by Keron Psillas | Aug 25, 2010 | Brazil equestrian trips, classical dressage, Tips, Well-being of the Horse |
It’s been a very busy summer for Debra and I. This post is a sort of round-up of all the activities and a look ahead for the fall and winter.
I’m very happy to announce that Meditation for Two, my book with Keron Psillas, will be published in Switzerland and Germany, and then in Brazil! I’ll post the information on this blog when the German and Portuguese language copies are available.
This past weekend we hosted a clinic at our home in Healdsburg. It was a resounding success. We had 30+ participants (riders and auditors) and three days of lessons, lectures, and great food. There were 35 for dinner on Saturday night and a great time was had by all! What made the clinic such a success was this: all the participants were open and engaged. What I mean is that we were able to discuss the deepest meaning of riding and how it impacts our lives and our horse’s lives along with all the steps, how-to’s, and discussion of technique. We had participants aged 10 to 85 and in many ways, the youngest and the eldest were the most receptive. It was a magical time. I hope you’ll make plans now to join us in January (the 14th thru the 16th) for the next clinic here at home. There are limited spaces so sign up early by sending an email to Debra to reserve your spot. (Barbierfarm at aol.com)
Prior to the clinic at home I made a tour of the US with stops in Virginia, Florida, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Illinois. Ridiculously hot weather was the common denominator, but happy horses and riders was a close second. It was great to be back in Virginia at Classicus after a long hiatus, and it was good to see regular students progressing at all the other stops. Keep up the good work! Congratulations are in order for the group at Jill McCrae’s farm in Grayslake, Illinois. They performed a great show in late July. It had to have been pretty spectacular to see all the Lusitanos with their riders in costume. We had a visit at Jill’s from Nancy at The Royal Lusitano with news of Larapio’s babies growing up and into their personalities! Best of luck to all the group for the World Equestrian Games appearances.
In early September I’ll be traveling to New Mexico for TWO clinics around Santa Fe with Ginger Gaffney and Lynn Clifford. You can see all the contact info on the clinics page. There are a very few spots left, but plenty of room for auditors. I hope you’ll join us if you are in the area….and tell your friends, too. Then I’m off to New Jersey to Castlegate Farm. Nancy Clark tells me that her new horse, Ataualpa has adjusted nicely to life in New Jersey (he hasn’t seen snow yet….). And then after that, I am in Germany, Switzerland and Greece for a series of clinics. This past July, we had a great clinic near Munich that was hosted by my German editor and publisher, Isabella Sonntag, and I am looking forward to returning to see those students and some new ones! Then I travel north of Kiel (in the heart of Schleswig-Holstein) to conduct a clinic for Caroline Hatlapa at the Herrenhaus Borghorst. Caroline was my hostess in June when I delivered the Meditation For Two lecture to a very lively audience. I’m happy to be headed back there to teach and to see many of the people I met in June. I’m working on a few other clinics for October in Germany and Switzerland and will post the details here as soon as they are available. Then I’m off to Greece! This will be my first visit to the land of Xenophon and I am really excited.
I realize this post is rather long….but there is MORE BIG NEWS!!! Debra and I will be leading a trip to Brazil in late November. Reserve your spot now as we are bound to fill up very very quickly. Brazilian hospitality, delicious food, and of course, spectacular Lusitanos will create a once in a lifetime experience. We’ve been doing this for many years now and because we have longstanding relationships with the finest breeders we can show you the best horses to suit your needs. Debra and I will be your guides, whether you are looking for your perfect equestrian partner or the perfect equestrian vacation. All the details will be available this weekend on the blog.
Here’s a gallery of images (courtesy of Keron) from a number of the clinics this summer and the clinic here at home this past weekend. Enjoy! And check out Keron’s article in Doma Clasica (a Spanish magazine dedicated to the Equestrian Art).
Let us hear from you, and please, share the blog with friends. We are gearing up for a tremendous announcement and we want as many dedicated equestrians involved as possible!
Amities~
Dominique and Debra
by Keron Psillas | Jul 16, 2010 | blog information, classical dressage, Well-being of the Horse |
I’ve just returned from a trip to Europe to teach and to lecture. I was invited to give a lecture at the Herrenhaus Borghorst by the kind invitation of Caroline Hatlapa. The hospitality was tremendous, the setting magical, and the guests intensely interested in riding in lightness. I presented a lecture with a multi-media component and lots of question and answer time. We had great discussions, open and direct, about true classical equitation, systematic training, and the need to ride with more compassion and care for the horses…..especially in a competition setting.
