likely to be.
It strikes me as strange that you would suggest to Jasmijn that she ‘pick up her roots and run and find herself another fertile piece of earth’. She has already done that. On 20 July 2012 Jasmijn fled from the shadow and returned home to the very earth that was and remains fertile enough to nurture her and her horses. The little tree is growing again. And when the shadow strays from its dark lair in search of that little tree, there is no reason why the protagonists of light should find it enlightening to abandon her to a false destiny.
Then again, perhaps I have missed your point and you will be patient enough to enlighten me.
Take care!
Andrew
Dear Andrew – I shall not let myself be tempted to enlighten you – 🙂 – enlightenment comes from within …..
Puedes pasar tu vida culpando al munde,
pero tus éxitos o tus denotas son tu entera responsabilidad
You can spend your life blaming other people, but your defeats – and your victories – are your responsibility
Paulo Coelho
Take care U2!
Geerteke
Dear Geerteke
Do feel tempted to enlighten me. We are all students in the school of life. Enlightenment, as you say, ‘comes from within’, to which I shall add, ‘and from without’.
Your defeats and your victories may not be entirely your responsibility – witness the predicament of the victims of the recent earthquakes in China and Iran, and of the civil war in Syria – but how you deal with them is. There is a difference.
Be well!
Andrew
Both Andrew – I fully agree with you that enlightenment comes from within AND from without – it goes vice versa all the time – there is no separation – no duality …..
Why then ‘O why, O master dancing with words’ do you look at ‘responsibility’ differently – as you clearly state enlightenment also ‘comes from without’ – please enlighten ME here – my truth at this point in my life is that we are responsible for everything that comes on our life’s path and from there follows ‘how do we deal with it’ – and that too is our responsibility …..
I shall give you a practical example which does not mean that I am so very good or clever or intelligent or whatever name you wish to give to a certain state in the evolution/development of my personal awareness:::
In the year 2011 I had an accident – I broke my left elbow and I broke my left upper arm – all in one accident – the accident occurred when I was standing on a simple metal ladder – the top part of that ladder I had put in a hole in the ceiling where (in the attic and I needed to use only the 3 or 4 bottom steps of the ladder) there were some pieces put away I needed to fence off part of the outdoor arena so I could do some KFH work – I used to do that in a paddock that had the perfect size, but was for various reasons not allowed to continue using the paddock – another reason I had to use the metal ladder was that I was not allowed to store the pieces on ground level in the stable area – this was all forbidden by the stable owner – I could have refused to climb that ladder, but I chose not do that as I was already considered kind of an alien doing the ground work I was doing instead of riding my 3 year old gelding …
Well to make a long story short I obviously was not in the NOW – I had had plans to move to another stable already early 2011 – the owner expressed his sad feelings at that moment if I decided to leave – I chose to give him the benefit of the doubt and stayed on – then Decembr 2011 coming back from a stay at Carolyn Resnick´s ranch I had made up my mind and announced my move – the owner and his wife were surprised to say the least – all this must have had a bad effect on my concentration – the ladder slipped – I had positioned the ladder upside down apparently so the rubbers to prevent it from slipping were not on the ground – I fell on the concrete stable floor and broke mentioned bones – it took 2 operations with a lot of metal to put everything back together again (feeling almost like Humpty Dumpty) and 9plus months of rehab – and several people around me advised me to sue the stable owner because of gross negligence – he should never have told me to climb that ladder in the first place – after the accident special hooks were installed so the ladder could no longer slip ….
I chose not to sue the stable owner – I had listened to my inner voice but not acted on it to move to another stable early 2011 – I had not acted on my inner voice either when it told me not to climb the ladder and to protest – I didnot protest – I didnot want the owner to think of me as being a difficult person – after all I was already looked at by most horse owners there as a strange lady who has a horse but doesn´t ride – who takes her horse for a walk instead – they just couldn´t understand as I had been part of their world for so many years competing at a very high level nationally in dressage ….
