INK - IMPRINTING NEURO-KINESIOLOGY By Michel Kaplan
This is an unedited version of an article originally posted in 1996 & 1998
in Beau Geste's B G S O A R newsletter.
Copy or use by permission only
Copy or use by permission only
INK - IMPRINTING NEURO-KINESIOLOGY
By Michel Kaplan
INK is a doctrine with an "imprinting" label. Traditionally, when any idea or any message is printed in "ink" it is here to stay; it is here to be remembered; it has made a permanent impact on its readers' mind. We hope this label will have the same effect on you. We are aware that today's communication, evolution and revolution have made the readers, the listeners, and the viewers, to become wise and wary about the information they receive. The readers of today do not always take for granted everything printed in "ink," or in any multimedia form of communication. People, hopefully use their judgement to discern between the good and the bad, the truth and the lies, logic and pretense. We certainly hope that this is true for you. Our writings are meant to stimulate you to use your judgement. Read, and think! Observe, and validate
The assistance of Doctor Centaur has been a great help. Together, we have formulated the principles that make INK a valid doctrine. With the people’s growing knowledge and awareness of INK, it may become conscientiously applied to help any individual, human, equine, or other animal, experience well-being in normal life and receive support for athletic performances. The awareness of INK and the understanding of the positive "imprint" mechanism are indispensable for the permanent restoration of well-being and natural health. This is unequivocally true, independently of the techniques a therapist may choose to cure a sentient being or a trainer to help athletes to perform their best.
We take advantage of the fashionable use of acronyms to refer to the many applications of INK and help you memorize them. You may find it playing an important role for all cures in the kind of therapy based on ‘Imprinting Neuro-Kinesiology’, THINK, as well as for all the basic equestrian training or Dressage techniques, DRINK. The classical method of training horses makes a distinction between Basic Dressage and Advanced Dressage or Haute-Ecole: Basic Dressage being a technique used to develop balance and suppleness of all horses and all equestrian disciplines. Advanced Dressage, the performance of movements that include "airs-on-the-ground" like passage and piaffe that are included in International Level Dressage competitions; while Haute-Ecole covering "airs-above-the-ground", is mostly seen in artistic demonstrations. All these movements and even some acrobatic movements, favored by circus performers to please the public, are analyzed to show their therapeutic "imprinting" values. In the case of equestrian achievements, the awareness of INK is indispensable to help a talented Ecuyer in seeking brilliant performances of horses. It precludes the use of force and helps develop the harmony which typically emanates from the performance of an equestrian duo conscientiously sharing cooperation.
INK is universal, it didn’t need to be invented, it just had to be recognized and formulated to be utilized. In strict humility, without comparing the specific merits we use to boost our ego we are all alike. Even if you don't fully agree, you will find that it is true, at least when it comes down to understanding how INK works. A live individual, human or animal, is a relatively complex combination of interactive physical and mental elements. Finally, the discrimination between human and horses ended and Kinesiology is the correct term applicable to the study of motion to both equines and humans. The study of the functions of all vital elements of the body is called Physiology. In formulating we think that it is important to study the functions and the interactions of all physical elements including the control by the brain and the nervous system. INK’s primary application is found in a study of Physiology based on Imprinting Neuro-Kinesiology.
The Pursuit of Well-Being
INK relies on several basic principles that are inherent to life itself. Besides the ability to convert food into energy and to reproduce itself, life for individuals, animals and "Naked Apes" included, consist into a series of learning experiences. These learning experiences are motivated by the attempt to satisfy natural and acquired needs that provide support and protection to the well being of the live individuals. Well-being is defined, in Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, as "the state of being well, happy, or prosperous." We like to strengthen this definition by adding, at the front of the list, the qualifier "healthy," that must be emphasized and seems to be only weakly implied in "we ll." Furthermore, we want to replace "or prosperous" by "and prosperous" to eliminate the frequent confusion that being only "well-off' can be a substitute for being well. Our definition of "Well-being" becomes "The state of being healthy, well, happy, and prosperous."
