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INSIDE THE MANÈGE: Luís Valença on Equestrian Art, Nuno Oliveira, and What Makes a Classical Rider.
In this first episode of the podcast series Inside the Manège, renowned classical dressage master Luís Valença speaks about his life and work with horses, shares stories of Nuno Oliveira, and explores what sets equestrian art apart. Now one of the most well-known classical riding masters in Portugal, and having been a long-time student of Nuno Oliveira and also worked with the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, Luís Valença has an incredible depth of knowledge in all things classical riding.…
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Making Sense of Baucher Part 3: Comparing Baucherism, Steinbrecht’s Gymnasium, and German School Dressage
François Baucher’s training methods brought a unique system of developing a horse in lightness, yet his techniques countered some of the fundamental, prevailing ideas of horse training in his time. His methods continue to offer a philosophy that at times significantly differs from German School riding that we now see most commonly in dressage. This has led to quite a bit of skepticism, criticism, and controversy over his methods, as his philosophy offers an alternative view to some common, closely…
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Making Sense of Baucher Part 1: The Principles and Philosophy of Baucher
An influential horseman who brought a new philosophy of riding in lightness, François Baucher worked to develop a system of training to bring any horse into balance. The author of the now often-quoted principle of “hands without legs, legs without hands,” and whose work greatly influenced the riding of horseman Nuno Oliveira, Baucher was in fact a highly controversial figure in his time whose work was often rejected. Perhaps the most fundamental of his discoveries was that balance and lightness…
