News
July 2010Philippe Karl at EQUITANA Melbourne
Philippe Karl will be a guest at EQUITANA Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 November 2010. He will be showing his School of Légèreté in lessons with two horses and riders. |
July 2010Meeting with the FN called off
The meeting between Philippe Karl and the German FN, planned for 30 august 2010, was unexpectedly called off by the FN – without any alternative date being proposed. |
April 2010Applications for the teachers' courses in Australia, Canada, Denmark, the UK and South Africa
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10 February 2010FEI: Rollkur/hyperflexion forbidden, LDR acceptableOn 9 February 2010, 20 FEI experts declared the Rollkur controversy resolved. Their conclusion: Rollkur/hyperflexion ist unacceptable, "Low, Deep and Round" (as stated in the first version of the FEI press release) or "Long, Deep and Round" (second version of the FEI press release) however is acceptable. The only question is: how do you know the difference?Philippe Karl's comment on the FEI statement: "The FEI has bravely decided to make no decision at all. Rollkur isn't officially permitted, but the same posture persists under another name (LDR). The rules haven't changed and everything will go on as before, in the most perfect hypocrisy. But we're not giving up yet; rather, we will continue to fight against this catastrophe." Many thanks to everyone who raised their voice against Rollkur by signing one of the many petitions such as www.no-rollkur.com! |
4 December 2009Teachers' course projects in Denmark and the UK
Dear applicants, |
September 2009Reforms of the FN rules: decisive progress!
In reaction to Philippe Karl's second statement on reforms of the FN rules, the FN proposed a meeting in which both parties will present their conceptions of equitation and discuss their similarities and differences. |
July 2009More than 10 000 signatures for reforms of the FN rules!Since the launch of Philippe Karl's petition calling for concrete changes of the FN rules, more than 10 000 people from all over the world have expressed their support by adding their name to the list!The answer of the FN to the proposed reforms was disappointing. Read here Philippe Karl's latest statement, which was sent to the FN on 29 July. |
May 2009Petition: Reforms of the FN rulesIn a letter he sent to the German Equestrian Federation (FN) at the end of March 2009, Philippe Karl proposed a number of changes of the FN rules.If you wish, you can express your support for such reforms by adding your name here. Thank you! |
March 2009Ready, steady, go!
Riders interested in participating in the new teachers' courses of the School of Légèreté, one of which could be created in England in Northamptonshire, can submit their application until 31 October 2009. All the information concerning the programme of the three-year teachers' course and the required application documents can be found here. |
March 2009Philippe Karl at the Equitana horse fair 2009Philippe Karl attended this year's Equitana horse fair in Essen, Germany, from 14 to 17 March 2009. In his presentations, he demonstrated his philosophy of Légèreté with unknown horse–rider couples. He analysed their work, rode the horses himself and pointed out solutions to their problems.In addition, the fair provided the opportunity to establish new contacts and intensify existing ones, for instance with the former trainer of the German national dressage team, Klaus Balkenhol, and the veterinarian Gerd Heuschmann. We would like to thank Mrs. Waltraud Böhmke from Belum, the stud Kempke Hof in Plaaz near Güstrow, the stud Rahmannshof in Essen and Mrs. Katja Schulte from Winterberg for kindly providing the horses for the demonstrations. |
January 2009“Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage” to be published in six languagesPhilippe Karl's book “Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage” has been published in German, English, French, Spanish and Czech. The Italian translation is in preparation. |
November 2008Event of the year 2009:
On 21 november 2009 at 10:00, the Niedersachsenhalle in Verden an der Aller (Germany) will open its doors for two prominent critics of modern riding methods: Dr. Gerd Heuschmann and Philippe Karl. In this joint seminar featuring interactive lectures and live demonstrations, they will explain the principles of classical riding in theory and practice – from the point of view of the veterinarian and the riding master. |
September 2008Clinic dates 2009The new dates for the ongoing teachers' courses and the advanced training courses for licensed teachers, which are open for listeners, can be found here. |
July 2008Meeting with Dr. Gerd HeuschmannAt the end of June, Dr. Gerd Heuschmann and Philippe Karl met for the first time for a long-awaited exchange. Gerd Heuschmann, a veterinarian from Warendorf, Germany, came to one of the advanced training courses for the riding instructors of the School of Légèreté founded by French riding master Philippe Karl. During a private dinner and the following day of the clinic, the two prominent critics of modern riding methods had the opportunity to explain their respective views and fathom out their similarities. With great success:“Gerd Heuschmann is a sympathetic, open-minded and above all very courageous man, whose fight for the welfare of horses I admire very much. As a vet, he is unprejudiced and honestly interested in other riding philosophies. He is the first from the circle of the German FN to make an effort to get acquainted with the philosophy of the School of Légèreté and its practical realization, instead of judging it from a distance. I sincerely hope that we will be able to further intensify our exchange,” Philippe Karl concluded after the meeting. Gerd Heuschmann also expressed his enthusiasm at this first exchange. Shortly before he left, he declared in front of the riders and listeners of the clinic: “In Philippe Karl, I met one of the few classical riding masters of our time. Here, I have seen horses which are truly schooled according to classical principles and ridden in a way that