Many learning experiences proceed by trial and error, with or without assistance, with or without resistance from other individuals. Keeping the birth experience and the imperative first gasp for air aside for the moment, one of the first experiences in life for a foal, or a baby, is learning to nurse. Naturally, as soon as they feel the need for food, the foal and the baby are driven by their instinct. Usually, with the assistance of their mother, they would struggle until they
experience" the satisfactory feeling of the warm nourishing milk starting to go down their throat.
frenzy. The foal agitates his muzzle randomly searching for a nipple to nudge while the bundled baby helplessly starts to cry. The effect of the delay is a negative feeling, as their mind perceives the growing discomfort from their stomach. The frenzy builds up until the soothing effect of the deglutition starts. Soon, well-being is restored. A highly pleasurable feeling can be perceived by their mind connected to their suckling lips, their tongue, their palate, their throat, their salivary glands, and their digestive track. "Hunger is Hell! Nursing is Heaven!" records the mind.
Nudging, suckling, nibbling, salivating, and swallowing are pleasurable. The positive feelings erase the negative feelings. Mastication and deglutition are imprinted parasympathetic signs of relaxation
Later, the well-trained Dressage horse and his talented Ecuyer will salivate and swallow, as they perform movements conscientiously sharing cooperation. The horse will munch joyfully the bits in his mouth and the rider will relax his TMJ (Temporo-Mendibular Joint,) especially as they execute a Perfect Piaffe, in self-carriage.
We can now formulate the basic principle of INK, and its application to P.INK, the Physiology, and to its counterpart Th.INK the therapy, both based on Imprinting Neuro Kinesiology.
The first principle of INK and its two corollaries applicable to a live individual are:
"Well-being, defined as the state of being healthy, well, happy, and prosperous is a most desirable condition for a life"
"The natural functions of each vital organ are programmed to provide well-being."
"Natural Health is the process that coordinates and maintains well-being."
Natural & Incidental Changes
All learning experiences, in spite of their trial and error procedure, essentially contribute to the continuous evolution of an individual. Learning experiences are the seeds of change. In their life, all individuals evolve by going through a multitude of changes:
• Some are natural, others are incidental
• Some are physical, others are emotional
• Some are temporary, others are permanent
• Some are noticeable , others are insignificant
• Some are noticed, others are ignored
• Some are gradual, others are sudden
• Some are enjoyable, others are distasteful
• Some are pleasurable, others are traumatic
• Some are constructive, others are detrimental
• Some are remembered, others are forgotten
• Some are real, others are virtual
• Some are spiritual, others are supernatural
When changes occur : they usually leave positive or negative impacts on the physical aspect of the individual affected by the changes; and, the memories of the feelings, they consciously or even unconsciously experience, most often leave positive or negative imprints on their mind .
Foals, or babies, learning to stand up on their legs, are gradually developing their sense of balance and coordination . In their first attempts, they are likely to discover the influence of gravity the hard way, by falling down. Depending on the conditions and the environment surrounding the falls, this noteworthy life experience becomes often the cause for many incidental changes. The foals have to learn to stand up in a hurry, even before they learn to nurse. " It' s a four-legged thing. You know!" Affirms Doctor Centaur. The babies have more time to prepare. "It's a two-legged thing. You know!" Say I. The negative impacts - such as fractures, bruises, scars and spasms - are often detectable through the pain or discomfort they are directly or indirectly causing. The negative imprints - such as fear, apprehension and loss of coordination - are usually more difficult to perceive. With each falling incident the brain records the messages it receives, and programs accordingly the proprioceptive ability to control the individuals' balance and anticipate more hardship. Pretty soon the individuals don't fall any more . Ifs titubent un peu, seulement. They only stagger a little . Then, they get ready for the next noteworthy experience, learning to walk.
It will require several years for the foals, or the babies, to be able to develop a correct balance and a correct coordination standing and moving, a key to well-being for all individuals. Hopefully, they will learn without being impaired by negative impacts and negative imprints. We, say hopefully, because we have seen many individuals who, eventually, had been affected by detrimental changes. Some had been able to cope or compensate for their impairments. Others did not know how to free themselves from the negative impacts and the negative imprints that affected their lives and their performances. A few had been cured, and were enjoying their natural health and well-being.
