Fadista Marylou Lawrence to join us for An Evening in Portugal!

by dbarbier | Mar 19, 2019 | Classical Dressage Symposium, Equestrian Tourism, French Classical Dressage, Lusitanos, News, Symposium | 0 comments

Photo courtesy of Marylou Lawrence

As per tradition, this coming week we will host our Saturday evening Symposium champagne reception, rider exhibition, and dinner in the barn catered by Dancing Horse Events! Saturday, March 23, Marylou Lawrence will join us for a live fado performance.

Marylou was born in Manteca California, the daughter of immigrant parents from Terceira Azores. After seven years of living in the states, her parents started their own dairy farm, keeping their culture alive through Marylou by speaking Portuguese and listening to Portuguese music, as was common among the Luso-American kids of her generation.

While she always had an interest in music, her true love for fado came through records of Amalia Rodrigues and other famous fadistas played by her mother throughout her childhood and she enrolled in choir at the age of 12. As she sang for various city and social events throughout junior high and high school, her passion for singing fado never left her mind.

Her dreams of singing were placed on hold after her marriage at the age of 18 and subsequently raising a family. With encouragement from her husband, Steve Lawrence, she decided to begin singing again at the age of 45 and has since been invited to sing in several fado events among well-known fadistas such as David S. Garcia, Zelia Freitas, Isalino Santos, and most well known Sara Pacheco.

Whether you are a devoted fado fanatic, or have never heard of the genre, we are all in for a treat.

Photo courtesy of David Grulke

Exquisite Lusitanos, fine food and wine, live entertainment, and good company…Needless to say, it is a night to be remembered. Whisk yourself away to the best Portugal has to offer…right in our backyard!

Join us! And claim your seat at the table here.

Thirteenth Classical Series Symposium!

by Keron Psillas | Apr 13, 2016 | blog information, classical dressage, Uncategorized | 0 comments

The dates are set! The reservations are pouring in…make your plans now! Harvest time is super busy here in Sonoma Valley, but it is also a beautiful time of year to visit. Click on the tab above for the Symposium October 2016 for all the details. Stay tuned to the blog for announcements about the Saturday night entertainment, reception, and dinner. Dancing Horse Events will be catering again (always delicious) and we’ll have a special guest for entertainment, along with the horses and riders of Barbier Farm. As always, feel free to write with any questions. ( barbierfarm @ aol.com )

©Keron Psillas

One day left for great hotel rate during Symposium!

by Keron Psillas | Jan 25, 2016 | Classical Dressage Symposium, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Hurry! There’s less than 24 hours left to get a fantastic rate at the Dry Creek Inn, Healdsburg. They’ve extended their great pricing to us until midnight tonight, Pacific Time. Click on the Symposium tab above for all the information. And don’t forget to ask for the Barbier Farm rate! Here’s the number: 1-800-222-5784 or 707-433-0300

Topics for the 12th Classical Series Symposium include:
~When does a horse ‘give’ his back
~All the steps in canter from starting the young horse to pirouettes
~Are you imparting your psychological stress to your horse?
~Understanding the Barbier Extreme Shoulder-In

Reception and Dinner on Saturday the 20th…in the barn, weather permitting. Don’t miss this great event!

The latest Review for ALCHEMY!

by Keron Psillas | Dec 5, 2014 | classical dressage, Classical Dressage Symposium, Holiday products | 0 comments

We are pleased to repost this review from horse-journal.com. Thank you to Karen Havis for the review and to all the readers who have made this book so popular! And a special thanks to Trafalgar Square, Horse and Rider Books! Take a moment to read the review? And then order your book here, by clicking on the link above. And then….sign up for the February Classical Series Symposium. We’re taking topics from the book for in-depth discussion along with all the demonstrations, lessons, fun, food, and legendary Saturday night dinner! We’ll be back with more news before the Holiday Season is over…but until then, peace and joy to all our readers and riders. Amities ~ DBarbier

Media Critique: The Alchemy of Lightness

Dominique Barbier and Dr. Maria Katsamanis give us the impetus we need to seek joy in our lives and in our horses.

By Karen Havis

November 21, 2014

This article from the November 2014 issue of Horse Journal.

Dominique Barbier is best known for his doctrine of “lightness” in a dressage horse, and he makes good use of it here. His co-author, Dr. Maria Katsamanis, brings a doctorate in clinical psychology into the mix, which meshes well with her own riding and training experience. Together, the authors present a philosophy of life and riding that is both inspiring and captivating.

Their theories revolve around “energy.” The authors believe all living beings are connected through a field of energy, one that can cause measurable molecular changes as well as observable behavioral changes. (Think about how humans influence each other using energy from thought, love, or intent.) Frankly, training approaches based on energy are far from new – consider Tai Chi, Reiki, Masterson Technique, and TTEAM, all popular methods.

You will find some of the hypotheses presented here familiar, such as how our mood directly impacts how we interact with our horses. Which one of us hasn’t experienced the change in our horse when we ride in an angry, tense state? The horse usually mirrors those emotions, becoming restless and edgy. And if we ride in a Zen state . . . the horse often reflects that as well.

Proper breathing is discussed here, too, with a reminder of its powerful impact on ourselves and our horses. Short, shallow breaths cause anxiety and fear in our horse. Deeper, slower breaths can relax both us and our horse. “If we are calm and centered, the horse will likely pass through resistance or disturbance much more easily. He will happily partner with us,” the authors state.

