Plays w cows

Unique Opportunity…deadline July 29th 2012

Long time no see.  Sorry for my long absence….I’m getting divorced and it’s consumed my life for the past few months.  But I will be back in the saddle in a couple of weeks.  As many of you know, I write reviews of educational horse dvd’s on my blog (also on hiatus) and I am a grand horse film enthusiast.  Recently the opportunity was presented to me, to review a horse movie prior to final editing and offer my input.  I was contacted by a young girl in college who is making an indie horse film about a troubled teen who loses her horse, the boy she must trust to help her in the search, and ……ha ha ha…..can’t share the rest of the movie with you….it’s a secret. But the name of the movie is “The last Wild”

Anyways, she is in a pickle and doing fund raising for the final editing so she can finish the movie.  She is in the editing phase working on color correction, sound mixing, and music.  I agreed to share the link to the fund raising campaign with my followers and friends.  She only has 9 days left to raise the funds for film completion.  She is a master of fine arts candidate at UCLA in Film production and Directing.

Now the cool part is…..contributors of any size get a special mention on the films face book page with a blurb, bio, pic, link ….anything you feel represents YOU…..and Larger donations will get actual film credit for you/your company….there are all kinds of perks for donations of all sizes, including a special invitation to the premier screening and reception in Los Angeles.

She also would like to become partnered with Equine Therapy groups and Wild Mustang  activist groups, so if you are connected to any of these great organizations, please get in touch with her.

Everything you need to know is at her site including a small snippit from the film
Click here

I will be writing a "pre" review of the movie as soon as I am done watching it, and another when the movie is completed.

Savvy On
Michelle

Oh my....did i just fall off the planet or what?

Sorry everyone.....small crisis at home that required my full undivided attention......not to mention......RAIN RAIN RAIN.....the sun is out now and i hope to back at the horse thing this week.  for the first time in a long time, my heart just wasn't in it.  I couldn't even bring myself to watch a dvd.......ME......can't talk....can't watch horse tv.......ya know i must have been sickola!....

I did manage to find Miyagi the best home ever.  She has two little kids of her own, and will also be participating regularly in an Equine assisted therapy program and will be loved for many years to come.  I could not be more thrilled for her.

Thanks for the well wishes and concern.....

See you all soon...I promise.....I'll be OK

Savvy On
Michelle

Really bummed...gonna miss Road to the Horse live stream

I have been planning on watching RTTH w live stream for more than a few months now, only to be denied as I am going camping with my family for my sons boyscout troop......bummer!  Guess I will have to wait for it to go on video......thank goodness for giddy-up!

Savvy On
Michelle

What is a ‘principle’ and how does it affect our outcome and ultimate success?

Principle:

1-A fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system or belief or behavior or a chain of reasoning used as a rule to govern one’s behavior.



Many like to think that a technique is what guides us on this journey, or makes what we do ‘natural’ but it is not. Techniques are just a facilitator of our principles to help us achieve our goals. In the parelli system, those techniques and principles were chosen for us, but they are not unique to parelli. Having principles, adhered to and revered as absolute truths, is what lets us know if you are on the right track. Too often, students (of any method) get far to hung up on ‘perfection’ of a task or technique and the principles get lost in the fog. And I often wonder why. This is as common place at the highest of levels as it is at the lowest of levels. The FEI is one of the most notable to let the mebers of their group completely ignore the ‘principles’ and now Dressage is so far away from where it started…yet their own rules never changed……and to make up for it, our perception and definition of the ‘principles’ has become so distorted, we cannot even recognize them when we see them….Such as the principle of having ‘the poll as the highest point’…..it is a rare few individuals who can even recognize what it looks like. Most people ‘think’ they have it, and they could not be farther than the truth.

I have been studying French Classical Dressage lately, and the more I get into it, the clearer the connection between Dressage and NH becomes, most specifically Baucherism….though one does NOT automatically equal the other. (Baucherism is a method discovered and developed by Francois Baucher in the mid 1800’s after he studied François Robichon de La Guérinière’s work from the early 1700’s) In all systems, we usually have a relatively lengthy list of ‘principles’….but when you get to the heart of the matter there are usually only a select few that are highly regarded…and usually only one, maybe two, that are thought of as the “holy grail”…..that usually, if adhered to at all times, it will keep you out of trouble and make your road to success a short one. And usually you can say this about them,

“It matters not what technique you use, what style you ride, so long as you do nothing to lose (principle) and do everything to gain (principle)….you will always be on the road to success”

So I thought I would make a list of principles for myself, since I have been reminded by a book I am reading, just what MY holy grail is, and my lack of adherence has caused me great struggles in my pursuit of my own perfection. Obviously the ‘goal’ is improvement in tangible skills, but really those skills are a facilitator to a higher level of conceptuality and philosophical understanding of the principles….which then garner even greater skills…and so on and so on, repeating the cycle in a never ending circle of self improvement. There is a rule that states, if something applies in every situation than it is a RULE, if it does not, then it is a TOOL.

So here is my list of principles that state I can do anything I want so long as I have, create or do not destroy the following….

1. Relaxation (both physical AND mental/emotional) Front to Back

2. The relationship comes first

3. Never use force, be it physical or mental~ includes: Don’t act like a predator, don’t be direct line, Patience BEFORE justice(long phase one)

4. Lightness and Feel~ includes: Release of the aids, no micro management, Timing the aids at the moment when the horse can optimally comply

5. Hands w/out legs, Legs w/out hands

6. Poll the highest point (except when stretching down) & Nose in-front of the vertical, Back not Hollow

7. Keep the rhythm pure

8. Straightness

Principles I used to use that I no longer use, use sparingly, or only use in a safety situation, and why.

1. “The attitude of justice is effective.” It may be effective but it can be harmful physically if misunderstood and also because it can destroy relaxation, relationship, and rhythm and often eventually involves force.