For the foals, and the babies as well, it is important to develop a correctly balanced walk and a correctly coordinated walk, it is the sound foundation for all other performances. When people decide to learn to ride, when horses feel a rider on their back for the first time, the memories from their first standing and walking experiences come back through imprinted feelings. Correct balance. and correct coordination need further.adjustments. The anticipation of falling is here again. For the rider it often turns into apprehension or fear. The fear of the rider may become magnified by a strong grip of the legs, a stiff bouncing body, and rummaging damaging hands. The fear of the rider engenders the fear of the horse. Panic takes over. The changes are traumatic. The impacts are negative and the new imprints too. However, if the horses have been properly handled, their balance has been improved by some training in-hand and on the lunge line. They are ready to accept the weight and the leverage of a rider's body. Also, when the riders' seat and balance have been developed properly on an old horse, lead on the lunge or along quiet trail rides, and when their aids have been refined by a good instructor, they are ready to make themselves as cooperative as possible. Soon horse and rider stand and move as if they were one. Later, if they have been able to maintain a clean walk, the well-trained Dressage horses and their talented Ecuyers will demonstrate perfect balance and coordination with much elegance and greatest ease. The riders will be able to use their aids with discretion and precision, and the horses will always look majestic. Specially, when they execute a Piaffe, perfectly in self-ca rriage.
Here, we like to emphasize that diagonalisation, the transition from walk to piaffe can be obtained from proper training at the walk without need to train the horses to other gaits. It has been reported that General Alexis L'Hotte, towards the end of his riding career was training all his horses only at the walk. Then, he would let his pupils ride them and the horses were ready to learn very rapidly any movement properly called for, even the diagonalisation, the gateway to piaffe.
The generic consideration of all the above facts leads us to state the second principle of INK, and its two corollaries.
"Natural and incidental changes are part of life. When an individual experiences changes, the resulting impacts or imprints affect the individual's well-being."
and
"When vital function in life are affected by natural or incidental changes, and the affects are positive, these changes will become permanently new ways to support the individual's well-being."
"If the affects are negative, they will interfere temporarily or permanently with the individual's well-being, until Natural Healing functions can be restored"
The Desire or Apprehension to Chanee
The development of balance and coordination for standing and walking is a fundamental life experience contributing to the well-being of most four-legged and bipedal individuals . Without them, the foals and the babies become always dependent on others to satisfy their basic needs for food and shelter. What about running? For most animals, in the wild, it is vital to learn to run for their survival, for the predators to hunt, for the preys to flee. For our ancestors too! Horses and people frequently show some resistance to changes. Learning to run can be traumatic, many horses and humans learn the hard way, stumbling forward, even losing their balance and falling flat on their face.
What is sad, is that people don't necessarily learn from their personal experiences . When they get on a horse, distracted by their confusion, they forget. Sometimes they prevent the horse from making the necessary adjustments . As a result, you see too many horses ridden too fast on the forehand, losing their balance stumbling forward jerked in their mouth as an undeserved punishment for their provoked clumsiness.
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2 / We have seen Caprice do it to her foals; when they were restless, she would find a way to push them down, with a firm but cautiously gentle side kick. The foal would then fall, and would land already asleep with his neck erected ljke a chess piece;· his head folded tightly to the left against his neck, in a fetal position
Away from the wild, the foals or the babies, evolve through a protected environment, and tend to experience a less threatening life. They go through gradual changes that are associated to
Our foals and babies do not have these worries. For them, playing is an instinctively fun way to move. Lack of balance and coordination will teach them, in a hurry, to think as they move , or else. Watch the foals in a field . They may be dowsing, or grazing under the sun. A fly lands on their back or a little bit of gas piles up in their stomach. They may just switch their tail to dissipate the bother, and move a step or two; or, they may take off, frolicking about, kicking and bucking with joy or with anger depending on how they feel when the bother hits.
Being social individuals , the foals, or the babies will play with other individuals of their kind, and with each other's. They seek positive imprints , like the nurturing comfort they had learned to get from their mother, and they reject the negative imprints, like the pain and discomfort caused by falls and damaging impac ts. As they experiment new environments and other individuals , even those of mom's size, they develop their desire or their resistance to change.
Progressively they will learn attraction or fright and flight. They may start to nudge and bother a friend in memory of mother's nurturing attention, only to be scolded or punched back for warning against intrusion of others' privacy.