So talking about taking responsibility – this is what taking responsibility has meant and means to me – it has been a very thorough, painful, tough and above all transforming learning experience for me – perhaps even more confronting as the comments of the physiotherapist were ´you could have broken your neck with a fall like that´ – well luckily I didn´t and slowly slowly I am letting go of the feeling that my body is very vulnerable which had made me very hesitant and excessively cautious – I am back at work again with Marcello – I am back at doing some fitness – and most important of all I listen to AND ACT upon my inner voice – and I don´t care a damn anymore what people might think of me ………
If you like you can watch (and comment if you so wish) two video clips of how this human works and plays and plays and works with her friend Marcello and how he plays and works and works ands plays with his human friend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2LhrswTEKM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hceywoooaU
My BlessinGs
And before you tell me ‘these people in China, Iran or Syria had/have no choice, they live where they live’ – there always is a choice – there was a choice in the first place as to where and when you are being/want to be born – but this is a discussion I am not sure we should be having here on this blog as this may sound outrageous to many – and also I might be completely wrong here as well, mind you……
Oh Andrew!
That is so sad to read – on so many levels! I feel sad for Jasmijn, sad for Cecile – and sad for Klaus and his group.
First of all, I know all of these people – I know that Jasmijn is wonderful with horses – and Klaus knew this – as it was Jasmijn who so often demonstrated with the horses, who helped in the ‘saddling’ demo, who was the one to ride in the ‘riding’ demo.
Jasmijn should be free to teach and to advertise her previous experiences. She has done nothing wrong. She is allowed to shine – there is enough space in the world for all of us to shine.
Klaus talks about walking on the spiral of destiny – getting an assistant to threaten another organisation is NOT walking on the spiral of destiny. That is walking on the spiral of fear – because ultimately it is about fear. We only threaten what we fear. And we often fear something that may outshine us. Perhaps underneath – the fear really is about how good Jasmijn is – perhaps the master sees that she does in fact outshine him!
Interesting I have found your blog update this morning – I was out with the horses yesterday morning and I suddenly thought of your blog – I was wondering when the next update would appear.
I also stood there watching Ducati drink – smiling to myself about how ‘weak’ his hooves are (according to Klaus). My farrier still smiles about that one! I also watch them dance and play in the paddock – wondering how on earth a horse in a stable could be better off. They have recently had to change their path around to the stable for feed times as we had some trees come down in a storm – it was great to watch them work out that puzzle – it gave them a little adventure!
I’m reminded of these words from John Lennon’s ‘Instant Karma”
“Instant Karma’s gonna get you
Gonna look you right in the face
You better get yourself together darling
Join the human race
How in the world you gonna see
Laughing at fools like me
Who on earth d’you think you are?
A superstar? Well right you are
Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Every one, come on…..”
Yes – we ALL shine on. Hang in there Jasmijn – and Cecile – you’ve always shone – Klaus – there is enough space for all of us – if you let others shine – you will shine even brighter!! Enjoy that you can help others on their journey.
Cheers,
Heather
Thank you so much for sharing, Heather – beautiful 🙂
Take care,
Geerteke
Dear Heather
You have said it all. If, however, there is one thing in what you have said that I would dearly love Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling to take on board, it is this: ‘If you let others shine, you will shine even brighter!‘
I told him this during the one meeting I had with him. If only he were to find the strength within himself to do just that, if only….
Energy beams to your horses (to paraphrase Ian)!
Be well!
Andrew
Klaus, your gift should be of service to the world, not a burden.
Dear Pia
Amen!
Be well!
Andrew
On the other hand, adversity is often our greatest teacher.
Dear Pia
Amen to this too!
Be well!
Andrew
First off, I really enjoy your blog. Thank you for sharing this and supporting Jasmijn. I too feel like she should try and learn from that experience, she probably knows why this is happening (maybe we don’t know the whole story) but anyhow, I feel there is a reason for everything in this world, sometimes we have to take a step back and look at the larger picture, be centered, breathe deeply and take a leap of faith towards what we feel is best. Anyways, nothing good will ever come from fear, that is a certainty! So we should not even bother worrying about Hempfing, his weaknesses will take care of him. Lets just hope for his sake that he realises this soon.
