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There are other people who are also achieving a special connection with horses without having to resort to instruments and methods of torture. I have already mentioned a number of them in past posts. Here is another.

Michael Bevilacqua

Michael Bevilacqua and friend enjoying a good read

Michael Bevilacqua and friend enjoying a good read

Recently, I received a book and DVDs produced by another. His name is Michael Bevilacqua and he is based in Canada. It is readily apparent that his book (Beyond the Dream Horse) and DVDs are amateur productions. The book would have benefitted from rigorous editing and the DVDs from being outsourced to a professional production company. If they had though, they would have lost their impact. Although he is doing extraordinary things with his horses in the absence of force, Michael is essentially just an ordinary fellow and his book and DVDs reflect this. Therein lies their strength. He may be the official international representative of Nevzorov Haute Ecole but he finds his foundation in more than the strictly scientific approach which Nevzorov is so intent on pursuing at present.

Michael Bevilacqua demonstrating self-collection taught on the ground

Michael Bevilacqua demonstrating self-collection taught on the ground without a bit

Haute ecole is not for everyone and much of it involves a display of conditioned behaviour (or ‘tricks’, as some people refer to it) on the part of the horse in response to a trigger. What makes Michael’s approach so special nevertheless, is his presence with his horses, the connection he manages to achieve with them, and the manner in which he trains them. The latter is reminiscent of Imke Spilker in that he too is prepared to accept a ‘No’ from the horse. Where Michael differs from her is that he openly acknowledges that horse and human are not entirely equal partners. Rather, it is up to the human to display leadership. You can find out more about Michael Bevilacqua at www.beyondthedreamhorse.ca. The ‘Bio’ page contains a photo history.

Heather continues to keep us up-to-date with her experiences during Compact Schooling I at Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling’s Akedah School. It is exciting to read what is occurring during the training and how Klaus is demonstrating his way of being with horses. To be able to see this in person must be so special and it is to be hoped that this time his students will come away with the basis for developing what Klaus insists is the aware, authentic presence that a human requires for effective interaction with horses in the absence of force.

Like Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling, people such as Michael Bevilacqua are also helping to turn the light back on in our horses’ eyes. I commend him for doing so. Those of us who are unable to attend Hempfling’s courses for one reason or another (such as a failure to afford his extortionate fees or denial of entry due to a refusal to acknowledge his dominance) or who fail to acquire his way of being with horses (the available evidence suggests that this refers to almost all who have studied with him in the past 20 years) may just wish to consider alternatives such as Michael Bevilacqua, if we are looking for a bit of external guidance to help us keep the light burning in our horses’ eyes.

I am currently rereading Beyond the Dream Horse and hope to share some of my insights in a future post on this blog.

Barefoot trimming

Last Saturday I attended the live component of a comprehensive course on barefoot trimming for horse owners who wish to maintain their own horse’s hooves after a professional barefoot trimmer has carried out the initial trim. In addition to the live component, the course includes a self-study programme based on a DVD and two relatively thick, well-illustrated books, one on hoof care itself and the other on horse care in general. Being a type of hoof care which seeks to emulate the natural erosion of hooves that occurs in horses living in the wild in conditions similar to those in which they evolved (semi-arid plains and rock-hard, uneven ground), barefoot trimming is merely part of a holistic approach to horse care, within which other aspects, such as nutrition and accommodation, play as important a role as the trimming itself.

Trainer Piet Loof talking about the hooves that we will be practising on

Trainer Piet Loof talking about the hooves that we will be practising on

In addition to theory the live component also involved a highly useful practical programme, which saw the other trainees (seven women) and myself demonstrating our barefoot trimming skills on the feet of dead horses sourced from the local slaughterhouse. Representing a random selection, all of the 20 or so hooves that we got to practise on were ones which had once held metal horse shoes, while the relevant horses were still alive. And of that number there were probably only about three hooves which were in a reasonable condition. The vast bulk of the hooves exhibited signs of major deterioration which had started to occur long before those horses had died. Yet it was clear that even the three hooves which were in a reasonable condition could not have functioned entirely as they were designed to do while they had shoes on. This is because the hoof is designed, amongst other things, to act as a pump which promotes blood circulation in the foot by expanding when it hits the ground, drawing blood down the leg and into the hoof, and contracting when it is lifted, forcing blood out of the hoof and up the leg. This natural hoof function is seriously inhibited by shoes, which render it almost impossible for the hoof to contract and expand, thereby severely limiting its ability to circulate blood to the foot and consequently to bring nutrients into the hoof and carry off waste.