Barbier stresses the power of visualization, a technique used by many sports psychologists. “What we imagine, we can create,” he states. “What we believe is happening shapes our reality. What we visualize for our riding, for our horse, is well within reach.” If you’re a dressage rider, you might have a vision of Edward Gal in your mind when you ride.

You’ll recognize other widely accepted terms, too, such as “clear intent” and “centering,” which are core concepts in many martial arts and in Centered Riding. And, of course, every rider learns one day how powerful the concept of “less is more” can be when trying to elicit a behavior from your horse.

But other points challenge conventional wisdom. While you may have experienced some of the concepts discussed in the book, the theories presented by the authors may surprise you. That said, they readily acknowledge how little research is available to truly explain the connection between horse and rider.

The photography is stunning, and the pictures of Barbier riding portray true harmony between horse and rider. Indeed, he can create what he discusses.

Bottom Line: I truly appreciated Barbier’s emphasis on the importance of energy gained from joy and happiness in our lives. He insists we should constantly remind ourselves to look for that childlike innocence so long gone. “Horses are not intellectual beings,” he explains. “We need to be in this simpler, more innocent, childlike space with them.” Since some of the happiest moments of my life involved horses, this made perfect sense to me. And reading this book helped me think of ways to improve my state of mind and thus my relationship with my horses.

Best suited for: Those who have studied an approach such as TTEAM, Masterson Technique, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique, or Centered Riding or are open-minded enough to consider the theories presented.

You might be disappointed if: You are looking for a traditional “how to” riding manual.

A note from Dominique….the ‘stunning’ photography is by Keron Psillas.

– See more at: http://horse-journal.com/article/media-critique-alchemy-lightness-26157#sthash.rCtZ64eq.dpuf

Portugal and Spain trip report

by Keron Psillas | Jun 25, 2011 | classical dressage, Equestrian Tourism in Portugal and Spain | 4 comments

We’ve had a marvelous time in Spain, Portugal, and Bordeaux….so we wanted to share some images and a few of the highlights of the trip with you. Returning to familiar haunts in Portugal was an emotional experience for Debra and I. But taking good friends, old and new, along for the journey made it very special for us. Of course the horses are always at the top of the list of things to see. We visited the Portuguese School for Equestrian Art, right across from our Pousada (Dona Maria I) at the National Palace in Queluz. This was our first activity of the trip and it did not disappoint. Walking through the Palace Gardens to find the old riding ring was delightful….and the horses were gorgeous, putting on a lovely performance in the Portuguese tradition.

After a delicious lunch on the beach at Quincho, we journeyed to the top of the mountain above Sintra to visit the Convento dos Capuchos. It’s a mysterious place with all the cells built into the rocks of the mountain…..all cork-lined (to prevent some of the cold and moisture from seeping through), totally secluded and wonderfully peaceful. From there we made our own pilgrimage to the Manege of my Mestre, Nuno Oliveira. Over 25 years have passed since Debra and I had been there. While much has changed with a succession of owners, the heart of the place remains. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to return.

We finished our first day by going into the Alfama district of Lisbon to hear some Fado. It was a perfect ending to a day filled with beauty, poetry, mystery, and emotion. Fado is all those things and more. So this was only our first day and as you can tell it was filled to overflowing with sights, sounds, smells, tastes…..a feast in every way.

We traveled to Santarem for a Portuguese bullfighting exhibition, we visited my friend Luis Valença’s home to watch his students and performers in his renowned Appassionata equestrian spectacle, we traveled to Golega to meet the esteemed breeder of some of the finest Lusitanos in the world, Mr. Manuel Coimbra. We slept in a castle at Pousada de Palmela, played on a beautiful beach in the Algarve region on our way to Jerez, watched gorgeous handmade tiles (azulejos) being created by amazing artisans in the same way that they have been produced for over 500 years.

And thanks to our amazing driver and guide, Marco Sousa, we learned much of the history of Portugal and Spain as we made our way from one stop to the next. Did you know that Lisbon experienced a terrible earthquake and subsequent Tsunami? It happened on November 1, 1755 (All Saints Day) and caused such widespread devastation and loss of life that the philosophies of leading scholars were completely altered … religious thought was forever changed. The naive belief of God as a benevolent power was irreparably changed.

In Spain we were treated to spectacular Flamenco performances on three different nights in three distinct styles, we visited the Terry and Domecq Bodegas to see how fine Sherry has been produced for several hundred years (in the very same barrels and using the very same methods). We enjoyed a performance at the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art and a behind the scenes look at the training and structure of the school. We went to A Campo Abierto (The Open Fields) to watch a beautiful show illustrating the history and culture that exists around the horses and the bulls, and then went to Yeguada de Cartuja to watch a different exhibition that told the story of the Andalusian horses that were saved by the monks of Cartuja. Before that we had the opportunity to briefly visit the monastery that housed the Order.

All these activities (and many that are not listed) were knit together by fellowship and amazing meals. The quality of the food, almost always the freshest bounty of the sea, was spectacular. I think all our guests would agree that this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. The opportunity to experience a new culture as an extended family member is the best way to travel. Come with us next time and you’ll enjoy the same rich experiences.

We’re grateful that our entire trip was documented by Keron Psillas, our friend and photographer. We hope you enjoy the extensive gallery.

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