There is a thin edge between the joy of playing and the pain of a hurt or rejection. A thin jagged edge that may appear as a wide gray area, depending on the acuteness of the observer's perception. The mares, who nudge or push their foals to make them fall down, cause temporary negative impacts and imprints; they are immediately replaced by the positive effects of the repairing sleep3 These are among the hurts that feel good, and may help explain why someth erapies can be successful in spite of causing temporarily pain. We are not advocating the systematic "no pain, no gain" approach. Too often, it only succeeds into replacing a trauma by another, hopefully less damaging, trauma. Neither are we supporting the " it feels so good when you stop" approach, which is a seed for masochism . We recognize that a pain stimulus can be used appropriately, only if any of the soft lightest touch methods fail to produce permanent relief. Thus, the desire to change, that must always be motivated by the desire to improve well-being, should not be replaced by the resistance to change, under the excuse that it may cause a temporary pain or a temporary discomfort. Apprehension must not be paramount to evolution. Apprehension is only a sign of anticipation, and wisdom uses it as a warning for protection. If apprehension produces tension, or fosters fear, it has to be evaluated ad mastered . Change is inevitable as long as we stay alive.
3/ Caprice' s foals would be completely asleep before they hit the ground. This may indicate that the nudging broke the apprehension of the foal to fall while trying to lie down, thus helping him to relax instantly. Or, it may mean that her nudging caused sufficient dizziness for the foal to quasi faint into sleep.
The principles of INK that formulate the way change is desired or apprehended are:
"The desire for any live individual to change is motivated by the expectation that the resulting changes will improve temporarily or permanently the individual's well-being."
"The apprehension an individual nurtures against change is justified if the outcome of the change may be affecting negatively the vital organs of the individual."
"The most beneficial form of therapy is the therapy that restores the natural equilibrium of the body with the minimum amount of pain or discomfort."
The Subjective Perception and Evaluation of Changes
Directly visible and noticeable impacts or imprints are the symptoms of changes.
However, some changes may leave some impacts and some imprints that are not directly visible or noticeable , and may require a very refined awareness for their detection . Let's review our list of qualifiers to changes. We are aware that evolution proceeds by natural gradual changes according to a series of predetermined functions and cycles. Such changes include growing, maturing, and aging that are part of a slow transformation process timed by the speed of cell regeneration. We have differentiated these changes from incidental changes that may be of greater concern to us since they may be the causes for pain or discomfort. And, often they may affect the way we were supposed to evolve.
The only way to see natural gradual changes to observe them on snap shots taken periodically over an extended period of time. To witness some of these changes, just flip the pages in your photo albums. There, the changes are obvious, even though, in life , on a minute by minute observation, we do not notice most of them. Cela se passe a notre insu. It happens without our acknowledgement. We know that it is true for many changes.
Sometimes it is very difficult to discern whether changes are:
• natural or incidental
• physical or mental
• temporary or permanent
• noticeable or subtle
• noticed or ignored
• gradual or sudden
• enjoyable or distasteful
• pleasurable or traumatic
• constructive or detrimental
• remembered or forgotten
• real or virtual
• spiritual or supernatural,
We perceive changes through our senses. Thus, the more we are able to feel, the greater will be our ability to detect negative impacts or imprints, and erase them or find a solution for minimizing their effects. Sensitivity is subjective and relative, which can be very misleading . It is imperative that all our senses have sharpness and accuracy compatible with the way we interpret what they perceive. Otherwise, our senses may trigger our utter confusion. What we perceive may confuse our judgement.
The subjectivity and the relativity of sensitivity are obvious for people. And, for horses too!
We have to emphasize it, because some people do not seem to be aware of it. I remember the horse of an endurance rider who was full of old scrapes and bruises. When I told the owner that, if the horse were mine, I would put some Amica gel over these old scrapes and bruises, he replied that he does that for himself, but not for the horses? "The horses, they don' t mind," he affirmed."
The subjectivity and the relativity of sensitivity are evident for animals as well as for
people . If it's true for all live individuals, it's truer for a pair of individuals . Needless to say that it compounds for a rider astride a horse. We have made our point. We promise to cover in greater details the application of all these principles to the development and progression of training horses.