2. “Immobile Neutral on a circle.” Too much mayhem goes on that is not seen by way of not watching the horse, and it pulls me away from many of the above principles that are FAR more important to me.

For now I think that is about it. Should I come across any more I will update this.

I think if more people put relaxation at the top of their list, they would avert many problems. It needs to be the first thing you get, such as when you first approach your horse, do not do things in that approach that cause him to become tense, as you begin your session, again, do not CAUSE tension…..then your first goal is to reduce and remove what ever tension he had there to begin with. Then you can move on to the days lesson, again not CAUSING tension with any of your requests. Should your request be met with tension….stop…find out what caused it and fix it before moving on. Was he not prepared for your request, was it too demanding due to his level of skill and understanding, did you ask too abruptly or strongly, did you ask at a moment he could not possibly respond correctly, was he distracted….etc….

Relaxation does not mean dead btw. It doesn’t mean create a mindless plug. He should still be alert, sensitive and responsive…..but FREE from tension, both physical and mental.

So these are my thoughts on this rainy day

Savvy On

Michelle

The 'techno' challenged- FREE ebooks

I dont know if i am techno challenged, behind the times, or just plain stupid......but I 'discovered' something this weekend andi thought i would share my discovery....though y'all probably already know.

Apparently.....you can get and/or sample many books online for FREE.  if you go to google, type in what ever you are looking for, either by author, title or subject matter then hit enter.
once you have your search results.....look on the left hand side of the screen.  you will see the categories..."everything, images, maps etc".....if you dont see the category 'books' then hit the category 'more' and you will then get 'books'.......click on that....and viola.....a list of books

once you click on a book you want, then look at the top.  you will either have a red button that says, 'get ebook'....ie a free book....or you click on 'sample'.....most books that have samples....apparently only have a few missing pages from the book.  if you dont see the ebook button or the sample button....then that particular book is not available in any other way than good ole fashioned paper and binding .....or possible kindle/nook.

to take this one step further....there is an iphone app....i got it, so i can read my books on there....but only the ones with the 'ebook' button.

you can also save books to a library, even just the sample editions, categories include 'favorites' 'reading now' 'to read' 'already read'.

you have to sign into google to save books though.  anyways....i am reading a few french classical dressage books right now, one of them from the 1800's.  how cool is THAT!!!???!!!!

Savvy On
Michelle

DVD Review: * Syliva Burrage ~ Piaffe etc.

Piaffe, Passage, Musical Reinless Riding

I got this dvd, because after my thorough enjoyment of the “Piaffe Revealed” dvd set, since Riz credits this trainer as one of his mentors, I thought I would check it out. What a disappointment. Man I hate this. I honestly do. But as a parelli student, I can guarantee you, you will NOT like this dvd…..and honestly I would hope most anyone else would not as well. I give her props for what she can do, but not in the manner in which she does it. Let me say, she never beat her horse or anything else like that…..but if this were the only way to learn piaffe….I would have to just pass and never learn it. While she stated one of the horses was quite hot and wild prior to commencing learning piaffe, and that learning it has calmed her down…..it sure did NOT appear that she was ready mentally for a grueling lengthy session. When the ‘gentle’ demand to perform exceeds the horses ability…..you get the same results as if you had ‘forced’ him to do it with less 'gentle' methods. And, while she was getting a lofty piaffe in hand, she was not getting the same results in the saddle. Now I don’t have an issue with that per’se……UNLESS…..in the beginning you degrade others for the exact same thing…..and ‘sell’ yourself as the answer/solutiong to the problem…..and…..THEN…..exhibit the same sort comings you say your program circumvents. I also just flat did not agree with her method of teaching passage. Though I have never done it before, so quite obviously am not an expert……like I said before….IF…..’that’ is the way to do it……NO THANKS…..I’ll pass. I went straight to my friend and said if I ever look like that, you better slap me off my horse immediately. With all that said, I did learn one teeny thing in the length of a 1 min span….and that was a stick technique to teach the ‘hop’ phase. It was a good ‘visual’ for me, so I totally ‘get’ that part now, though I may end up doing it differently.


Considering I have seen other ways to teach Piaffe, ways that suit MY style and what I am sure my parelli friends style would be, as well as most likely classical dressage buffs style…..I would like not to give it any stars at all, I have to give it one star….because it is a good example of how I ‘do NOT’ want to look…..but you might glean an idea or two like I did. Again, I have reviewed well over 100 dvd’s in the last year, few have been such a disappointment. Again I just want to remind everyone, this is MY opinion, of the dvd alone, and I recommend if you feel I am not worthy to judge anything…..please review the dvd for yourself and make up your own mind……cuz trust me…..I hate being disappointed like this….I would have much rathered been fascinated and inspired and writen a great review…And truth be told, I have seen parelli students do it WAY better.

Click here get more Info about Sylvia Burrage.

Savvy On

Michelle

DVD Review: *** Riz Ilyas ~ Piaffe Revealed

My most in-depth review!  Wow.....WOW.....I have been chomping at the bit to get my hands on this dvd set.  Normally I will write a seperate review on each volume of a set as I recieve/view them...but since this has been 'unavailable' for rental since the nano second they got it in stock.....I didn't want to share my enthusiasm after getting Vol 1....until I got my own grubby mits on Vol 2.....basically being selfish and stingy, not wanting to alert ANYone else to beat me to it.  A while back I was involved in several online discussions regarding not only the appropriateness of teaching ANY horse of ANY level the Piaffe, but also, the reality of whether or not ANY one could actually do it...even a novice....as the author claims.....then add to that.....IF his style of Piaffe was even 'correct' be it classical or modern, or if it is just a trick for backyard horse enthusiasts.  I can assure you, there is quite a debate over these dvd's.....in every subject known to horsemanship.  You name it...someone is talking about it.  Anyways, when the attacks started.....I defended him....not because I know him or had seen the dvd's (at the time) for my self....but because no  one HAD seen them, nor were any of the discussion participants educated enough to judge a 'correct' piaffe....much less had they themselves ever ridden dressage....bascially.....my stand point was this.....do your research before you judge something.  If you havn't seen the dvd....how on earth can you judge if is good bad or indifferent?  So....I opened my big mouth....and said I would get the dvd's, review them as I do all my dvd reviews.....BUT.......ALSO.....obligated myself to test it out on my own horses  (something I wanted to do anyways) and share my progress as I go along.....and if possible.....get a real novice to join me in my experiment.  For all intents and purposes....as far as dressage goes....I would consider myself a novice.  Others may not....but I do.  Why?  Because:

 #1~Theory~In all my study, in the years gone by, as a scholar, I fall quite short to many many people who have had the resources to study far more intensivly than have.  Though my desire and passion is there, my book worming is just a drop in the bucket compared to the serious intellectual Classical Dressage student.

