Saturday, February 14, 2009

Empowered Horses

(Click on book cover image to view it in a larger format)


I have been given permission to discuss in greater detail the work of a lovely German woman, Imke Spilker, as gifted to us in her book SELBSTBEWUSSTE PFERDE. It is with immense, heartfelt enthusiasm I share here that Empowered Horses / Learning Their Way, Through Independence, Self-Confidence and Creative Play has gone to press and is expected to be available for delivery in April! At long last, Kristina McCormack's English translation of this relationship-altering book is available, thanks to the foresight of the editors at Trafalgar Square in securing the rights to publish it.

I have ordered several advanced copies (including one for you Nancy, and one for you Jean, as promised!)

Here are just a handful of places which already have the book available for pre-ordering:

http://www.horseandriderbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=EMHO&Category_Code=

http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570764131/ref=ord_cart_shr?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB

http://www.amazon.com/Empowering-Horses-Learn-Their-Self-Confidence/dp/1570764131


If you go to the Amazon sites, they offer an excellent glimpse inside the book. In this first Journal of Ravenseyrie entry for February, I hope to give you a heightened feel for this book as well, as I quote from some of the passages I've highlighted in the working draft of the translation which Kris provided me quite some time ago.

Before I begin our virtual thumbing through Empowered Horses, I want to relay why I find this book to be so pivotal in my life, and why I am so keen to have others read and experience it for themselves.

Imke Spilker had an epiphany one day, when--like any other day--she went out to the pasture with the intent to ride her horse. Questions that many of us have begun to ask of ourselves plagued her that fateful day and instead of pushing such questions aside, she felt compelled to sit down and confront them head on. These are the questions she asked herself:

What gives you the right to do what you always do -- punish what you call disobedient -- try to control them -- lay claim to their bodies? What are you doing here? Why do you do that?


We humans have a long history with horses, throughout which we have been culturally shaped into believing that we must always assume leadership and be the dominant partner in our relationship with horses. Such perspectives at best profess to love and care for a horse like a parent tends to a child, and at worst, the assumed role of dominant being leads humans to perpetuate all manner of immoral assaults upon the horse and its liberty as equally as abhorrent as the history of slavery among humans.

Is there a different concept of the horse/human relationship possible--one that does not demean the horse by constantly treating it as an immature child or look upon it as chattel we own and can "use" as we see fit? And if the answer is "yes" how do we go about discovering this new way of being with horses?

My own epiphany was not something I can attribute to a single "pasture moment" like Imke Spilker's, rather mine has been a gradual reflecting upon these questions over years and allowing the answers to emerge through a myriad of mishaps, bumblings and overriding intuition that directed me towards influences that broke free from the pattern of old modes cultural shaping. All fine and good, this gradual epiphany, but I must say it rather left me feeling completely uncertain about how to proceed with carrying on with any form of "horse training" within this new mindset I'd flowered into. Empowered Horses not only provides all that is necessary to go exploring the deep, murky waters where the above questions live so that we can find inspiring, liberating answers, this book also reveals to us how to graft elements of classical horse training onto a relationship built upon "play".

In many ways, what Imke Spilker shares with us in this book is much like what I learned during my study of Nevzorov Haute Ecole (in fact her work along these lines predates his). While both approach the horse from a completely novel mindset and excel at assisting horses in developing authentic natural collection, Imke Spilker does so without finding it necessary to condemn others who may not yet be ready to change their way of thinking about horse/human relationships. Also, Imke Spilker's training is more horse-directed (as in Learning "Their" Way) than is that of Nevzorov Haute Ecole, the latter which imposes restrictions and specific rules which must be adhered to by both human and horse. With the wide-open landscape and semi-wild herd setting here at Ravenseyrie, Imke Spilker's approach to training is much more fitting and achievable for me and (in my opinion) more physically and mentally satisfying for the horses.

So, let's take a look at some of what Imke Spilker has written in Empowered Horses...