To capture all the potential of INK and its applications, you may need a primer about some knowledge of Wholistic and Traditional Health Sciences, but you mostly need common sense on top of an acute sensitivity. The key to a successful evaluation is to harbor good judgement. And, that is a challenge in itself, another moving target, an even more subjective and relative quality indispensable for you, the observer who wants to make sense about what you perceive.
To evaluate well what you perceive, you need to be able to:
• To look, and to see
• To touch, and to feel
• To hear, and to listen
• To inhale, and to smell
• To swallow, and to taste
?? written by Feldenkrais , all the books written by Alexander Lowen MD starting with "Bioenergetics" , and on subjects related to his work with Dr. Reich. Finally, an excellent book about mind and body interactions, and its application to therapeutic exercises is "Somatics" by Thomas Hanna.
Beyond an accurate perception for input, the evaluation of changes depends on knowledge, logical thinking, and good judgement to be correct. These are objective, subjective and relative qualities of the functions of the brain and the mind . In other words, an observer who wants to make a correct evaluation of the affect of perceived changes must have a sound perception.
Now, we can state the fourth principle of INK, and its direct applications:
"The ability to perceive changes depends mostly on the subjective and relative sensitivity and judgment of the observer."
"Perceived changes may only be symptoms. Their accuracy needs to be validated by sound judgment"
"Successful therapy depends on the accurate perception of negative changes to restore Natural Health."
Dressage Based on-INK: P.INK
In equestrian history, Maitre Armand CHARPENTIER in his book , "Les soirees de l'Etrier. 1946" tells us that Fillis criticized Baucher for saying. that all horses had the same sensitivity in their mouth and in their flanks. He comments that physiologically, Baucher was wrong. In his first method Baucher was reducing to zero the resistance of the jaw of all the horses he trained, his trained horses had equally sensitive mouths. Fillis did not understand it that way. Similarly, from a physiological point of view, the sensitivity of the flanks vary from one horse to another, just like it does from one person to another. Baucher had all horses .accept his spurs alike. With them, he was able to stimulate the ardeur of some horses and calm the ardeur of others.
Adopting Baucher' s philosophy, we could conclude that the purpose of training riders and horses could be·to make them·have the-same sensitivity in their mouth and in their flanks, so that they would react identically to·all riders. Today, this sounds like an aberration. But, if you had been the commander of a squadron of mounted soldiers, this would have been the purpose of your instruction. Of course, you would have selected men and horses homogeneously according to the requirements of your mission, and·you would have trained them inspite of their diverse sensitivities. This would be accomplished through a great deal of time and effort, like we witness it done at the Spanish School in Vienna , or through much sacrifice for the quality of the renderings, like we can see it done in other group representations or in modern competition. History narrates all the polemique that persisted for decades, after le general Oudinot had decided to adopt "La nouvelle methode d'equitation", strongly recommended by le commandant Novital. This new method that Baucher had developed, that he was using to train his horses and was teaching to some renown professional ecuyers. The method about which he had published in 1842 the "Methode d'equitation, basee sur de nouveaux principes "that started the whole controversy. Controversy that divided the -e questrian arnrliterary world into two clans. On one side were the partisans rallied behind Baucher. They included: le due d'Orleans, Lord Seymour, Raabe, Faverot de Kerbrech, Armand Charpentier, Lamartine, Delacroix, Theophile Gautier, and many others. On the other .side, Le vicomte d'.Aure lead the opposition, that included: le due de Nemours, Louis Seeger, Gustav Steinbrecht, James Fil/is , Alexandre Dumas, George Sand, and many others, even much later Gustave Flaubert In spite of the impartial comments made by le general L 'Hotte, and the admirable conclusions of general Decarpentry, it is still, to this day a controversial subject among riders. And, before we try, in our own way, to show you that it is only a matter of good judgement, perfect timing and properly tuned perception, allow us to use a reference from "Baucher et son histoire" by General Decarpentry, 1948.
