Becoming the kind of human a horse seeks to be with
Posted in Uncategorized on Mar 2nd, 2011
There is nothing that focuses the mind so matter-of-factly, albeit appreciatively, on a treasured, intimate relationship as the celebration of the anniversary of its perceived materialisation, especially where the anniversary marks a milestone usually measured in multiples of fives or tens. In this case the milestone is fifteen. On the fifteenth day of February it […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Feb 21st, 2011
“How much?” “Fifty dollars”. “Nah, I’ll offer you twenty”. “You can have it for $45”. “Way too much, I won’t pay more than $30”. “$35 is the lowest I will go’. “OK, deal” And another pre-loved item finds its way to a new owner.
Posted in Uncategorized on Feb 13th, 2011
The world of horses and humans, or rather horses in the world of humans is becoming increasingly one of bureaucratic red tape. Up till now we have more or less avoided having to deal with compulsory identification and an impressive list of (necessary?) vaccinations. The closest experience for us was when large parts of the […]
Posted in Lungeing, Uncategorized on Feb 3rd, 2011
This became all too clear in the past week as I saw Anaiis become totally oblivious to my use of the whip in the Magic Circle. We had finished the previous week on an absolute high when she gave me the first tentative shoulder-in while lungeing her. I felt determined, clear and at the same […]
Posted in Uncategorized on Jan 23rd, 2011
‘Being a King is boring, becoming one is an adventure’ is one saying of Klaus that I try to keep in mind while starting to prepare us and the animals for the biggest adventure in our lives so far. What initially came up as a ‘mad idea’, to move to the other side of the […]
We know so much about horses but have such little understanding of the horse. Understanding the horse’s nature allows us to pursue choice rather than control, connection instead of coercion, communication as opposed to conditioning. This is a reality that I now experience with my own horses. A path to the horse is open to all of us. Simply discover the power of being with horses. Is it not time to be fully human … for them, for ourselves?
I have learned to listen to horses speak through their movements, their expressions and ultimately their energy along with much that has been recorded about them. Listening to horses speak has changed my life and taught me a great deal. This book contains a little of what I have learned from horses while listening to them speak. And much of it is startlingly different from what we take for granted.
Urgently in need of a meaningful change of life, a man decides to cross the world together with his wife, a horse and a dog to spend a year training full-time with Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling , arguably the most popular horse trainer in the world based on social media statistics. He expects it to be life-changing. It is. These are his reflections.