#2~Expert Mentorship~In all my years, basically I did it alone.  I had few, if any, live mentors to study under.  Most that I found in my area were either not classical or too expensive for my puny budget.  But I did have one that was a bit 'out there' as a human being....but he taught me alot in the few lessons I could afford w him.  Luckily he boarded his horses where I did...and I was able to watch many lessons w other students and watch him ride his own horses and he was gracious enough to answer my MANY questions I grilled him with.  Which had led me to the discovery that many of the great riders are actually quite obscure, and NEVER recieved nor attempted to recieve a gold medal or a blue ribbon of any kind.

#3~Glass Ceiling: I only made it into L3 before my mare foudnered and was retired.  Though I do pride myself on the fact that as a backyard Classical dressage enthusiast, with minimal funds and a $500 TB mare....I made it that far....CORRECTLY...on my own.  Pat Pat Toot Toot......(that's me patting my back and tooting my horn)

#4~Reality Check:  I am now a middle aged woman, ouit of shape and over weight who has not ridden but a handful of times in the last 4 years due to injuries from a car accident....and my horse is a 14yo green rescue TB mare with the equivelent training of 30 "traditional" days under saddle and a "tying up" issue (medical condition...google it).....AND....I don't have an arena....My reality SUCKS....go figure! 

Based on these three things alone, I don't think I could ever consider myself anything other than a novice....in dressage land...though I am hardly a novice horseman....far from it in-fact.  I decided to create a new blog, for the sole purpose of tracking my progress in the experiment to see if the claims could be true.....that anyone could teach any horse to do piaffe.

Click here to follow the experiment.

So anyways, On to the long awaited reviews

Piaffe Revealed ****

Disk 1 ~ Classroom Session ~ Theory and Equiptment
Riz is a great speaker, charismatic and down to earth.  He is humble, not flamboyant and REAL.  He is a real student of the horse, and yet he is not arrogant about his knowlege.  Watching the dvd was like talking to a good friend.  He used common sense language and was never boring.  He went over the body points and how a horse USUALLY reacts when touched there.  He went over useful equiptment, and this was quite extensive in the 'whip/guider' department..  He of course covered the principles, uses and mis-uses of training the Piaffe..  He points out that the Piaffe is NOT the 'end' of the means, rather the 'means' to the end.  And he is not alone in this practice. 

It is a philosphy that I have seen from several French Classical trainers, and have seen them use the Piaffe for many good reasons, quite early on in a horses career.  It is a falacy that only special people and special horses get to do the Piaffe when they are good enough to think about going to the olympics.  IF we remember that Dressage = Training.....and ALL the school movements are excersizes to produce a well rounded and trained horse.....and that the goal....the "END" if you will, is a horse that is light, relaxed, responsive, balanced and obedient......NOT.....Piaffe.....then we will better be able to see the Piaffe in the same light as a 20 meter circle and a 'working trot'......nothing more than an excersize.....Piaffe is the 'MEANS' to the 'END'.....rather than being the 'END' itself.

Unfortunately there was a few areas of the dvd with sound quality issues.  The rest was spot on.  However I discovered the sound issues are not present when the dvd is played on my computer, only when played on my tv with my dvd player.  (but I have never had sound issues w other dvds) Remember that vol 1 is not the 'how to'...it is the pre-requisite understanding needed before the "how to".  I just wish I didn't have to wait now for vol 2.  So for now...this is where I will go to draft mode....


Disk 2 ~ The Arena Session ~ principle into practice

This dvd is the 'how to' and it is quite thorough.  He has deconstructed all the step to train the piaffe and made each step very clear.  It covers 2 pre-requisite exercises that must be in place before you begin the actual steps to start training the piaffe. Those perquisites should be a no-brainer for parelli students because they are similar to tasks in L2 online, friendly and stick to me, though it needs to be done this very specific way so it translates later on when you get to the part where you put it all together. The next two exercises, the leg lifts and goat stance should also be relatively easy for a parelli student due to ones understanding of the porcupine and driving games, though it might require L3+ savvy.  Then you get to the part where you begin to put it all together, and this is where you will truly discover if a 'novice' has what it takes to teach piaffe.  I believe that parelli students will fare better than the average novice, even though he does explain everything from how to apply the pressure, how to release and how to reward.  Feel and timing are needed and those are two things that cannot be bought.  Only father time and mother experience can help you in that department.  He then moves on to doing the piaffe in long lines once piaffe is relatively understood and if you have made it to this point, it is yet another cross road to separate the savvy from the un-savvy.  Parelli Level 4 students have yet another leg up as the driving game from zone 5 is already being established.  I will say, long lining is a bit of an art all to it self, and as he states, it needs to be confirmed prior to doing it with piaffe....for obvious reasons. He then goes into the pillars, though he advises extreme caution here and reminds every one that the pillars are NOT mandatory, but he does go over how to do it safely and sanely should it be something you want to do.  After that, he begins the piaffe under saddle, once piaffe is well established in hand and in long lines.

