Dressage Disgrace’s teleseminar with Klaus Hempfling on Rollkur was illuminating – it is important that we have these conversations, and I would like to thank Mark from Dressage Disgrace for making this conversation possible.
Photo courtesy of Klaus Hempfling (KFH Archives) http://www.hempfling.com/
What did Klaus say?
Klaus said that the dignity of the horse is lost, his sight is hampered and respiration is hindered when in Rollkur. He noted that if we were to beat a cat or dog, it would not be considered acceptable, but that hitting horses is perfectly legal in most countries.
The control of the horse’s neck has proven a very successful and speedy way to control a horse, and is also used a lot in show jumping; that this form of neck control is mostly used ‘without empathy’.
The majority of horses that are coming to Klaus are ‘depressed’. He thinks that it is a reflection of society and how humans have ‘lost themselves’. He says that a second reason is that in horse whispering and dressage circles
the psychological level of the horse is being brought down, breaking the soul of the horse; there is no light, no magic in the horse; he has lost his dignity, is in permanent panic, and is scarred for life, because there is no way out
In some natural horsemanship practises he sees horses are ‘giving up’, as an antelope does to the lion in a predator/prey relationship when he can do no more to escape.
Sadly Klaus doesn’t have too much hope for horses that have been ridden using Rollkur. He says it is nearly impossible to restore the horse’s internal ‘fire’. Although recognising that he has a special gift, he says horses like this are
typically lost, they are half-killed
It may be possible to bring the life back to the horse, but it takes a lot of time; Klaus sometimes has to tell people that they should never ride their horse again, because the horse will ‘die again’ when the saddle goes on.
What are the alternatives?
Klaus advocates that we should open our eyes to see the reality, that indeed reality is more often not seen by those closest to the horse, but instead by the observers who may see it clearly.
Watch the world with your eyes, see the natural horse, and his typical balance – the balance is very different between native horse breeds such as the French Camargue or Haflinger with short, bulky necks and jaws, than the very different composition warmblood horses.
Go out and look at horses, he says – look at your horse, look at photos. The build of the horse dictates how the horse has evolved or been bred to ride; for example the Spanish horse needs the reins to feel that he hasn’t been deserted. Klaus uses a cavesson halter, vibrating the rein softly, and with a loose contact, he says ’the horse knows I am here’. Klaus says that to forget the reins (e.g. suggest the horse needs no reins at all) is quite wrong for some breeds, and that you must instead bring yourself to the suitable level to ride them.
Klaus himself uses two systems of riding – ‘natural riding’ (his favourite) on one style of horse – the stronger, more naturally evolved horse, but horses bred ‘with another set of skills’ with reins.
It is evident that Klaus has a true empathy of what it could be to be a horse, to respond to the world in the horse’s way, a view that challenges our anthropocentric view and leaves us feeling pretty uncomfortable. Like many uncomfortable experiences, it is a call to move to the next level of realisation and change.
www.DressageDisgrace.com has made the Hempfling Rollkur discussion available of this discussion.
To find out more about Klaus Hampfling’s work, go to www.hempfling.com
While we are teaching the horse, what is he teaching us?
Questions to a horseman…