All of us barefoot trimming trainees hard at work

All of us barefoot trimming trainees hard at work

Unfortunately, there is a tendency within the barefoot movement to proselytise for converts to  barefoot trimming and associated ‘natural horse care’ in the manner of disciples evangelising and proclaiming a religion. A virtual creed of the wild horse is often proclaimed, citing almost as an article of faith the contention that wild horses have perfect hooves, which must serve as the model for their domestic counterparts. This claim has a firmer basis in faith than in empirical research as at least one recent study has revealed (see Australian Brumby Research at www.wildhorseresearch.com), although the same study does show in passing that horses do not necessarily require shoes in order to have healthy feet. Inherent in such an approach is the danger of not only undermining its objective but also of drawing attention away from the strengths of the barefoot movement. The question of wild horses and whether they should serve as a model is at best a distraction. What is at issue here is what is best for our horses and there is more than enough evidence to show that barefoot is better for them in principle, especially if they are kept without shoes as part of a holistic approach to horse care.

My barefoot trimming creation before (on the left) and after (on the right)

My barefoot trimming creation before (on the left) and after (on the right)

The photos show some of the hooves that were available for us to practise on. They should also give you some idea of how the practical component of the course unfolded. If you are interested in knowing more about barefoot trimming and related aspects of horse care, you may want to visit the following websites:

Incidentally, Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling is acquiring a reputation as someone who insists on having metal shoes attached to horses’ hooves. Perhaps those of our readers who are currently studying with him on Lyö may wish to ask KFH why he insists on a regime which inhibits the natural functioning of the hoof and is opposed to one which facilitates it. Come to think of it, this is a question we should be asking anyone who insists on shoeing horses. After all, the way in which we care for our horses is as important in keeping the light burning in their eyes as is our interaction with them.

13 Responses to “Turning on the Light – Part II”

  1. Thank you Andrew.
    Just as I started reading the part on natural hoof trimming that thought came to my mind as well. Hearing KFH tell his audience that he was very clear that horses should wear shoes. If I remember correctly his explanation was that horses are not kept in natural surroundings. At least most of the horses aren’t. And that their hooves would not be kept or nurtured in a way they would be when travelling “semi-arid plains and rock-hard, uneven ground” as you mention in your post.
    The interesting thing here is that my first horse with whom I competed at Prix St.George level and even a bit higher did wear shoes. When there was a tendency then, and I am talking about the 1990s, also about barefootness, I had his shoes taken off. My horse felt very uncomfortable and had difficulty on wet grassy ground. His gaits became a little ‘wooden’. His body rigid. At that time I was even on that subject a dummy but times have changed and so have I. I now think that he must have had a very funny feeling in his feet. Of course I decided to put him back on shoes again as his ‘wooden’ gaits and his rigid body did not have a positive effect on the points the judges were giving me.
    I was always very critical, however, on the farrier’s performance. I did change farrier a couple of times until I was fortunate enough to have my horse shod by Rob Renierie. One of the best farriers in Holland. He made my horse dance like a ballet dancer.
    However, we are a great number of years further now and the 5 year old gelding I have in my care now, bred by me as well, is bare footed and will stay bare footed his whole life as far as I am concerned.
    And what amazed me so much was that having him trot on a relatively small circle on the wet grass made no difference to him. He kept his balance perfectly. Even took a shoulder-in bend. The one (at least I think it certainly resembles KFH’s shoulder-in) I saw KFH inviting one of the horses at the PPP 2010 to perform.

    I like your story about this Bevilacqua-guy. I am certainly going to visit his site and have a look. Bevilacqua, Andrew, is there something like ‘running water’ (be like a leaf on the water as KFH says in the DVD Path of the HOrse) or perhaps ‘still water’ (like Mark Rashid saying that your mind should be like still water then you can see the real picture) to be created from that name??

    By the way have you ever heard of Chris Irwin. Also a Canadian. His slogan is “Don’t ask the horse what it can do for you, ask the horse what you can do for him”.

    And what about Carolyn Resnick. Although I know from Vicky that you have already had some interaction with her, perhaps there are a lot of people still that do not know her. I shall be visiting her in December this year.
    The nice thing about the Carolyn Resnick method (oh how I dislike that word, as if people have invented something new, the KFH method, the EV method, the Pignon method) for me was that I took part in an introductory workshop last year before I went to KFH’s PPP. Her descirption of herd dynamics and the insights I got made it easier for me to recognize most of the interactions between KFH and the horses at the PPP. So I was in a very fortunate position to learn a lot by watching him.