Now that I have described what he covers in the dvd, let me talk a teeny bit about the quality of his work.  I don't think that any 'natural' person will have any contradictions to what he does or how he does it.  He is a good horseman, kind and talented, and it is all done quite naturally.  Again he is a good speaker, down to earth, no and I sincerely mean NO ego in this man what so ever, it is easy to listen to him talk without my mind drifting or being annoyed. The quality of the organization of the material covered is very good....some minor sound quality issues, though as I stated before, playing it on my computer solved that.  The whole thing is simple in design and concept, yet just because something is simple, doesn't mean it is easy.  When it comes to the 'quality' of piaffe produced, I would have to say it is closer to classical principle than many if not most modern competitive piaffe's.  So for all those dressage queens out there, as a philosophical argument here, I have to say, if you are going to do something 'wrong' anyways (what you will do if you follow many modern riders) why not check this dvd out?  He holds classical principles to a higher and more correct standard, and for the cost of just one lesson with gold medalist, you can get the dvd, and in the end maybe learn more about it than you could in a lifetime of lessons.  Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying lessons are useless, cuz I'm not.  Just saying, I don't think the subject of piaffe as a whole, has been covered before like this.  So if you want to know more about it, this is probably as close to a one stop shop as you are ever gonna get.  The poll is high, nose in-front of the vertical, and the horses are using  their hind ends....that is more than many GP riders can do....even though they SAY they are doing it, they are not.

When it comes to applying very correct classical principles, if you know 'what' they are.....and feel they may be lacking or a bit substandard in this dvd, let me say that as long as you know what they are, you should have no problem adhering to them with this method.....regardless if your classical back ground is in French or German.  I did notice with one horse he could have lifted a bit better from the base of his neck over his topline, but I think it had a tad bit to do with his conformation.  Again, there is NO reason, if you know the classical principles, that you can't tailor this system to your desires.  It is a great road map and skeleton.

Now for the whole 'even a novice can do this'....I kinda went over this a bit, but want to delve just a hair deeper on this.  I "REALLY" think this is going to be based on ones definition of 'novice'....which just may be a highly subjective term.  I stated why I would consider MYself a novice, and to ME it is not the same as a begginer, rather a step above it.  Though websters dictionary, and most people first thought, IS infact....."beginner".  So the more I thought about this, I asked my self....what are the stages of horsemanship?....and where do "I" fall on the scale? So for arguments sake here....lets go with this scale for a better understanding of what I think you might need to be in order to actually do this.

Beginner:  I just got here, where do I start
Novice:  Survived the beginning and ready to be serious
Intermediate:  I know my way around pretty good with little help
Experienced:  I can take care of me and mine without putting much thought into it, it's a habit
Apprentice:  Pretty good now, and learning from a master to teach beginners
Journeyman:  I'm really good now and can teach even the experienced
Master:  An artist

So based on this scale, I am not a novice, somewhere between Apprentice and Journeyman category, but not in the dressage department.  So, do I think a 'novice' could do it?....anything is possible....though I would have to see it for myself to believe it.  I don't know his definition, but the dvd is laid out in simple steps, and is simple enough in theory that anyone can understand it......execution of it is a whole 'nuther story though....isn't it?

I would have liked to see a trouble shooting section with maybe a horse that had not already been taught ANY thing about any of the piaffe exercises.  Though each of the horses he did use, did not do things perfectly, so there were plenty of times he was able to show things that might go wrong and how to correct it, I would have loved to see what the process of day 1 leg lifts looked like.  He did talk about safety ALOT so that is good.

So why only 3 stars?  Well, simply because this is a very specialized dvd, if you have no desire to do piaffe, well then it's not a must see.  But if you DO want to do piaffe....I give it 5 stars because you just aren't gonna find a dvd like this anywhere else.....at least I havn't seen it yet....but I am still looking!

Click here for more info about Riz Ilyas

Click Here to Follow my Piaffe Journey
Savvy On
Michelle

Tried endo tapping w cha'cote

Well, that was an interesting experiment.  I thought I would try out endo tapping w cha'cote to see if I can get a 'calm down' cue for him for trailering.  After watching the dvd I was intrigued and I found a small tennis ball that I was able to jam onto the end of a broken lunge whip.  Even though he did it on the dvd with a lead rope and was using it to encourage the head to come down and also to keep the horse from walking off, and he also did it next to a wall so the horse could not escape sideways.....I decided to try it at liberty, just to see his reaction to the tapping.  Cha'cote is a highly sceptical horse when it comes to objects, and also is high headed even when he is relaxed.  He did show some skepticism when i approached him with it, but he didn't move, so I started tapping just behind his withers. He was curious as to what i was doing, but again didn't move.  I used impeccable timing and released if his head even moved a millimeter.  I tapped for a good 20 min or so, and while his poll never dropped quite to the level of his withers....he did fall asleep.  Goofy boy.  My arm got tired of tapping, so I showed him the ball and his eyes bugged out of his head.  I did the usual retreat as he went to sniff it, and i had his head on the ground in about a minute.....i also was just tickling his whiskers for a cue and he would follow the ball down to the ground......i found that really interesting.  I tried tapping him on his legs to see if i could get a response leaning toward picking them up at all.....nothing.  Then i tried tapping on his croup, and he instantly started stepping back n forth with the hind legs....so i started to alternate the tapping on top of the hips with the leg i figured would likely be picked up next and within a few minutes i had him kinda baby piaffe-ing on the hind end.  i stopped there because i don't want to mess him up for further lessons and i was basically just goofing around to see what his reaction would be.  i finished the session having him follow the ball and play stick to me and i just love how he is so bonded to me.  we sat for a while w him nuzzling my hair and neck and rubbing his chin on me.  he is such a good boy.  so that was my first endo-tap session, and now i will just ponder the results.

savvy on
michelle

A day in the mind of "ME"

While I am getting ready to embark on my next super cool horsemanship adventure, (sorry gotta keep y’all in suspense for a while about it) I am about to (hopefully successfully) learn something really cool….a childhood dream of mine. And the very thought of actually learning it….has caused me to be a bit nostalgic. And in doing so I am pondering many things and it has come to my attention that I am not like everyone else. Not that I didn’t know that already, or haven’t had these thoughts before, but really….I’m a gal that walks to the beat of my own drum. Turns out, I really AM horse crazy. Not like the “normal” horse crazy gal, rather quite obsessed. Sometimes it makes me wonder if I am bi-polar or something. I have in the past referred to myself as dedicated, passionate, and immersed…..but it seems as I have gotten older, the friends to whom I used to categorize my self with, have grown out of it, but somehow I haven’t. According to the thesaurus, there are other words I could use that just might be more fitting….such as self absorbed, fanatic and insane. I can’t really say why I am this way, I only know that I am, and have been since the day I was born.