Considerations on the horse/human relationship

Horses are defenseless against the encroachment of human beings. To give them a sense of well being in our company, it is important that the relationship is structured so that horses do not feel oppressed by our might, but rather feel empowered by our presence.


If you want to learn to understand the nature of horses, you must approach them in a different way. If you want to have friendly conversations with them, you must meet them on an equal level. Only in that way will you be able to become part of their world, instead of coming as a conqueror, as one who wants to destroy.


A person who seeks to master horses will always resort to instruments of force. But one who understands that he is a guest in the horse' world realizes he has neither the right nor a reason to punish a horse, or to fight him. He does not issue commands, but rather makes an effort to learn something new with and from this animal, and to make his own presence as pleasant as possible to the horse. This basic politeness will change his behavior so radically that he will soon be accepted by the horses without reservation.


Togetherness is the foundation from which everything else proceeds. Togetherness - not hierarchy - puts us on the same level. Togetherness is the prerequisite for influencing each other from within the depths of our beings.


A horse's desires should count just as much as ours do, at least if we are talking about partnership and friendship. I do not enjoy feeling like a slave overseer among my horses. And we cannot be speaking of genuine unity if I must coerce them into it. Let us turn the question around: Would you have fun at something to which you were forcefully dragged? Why even consider applying this pressure to my horse or myself? These days no one and nothing demands that we must ride. Instead of forcing my horse, I will sit in the grass and play with my dog, or think of something else to do.


Freedom - this feeling comes from within and so can hardly be identified by external trappings. A halter or a bridle can mean to my horse, "Oh no! I'm going to be annoyed again' or "Great! Now we'll finally get going! I've waited all day for you!" We must know how our horse is feeling and how he perceives a situation or thing before we can characterize him as "free". How does the horse feel as he is doing whatever-it-is? Can he find a way out? Does he have a choice, a genuine alternative?


Considerations on developing a new dialogue

Free space is what creates the possibility of a true dialog. The horse can leave or he can come, he can say "yes" or "no". We want the horse to sense his freedom, to feel it to realize it...the horse may, should and must be able to decide for himself freely, because it is only from a freely made decision that our very special kind of relationship can grow. We want to share pride, joy and time together with the horse, not force ourselves upon him.


There are many different ways to get a horse to comply with our wishes. What distinguishes them is the attitude and feelings of the participants. How is my horse doing with this? Why am I doing what I am doing? Does this action have anything to do with my horse, any meaning in the good sense of the word? Meaningless actions on the part of the person are a sure way to quickly lose a horse's motivation. Who among us enjoys being ordered around?


Recognizing the value of play

It is here, in the balance of the relationship between man and horse, that we find the beginnings of play. The equality of the partners is the basic requirement for fairness - the same opportunities and rights for all players. Our playing can be truly carefree only when things are fair.


If a person truly wants to play with a horse and relate to him as a partner, he must adhere to rules the two of them have both agreed upon. Otherwise the horse remains a plaything, a toy which the person merely uses to play out his own game.


Playing lets us grow closer because it overcomes differences - even when they are as great as between man and horse...Play removes the distance between us and lets us become one. We get a glimpse into the other's world of thoughts - even if the other is an animal - because play conquers even the boundaries between species.


Considerations on playful work

Working together, working 'with', a horse is something different. I do not have an ideal form in mind into which I will try to mold my horse. After all, this is a living being standing here with me, not lifeless "material" that can and my be worked on as I please. The art of horsemanship as I understand it can only be an art dedicated to horses and must serve them, instead of human ambition, performance, or the entertainment of the masses. What we want is for a good enough connection to exist between person and horse so that understanding and harmony rule. We want a hierarchy-free, joyful atmosphere - the same atmosphere that exists when we play together. Only under these conditions can I offer a horse something new: aids that are truly helpful, and working with him, not on him. "Is there something you would like to improve? Are you perhaps not feeling well there?" From play we draw forth the energy and the self-confidence to confront such sore points. A horse needs courage for this, even perhaps, enthusiasm.
There is much that I have to leave for you to read from the book itself, these are just a few of the many incredible insights contained in this book. Also, I have run out of time and am not able to highlight some of the exercises Imke Spilker has learned from the horses which facilitate greater freedom, proud and lofty balance and the joy of expression, and anyhow, these things are better viewed in the book with the benefit of the excellent and detailed photos she shares of how her horses came to develop these exercises and the changes they have brought to the horses way of movement and pleasure in "working".