respects their nature. The way in which you, the students of the ‘School of Légèreté’, put this riding philosophy into practice and carry it out into the world also deserves the highest praise. I wish you every conceivable success. For we must propagate the classical riding principles again – we owe it to the horses!” Gerd Heuschmann and Philippe Karl hope to be able to explain and demonstrate the principles of classical riding in theory and practice – from the point of view of the veterinarian and the riding master – to a larger public within a joint seminar some time in the future. During the advanced training course at the end of June, the audience saw both licensed riding teachers of the School of Légèreté with very different horses they had schooled themselves, and three guest riders who took lessons with Philippe Karl for the first time. This combination offered an interesting insight into the philosophy of the School of Légèreté – from the very first steps within this system up to horses on a high level performing not only all lateral movements, flying changes, piaffe, Spanish walk and sometimes passage, but of course also correct neck extension. On top of this, the School of Légèreté is open for all kinds of horses: that weekend, the audience witnessed the training of two Holsteiners, two Lipizzans, two Friesians, an Arabian and one horse described as “the first of his race”. Philippe Karl has been a member of the Cadre Noir, the French elite riding school in Saumur, for 13 years. As an passionate riding teacher, he passes on his philosophy of Légèreté in clinics all over Europe. Since 2004, he has been especially dedicated to the training of riding instructors within his School of Légèreté. Philippe Karl is the author of several books and videos. In his latest book “Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage”, he severely criticises today’s dressage methods and suggests an alternative. Further information on Philippe Karl, including the dates and contacts for the advanced training courses that are open for the general public can be found on this website. Dr. Gerd Heuschmann is a veterinarian specialized in horses and very much in demand as a lecturer. In his seminars, he vividly and intelligibly explains the biomechanical background on which the classical riding principles are based. In his book “Tug of War,” Gerd Heuschmann identifies wrong developments in today’s riding sport and explains how incorrect training methods can affect a horse’s health and well-being. Further information on Gerd Heuschmann, his work as a veterinarian and lecturer can be found at www.gerdheuschmann.com. The English versions of the books of Gerd Heuschmann and Philippe Karl can be ordered via www.pferdia.de. |
April 2008Philippe Karl at the HansePferd fair 2008From 17 to 20 April 2008, Philippe Karl and six of his riders presented the School of Légèreté at the HansePferd fair in Hamburg. The programme included a total of four half-hour presentations: two commented shows with two riders each in the small training ring (flexions, work in hand and under the saddle), a lecture on questions selected from the audience and a commented show featuring all six riders in the big show arena. The riders were:Birgit Beck-Broichsitter with her Holsteiner mare Evita,These six very different horses were all schooled or re-schooled by the riders themselves. It was the first time that they took part in a show in such a big arena in front of a large audience. All six horses demonstrated the complete programme of lateral movements in walk, trot and canter, as well as extensions, flying changes, piaffe, passage and Spanish walk according to their various training levels. Of course, the programme also included correct neck extension and a very important exercise, especially in such exciting surroundings in front of 5000 people: the quiet halt on long reins as a break and means to praise the horse between two series of exercises. |
October 2007Honorary members of the School of LégèretéThe School of Légèreté now also has several honorary members. This distinction is awarded to people who are especially committed to the School of Légèreté and promote its propagation. The list of honorary members can be found here. |
September 2007Meeting of Christoph Hess and Philippe KarlIn summer 2007, Sibylle Wiemer and Claudia Sanders of the magazine “Dressur-Studien” organized a meeting between Christoph Hess, head of the instruction department of the German Equestrian Federation (FN), and Philippe Karl. They discussed their respective viewpoints openly and without mincing matters, in an animated debate followed by practical demonstrations on different horses and riders in the arena. Thanks to the coverage of the event in the magazine “Dressur-Studien” and the DVD produced by Pferdia TV, everybody gets the chance to form his/her own opinion about: what is really classical?The magazine (in German) and the DVD (in German and English) can be ordered at www.dressur-studien.de or www.pferdia.de. |
May 2007First exam of the riding instructors of the School of LégèretéIn early 2007, the first riding teachers of the School of Légèreté (2004 to 2007) took their final examination. The presented performances were judged with goodwill, but without compromises. In total, 33 riders took the exam, with 23 of them passing it successfully.The success rate was thus around 69%. The majority of those who failed the exam decided to go on with their training in order to repeat the exam at a later date. After this first series of examinations to become riding instructor of the School of Légèreté, all the participants agreed on the necessity of further training. These advanced training courses will last three years, comprising three three-day clinics per year. At any moment, the riding teachers will be allowed to present the exam again if they wish to reach a higher qualification level. After these three years, the instructors of the School will have to present their horses and students again once a year on a further training course . (Addition to the regulations of the teachers' course of the School of Légèreté) Philippe Karl |