    In Carolyn’s philosophy two activities play an important role:
    Horses share territory doing nothing.
    Horses spend time together doing something.
    It actually took a bit of time for me to figure out what was exactly meant by these two activities. As if I had to get underneath its skin and get it into my system. My system being the way I have been dealing with horses all my life. A system according to which the majority of people still deal with horses. A system where man does not accept a NO from the horse.

    And I am still learning. Not only body awareness, Andrew, but definitely also and perhaps even more so self awareness.
    You recognizing KFH’s dominance. And perhaps KFH recognizing his own dominance reflected by you and ‘rejecting’ you for it. It is all immensely interesting and exciting don’t you think?!

    Take care and love to hear from you.
    Geerteke

    • Andrew says:

      Dear Geerteke

      KFH is absolutely right to say that horses are not kept in natural surroundings but this is precisely the reason why a barefoot regime is even more important than if they were, particularly as part of a holistic approach which involves horses receiving appropriate nutrition and being kept outdoors with a walk-in walk-out barn in conditions which facilitate as much movement as possible. As you are probably aware, this is because the uninhibited movement of the hoof is absolutely essential if it is to pump blood through the foot, and the more movement the better. Shoes compromise this function, can mask symptoms of underlying conditions, and as such can even serve as justification for insufficient movement on the part of the horse.

      As you also know, when you remove shoes from a horse, it takes some time before the hooves adjust to their new condition. The same would apply to any human who decided to discard shoes in favour of a barefoot regime. It would take time before the soles were tough enough to walk comfortably on most surfaces. It is in this transitional period that boots can help.

      I’m not too sure what ‘Bevilacqua’ means, although I would suspect from what looks to be Italian origins, that it may refer to ‘drinking water’. Whatever the case, he is most certainly worth checking out. I’d be very interested to know what you think.

      No, I had not heard of Chris Irwin until you mentioned his name. Since then I have viewed a couple of his videos. I think we should assume that he has his heart in the right place like all the rest of us.

      Caroline Resnick is someone who has been on our radar for a number of years now. We have a fair amount of her materials. I personally feel that she does offer a horse-friendly method but it is precisely because it is a method that I feel she has imposed limits on her own obvious ability to create something special with horses. What KFH, Imke Spilker and Michael Bevilacqua do is adopt an approach which defines the context within which any techniques, methods or tools are used, and within which the relationship between horse and human is central.

      I think you are right about body and self-awareness, although I personally find it difficult to separate the spiritual from the physical. Doesn’t self-awareness entail an awareness of both our spiritual dimension and the body which incorporates it and through which it expresses itself? I don’t think Klaus rejected me for reflecting the dominance which he recognises in himself. He defines himself in terms of his achievement of the highest state of being, something which he believes that he can only attain with horses by becoming both dominant to such an extent that the horses does not contemplate an alternative and simultaneously becoming trustworthy to the horse by virtue of the sensitivity accompanying that dominance. Unfortunately, he does the same with humans, not realising that in some of them that uncompromising dominance of his undermines the very trustworthiness he seeks to establish. At the end of it all, we humans are not horses. We seek to fly and dominance crushes us to the ground denying us the possibility of self-awareness beyond the constraints Klaus seeks to impose on us.

      Still, you are right: it is all immensely interesting and exciting. And it is great to share it with people like you.

      Be well and take care!
      Andrew

      • Quote…I think you are right about body and self-awareness, although I personally find it difficult to separate the spiritual from the physical. Doesn’t self-awareness entail an awareness of both our spiritual dimension and the body which incorporates it and through which it expresses itself?…..Unquote

        Fully agree with you Andrew. If I gave you the impression that I separated them, my apologies….I didn’t mean to. They are one.

        I read your comment in the last paragraph mentioning KFH’s dominance and trustworthiness. Somehow it does not resonate positively. With that I mean…. yeh I do not nknow exactly how to explain that. I hope you do not find me cheeky or anything, but it just isn’t true. And I am not talking about my truth now. And I am not talking about you seeing thinsg wrong. It has nothing to do with you in fact. I am alking about Universal truth.
        And then , I thank the Cosmos for that, everything comes just in time. Isn’t it amazing.
        I am reading Marta Williams comments, and I suppose she is the same Marta Williams I met a couple of years back. She is in Holland now and then holding workshops. A very kind and special woman with her most amazing gift of ‘talking to animals’.

