Article by Dagmar Trodler
While Iceland excitedly follows the horse tournament 'Meistaradeild' and celebrates tölt in tilt, a private meeting to discover slowness was taking place in the remote hills of Rangárþing ytra in South Iceland....
While Iceland excitedly follows the horse tournament 'Meistaradeild' and celebrates tölt in tilt, a private meeting to discover slowness was taking place in the remote hills of Rangárþing ytra in South Iceland.
For the past two years the British horse trainer Peter de Cosemo has been coming to Iceland, training the foundations of horsemanship to a small group of riders, and teaching them how to calm horses through exercises, so that they know how to use their body when the horse’s speed increases.
He refers to himself jokingly as a "marriage counselor" - not interested in any personal history, he just analyses what he is presented with and knows immediately how far he has to go back to the "kindergarten" in order to straighten faltering horses.
"When things are difficult, make it simple," is his motto. He believes that riders are cluttering their horses with instructions and thereby lose sight of the goal. On a circle line marked with flour he teaches his four-legged students how to find their balance through simple exercises, and teaches riders to not disturb their horses, rather being kindly "neutral", and to use the reins correctly, instead of steering.
"The kilo of flour was the greatest investment in my horse life," he grins.
His view on the horse is characterised not only by British humour, but of great understanding for its problems. If the horse "invents panic or distraction" and goes off the rails, it is the rider's responsibility to sit on the circle line. "You're sitting on the line, and the horse's job is to stay under you." Sounds easier than it is...
"Slow down", therefore is the motto of the day. Getting away from doing things on the horse's back, starting to let the horse discover and find solutions for movements for itself.
Peter makes the horses think and wants them to experience and understand every step they take. "This is like learning to dance," he explains. "You practice every single step." Most of the teaching happens in walk, by taking single steps. Two steps - stop. Turn on the forehand - step - hold. Step - hold. Just be patient, and no bustle, not more than a small asking cue shall be given. "It will happen." he says. And so it does.
The Icelandic horses - world champions in anticipating and running away – calm down in this ‘flour’ circle school and find out about the existence of their own hindquarters, without complicated exercises and confusion of the track. And many a horse uttered a sigh of relief on this Sunday morning, as it detects contact with the rider's hand and is able to perform a proper halt from large steps.
This much is certain: it must feel nice to look nice.
The same applies for the rider. If you want to be taken into trot by your horse, you must not be located in front of your horse. It's slowness where horse and rider meet and ride off together. The result is a horse that lifts us up through its body and makes larger movement.
For Peter the greatest proof of confidence. A round horse is vulnerable, because it lets go of its defenses, such as the flight-instinct. “It takes a brave horse to do so,” Peter says. In his view, most stiffness within a horse is defense, out of concern for its own safety.
This idea places a special responsibility in our rider's hand.
Organizer, Svanhildur Hall of Úrvalshestar http://www.urvalshestar.is/ had been working with Peter for many years and has also trained horses with him in the US. She is totally convinced of his approach with horses. Peter's basic schooling serves excellently for the education of her own horses, and she maintains that customers greatly appreciate horses educated in this way. The path of small steps primarily benefits the tolt, making it easier and more beautiful.
Her lesson on a five-gaited blue dun consists of leg yields in walk and the cues for canter. Watching them gives an idea of the great beauty Peter's work kindles in an Icelandic horse - if it is just given enough time to develop.
The small rider's group had decided to hold their clinics for three years in seclusion, without advertising and media-contact. However, for next year they plan to present results in front of a larger audience in Iceland.
"You cannot practice brilliance," Peter states. "But you can train the elements and its foundations."
For the past two years the British horse trainer Peter de Cosemo has been coming to Iceland, training the foundations of horsemanship to a small group of riders, and teaching them how to calm horses through exercises, so that they know how to use their body when the horse’s speed increases.
He refers to himself jokingly as a "marriage counselor" - not interested in any personal history, he just analyses what he is presented with and knows immediately how far he has to go back to the "kindergarten" in order to straighten faltering horses.
"When things are difficult, make it simple," is his motto. He believes that riders are cluttering their horses with instructions and thereby lose sight of the goal. On a circle line marked with flour he teaches his four-legged students how to find their balance through simple exercises, and teaches riders to not disturb their horses, rather being kindly "neutral", and to use the reins correctly, instead of steering.
"The kilo of flour was the greatest investment in my horse life," he grins.
His view on the horse is characterised not only by British humour, but of great understanding for its problems. If the horse "invents panic or distraction" and goes off the rails, it is the rider's responsibility to sit on the circle line. "You're sitting on the line, and the horse's job is to stay under you." Sounds easier than it is...
"Slow down", therefore is the motto of the day. Getting away from doing things on the horse's back, starting to let the horse discover and find solutions for movements for itself.
Peter makes the horses think and wants them to experience and understand every step they take. "This is like learning to dance," he explains. "You practice every single step." Most of the teaching happens in walk, by taking single steps. Two steps - stop. Turn on the forehand - step - hold. Step - hold. Just be patient, and no bustle, not more than a small asking cue shall be given. "It will happen." he says. And so it does.
The Icelandic horses - world champions in anticipating and running away – calm down in this ‘flour’ circle school and find out about the existence of their own hindquarters, without complicated exercises and confusion of the track. And many a horse uttered a sigh of relief on this Sunday morning, as it detects contact with the rider's hand and is able to perform a proper halt from large steps.
This much is certain: it must feel nice to look nice.
The same applies for the rider. If you want to be taken into trot by your horse, you must not be located in front of your horse. It's slowness where horse and rider meet and ride off together. The result is a horse that lifts us up through its body and makes larger movement.
For Peter the greatest proof of confidence. A round horse is vulnerable, because it lets go of its defenses, such as the flight-instinct. “It takes a brave horse to do so,” Peter says. In his view, most stiffness within a horse is defense, out of concern for its own safety.
This idea places a special responsibility in our rider's hand.
Organizer, Svanhildur Hall of Úrvalshestar http://www.urvalshestar.is/ had been working with Peter for many years and has also trained horses with him in the US. She is totally convinced of his approach with horses. Peter's basic schooling serves excellently for the education of her own horses, and she maintains that customers greatly appreciate horses educated in this way. The path of small steps primarily benefits the tolt, making it easier and more beautiful.
Her lesson on a five-gaited blue dun consists of leg yields in walk and the cues for canter. Watching them gives an idea of the great beauty Peter's work kindles in an Icelandic horse - if it is just given enough time to develop.
The small rider's group had decided to hold their clinics for three years in seclusion, without advertising and media-contact. However, for next year they plan to present results in front of a larger audience in Iceland.
"You cannot practice brilliance," Peter states. "But you can train the elements and its foundations."
