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Philippe Karl on the Problems of Modern Dressage and the Essence of French Classical Riding | INSIDE THE MANÈGE
In this second episode of the Inside the Manège podcast, I sit down with Philippe Karl, renowned rider and teacher of French classical riding. In this episode, he shares his critiques of modern dressage riding, discusses how to ride according to the nature of the horse, and what differentiates the French classical tradition. With over 50 years of experience riding and teaching, Philippe Karl was a rider of the famous Cadre Noir in Saumur, France for 13 years. While teaching…
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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…