First we learn from this book how to change ourselves, and from that we learn from the horses how best to proceed into new ways of interaction, better ways of developing communication which lead to explorations of better carriage and movement...all throughout which we are guided and measured by the horses' responses, as Imke notes, "The nicest thing about this work is that we finally have a pure, incorruptible standard for evaluating the quality of our actions: our horse's approval. His enthusiasm grows, he becomes more and more madly eager to move, to collect, he takes over the arena...all showing me that my work cannot be so very wrong."

This is the gift of learning "their" way, this is the splendor of Empowered Horses!

9 comments:

Kris McCormack said...

Hi Lynne,

Your enthusiasm for this labor of love is just bursting off the page. Thank you!

I had sent Imke the link to your blog again so that she could see your enthusiastic recommendation of Empowered Horses.

She asked me to send you her regards (and thank you not only for this write-up, but for your early support with moving this project along).

Imke also commented on your Sorraia Presserve. She finds what you are doing very exciting, and shared that it has been a long time dream of hers to give the horses of mid-Europe a life more in tune with nature. She is working on one such project with a nature preservation group in the Black Forest, but even with that group there are still many restrictions.

(Imke also mentioned that a veterinarian from the Munich area named Michael Schaefer (that's actually an a with an umlaut, not "ae") had Sorraia horses. Apparently he wrote some books in the 70's on horse care and management. Imke did not say anything else about him, but I thought you'd be interested in that bit of information.)

Back to the horses, Imke mentioned how different they are and become when they are given ample space to roam, live in family groups, and can be independent of human beings much of the time. (The importance of the family groups is something Carolyn Resnick stresses as well, hence her support of the Mustang sanctuary "Return to Freedom" which enables the horses to live that way.)

Clearly my comment is way off the topic of the book... but at least it is in tune with the content of your blog. :-) Thank you for your enthusiasm for this amazing book, and for helping to get it known. I'm hoping it will open more than a few human hearts.

Best,
Kris

Lynne Gerard said...

Kris, thank you for sharing Imke's comments here in the blog. I for sure know of Dr. Michael Schaefer. In the 1970's he imported some of d'Andrade's Sorraias to establish a satellite breeding herd in Germany. It was the first exportation of Sorraias since the preservation efforts were begun in the 1930's. Dr. Schaefer died in 2001, I'm not sure what the status of his herd is today, but there are quite a few others in Germany carrying on small breeding programs for Sorraias.

I have one of Schaefer's books which was translated to English, titled, THE LANGUAGE OF THE HORSE / Habits and Forms of Expressions. You would like it, its filled with photos of horses with commentary on what their expressions reveal.

Here are some other titles:
Die Sprache des Pferdes: Lebensweise, Verhalten, Ausdrucksformen (Gebundene Ausgabe)

Handbuch Pferdebeurteilung (Gebundene Ausgabe)



Here's something I found on him:
Dr. Michael Schäfer – namhafter deutscher Tierarzt, der im Jahr 2001 verstarb – und seine Frau haben 1975 eine kleine Herde Sorraias nach Deutschland gebracht und dort eine Zucht aufgebaut. Sie ist in Europa die wertvollste Zucht dieser Rasse. Eine Zusammenarbeit mit Portugal wäre hier sehr angebracht, ist aber zurzeit nur eingeschränkt möglich.

Außer den Schäfers gibt es in Deutschland nur eine geringe Anzahl von Sorraia-Züchtern. Die meisten besitzen nur wenige Pferde. In ganz Deutschland gibt es zurzeit ca. 60 reinrassige Sorraia-Pferde. Leider hat sich bis heute in Europa keine Organisation wirkungsvoll für den Schutz der Sorraias eingesetzt.