What I mean to express is that maybe life wants more for this young woman, maybe life is trying to lure her somewhere else… She probably didn’t need the teachings of a master as she has to reach within herself to do the same, or even better. Self confidence may be what she needs to develop. In the meantime, I would advise her to travel, I am sure lots of people could benefit from her experience and further away, she might find herself more easily. She can come to Canada (I’m in Quebec) she would find lots of interested students here!
NB. Sorry if lots of mistakes, I am French speaking!
Dear Capucine
Your website says that this is your name, so I hope that I have got it right.
My feeling is that Jasmijn has as much self-confidence as you and I together, and then some. Perhaps travel is a good idea. You live in a beautiful part of the world, as Vicki and I had the privilege of experiencing when we attended the NHE International Seminar hosted by Michael Bevilacqua and Chloe Lacroix in Saint-Sauveur last year. Like you, Jasmijn lives in a country with two official languages, one of them being French. Who knows what she may do?
Your advice is profound: ‘Be centered, breathe deeply and take a leap of faith towards what we feel is best’. Thank you.
Be well!
Andrew
Thank you Andrew and Vicki for your highly insightful blog. You and your commentators have helped me understand KFH as I felt something out of balance in “Dancing with Horses.” I also want to thank you for introducing me to like minded people, as I felt I was an oddball with my attitude to my horses.
One of your commentators, I think it was Geerteke Kroes, mentioned that KFH may have been emotionally hurt by people and has not healed from the experience yet. Or something to that effect. Horses are then probably intuitively his way to healing, but being seemingly unable to see his own failings he is blocking that healing process.
Jasmin Wouters is one of the people who I see as an inspiration. I watched her videos with Stanley and saw a free spirit in unity and harmony with her companion horse. In the video from KFH’s site on the other hand she appears less free, less harmonious. That shows that KFH is not the perfect “master” he professes to be.
KFH understands horses and I have learned much from his books, but he is human and does behave like someone who has been emotionally hurt by people, so we need to keep that in mind and follow his advice with common sense.
Mark Rashid, Pat and Linda Parelli, Eva Roemaat all have parts of the puzzle. To put the puzzle together we need to understand the principles they teach and add our and our horses’ personalities with empathy. Then we can have a harmonious and joyous relationship with our horse/s.
Thank you again for your unique blog,
Vic
Dear Vic
Methinks that you are right to suggest that we follow KFH’s ‘advice with common sense’ and to urge us to be guided by empathy in our efforts to understand and act in accordance with the principles taught by Mark Rashid, the Parellis and Eva Roemaat … and presumably anyone else.
Ultimately, the guides and examples we look to are simply important signposts on the journey we undertake towards our horses and ultimately ourselves. Our ability to empathise with our fellow creatures and to empower them will mark the extent to which we can have a ‘harmonious and joyous relationship’ with them.
I must confess to being intrigued. Your email address lists you as Irish and your website claims that you are in Poland (incidentally, the front page PHP scripts are throwing error messages – you may want to have them addressed). Whatever the case, be well and…
Take care!
Andrew
Hi Guys,
I saw the clip of Jasmijn and Stanley and got the impression that Jasmijn quickly “escaped through the fence” after beautiful Stanley was freed from his line.
Jasmijn probably was not afraid but thoughtfully careful.
So is probably Hemfplink trying to avoid that his unsuccessful students will try to use his methods which could be harmful for their students, because working with a stallion is serious business, very, very serious.
And Hempflink might even get blamed for serious damage to both horse and student.
By warning Jasmijn to stop using his name, Hemplinck wants to avoid legal action against himself.
Ever thought about this?
Cheers,
Rita Zegelaar, Galicia, Spain.
Dear Rita
You say, ‘By warning Jasmijn to stop using his name, Hemplinck wants to avoid legal action against himself.
Ever thought about this?’
No, I must confess that I personally never have, and there is a simple reason for this. If Jasmijn uses Hempfling’s name merely to state the facts of a defining influence in her education and development, Hempfling is absolutely not at risk of having anyone take legal action against him, because she does so. In fact, if anyone were to use Hempfling’s name to make any claim in relation to stallions or any other horses, Hempfling would still not be at risk of having anyone take legal action against him. The reason for this is quite simple: in law Hemfling cannot be held liable for anyone else’s actions, unless he himself was party to them.