        I relate very much to what she writes about KFH.
        I already had that feeling during the PPP. There was something I could not yet at that time put my finger on. But definitely KFH was not the person I would be coming back to. At least not for some training that costs so much money. So perhaps he has done you and Vicy a tremendous favour by not allowing you to take part in the one-year schooling. Time will tell.

        The girl Marta talks about is Stina. She is from Norway originally. She lives on St. Vincent, a small island in the Carribbean. I met Stina in 2010 here in Holland when I took part in the Introductory WHRclinic (which was just before I went to Lyo to meet KFH) organized by Monique Ros and given by Stina Herberg and Julia Felton (from the UK). We had an immediate click. Our youngest son is born on the island of St. Vincent. So that was another reason for us to click. I had planned a visit to her and the herd beginning 2011. Sadly I got an accident and had to cancel. You can find several videos on youtube stinahumana. There is one particular one about the coach/couch that is almost pure slapstick with the horses in the fore- and background.
        Actually when she ran across this herd of abandoned and abused horses a couple of years ago she contacted many people and asked for help. Also KFH. He advised her to come to Denmark. Carolyn Resnick was the only person prepared to help Stina via the internet at first. At a later stage Stina visited with Carolyn in the States as she still does regularly.

        Wow, this is really cool.
        Have a nice day and wishing you all the best
        Geerteke

        • Andrew says:

          Dear Geerteke

          Vicki and I are familiar with Stina’s story and videos thanks to Carolyn Resnick’s blog. It truly is a lovely story and it is absolutely amazing to see what she is doing with her horses. That Carolyn has in part been instrumental in helping her achieve this, is something I do not doubt.

          Your comparison of Klaus’ and Carolyn’s response to Stina’s request for assistance vividly reveals the difficulties KFH has in dealing with humans. As I have mentioned in my response to Marta (yes, she is the same person you mention), the KFH we humans experience is very different from the one that horses are exposed to, especially if we humans refuse to accept his dominance, as you and I obviously do. I would suggest (respectfully of course) that perhaps your experience with him as one human with another in the absence of mutual respect is possbily clouding your assessment of his ability to connect and develop a relationship with a horse which is premised on an authentic, empathetic leadership.

          Having said that, I think that you are probably spot on when you say that KFH may have done Vicki and myself a tremendous favour by not allowing us to participate in his one-year schooling. It is perhaps somewhat reminiscent of the story of Icarus: if you fly too close to the sun, you risk being burnt. The sun, as we know, can be source of great beauty and comfort. At other times it can cause havoc and chaos.

          Take care
          Andrew

  2. hedda says:

    I also have a barefoot horse. He had his shoes taken off about three years ago and now has amazing feet. I ride him easily on the road and he doesn’t even seem to feel the gravel on our driveway. His previous owner told me that on a rainy cross country course, all the horses in the competition slipped, apart from those who had no shoes on. I most definitely prefer it and have the feeling that (at least in New Zealand) the idea is getting increasingly popular. I now know quite a few people who chose not to shoe and the farriers are re-training in barefoot shoeing!

    • Andrew says:

      Hi Hedda

      Sounds great. I’m just a wee bit concerned about New Zealand farriers retraining in ‘barefoot shoeing’. Is this something we should be concerned about or was it just a typo in the rush to hand in your thesis?

      All the best with the thesis.

      Take care.
      Andrew

      • hedda says:

        haha, yeah, barefoor shoeing is a bit weird.. (I meant trimming of course). That, and my choice of spelling for choose.. oops.
        Last minute rush.. But all done! Thanks for your help. 🙂

  3. Hey Andrew

    Sorry I missed seeing you in the Netherlands. Vickie gave me this link to your blog site and am having a look… very interesting. I would say that life has sent you on a little quest… and look what you have learned so far: Barefoot is the way to go. That alone is worth the price of admission. One comment on the horses foot you did though, when you do a live horse be careful not to take any live sole, just remove the crumbly stuff. Some say to let the horse do it. In any event the Strausser method of cutting into the sole doesn’t work unless you live on really soft ground. Here is another barefoot site. I belong to this group and learned to trim partly from some of these trimmers: pacifichoofcare.org. Yes I know how to trim now too. Learned in self defence because i have foundered rescues that had to have it done right and so few trimmers do it right. As for regular farriers, its been pretty useless. Nice people many of them, but no clue. And lots of props and high cost. Really barefoot and using easyboots or other trail boots is the answer. Interestingly another famous natural trainer, Pareli, has also gone to shoes, If you look at the pictures of what that shoer is doing to the horses it makes you wince. Really old school, been there didnt work. Why would they be so blind as to take healthy barefoot horses and do that to them. beyond reason.