In Portugal gibt es einige Züchter, die noch Sorraia-Pferde züchten. Diese sind aber kaum in der Lage, den notwendigen Schritt zu unternehmen und für die Sorraias ein Reservat aufzubauen. Dies ist der Anlass für die Gründung des Projekts zur Rettung der Sorraia-Urwildpferde.

Well, here I am very much off the topic of this particular journal entry, too!

I have a good feeling that Imke's book will find an appreciative audience with the English speaking horse folk. Thank you SO much for translating this book Kris, so we all can learn a much more beneficial way to be with horses.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lynn,
Thank you so much for sharing these pieces of the book. I am one of many who has been eagerly waiting it's release!
I recently shared your blog with a woman in France who is importing Spanish Mustangs for breeding. Everyone who I have told about your blog has expressed how much they enjoy it. Personally for me it is my little escape to come and read here. I feel connected to your little herd, and love to see and hear about life at Ravenseyrie.

Sincerely,
Leah

Lynne Gerard said...

Leah,
How terrific of you to leave a comment regarding this blog entry. I'm so glad to know that you've been eagerly awaiting the release of EMPOWERED HORSES, and I'm sure you will not be disappointed.

Thank you also for sharing that a lady in France is importing some Spanish Mustangs, which must seem rather an exotic thing for that region of Europe. How delightful! Has she made her selections from the Cayuse Ranch? Quite some time ago I had stumbled across some photos from the haute ecole school Bartabas has been running in France (cannot remember where exactly)...one of the photos showed several Sorraia horses being exhibited in hand. I seem to recall Hardy Oelke telling me there had been a few Sorraias exported to France, though not for breeding, if I am right in my recollection.

Anyhow, your comments warmed me greatly, Leah...thank you for keeping up on the Journal of Ravenseyrie. Let me know what you think about Imke Spilker's book when you are able to get your copy.

Martha Cook said...

Hi Lynne,
Many thanks for spreading the word about Imke's work and EMPOWERED HORSES! I'm bookmarking your blog so I can follow as other people discover EMPOWERED HORSES. I'm writing from the book's publisher Trafalgar Square Books. If any of your readers would like to join our e-mail list at www.horseandriderbooks.com, they will be eligible for a special discount and advance notice of EMPOWERED HORSES and other new publications.

Anonymous said...

I don´t think you can compare A. Nevzorov with I. Spilker. I have heard that Nevzorov isolates his horses to eliminate their "primitive herd instincts", thus establishing the necessary energy level for his horsetraining.

Couldn´t that be considered as a very "insidious" form of abuse?

I. Spilker´s approach is by far deeper based - with no kind of any "esoteric touch" whatsoever ...

Sharing Spilker´s decision to abstain from any form of “dominance” over ones horse has far-reaching consequences indeed. There are some awe-inspiring examples in her book:

Passaro (first german edition, 2000, pages 81-83, “Passaro und sein Sitzspiel”. See index in the english edition.) She describes how they literally flee from the outbursts of fury of this highly traumatized horse who cannot stand any act of human influence. On the other hand he wants his human back for he begins to feel that all she wants is to serve him. So he himself invents the „sitting game“ to „cool down“ and make himself unimpressive.

Another example of a really empowered horse: “Maximilian Donnerkeil” (first german edition, 2000, pages 141- 143, „Wir nannten ihn Donnerkeil“. Look for Max „Thunderclap“ in the index of the english edition – according to amazon preview.)

Imke Spilker sums up her demanding therpeutic work with him in the following sentence: „Er hat mich eingeschüchtert und ausgenommen.“ (Page 143) „He intimidated me and ripped me off.“

Standing firmly by her belief, she finally reaps what she sowed ...

Lynne Gerard said...

Anonymous wrote:
"I don´t think you can compare A. Nevzorov with I. Spilker."

In my opinion its quite appropriate to compare the two...they have more in common with each other than they do with the traditionalists or the "natural horsmanship" trainers.