Be well!
Andrew
Hi Andrew
I pondered a few days over this one:-) and it was good to come back to read Rita’s comment above, for my input is to remember the story of ‘the pound of flesh’… for a sword used in the way described can cut in both directions. We cannot run away from life, but we can most certainly learn from it and IMPROVE upon its teachings. For those of us here, the ultimate judge of our actions are the horses and I hear their resounding ‘neigh’ with respect to mean and narrow minded thinking. That is not the way of the horse… horses are bountiful and beautiful beyond our wildest dreams, which is why we love them so, which is why they inspire us to better ourselves.
Thanks for speaking for the horses and horse sense
Ian
Dear Ian – please satisfy my curiosity as to the story of ‘the pound of flesh’ – not being a native English speaker this all sounds rather cryptic – perhaps it is your English teacher’s background and my lack of it that sometimes makes my forehead wrinkle a bit here and there – not good as my elderly skin stays wrinkled for too long having lost most of its elasticity by now 🙂
Take care
Geerteke
Dear Geerteke
The quote comes from The Merchant of Venice, which you know has been translated into most languages because of its interest in terms of certain behavior. It would be foolish of me to substitute the story and I encourage you to read it for yourself.
Simplified, it is about the hold someone claims over you and your answer to them, that you give them exactly what they demand, but should they take more than their claim, they will owe you (big time through the damage they may perpetuate) … and the tables will be turned… and so they should think twice about such actions, for can anyone’s claim over another be such that it demands, or denies them, their very existence. Personally, I don’t believe that any of us has that right… although, doubtlessly, we may be conditioned to self-righteousness at the expense of our fellows.
And why talk about all this in a round about way? Well, should we point a finger at others, we know, too, that the same finger is pointing at us. Two wrongs don’t make a right, as they say. Let each of us be guided by our hearts in such matters and especially by the heart to heart conversations we have with our horses, noting that not all conversations are of this nature.
Actually, Klaus makes use of a superb analogy for the connection with the horse being much the way a leaf floats on the surface of a pool of water – maybe, a wishing well – hence, excuse the ‘wrinkles’ where only ripples were intended – ripples of hope:-)
Ian
Thank you!
Dear Ian
I cannot add to what begs of no addition.
Around the fringe I might wish to add that, in a Europe plagued by the questionable practice of replacing other meat in processed foods with horse, the metaphor of a ‘pound of flesh’ cuts to the quick. Then again, that is an unrelated matter.
Be well!
Andrew
Hi Ian,
I know the feeling of loving horses, that’s why we have horses at home, clean their stables every day (no personnel, mind you…) and be with them, every day. Our horses have no bridles nor shoes. We do not use any force, not even a mental one. We do not use our horses for any business, iow, we do not use our horses for any human pleasure except our gentleness with them. We just talk to them and they understand everything. You know what? My stallion drinks (sips) Rioja with my husbant – must be a reserva though…
Yes we do get respond from our horses, they appreciate very much of what we are doing for them. The horses have big stables, 5 hectares of grassland and only natural food.
Shadow for us means relief for the horses in the summertime. We have no Master to get rid off – which I would suggest to you, just get this terrible master out of your head. Both feed on the ground and be careful with your stallion. That is the reality of life. Beautiful words are written by Shakespeare and others of which most of them are ignorant of being with horses .
Rita
Rita,
Sounds like your horses have a wonderful life! And yes, your advice to get the master out of your head is good advice.
He remained in my head for some time – but no more – he is indeed NOT a master!! I have now learnt so much more and moved on – and I have four happy horses!
Cheers,
Heather
Re:I know the feeling of loving horses – we are on the same page, Rita – that ultimately is all that counts. It is a transcending feeling that calls out to be shared and by being shared is enhanced, and those touched by it feel whole, happy and inspired beyond belief.
Re:My stallion drinks (sips) Rioja with my husband – must be a reserva though… Yes, I can just see it, a divine celebration of life! Like the sun bursting though the rainswept day here:-)
Dear Rita
Perhaps you and Ian should get together. It is a hop, skip and a jump from Galicia to northern Portugal. I could imagine that the two of you might work magic together and with your respective horses.