It all started when I was 2 years old and went to a flea market with my mother. Seems strange but I actually remember this event. How many people can say they have a vivid memory from when they were a toddler? Few, I suppose. But there I was, in a dimly lit warehouse, looking up at a table with some kids toys, and saw the most beautiful sight to ever behold….a Breyer horse. Not one, but two. I have no recollection of how I may have communicated to my mother that I had to have them, but I remember paying a quarter for them and my mom let me hand the money over. One was a grey appaloosa with his tail missing and ears sheared off, the other a black horse with a white mane and tail and the western saddle and bridle were part of the mold.

He had a gold chain for reins and some pretty serious white scuff marks over his whole body. They were the first of many to come and the catalyst to a life long obsession. I can’t remember what happened to the black horse, other than I have not seen him since I was a small child, but I still have the appy, though one of his legs has been in a drawer for years, waiting for me to unpack its counter part and superglue them back together. That leg has been in the kitchen junk drawer of the last 3 houses I have lived in, and I just can’t seem to have both the leg and the horse in my hands at the same time. My husband asks me from time to time to remind him of why I still have it. My only reply is that “It is a historical artifact to a very important cosmic event…..HELLO???....do you even KNOW me at ALL??”

Shortly after I acquired my treasures, I saw a real horse up close and personal…..and it has been down hill for my parents, friends and loved ones from that day forward. My mom, single at the time, could not afford to buy me a real horse, nor even pay for lessons….so the very next summer, my great grandparents drove me 400 miles to visit my aunt who had an Arabian ranch. Little did they know they would repeat the same pilgrimage each summer for the next 6 years, until they got too old and paid to fly me down there the following 3 years.

By that point I had gotten a paper route at age 10 to pay for riding lessons, and the summer before I turned 13, was the last to be spent at her ranch. I had seen the alternate Olympics in 1980 and decided to ride English from then on, and also aspired to become “Rookie of the Year” in show jumping. And of course I dreamed of going to the Olympics, like many other young girls do.

About the same time, the movie ‘The Black Stallion” came out in the theater….and thus….another life long dream of mine was sparked….. To have a wild horse, befriend him like no other human could and ride bareback and bridle-less on the beach…..the same dream of every other girl my age on the planet. So I think it really is no shock that so many middle aged women, like myself, who were the at the same impressionable age as me, when Walter Farley brought “The Black” to life on the big screen…..are hung up on horses.

I however would be obsessed. Driven to the point of insanity. With an insatiable appetite to learn all that I can and an inability to talk about anything else. I have spent 40 of the last 42 years completely and hopelessly blinded by horses. I eat, sleep and breath horses. Last year on a visit with a long distance friend, I cried on her shoulder about how much I missed her and how lonely I was. I needed a horse friend to hang out with, some one to enjoy this with and for her to hurry up and move back home. We talked about ‘me’ and what on earth could possibly be wrong with me. Of course the conclusion was that I was deeply passionate in a way no one else could understand or keep up with….kind of a useless bit of trivia really….as it was an explanation to my problem, it did not solve the problem in the least. She is as close as I guess a friend could be, to ‘keep up’ with me, and it has been torture living without her all these years. Thankfully, she is coming home in a few short months….just in time for the good weather.



I often think back to that little girl, in her room drifting off to sleep, dreaming of horses. Horse pictures plastered all over her wall, doodles of horses on all her school books. Driving with her mom thru the country side, fantasizing about galloping alongside the car on a horse. During recess pretending to be a horse, cantering thru the school yard, whinnying and snorting and being made fun of, while other girls were already worrying about make up and what to wear. She dreamed of black stallions and flaxen maned horses……hoping that someday, she could have a horse of her own. I wish I could speak to that little girl and whisper in her ear as she drifts off to sleep, not to worry, someday you will own a black horse and ride it bridle-less. Some day you will befriend a wild horse with a flaxen mane and he will trust you like he trusts no other human. Someday you will know way more about horses than you could ever possibly imagine. Close your eyes sweet heart and dream to your hearts content, not all of your dreams will come true….but this one that you dream tonight WILL come true, and some day you will have more horses than you know what to do with. Someday your life with horses will be better than you could ever hope to dream. Close your eyes now sweet heart, you only have to wait a little while longer.

Deep in my heart, I know that if the little girl could visit me now, she would love to slap the ever loving tar out of me and tell me...

Stop whining about what you don’t have, what you can’t do or what you have lost with age. Look out your back window, look all around you. You are not an OLD woman YET. Can’t you see you are living my dream? So… Live it …..PLEASE, for me. Please don’t let my dream die because it is getting too hard for you…you wimp. Who cares if your crazy, insane, or single minded……so am I. You are me, so keep living our dream please.

So with that said, off I go on this next leg of the journey.