Having said that, A. Nevzorov and I. Spilker each come at this bringing their own nuances of "set and setting", which I made mention of in this journal entry, but will paste here as well:
"
In many ways, what Imke Spilker shares with us in this book is much like what I learned during my study of Nevzorov Haute Ecole (in fact her work along these lines predates his). While both approach the horse from a completely novel mindset and excel at assisting horses in developing authentic natural collection, Imke Spilker does so without finding it necessary to condemn others who may not yet be ready to change their way of thinking about horse/human relationships. Also, Imke Spilker's training is more horse-directed (as in Learning "Their" Way) than is that of Nevzorov Haute Ecole, the latter which imposes restrictions and specific rules which must be adhered to by both human and horse. With the wide-open landscape and semi-wild herd setting here at Ravenseyrie, Imke Spilker's approach to training is much more fitting and achievable for me and (in my opinion) more physically and mentally satisfying for the horses."


Anonymous wrote:
"Imke Spilker sums up her demanding therpeutic work with him in the following sentence: „Er hat mich eingeschüchtert und ausgenommen.“ (Page 143) „He intimidated me and ripped me off.“

This account is on page 136 of the English translation and reads:
"During this whole phase I did nothing to oppose or 'correct' this horse, rather I did what was in my power to support, appease, and reinforce him. During our 'conversations' in the arena, I served, soothed and admired Max. He intimidated and 'mugged' me. But I knew that he knew that I knew. We acted 'as if'--yet at the same time, it was very a serious situation for both of us. After quite some time of expressing his rage, attacking every perceived 'enemy' by striking out with his forelegs, Max reverted to conscious enjoyment of the pure movement, his anger now replaced with a regal calm."

Anonymous wrote:
"I have heard that Nevzorov isolates his horses to eliminate their "primitive herd instincts", thus establishing the necessary energy level for his horsetraining."

It is my understanding that the Nevzorov horses each have separate areas, but with full view of each other. Certainly not spacious pastures with the capacity to mingle together and engage in normal horse to horse relations. And during a schooling session they certainly are "isolated" in the manege.

A photo of Imke and Maximilian shows them isolated together in an indoor manege during the early sessions, and later they move to the outdoor manege. Most of the session with her horses occur in the controlled environment of the outdoor manege (often with other horses eagerly watching from the sidelines).

It seems a valuable tool to be able to have "one on one" time, in a controlled setting...something both Nevzorov and Imke Spilker make use of.

I can attest that highly focused training is best achieved in such an "isolated" setting, though some interactions and training can work splendidly well out among a "primitive" herd setting. The problem I have found with attempting any serious training within a herd setting is not so much that the equine pupil loses focus, but that the other horses interrupt whatever it is we might be doing.

Anonymous said...

Dear Lynne,

I stick to my estimation. These similarities are only superficial. The "spirit of their heart" is absolutely different. There is no comparison between the two.

Kind regards

Norbert Balk
Verónica-Punta Indio
Argentina

Lynne Gerard said...

Norbert Balk, thank you for sharing again your perception, of which it seems you have cemented your assurance upon.

I appreciate, also, that you "signed" your name.


Back when I was participating in the Nevzorov forum, it was always my hope that after he had examined everything he could about "the horse is an exact science" he would then begin to explore them with his heart in a non-linear manner.

Masanobu Fukuoka has written, "Suppose that a scientist wants to understand nature. He may begin by studying a leaf, but as his investigation progresses down to the level of molecules, atoms, and the elementary particles, he loses sight of the original leaf."

In some ways, Nevzorov has lost sight of the original leaf when he proclaims "The Horse is an Exact Science", but he cannot be too far away since he also makes a primary motto out of, "The Horse is Always Right", and this is something he shares with Imke Spilker, or so it seems to me.

For my part...I will continue to follow the work of both Spilker and Nevzorov, always with my primitive horses and wild landscape leading me to some new realm of horse/human relationships.

Again, thank you, Norbert, for reading the blog and taking time to share your perception.