It was my pleasure to observe many fine riders and horses during the two day clinic that my friend Gerd offered at Borghorst. As we were in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, there were marvelous warmbloods, BIG HORSES, in the clinic. Thank you, to Caroline and Helena Hatlapa, Maike Theiler and Dr. Gerd and Johanna Heuschmann for such a memorable visit to the north of Germany. I am delighted to tell you that I’ll be offering a clinic at the Borghorst later in the year, with full details soon on this blog and on the website and facebook clinic schedules.
Following my visit with Caroline and her daughter Helena, I went to Munich to give a clinic to a great group of riders assembled by my friend Isabella Sonntag. Isabella is the founder of Wu Wei Verlag and publisher of my latest book in German, Wege zur Leichtigkeit in der Klassischen Dressur. Everywhere I go in Germany I am greeted by students that are absolutely hungry for a new way of riding and communicating with their horses. I am deeply encouraged by this and hope to see this desire flooding into the competition world. It gives me hope that we will all develop deeper compassion for our horses, our partners. I’ll be back in Munich teaching in late September (around the 24th) and will post more info next week. Thank you, to Isabella and Christina, and to all your team for a great clinic.
Immediately prior to my trip to Germany, I was with all my Chicago friends at Jill McCrae’s farm in Grayslake. It is such a pleasure to see all of the horses progressing so well. At the end of the clinic I was treated to an advance performance of their upcoming Elegance on Horseback event. Jill, Georgette, Betheny, and all their students love to ride and perform in costume on their wonderful Lusitanos. If you are in the Chicago area, go check it out! Thank you, Jill and Jeff, and all my friends for another great weekend…..and to Zorro the baby raccoon for all the entertainment…..see you in August!
by Keron Psillas | Jun 8, 2010 | Brazil equestrian trips, classical dressage, horses for sale |
I’m back with another trip report. As you can tell it was a very busy time.
While giving a clinic at Manege Sant’Adelaide Debra and I had the pleasure to meet Dr. Solange Mikail. Solange is a veterinarian practicing in Sao Paolo and a breeder of exotic cats (www.kashmircats.com). One facet of her practice involves using thermo imagery to assist in diagnosis of problem areas. Solange had the brilliant idea one day, prior to our arrival, to photograph (via thermal imaging) and compare saddles. She couldn’t wait to tell us about the results she found comparing my saddle to others she had seen. Of course we wanted to see the images for ourselves so Solange returned to the clinic with the camera and made the images you see below. I’ve included her remarks as well.
Saddle Fitting by thermography
Solange Mikail, DVM, MS – Brazil
The thermal image of the saddle can provide valuable information about the pressure distribution. If a saddle has a spot of pressure or the pressure is concentrated on the front part, back, or even in only one side of the saddle you will see uneven distribution of heat in the imagery.
The back of the horse and the saddle pad are also evaluated. On the horses back evaluation hot spots near the shoulders can indicate that the saddle is giving too much pressure at that area or if the saddle is too long hot spots can be found usually on lumbar region.
Barbier Saddles were evaluated at the clinic in Brazil and showed uniform pressure distribution all over the panels as well as in the horses back. I found them to be amazingly balanced with no indication of hot spots or pressure points in any area. I evaluated a new saddle as well as one that had been used for several years on many many different horses. The results were the same for both: outstanding.
I am delighted with the results, of course, but not surprised. I’ve spent many years perfecting the saddles…but still to see this empirical evidence is deeply gratifying. Thank you, Solange.
Just before the clinic at Davi’s manege, we attended the 13th International Luso-Brasileiro Auction at Victor Oliva’s Coudelaria Ihla Verde. Previously I mentioned that it was an exciting auction….and now I’ll tell you why.
We had spent the previous five days visiting farms, riding various horses and helping our clients to narrow their choices, ideally, to settle on the perfect horse for them. Debra and I travel to Brazil several times each year to watch the progression of the young horses and assist in the training of many of the riders and horses. It is generally the case that we know our clients riding styles and preferences as we usually have taught them in clinics or private lessons in the States. This helps us to narrow the choices and present the best options to prospective buyers. As Saturday approached it became clear that Scott and Pam had revised their original thinking about wanting a young horse. Scott decided that the horse for him was a Prix St. Georges stallion that we had seen and ridden several times during the week. Laura, a client back home, had settled on Zaire and after watching students ride him and having the chance to sit on him myself for the third time in as many months, we all agreed that this was a good choice. Now all that was needed was some luck.