Savvy On

Michelle

DVD Review: * J.P. Giacomini ~ Endotapping: Basics under saddle disk 2

Endotapping: Basics under saddle disk 2
Well I was not as impressed with disk 2, as I was with disk 1. Not that I was drop dead impressed with the first one. I didn’t feel it shed any more light to the subject and it actually caused me to feel confused and lose some respect too. I was intrigued after the first disk, with the implications of the Endo-Tap being a bio-mechanical mechanism to facilitate a conditioned response to ‘calm down’, and assumed I would see similar results under saddle. However it seemed to me that the technique was varied quickly, and the horse in the second dvd while improved on the ground, she appeared to become more upset and nearly out of control while ridden….though it is my speculation that it was not directly due to the ‘endo-tap’ rather a lack of it or the variation they applied or other things done or not being done. What I don’t understand here, is if someone were to say to me this was one example and not a good one at that and not to judge the whole method based on THIS disk….well….honestly, who’s fault is that? I know I would not want to present something as MY educational material, if it was not a good representation of what I do and am just left dumb founded as to why anyone would show this horse, THIS session as an example of how to do this method. For that reason, I am only giving this disk 1 star, and not even sure it is worth that. Surprising since I felt the first disk had useful ideas, though I felt as I watched it, that if I tried it, I would modify it a little bit…..mainly by releasing sooner when the horse is on the right track….and I am going to see if the method helps with my mustang who has some trailering issues….But I whole heartedly know I would never emulate what I saw on disk 2. Just my honest opinion, and as always when I don’t have a good review….I refer to the author of the dvd to get clarification/explanation. Please also read my review of disk 1 which is far more favorable.


Savvy On

Michelle

DVD Review: **** J.P. Giacomini ~ Endotapping: Basics under saddle disk 1

**** ~ Endotapping: Basics under saddle #1


I have to say I was intrigued by this dvd. I am giving it 4 stars because it is very interesting stuff. Not that I can whole heartedly say I agree with it 100%, but mainly because when you come across something different and not all that contradictory to what you already know….it is useful to see new things and decide for yourself if it is a technique that you can incorporate into your repertoire. I saw him at a horse expo, gosh like 15ys ago, and I don’t remember my impression of him at the time.

One thing that I thought was cool about having studied Parelli as extensively as I have, is that I could really de-code what he was doing….as in…..friendly, porcupine, and driving. He uses a stick with a little rubber ball on the end and taps a horse with it in a rhythmic fashion. Of course that is nothing new to a parelli student….BUT…..what was new and interesting was the timing of the aids and the resulting action of the horse when timed right. As a student who has spent time trying to perfect my timing, I can see ways where I would modify his technique a bit and give a release more often to let the horse know he is on the right track. Now he claims that the technique he uses is a calming one…and it becomes a ‘calm down’ cue that can be used in any situation, both on the ground and in the saddle. The demo horse of course calmed down and quickly learned the aids and was even doing a few beginning steps of piaffe at the end of the session, but he did not take the horse into a new situation to show whether or not it works in a new venue…..but…since it was only one lesson, I would say it is not and ingrained pattern any ways so, really I guess there is no use in trying it. Who know what might be on the next dvd. Because of his understanding of the timing of the aids, when and where to tap the horse….this was a very logical progression to the Piaffe steps and also the Jambet, which will easily become the spanish walk. I also liked his stick because I can see how it would be less offensive to the horse while working on porcupine game. I have seen the Jambet taught by a few other trainers and I was not in love with their more aggressive style, so this was much more to my liking.

He is also clearly a French Classical Dressage Student, not a German one and he makes that very clear, but not in a rude or condescending way. I found that very refreshing. All in all I liked it, even though I am not sure I agree with the calm down cue thing, I definitely like the other applications of his technique. The lesson is with one horse new to Endo-tapping and it appears to be private with the owner in the back ground asking questions and him explaining things to one student.

I will definitely be getting the second dvd to see more, and possibly getting the Endo-stick too.

Click here for more info about , he apparently has loads of stuff to view if you join his club, but his dvd is reasonably priced at $35 and $45 for the stick. But I can’t tell if the the dvd he has for sale is this dvd that I watched because it has a different picture and title, so I think the one I watched is an older one.
The club price is $25 per month, and there appears to be quite a good number of videos to watch on his website if you are a member.  Lot's of video's in the 'undersaddle' section, including lateral work. 

Click here to read an article by  Dr Cindy Reynolds Ph.D regarding a scientific review of the Endotapping method


Savvy On
Michelle

DVD Review: *** Cavalia

*** Cavalia ***

While it was a 5 star perfomance.....you won'd die without seeing it. so it only gets 3 stars.

I was a little disapointed with this dvd, mainly because it just made me want to see it in person, so I could see the whole thing rather than just what the camera was pointed.  It appears to be quite a show, moving and awe inspiring.  Lots of drama, flair and style.  Beautiful horses, beautiful people.....Beautiful imagery and horsemanship combined with death defying acts of acrobatics.  I would be rich if I had a dollar for every time my husband heard me say...WOW!  There were a few behind the scenes...scenes, but not a a whole lot.  Anyways, you won't be disapointed watching it...that's for sure....unless like me....it just makes you want MORE!

If you have no way of going to a tour stop.....this is the next best thing!

Click here for more info on Cavalia...such as tour stops to see it LIVE

Savvy On
Michelle

DVD Review: *** Michelle Dennis ~ Firehorse Inspirations

*** Firehorse Inspirations


Well the title says it all. This is not an educational dvd, but it most definitely is inspirational. Kinda like being at Parelli tour stop. Basically she created it so that people could see what is possible with horses and to inspire you to do more, and the dvd sales help to support the rescue horses in her care. It took her years of filming to gather all the stuff in her dvd and she works with horses mostly at liberty in a wide open field or she rides them bridles or with a home made bridle. She works with up to 7 horses at liberty in this wide open space and I have to say I am quite impressed with her skills. It is well worth the watch that is for sure, especially if you need some inspiration to know…..the sky is not the limit…only your imagination is. It is a joy to see her horses work together as a team and as a herd. You will not be disappointed if that is the kind of thing you are looking for.