Be well!
Andrew
Hi,
Please let me quote: “Hempfling is NOT a master”.
If this is your personal opinion, then so be it, with all my respect.
Definition of the word Master from my Macbook dictionary shows that your opinion is not entirely correct:
Definition 1 does apply to Hempfling.
Definition 2 does apply to Hempfling.
Definition 4 (& 5) do apply as well.
master 1 |?mast?r|
noun
1 chiefly historical a man who has people working for him, esp. servants or slaves: he acceded to his master’s wishes.
• a person who has dominance or control of something: he was master of the situation.
• a machine or device directly controlling another: [ as modifier ] : a master cylinder. Compare with slave.
• dated a male head of a household: the master of the house.
• the owner of a dog, horse, or other domesticated animal.
2 a skilled practitioner of a particular art or activity: I’m a master of disguise.
• a great artist, esp. one belonging to the accepted canon: the work of the great masters is spread around the art galleries of the world.
• a very strong chess or bridge player, esp. one who has qualified for the title at international tournaments: a chess master. See also grand master.
• ( Masters ) [ treated as sing. ] (in some sports) a class for competitors over the usual age for the highest level of competition.
3 a person who holds a second or further degree from a university or other academic institution (only in titles and set expressions): a master’s degree | a Master of Arts.
4 a man in charge of an organization or group, in particular:
• chiefly Brit.a male schoolteacher, esp. at a public or prep school.
• the head of a college or school.
• the captain of a merchant ship.
5 used as a title prefixed to the name of a boy not old enough to be called “Mr.”: Master James Williams.
• archaic a title for a man of high rank or learning.
• the title of the heir apparent of a Scottish viscount or baron.
6 an original movie, recording, or document from which copies can be made: [ as modifier ] : the master tape.
adjective [ attrib. ]
1 having or showing very great skill or proficiency: a master painter.
• denoting a person skilled in a particular trade and able to teach others: a master bricklayer.
2 main; principal: the master bedroom.
verb [ with obj. ]
1 acquire complete knowledge or skill in (an accomplishment, technique, or art): I never mastered Latin.
2 gain control of; overcome: I managed to master my fears.
3 make a master copy of (a movie or record).
DERIVATIVES
masterdom |-d?m|noun,
masterhood |-?ho?od|noun,
masterless adjective,
mastership |-?SHip|noun
ORIGIN Old English mæg(i)ster (later reinforced by Old French maistre), from Latin magister; probably related to magis ‘more’ (i.e., ‘more important’).
master 2 |?mast?r|
noun [ in combination ]
a ship or boat with a specified number of masts: a three-master.
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I believe that Hempfling is a natural with horses – no doubt.
He has been developing his natural skills with horses which makes him “one of the few” which is quite an accomplishment.
He also started his commercial skills with astonishing profitable results. (try to make money out of your horses, except for selling them for salami)
However that does not always mean that Hempfling is a good teacher. To be a good teacher you need good pedagogic skills.
I have my doubts that a dominant personality like Hempfling’s would make him a good coach.
I have never met the man.
But what I see and read about him is that this man is very different from the average person.
I would never take lessons from him, but again, he is damn well with horses and the way he approaches stallions is impressive but using so much dominance is not really necessary as I experienced myself.
It is all about relationship, not about the first two minutes of first encounter.
A simple “por favor” works better, although you need to make sure the horse understands you.
Rita
Dear Rita
The concept of ‘master’, as you have pointed out, can be wickedly ambiguous.
You believe that Hempfling is a ‘natural with horses’. A natural what? In my mind there are three horses through which Hempfling ultimately defines his professional proficiency: there is Janosch, the chestnut gelding that features so prominently in Dancing with Horses (the book and the DVD), with which he clearly had a very close and meaningful relationship; there is Ferdinand, the Lipizzaner stallion with whom he dances at liberty on YouTube, and there is Cody, the five-year old gelding, who did not make it happy and whole out of Hempfling’s first and last one-year training course which started in September 2011 and is yet to end (see my post entitled Breaking the Cycle of Chaos).