The first horses in the auction were sold at astonishingly low prices. We were all puzzled, and dismayed for the breeders, but the economy worldwide was making its effects known. Next up came a marvelous mare that brought an appropriately high price and we began to think maybe we would be shut out. Then came Veneno VO (bred by our host Victor Oliva)….our Prix St. Georges stallion. The bidding started briskly and then settled down to two bidders. We were one. Just as the bidding was slowing, with our bid the last, the owner of the stallion stepped forward to exhort the other bidders. After all, here was a confirmed Prix St. Georges stallion being sold for an astonishingly reasonable price. Could our bid stand? What seemed like an eternity passed…..with my heart in my throat and my hand on Scott’s shoulder….his eyes going back and forth from the auctioneer to Pam to me…and finally! The horse belonged to Scott and Pam! What a celebration and exhalation followed! Champagne arrived at the table with congratulations from all around. Tears of happiness and even some shock took us over for a bit.
Several horses came and went with another mare bringing a high price. Then Zaire LS entered the arena. He’s a big flashy liver chestnut that showed well and had received a lot of attention prior to the auction. We didn’t have quite the drawn out wait that we endured with Veneno, but it was a triumphal moment when the gavel fell on our bid. We knew there would be a party that evening in Salt Lake City. Congratulations again Laura.
The surprises were not over. After watching the fabulous Al Capone, bred by Luis Salgado, go for too low a price…we saw the beautiful young mare, Bella SI, come into the ring. Bella, bred by Paolo Salles, had lovely movement, a gorgeous head, and a calm head in the arena when we rode her. Even with 7 stallions in the same arena the night before she just went about her work with marvelous regularity. We all started looking around the table at each other. How could we let a horse of this quality go for so little? To everyone’s astonishment (and joy!) Pam spoke up and said that it was just as easy to care for two as one and BINGO that was it. Bella is coming to the states with Veneno. The icing on the cake came when we discovered that they are both from the same mare. Congratulations to Scott and Pam.
Tomorrow I’ll put up a report about our clinic, including pictures of all our guests…and pictures of Solange, Rodrigo, and Julia, a tiny little eight year old girl happily riding a 10 year old stallion around the arena. This is the beauty of the Lusitano temperament. Here are a couple of images from the auction and pre-auction riding times. Enjoy. And just to get you thinking…..the next newsletter will have all the information about our trip to Brazil in September to Lindoia. We’ll include a clinic and farm visits during this trip as well. Get your visa now!
by Keron Psillas | Jun 4, 2010 | blog information, classical dressage |
We have just returned from a great trip to Brazil. We visited the farms, rode many many wonderful horses, saw old friends, made new friends, and enjoyed the best of Brazilian hospitality wherever we went. Before I go any further I want to thank our dear friend Davi Carrano from Manege Sant Adelaide for all his hard work and organization. The success of the trip was largely due to Davi’s care and hospitality. I want to congratulate the proud new owners of some fantastic Lusitanos: Scott and Pam will be welcoming home Veneno, a Prix St. Georges stallion, and the lovely Bella, Laura will be ecstatic to meet Zaire, and Nancy will be reunited with Ataualpa, a fabulous young Interagro stallion! All the pictures are in the gallery below.
This year’s auction was surprising. The quality of the horses, as always, was top notch. So one would expect that with the global interest in the Lusitano as the perfect dressage mount the prices would reflect the quality. Sadly, this was not always the case…..but we were very happy to be able to find great bargains for our clients. The event was certainly a success, with beautiful horses, plentiful champagne, the suspense of the bidding….and the movie stars and dignitaries arriving by helicopter adding a little extra excitement to the festivities. Congratulations and gratitude to Victor Oliva and all the team at Coudelaria Ihla Verde for another fantastic event!
I’ll continue the Brazil trip report in just a few days, but there is other news looking ahead:
There are new clinic dates in the calendar including a return to Virginia in July to give a clinic at Linda Bertschinger’s Classicus. Join us for a great clinic in a beautiful spot in the Shenandoah Valley. There are spots available for the clinic here at home in Healdsburg in late August. Reserve your spot now as they won’t last long. This is your best opportunity to ride intensively, on advanced horses, and study with both Dominique and Debra. You’ll be in Healdsburg for the very beginning of the grape harvest and can enjoy all the region has to offer at this special time. Contact us for all the information.
In less than two weeks I will begin another long trip that will find me teaching in New Jersey at Nancy Clark’s Castlegate Farm, in Chicago at Jill MacCrae’s farm, and then to Germany to offer a lecture (in a castle near Hamburg!) prior to a clinic with my friend Gerd Heuschmann, and then a clinic near Munich the following week. I offer my thanks to Isabella Sonntag and to Gerd for their enthusiasm and the organization of these two events.
Enjoy the photos…there are many more to come from the trip. Share the blog with friends, please. There are great topics coming up, including a report on my saddles by Dr. Solange Mikhail, DVM, MS, using thermographic imaging to expose potential problems (or, in our case, the amazing balance and quality of the saddle).
Amities ~ D Barbier
by Keron Psillas | Apr 9, 2010 | classical dressage, horses for sale, Well-being of the Horse |