Click here for more info about Michelle Dennis

Savvy On
Michelle

DVD Review: 0 stars ~ Michael Bevilacqua ~ Unlocking Learning....

Unlocking Learning and Creating the Relationship
 ~ by Michael Bevilacqua

0 Stars.....SKIP IT !!!

He lost me at "Hello"

I hate having to give bad reviews, but this could quite possibly be the worst horse educational dvd since the inception of the vcr.  So as always, I remind you....This is MY opinion ONLY and by all means, please review it yourself...but when you get done with.....don't come crying to me, because All I will say is “I told you so”.

I am sitting here trying to remember what not only made me want to rent this dvd, but also why I placed it so quickly to the top of my rental que, because I can’t recall ever having heard of this guy before. So, I did a google search. And it quickly became apparent why. He is supposedly one of Alexander Nevzorov’s top students, if not THE top student. So I guess I figured there would be lots of insight into the NHE School (Nevzorov Haute Ecole). While he seems to have some good thoughts on this dvd….those I could stand to listen to and not fast forward thru…..let me just say…..this is a home made dvd with the lowest production quality I have ever seen, and despite how intelligently some people may be able to write, this does NOT necessarily translate into speaking skills. It was torturous to watch, mainly because I felt for the guy, as I am not a very good public speaker myself….though I’d like to think I am better than that. He was constantly just stopping and staring………. looking for his next thought.

Mostly he talked about getting in touch with nature etc…..so when I couldn’t take any more, I thought I would just fast forward to some horsemanship and see what this guy could do with horses…..there was only one or two VERY short video clips. The rest was just snapshots. Now mind you, I have seen all of Alexander’s dvd’s, and while I think he is a bit out there and extremist (so much so that now he no longer advocates riding horses at ALL)….his dvd’s were top quality and his work with horses speaks for itself. He absolutely does do the Haute Ecole at liberty and ridden and does it beautifully so. He may be a pompous ass, arrogant and rude….but he is a horse master and produces a beautiful relationship that cannot be denied. I have also read and studied his website, so I am familiar with his views on horsemanship as a whole…….so…..I would think that his TOP student would be recognizable as that…..not once while watching Michael’s dvd, did I think he was more than just some dude, who decided one day, he would make a dvd about his ‘thoughts’ on horses. I don’t recall him stating he was affiliated with NHE….but then again….I fast forwarded thru quite a bit. I do not know if he is still affiliated with them or not.

So anyways, nearest I can tell, based on what HE chose to ‘showcase’ on his dvd….the only thing he repeatedly showed was a horse doing the Jambet and a few steps of Spanish walk. Other than that, the video clips just showed him ‘attempting’ to do something…such as LEAD a horse at liberty with a Cordeo, and his horse NOT wanting to do it, and him letting the horse just walk away when he wanted. Apparently the horses don’t HAVE to do ANYthing. And I am OK with that philosophy….but when you are attempting to glean MONEY for an EDUCATIONAL dvd……showing next to nothing….????

To what reasons do you give ME….that I should give YOU…..MY………..MONEY???? I would expect to see some thing you can do. At some point, you have to be able to catch it on camera….if not….don’t make a dvd…..stick to books and articles. The whole point of dvd’s are to WATCH something….

To start off, I was feeling really bad that I was needing to write a negative review, but, before I started I did the google seach and when I learned that NHE has quite a niche following….and they are dedicated to the principles so much so, that MY piddly little review is not going to cause a ripple in the pond….so I just want to say….by all means….please see for your self….don’t let MY opnion sway you in the slightest…..just don’t come cryin to me when your done.  And don't expect me to watch volume 2 either....I have NO interest what so ever to slow down and rubber neck to get a better look at the accident.  I have seen what I need to see.

I guess I should feel bad....but seriously.....just like you should have someone 'proof read' you should have someone 'proof view'....and if some one DID do that.....shame on them for not saying something!


Click here for more info on Michael Bevilacqua

Savvy On
Michelle

Check this out, I kinda finished a new page about head positions

Ever wonder what they meant by 'in front of the vertical' or 'on it' or 'behind it'......??
Ever wonder what it looks like when the poll is or isn't the highest point?
Think you see alot of people working a horse on the bit correctly?
Well check out my  new page, link is above, titled
"Poll High, Nose in front of the vertical, FDO"  or click here to get there too

it is still a work in progress, but lots of photo's to learn from and test your eye and knowledge.

Savvy On
Michelle

DVD Review: * Kalman de Jurenak ~ Classical Schooling part 1&2

Hmmm...I could take or leave this dvd.  it has a few good parts and some bad parts.  First, this is regarding German Classical Schooling.  Part 2 had a lovely PSG horse at the very end that was moving like an angel, but....I was not a fan of the rest of it.   Granted part 1 hass a VERY green horse, I feel it can be misleading for the lower end of the dressage population, as the horse is over bent and behind the vertical nearly the entire time. This is, in my book, taboo and needs to be avoided at all cost.  Why?  because of the grotesque deviations from classical schooling in the last 15ys.  You rarely find someone schooling the horse properly with the poll high in front of the vertical.  You either have examples such as this OR a horse crammed back, poll high, nose in front of the vertical, but the underside of his neck is bulging and his back is hollow.  There IS a correct middle ground and it is totally and completely misunderstood.  Demonstrations such as this will give the wrong impression. So, I say steer clear unless you already have the basics well and good under your belt.  In this dvd, the "poll high"  seems to be a far off notion to be achieved toward the end of years of schooling, it is a far off goal, not a principle of the training system.  For this reason, I noticed in the upper level horses, it seemed like they were repeatedly trying to achieve this 'poll high' position only to have the horse fall back to what it has known it's whole riding career.....over bent.  For this reason, I only gave this dvd 1 star, because for me....either poll high IS a principle or it is NOT.  If not....I move on to find someone who does hold it as a the sacred principle it has always been and should always be.  For ME....It is hard enough being at the bottom, failing miserably trying to emulate what is right, I don't need to add emulating doing it wrong into the mix. That's for sure.  For that reason I will not be renting the rest of the series as I have about 200 dvd's in my que right now that I would rather watch.