In short, General Decarpentry tells us that among the officers insrtucted by Baucher, were those who gave up trying after a first failure, and others who gave it a fair trial. These most gifted ecuyers trying to avoid failures, came to devise some compromises that could merge, later, with some of the techniques taught by le vicomte d'Aure. Guided by the wisdom of these consciencious ecuyers, Baucher himself started, later, to devise his second method.4
4/ Baucher was severely hurt in 1855 by a circus chandelier that fell on him . It is after this accident, that unable to ride again in front of le grand publique , he started to devise his second method . He then had only a few of his most faithful followers as students, like Lenoble du Tei /, Farmain de Saint-Reine, Parr and the futur general Faverot de Kerbrech. It must be their wisdom in applying his teachings that inspired the Maitre in developing his famous and more acceptable second method
It easy to speculate about what happened. There was, at the command leveL an attempt to introduce change in the way to train horses. The resistance to change, always greater in administrations and institutions, manifested itself at the-individual level. The less talented riders had a great difficulty with a method that needed more skill than they had to avoid failures. They used the excuse of the controversy that they were fostering to give up trying.
The most gifted riders went about it progressively, finding ways to develop their sensitivity and the sensitivity of their horses. They found themselves challenged by the new approach, and, they succeeded! It was not the radical change called for by Baucher's enthusiasm in his successful training. It was what Baucher was probably doing, but not what he was perceiving or communicating. In his first method; Baucher taught to develop 1'effet d 'ensemble, or roundness, by applying "les aides propulsives " (the driving aids) and simultaneously "les aides retropulsives "(the resisting aids); Of course, there is more to it, but let's stop for a moment on this premise. Most horses will tolerate only a small amount of simultaneous opposition of driving aids to resisting aids. Many school horses will be able to cope, or compensate, for some oft-he discomfort apprehensive unsteady riders impose on them even when the rider pushes and pulls at the same time. Most horse-s will get excited when the discomfort is too great. Under certain conditions, the most talented and sensitive will have a short fuse. Therefore, the amount of applied driving aid must not exceed the tolerance for pain or discomfort of all the parts challenged by 1'effet d'ense mble. And, this is why, the front of the nose of the horse is ahead of the vertical in Baucher's second method, while it was vertical in the first. A very noticeable change, especially for arabian horses, who often had a wide lower jaw bone that was bruising the soft tissue pinched between it and the front of the atlas, when you try to drive the horse on the bit to produce 1'effet d'ensemble recherche , the desired roundness. Respecting the sensitivity of the horse's mouth, you drive with your legs, no more than the horse can tolerate in all the parts involved into producing the resulting effect; a form close to self carriage for performing the movement asked of the horse. If, when you reach the tolerance of the horse he tries to escape at your demand by getting excited, you must lower and yield slightly with your hand to allow him to transform safely and beneficially this excess of energy into a forward motion, and set your resistance on the slightly longer frame more comfortable for the horse at that time. If, in coping or compensating, he hollows his top line in his neck or along his back, try to give him a little more space in front by slightly yielding with your band and immediately after applying your driving aids that most effectively will invite him to engage his hind legs. If, he rushes on the forehand, this is the time to close your fingers on a fixed low hand and ask for a half-halt. If you fail, don't insist. First, calm the horse going back to the natural walk. This is the walk he maintains with no effort on your part. The only walk he can do in self-carriage at this time. Then, resume the suppling and driving exercises that produce the most desirable action of his hind legs anc.i build up a rapid, but acceptable progression to the point were you met the resistance; and, be satisfied by the smallest sign of progress. If this fails, you must find where the horse , or the rider, blocks sensitivity or resists being stretched, and remedy by removing the identified blocks or resistance. But, to do this successfully requires the timely knowledge and the timely awareness about the physiological components and the qualitative elements that may affect negatively the response of the horse.
This timely knowledge and awareness is the substance of INK and its application in Dr.INK and Th.INK.
The timeliness is important because changes are essentially dynamic on horse back.
The sensitivity of a horse's mouth varies- greatly from instant to instant, and from side to side. Baucher was opposing driving aids to resisting aids to brake the resistance of the jaw in his first method. Which was not true anymore for him in his second method. As, Maitre Armand Charpentier summarizes it, l 'effet d'ensemble, roundness in self-carriage, without any resistance from the hand, without taking away from the impulsion produced by the lightness without driving with the legs.