    Re Klaus. I didnt say at the time you called me but I have never felt good about him. I just watched a you tube and part of what I dont like is that he comes across as over the top macho – gives me the creeps. I told Vickie there is something I dont like about his interaction with horses. I guess I would say it is that they appear to be cornered into submitting, acting calm, doing whatever amazing thing he makes them do. Thats not what I want to learn with my horses. Sure you have to have some power, but just have it, not shed it every momment like a virus. My vote goes to Caroline Resnick as I told Vickie. She gets your horse to fall in love with you. Thats when the magic starts. And she does it all by sitting with them, interacting, sharing space, getting them to respect her as a good leader. She had one girl sit for two months with a herd of 8 wild horses on an island that she was trying to tame – just sit in amongst them and be ignored for two months. Finally she satwith a bucket of carrots under her seat and they started to pay attention….LOL> A bit different technique Id say! I think horses follow the bully leader becasue they dont have an option, but they dont like that leader. Rashid talks about this. They like the nice leader and would do anything for that leader. So that is the leader you need to learn how to be. I dont think Klaus will ever be able to teach you how to do that. You have to be a nice leader to be able to teach how to be one, wouldnt you say?

    So good luck on your journey I hope you learn a lot of great things, Give your dog and your horses a kiss from me.

    • Andrew says:

      Dear Marta

      Yes, I also regret not having the opportunity to meet you during your recent trip to the Netherlands. We shall have to make up for it next time.

      We are very fortunate to have had our horses (and ourselves of course) introduced to a barefoot regime quite a few years ago, and to have had a couple of skilled barefoot trimmers who have worked with us and our horses to guide us forward and impart some of their knowledge. What is relatively new is the fact that I am now trimming Anaiis regularly and am receiving assistance and training from professionals as I do. We are also fortunate to have (and to have had) professionals who are indeed wise enough to leave the live sole alone and to demonstrate the need to lower the heels and cut back the bars, amongst many other things.

      Let us hope that more people will go barefoot with their horses and let us encourage them to do so.

      It is fascinating how people perceive things differently. You mention that Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling ‘comes across as over the top macho’ in the YouTube videos that you have watched. My experience of him in real life places him firmly in the category of spoilt little boy with a big ego (anything but macho in the true sense rather than compensatory exaggerated masculine behaviour) – in other words, a bully – but when he is with a horse he becomes a totally different person, one who is completely in the moment with the horse as a patient, aware, empathetic but decisive leader. Some of this is evident in his DVDs and YouTube videos. More importantly, this is confirmed by all of the people that have attended his courses (as students or assistants) whom I have spoken to. When Klaus interacts with horses, they do not see the bully in him that you refer to, and neither do I in all of his videos and DVDs, which I have watched time and again.

      Having said that, various reliable sources have revealed that there are some horses that cannot cope with KFH’s dominance. In the past he may have simply refused to work with them, citing some or other reason for doing so. Reports from his latest compact schooling course suggest that he is now digging deeper within himself to deal with a horse’s ‘No’ (yes, he does get a ‘No’ from time to time, something which I was not aware of before) with sensitivity and understanding, although I am convinced that he would be the last person on earth to refer to it as a ‘No’.

      Klaus has also publicly stated his opposition to bullying tactics with horses in his latest book, The Horse Seeks Me, whether they involve the use of conventional methods of physcial force or the ‘natural horsemanship’ ploys of psychological abuse. So have people such as Imke Spilker and Michael Bevilacqua.

      If there is anything that I have difficulty with in Klaus’ dealings with horses, it is his apparent reluctance to be seen to be affectionate or emotionally moved in his relationship with horses. I say ‘apparent’ because, if you look closely, you will find it. It is there in his relationship with Janosch (the chestnut in Dancing with Horses, the book and DVD, in his contact with the lame stallion on the DVD, Dancing with Horses, in his grief over the death of Harmon (see his tribute to the stallion at the beginning of The Horse Seeks Me) and in his dance at liberty with Ferdinand (see below).

      Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling dancing with Ferdinand at complete liberty

      Vicki and I are familiar with Carolyn Resnick, a trainer who is also mentioned by Geerteke, another reader who has commented on this post. I have briefly outlined my position on Resnick in my reply to her comment. She clearly has an ability to create something special with horses.

