Melanie Bulmahn
Teaching
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Dressage training according to the Ecole de Légèreté
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Seat lessons
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Training from the ground: ground work, lungeing, work in hand
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Relationship training based on ethology and learning theory
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Jumping (as an advanced gymnastics)
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Liberty work (only with a good existing basis)
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Rehabilitation (in cooperation with other therapists)
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Horse analysis (conformation assessment, gait analysis, mobility testing of the joints, osteopathy)
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Theory lectures
Equestrian vita
“Every horse and every person is unique. Environment, personal history, physical abilities, diseases and other factors affect humans and horses alike. Thus, only a bespoke training that takes these influences into account can do justice to each horse–rider pair. For me, there is no dividing line between good classical riding and good horsemanship.
A good relationship and communication with the horse are just as important to me as providing the horse with some health-promoting gymnastics that enable it to easily bear the rider’s weight.”
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Sat on horseback before she could walk
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As a child and teenager, training in dressage, quadrille and jumping with instructors of the German Equestrian Federation (FN)
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Classical baroque riding
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Western riding, including competition
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2001–today: Training according to the philosophy of Légèreté of Philippe Karl
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2007–2010: Basic training course of the Ecole de Légèreté
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2012–2015: Studies at the holistic equine health centre Equo Vadis, qualification: Horse Expert Therapist (“Pferdefachtherapeutin”) with focus on equine rehabilitation training and osteopathy
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Since 2016: Studies of equitation science at Equitation Science International (Dr. Andrew McLean): ethology, learning theory, biomechanics and practical lessons for in-hand work and riding
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Since 2016: Master Teacher of the Ecole de Légèreté
How and why I came to riding in Légèreté with Philippe Karl
When I first saw Philippe Karl in a clinic in 2001, I was thrilled, because he was the first instructor I had seen who catered to each horse individually and the first who insisted that the training of the horse needed to be there for the horse. The exercises were tailored to the needs of each horse and not to any upcoming competition. I suddenly remembered why I had started riding in the first place – because of the horses. And so I immediately changed my way of riding and thinking.
For me, Légèreté absolutely respects the horse. It complies with the latest findings in behavioural science, which I have direct access to through the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) and Equitation Science International. It follows the ethical principles on horse training, which exclude coercion and any form of force. It also follows no dogmas, but concurs with the current knowledge in equitation science, without excluding the experience of old and new riding masters.
My own wonderful experiences with the philosophy of Légèreté all over the world convince me time and again that I am on the right track. In any case, to repeatedly challenge one’s own convictions in order to steadily improve corresponds to the “classical” way of thinking. And if we listen to the horses and do not put ourselves above them, we learn more than we thought we’d ever know.