At the end of the day though, this is not about Hempfling. It is, as you rightly point out, ‘all about relationship, not about the first two minutes of first encounter’, between you and your horse. Amen!
Be well!
Andrew
In one of his books, Klaus tells the story of him visiting a clearvoyant, who tells him he is two thirds horse. …….
Dear Pia
If I told you that a fish whisperer has claimed that I am two-thirds dolphin, would you believe me?
Having asked that, I must confess that in the two hours that I have spent up close and personal with Hempfling, adopting the approach that he adopts with stallions was very helpful: any potential difficulty was entirely defused. Perhaps there is some truth in his claim after all.
Be well!
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
I suppose it just illustrates Klaus being naturally better with horses than humans…….
All the best, Pia.
I have a library of books from Monty Roberts to Michael Bevilaqua, and each author has influenced me in some way. I don’t claim to be a certified trainer of any of them, but mix whatever approach works best with my mare. Jasmijn has not claimed to be a ‘certified’ KFH trainer, but simply listed him as a large influence in how she works with horses. These days, with so many different ‘successful’ (some sadly so) horsemen and women out there, people who are interested in attending a clinic want to know what type of ‘method’ someone uses before they sign up. I see nothing wrong with Jasmijn stating her preference of KFH’s books, as well as her courses with him.
I am saddened that Mr. Hempfling has acted so cowardly as to bully the venue of her clinic, and I fear that he will keep watch over any and all associated with him. I respect his way of being with horses, but it is too bad that the freedom he brings to them doesn’t seem to apply to the humans he’s worked with. It would be far better to see him give his students wings to fly, rather than keeping them clipped.
I wish Jasmijn well.
Dear Cyndi
You have put it far better than I can: ‘It would be far better to see him give his students wings to fly, rather than keeping them clipped.’ A thousand times ‘Yes’!
Be well!
Andrew
Dear Andrew,
@‘It would be far better to see him give his students wings to fly, rather than keeping them clipped.’ A thousand times ‘Yes’!
How do we know that KFH is not giving his students wings to fly – how do we know – we can observe from a 3-dimensional viewpoint and might choose to stick to that truth – some other people can observe from a 4- or 5-dimensional viewpoint and might wish to express a completely different truth – a truth that can be very difficult for 3-dimensional people to accept – we only have to think of Jules Verne telling stories of vessels going under the ocean´s surface and seeing the most wonderful fish or Albert Einstein who was considerend a peculair man – to say the least – in his time – nowadays we (and I) are working with the socalled QuantumElectricDynamic fields …..
Perhaps KFH himself isn´t aware that he is giving his students wings to fly and couldn´t it be as true that the students themselves clip their own wings as it can be very, very frightening to have wings and start flying if one has never done so before – it takes a lot of inner courage to have faith in one´s own gifts and talents – it takes faith to leave the nest and take a leap into the unknown – leaving the nest behind altogether becomes even more frightening if the ´teacher´ isn´t completely sure of the ´student´s capacities´….
And couldn´t it be as true that KFH himself still finds it frightening for whatever the reason(s) maybe to fly even higher than he is already doing as he subconsciously still fears the consequences – after all he has been criticized by many over the years – and he is a very sensitive human ……….
It is perhaps less frightening to publish one´s far reaching viewpoints via a Facebookpage – but it is a start ….
But then again I might be completely wrong ……………..
During my participation in the 8-day Pure Practical Performance in 2010 I became very inspired by KFH – his stories – his interactions with horses – his books – his DVDs – however, in the end it did not feel right for me to further my education with him – I had a talk about that with Jasmijn one evening – she expressed her wish to learn more from KFH – at the same time she wasn´t completely sure and she asked me ´what do you think´ and I told her what I thought – so I was surprised to hear some time later that she had joined the One-Year Schooling ……….
My BlessinGs
A PS here that for some reason decided to go for a walk first 🙂
Jasmijn is a beautiful human who perhaps needed these months at KFH´s One-Year Schooling to get out into the light what had remained hidden up till then/now – HER LIGHT that doesnot need any other name attached to it than Jasmijn Wauters…
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