"Comme la plume au vent", "As feather in the wind," comes to my mind. " You are out of your mind," murmurs Docteur Centaur. "I can dream. Can't I!" "O.K., but not on the back of a horse." "Why not?" "It's not safe." "Who- says?" "I says?" Docteur Centaur is often liberal with his grammar. "Just because you say-it doesn't make it right. We can trust our horses to make safe decisions for us. Remember!- We have done it more often than once." " D'accord? O.K., your logic is impecable; but, don't forget that you are not alone, you have to ride safely to the respect of others." "Yes, I know, you are-right, when he is light, my horse may feel like a flying carpet, but that doesn1t mean-that he will buck for them other flying birds. But, don't forget that when he is light, he is easy to guide, and he will respond accurately to my guidance." "So, it is not like feather in the wind! It is more like feather in the hand."
But, that's what it- takes to be· a good ecuyer seeking -lightness from his horse."
Lightness, self-carriage, is-it a goal in itself, or is it an accomplishment ofeaGh instant? Can one obtain lightness by opposing. simultaneously driving aids to resisting aids, .like Baucher pretended he did in his first method, or is it a reward for a tactfully negotiated quest, like his successful students seem to describe when they refer to his second method? -If you ride, and you have experienced lightness, you know, that lightness, and self-carriage are snynonimous. Of course, you have competed and won trophies without it, but that was not dressage, that was an accomplishment performed inspite of the resistance from your hand. This is true in all disciplines. Yes! Even in racing. The proof was stunning, during the 1994-1995 racing season in France. A visiting Japanese Jockey won several important flat races in Paris, including le·Prix de I'Arc de Triomphe. He-was renowned for riding his horses with great precision. He was not pulling on their mouth. The winner of the ''Prixd'Amerique ", a world class harness racing competition was a woman.. Her husband did not drive because he was heavier(sic). Watching her drive her horse to victory on TV was a delight. She never pulled. She guided her horse on the trail of the favorite. And, at the appropriate time she invited her horse to -make the finishing effort, passing the fatigued favorite at nearly.twice his speed.. The .favor ite had his mouth o.pen, . n o.t by .surprise, but trying to pull against the hand of his driver. Whie ·the·w inner was never _penalised by·more than an ounce of temporary resistance. A few weeks-later, a woman jockey, w o n an-important steeple chase race. Her interviewer asked her, why her horses never seemed to pu11.against her. She answered: "It takes two to pull." She had won several races that year. Believe it or not, this is what Baucher was trying to teach, But, it is well-known, by now, that if he was an excellent ecuyer, his writings needed much improvement.
It is again Maitre Armand Charpentier w h-o reports that he saw "some great Baucheristes, in the hunting field, who, after having put their horses ins.elf-carriage, their horse galloping at manoeuvers' speed, "faire une descente de· main et de jam-bes ", (stop using their-hand·and their legs), the horses would stay in balance, without intervention of the aids, for many miles." I guess that Baucher has influenced many riders int-o finding waysto acheive this condition. This weuld justify his popularity. The difficulty, of course , reside-s in ail the-training needed-to get t-o- this point.
Having set the stage, we are ready to-st udy uneler w hat conditions sensitivity plays a role in developing l 'effet d'ensemble, which is collection in self-carriage. Baucher became famous when he published his book, and he could show trained horses as &produit fini. His horse, Partisan -w as-s uch a-finished product who caught many rider's-att ention. He was t he-p roof of-the pudding. But, could anyone replicate:Baucher's training on their own horses? That was-another question -V.ery difficult to answer.- Staying a.way from.the second hand opinions modified by-the fervor of the polemique, let's consult the author himself. We are fortunate to have .acq uired in.Paris a co.py of the. 1974 reeditio.n. of the J-9.6.4 edition.of the Me.thode d''Equitation .basee sur de nouveaux principes,_revue et a ugmentee par F. Baucher. This is.twelve years after the fir.st edition and nine years after the- terrible accident. This .doc umenti s not listed in "Les Maltres de l'OEuvre Equestre; "by Andre Montheilhet. We find it very important; this·is Baucher's expression of his second method. In it Baucher defines: "Effets d'ensemble" in a two page chapter.
This chapter, the 15th in the book, is greatly softening all the referenees and opinions that had fostered the controversy. It indicates a great deal of consideration for the horse's reaction to the rider's aids and demands. The success of its application depends principally on the refinement of the skills of the rider. What is right and harmonious is sanctioned by lightness, and the ability of the rider to make the horse accept his commands. In the prior chapters, Baucher had already called for much caution in the training of horses.