      Next time you are in Holland I would love to take tea with you. In the meantime…

      Be well!
      Andrew

      • Susan Van Wagoner says:

        There is an nteresting circle here. I had several wonderful conversations with Marta a few years ago when my little cat was missing. Marta was spot on about everything and the cat is lying here right beside me now. Thank you again, Marta! It is wonderful to read your comments.

        I, too, trim my own horses’ feet and I have watched the Parelli farrier in action several times at a private barn. It is amazing the shims and wedges and shoe concoctions he puts together, which certainly are not “natural.” I had some discussions with him about trimming and he said to me that I probably know more about trimming than he does because he is a shoer. It seems to me, the trim comes first. I also find that, when a horse is in proper balance, the feet become balanced. The corrective shoeing usually is compensating for the rider being out of balance or ill-fitting tack or some other issue that should be corrected, not the horse’s feet.

        You might like to take a look at my teacher and friend, Paige Poss’s website http://www.ironfreehoof.com. There is a lot there about the anatomy of the foot that we all should know.

        I am really enjoying the discussions about trainers and I am so appreciative of everyone’s thoughtful comments. Thank you.

        Susan

        • Andrew says:

          Dear Susan

          It is great to hear from you again.

          Your comment about the horse being in balance and this being reflected in the feet is particularly relevant at present, as Anaïs has just received treatment for a wonky sacro-iliac joint, amongst other things (see Vicki’s latest post at http://horsesandhumans.com/blog/2011/10/06/healing-horses) following X-rays of her forefeet. Our mare started showing signs of pain in her left forefoot and we were concerned that the ringbone she had had several years ago was back. X-rays revealed that the bones in the forefeet were fine but clearly the wonky sacro-iliac joint had placed stress on the tendons in the forefeet, particularly the left. In the past we have also seen that poor feet can translate into back problems as well. So there is definitely a link between the feet and overall balance, as you mention, although it would seem that it can work both ways.

          Thanks for the link to Paige Poss’ website. I have visited it (very informative) and have bookmarked it for future reference.

          If you have any experience of other trainers worth mentioning we would love to hear from you.

          All the best and be well!
          Andrew

  4. Heather Binns says:

    Hi Andrew,

    Well, I thinking everyone could go around in circles arguing the point of various horse trainers. And everyone is entitled to their opinions.

    From what I have witnessed here on Lyo, it is pure magic – there is always free will for the horse – they CHOOSE to be with Klaus – and we have seen that many times here. We have also seen someone experience the ‘connection’ under Klaus’ guidance. He certainly wants people to succeed – he does care about the horses.

    We have also seen horses heal miraculously when they are ‘understood’. At present I won’t go into any more detail. I have had some not so good news from family at home, so am putting my energies into that at present.

    So to finish, I don’t really think Klaus can be compared to other horse trainers – from what I see it is different – and I think there is no other way with horses.

    Hope all is well,

    Heather

    • Andrew says:

      Dear Heather

      Thank you so much for taking the time to share your view of Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling’s approach to horses with us. This is especially relevant given that you have just had the opportunity to witness him in action with various horses rather frequently as part of Compact Schooling I during the past month.

      Yes, I fully agree with you when you say that ‘it is pure magic – there is always free will for the horse – they CHOOSE to be with Klaus’ and that ‘he does care about the horses’. Although I have never seen Klaus live in action, my study of his videos, books and interviews, and my discussions with many who have attended his courses in person either as students or as assistants (and the number is still growing), reveal that this is indeed the case.

      Klaus can only be compared with other trainers if one is familiar with the approach which the latter adopt. My own studies reveal that there are at least two whom I would dare to compare with him simply because there are so many similarities between the essential principles underlying their approach towards the establishment and maintenance of a connection with horses, namely, Imke Spilker and Michael Bevilacqua. Of course, this is not to say that there are no significant differences between them. There are.

      Perhaps Klaus does indeed want people to succeed. The problem is that in 20 years of teaching he has failed to help anyone do so (with perhaps the exception of one person). Enabling only one of some 35 people to achieve a connection with a horse during a course of almost a month and then only under his personal guidance also falls far short of being a resounding example of his prowess as a teacher. Perhaps the one-year course will prove to be a turnaround in this respect. I certainly hope so for all those who have forked out a fortune for it.

      I am really sorry to hear that you have received disappointing news from home. If Vicki and I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us even if it is only to chat.

      Best wishes to Peggy and may you find strength in yourself to keep smiling.

      Take care!
      Andrew