For more info about Kalman de Jurenak you will need to do a google search yourself, because I could not find a website for him.

Savvy On
Michelle

DVD Review: **** Kathy Morelli ~ Understanding the Neck 1

The System ~ Vol 1

I liked this dvd for several reasons, although I have a 'caveat' at the end.  First it is a good quality media production, it is organized well and has wonderful imagery and excellent video's showing what she is describing. She has a great little hand held wire 'demo' horse where she explains how the dorsal ligament works and why being over bent ( behind the vertical, deep, round, hyper-flexed, rol-kur etc ) not only makes it impossible for the horse to engage properly and keep a pure rhythm, but how all that in turn upsets the horse. 

I think anyone playing with 'the game of contact' (GOC) should watch this because this is along the lines of the German Classical schooling, as well as Linda's style of riding.  But I am noticing that the poll is often NOT the highest point most of the time, with people using the 'GOC'.  IMHO, simply because far too many people just truly can't recognize when the poll is not the highest point.  (don't worry, i am working on a page devoted strictly to being able to recognize this)  And I don't think (but wont know till i watch the game of contact dvd's) it is of primary focus in this method.  So this dvd will give you  the examples and reasons why it SHOULD be a primary focus.

Where the dvd falls short for me, is that she is not particularly descriptive in the 'how'.  She definitely gives you the 'what' you should be doing......but doesn't give the nitty gritty details of the 'how'.  at least not on this volume but possibly on the second volume.  She has what she calls 'the system'...ie: the 'what'.....aka: the TASK which is to 

1. lift the head and neck UP via the reins

2. yield the head and neck forward via the reins

3. drive the hind end forward and under via the leg

4. flex and soften the poll laterally

Thru this 'system' you will gain longitudinal flexion and suppleness and this is a sound, solid and proper system to follow.....but here is the caveat I mentioned at the beginning.

....there is not much by way of the "how"...ie: TECHNIQUE

She does demonstrates the 'lifting' technique that she uses which IMHO is a bit too "forceful" for me and I much prefer Phillip Karl's technique which is much MUCH lighter and more effective.  I think this is where being a PNH student and knowing well the porcupine game and having good timing in your release will counter balance this shortcoming.

I also felt at times the tempo of the walk was hurried and quick, and gave the impression of not being truly relaxed....but that is just my opinion.

***** I think this an awesome dvd for Non - NH traditional German method dressage riders, actually a MUST for them, because this is a great way to move out of the 'deep' brainwashing that has been going on for over a decade.  This dvd will lead you out of that 'trap' and bring you back to proper training, create a happy horse and get you higher scores on your tests.

Click Here for more info about Kathy Morellli

Savvy On

Michelle

Just have to share something someone said to me today

Everything in life is temporary.  We often can't see beyond our current set of circumstances to see...that this too, is just temporary.  We humans live in that moment, that's why misery seems to last for ever. 

This too shall pass
Savvy On
Michelle

DVD Review: *** Rashid, Mark ~ Sitting Trot

*** Rashid, Mark ~ Sitting Trot

I was really not sure what to think of this as I started to write my review. As you all know I rent from giddyupflix.com and this particular dvd is VERY popular and I have waited quite a long time to get it. Occasionally I wanted something else really bad when it was available, so moved it down on my que. But none the less I waited a year to watch it. So I was a little disappointed when I finally got to. I think you all also know how much I really like all of his books and other dvds. In fact I have had many a profound revolution thru his teachings….so I guess I was actually REALLY disappointed with this dvd.

Most has nothing to do with the actual educational info…more like….I am not a blue grass hillbilly so I am not a fan of banjo’s……needless to say….there is quite a bit of banjo being played….nothing the volume control on the remote didn’t cure……

Next was the repetitiveness of the material covered….it was just not needed and become….well….repetitive. There was a bit of sound control issues in that it was hard to hear him talk in the segments where he was teaching a clinic……and unfortunately not hard to hear the banjo during the intersections. Half of the dvd was scripted in a nice quiet arena with a microphone and a student on the ground….scripted for the dvd. I wish the whole dvd would have been in this venue. It was easy to see and hear what they were saying and adding the clips at the clinic was just repetitive and did not add any insight to the subject matter. I would have preferred if his student would have just gotten on a horse to demonstrate the actual in the saddle work.

Then he lost points for the fact that the dvd is suppose to be about the sitting trot and quite little was actually directly related to the sitting trot. If you are not aware, Mark is into Aikido and so a lot of his teachings are based around those principles. Which I like. So it is quite possible the beginning of the dvd where it doesn’t seem to be about the sitting trot…..really is helpful info to know. I found it informative so that was good. BUT…..the 3 minutes of the info on the sitting trot needed to have been expanded. In defense of Mark, out of my deep respect for him, it was something I had never heard of before, thus a totally new concept and I cant wait to try it out and report back on how I do, but really, I wish there was more. Yes it was a simple concept, one that really doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation, thus why I think the repetitiveness of it to stretch out the content. But maybe what could have been shown was students actually trying to do this technique and possibly any struggles they faced and how they overcame them. I don’t know…..all I do know is that it was not my favorite dvd, but if the technique actually helps me sit to my bouncy big strided TB mares trot….well then it was definitely worth it. Because in the end, it is the content of information translated into success, that makes a dvd valuable, not the entertainment value. Though I will say…..charisma, like sugar, helps the medicine go down.

So, here I sit, teetering between giving 2 or 3 stars….and in the end, I am giving it 3 stars because I do think it is worth watching, just giving the caveat that YES you will have to filter a lot to get the unique perspective of how to sit the trot….that no one else has ever said before (not that I have heard anyways).

For more info on Mark….Click here

Savvy On
Michelle