In chapter 1, referring to the development of the rider's tact, he writes: "Everything that relates to-feelings is acquired through practice...."
In chapter 3, "De l'equilibre du cheval," "About the balance of the horse." As a preamble, Baucher writes: "The harmony, of the weight and the forces of the horse provide the balance of the mass. The balance of the mass provides the harmony of the movement."
And, in chapter 4, "About the rational use of the forces of the horse", "he sets as a principle that the causes for all the resistances of young horses are-, at first, physical, and that they become moral only through the clumsiness; the ignorance or the brutality of the rider."These words may be dictated by the nostalgic accomplishments before.t he.accident.
They .reflect his desire to make his method more accessibles to more people and applicable to more horses. Thus, it is true that success will crown the efforts of the rider who develops his ability to feel the "correctness of the opposition of t he.a ids each time lightness is acheived , without moving at and still, without changing the pace while moving." And,.this in itself does require great sensitivity. We even can add that the greater the sensitivity of the horse, the greater must be the sensitivity of the rider. And, the more collected and elevated his the movement, the finer must be the sensitivity of the rider. Each instant in the halt;·each step in the-move; is accompanied by a -multitude·of changes that - are perceived by the horse, and·have to be perceived, or anticipated, by the rider. ·At all instant, the rider may affect the harmonious balance- of the mass and the forces of the horse. The clumsy, the ignorant or the brutal rider will destroy this-harmony,. while the t-alented rider will put it to :fruitful use in producing an athletic-o r artistic performance.
What preceeds this paragraph calls for an adequate perception on the part of most riders, but an excellent perception from the trainer and rider who contemplate international competition, or the joy of-advanced dressage . It is to- be deplored that the tension occasioned by competition -ten ds to .degrade the performance of excellent riders and consequently of their horses. From the fall of 1991, to spring of 1995, we have been spending half of our time in France. Michel's mother needed help with her health, it became an opportunity to catch up with the progress in dressage in Europe. To pay for.our expenses. "Our expenses?"inquires Docteur Centaur. "Yes.!"To maintain. " Our expenses! Are you aware .of the cost of the ideas yo u continuously plant.in my head" To avoid looking at me in the eyes-; Doctor Centaur turns around and looks at his tail. "Errfin! Passons." To help--p-ay for our expenses, we did a hit of work there. Actually,. it w as , l'occasion quitenta1e larron, an opportunity call. My brothers and.I met in:Paris for our mother's..83rd birthday on October 3 rd, 1991. The finals of the French Dressage Championship·took place on the last day of -my- st a y. My older brother, Bernard knew Marietta Almasy, a candidate- w ho was riding in the Kur championship. She-had just returned to France after three years spent in.Brazil, and had been the Kur French Champion before that. Going to Fontainebleau for the event was kind of a pelgrinage to the site of our equestrian debuts. We went. We looked at the warm up. Marietta was preparing her horse, Palando, for the event. Her performance was honest, she finished fourth of four, but fourth of France 1991. Her mother was standing next to us while we were watching. We started to chat with her, and made some compliments about the riding skills of her daughter, who was able to produce a harmonious balance from her horse "in spite of her personal problems and those of her horse." "What problems?" asked immediately.,-Mrs. Almasy. We, proceeded with the very accurate list of tensions, we had -observed in Marietta's and Palando!s bodies. Mrs. Almasy, when her daughter stopped by us, asked her: "Did you know that Palando-had prob1ems?" and she started to.proceed telling her about our observations. But, Marietta stopped her cold. .She knew, but she did not want the word to be spread around. Then, she looked suspiciously at Michel. After faremise des prix, too price ceremony, she asked us, if we could do something for Palando.._ Of course, we could. We followed her ·to the stables, and spent about a half hour manipulating Palando's body. It felt -like if-we had-one hand on Palando and -one-on Marietta. Or may be, it was like Michel's hands were working on Palando, and Marietta would feel Doctor Centaur's hand on her. She would react to each sign of relief Palando displayed.by one of hers. A month later our schedule in California changed, we had some free time in December; so-we-called Marietta who was progressing fast with her-horse, and became open to trade help for Palando for our introduction to -European.riders.
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