The reports included an analysis, including a retrospective view of traditional science ( philology , morphology , anatomy , psychology and neurophysiology ) on a number of issues to be discussed through the NHE prism of research, were management issues like emergency treatments for horses, methods of prevention and clinical diagnosis of various pathologies.
The forum participants also demonstrated unique photo and video materials , the results of practical training and research from the representatives of NHE School , directly involved in the Manege practice LEP ( A. Nevzorov, E. Aralbayeva , T. Time , and others)
By decision of the Organizing Committee , none of the reports will be open for publication.
Special guests of the seminar were Head of Normal Anatomy Department of the Kirov Military Medical Academy professor I. Gajvoronsky, artist N. Kopeikin , composer J. Vitta , sound engineer M. Pavlov , actor A. Ivankovich .
With the support of I. Gaivoronsky and G. Nichiporuk, participants visited the museum at the Department of Anatomy of the Medical Military Academy, and were guided with commentaries and explanations of leading Russian anatomists.

• Traité sur la monture d’École. Partie II. Le dos bleu
• Dressage: Mettons les points sur les “i” et les barres aux “t”
• Cartularium
• Interview de Derry McCormick: Chancelière de l’Académie des Sciences Equines
• Traité sur la monture d’École. Partie II. Le dos bleu

Louis Cazaux de Nestier a déclaré un jour, “L’assiette d’école n’est pas seulement l’exacte connaissance de l’admissible. Elle est aussi une compréhension exacte de l’inadmissible.” Dans cette partie du traité nous nous pencherons sur le phénomène du dos bleu, nommé ainsi en raison de l’image bleuté apparaissant sur l’image thermographique lors du diagnostic d’un cheval sain. En effet, seul le “dos bleu” peut être un signe réel et définitif nous démontrant que le cheval n’éprouve aucun inconfort, aucune gêne ou douleur quelconque, qu’elle soit nouvelle, chronique, locale ou globale. Le “dos bleu” est un idéal absolu et devrait être considéré comme la norme absolue. Alexandre Nevzorov nous exposera alors les principales méthodes nous permettant de diagnostiquer un dos sain. Il nous parlera également du principe MAGNITUDO, la puissance absolue du cheval, correctement développé, ce principe se basant sur un désir très honorable de donner au cheval, la pleine valeur de sa condition myologique, pour l’exercer, développer ses muscles en tenant compte de leur constitution naturelle. 

Dressage: Mettons les points sur les “i” et les barres aux “t” 

“Vous voulez tuer un cheval? Faites du dressage!”. Voici le titre ô combien percutant de la deuxième partie de notre section Horse Révolution. Nous nous intéresserons donc ici au monde du Dressage. Nous examinerons en une analogie assez particulière les fondements des agissements des individus s’engageant dans cette discipline, leur incroyable illogisme et cruauté. Nous étudierons l’aspect psychologique de ce phénomène en tentant de comprendre le pourquoi de ces actes. “S’ils sont illettrés, s’ils ne ressentent pas le cheval, s’ils ne connaissent ni ne comprennent leur anatomie et physiologie, réalisent-ils quoi que ce soit ou sont-ils simplement honnêtement dans l’erreur?”, “Qu’est-ce qui les pousse alors, eux qui vénèrent ce passetemps qui cause des troubles sévères chez l’objet de leur attention?” Vous pourrez ainsi, une fois encore constater de par vous-même, que chaque question à sa réponse. Le cheval n’a rien à cacher à celui qui peut voir et comprendre. Pour finir nous nous concentrerons bien évidemment à ce sujet, comme dans chaque numéro aux conséquences des pratiques de la discipline en question, en vous exposant les preuves concrètes de ce massacre, commentaires d’autopsies et d’examens à l’appui afin de pouvoir définitivement apposer tous les points sur les “i”. 

Cartularium

 Photos et descriptions de Muserolles de type Serreta, d’Autriche et d’Europe datant d’entre le XVIème et XVIIIème siècle.

 Interview de Derry McCormick: Chancelière de l’Académie des Sciences Équines

 ”Nous acceptons uniquement les personnes cherchant à œuvrer dans le meilleur intérêt pour le cheval…”. Equine Sciences Academy (l’Académie des Sciences Équines) – phénomène atypique dans le monde de l’éducation hippologique. Atypique car crée par des représentants détenant différents points de vue sur l’alimentation, le parage et les soins s’unissant ici pour transformer de jeunes novices en de grands professionnels. L’ESA diffère de presque toutes les écoles hippologiques, les collèges et les instituts de par ses grands principes: Agir non pas PAR le cheval – mais POUR le cheval.

Derry McCormick nous narre dans cette interview la naissance de l’Académie, nous présente les partenaires contribuant à son développement, son mode de fonctionnement, ses méthodes d’apprentissage, les causes pour lesquelles elle se bat ainsi que son lien avec la Nevzorov Haute École.

 in which Michael talks about his life with horses and his new book.

Michael, before you knew of Alexander and Lydia Nevzorov, you were already traveling a different path with horses. In what ways has the NHE experience changed or influenced your work?

After all the various experiences and enlightenment provided by horses that helped change my own beliefs and fixed ideas, it all culminated in a specific experience with one horse. It forever changed my viewpoint.

As a result of that huge catalyst, I had already reduced my classes to a few choice students who easily understood, and were very happy to work with, my accrued principles. However, these classes were mainly with my own horses and I could see that there were days when the horses really did not want to have to partake in any of that. It was interesting to see when particular students showed up; the horses would either come to the fence or run away to the opposite end of the field. A horse may have been willing at the beginning of the class, but also started to show signs of being fed up toward the end of it. Using Dr. Cook’s bitless bridle was fine, but I knew that the horses were still forced at times to maintain a desired path. A less damaging means of control, but an imposed control nonetheless. After, what I consider, horses showing me a side of them that was so personal, I was already trying to find a way out of that standard result of just riding
horses.

At a time when I did not want to continue standard training for others, this gave me something new to do with the horses and I was really having fun again. My best strong point was always the relationship. Haute Ecole is not a common standard discipline that we normally hear about in the average horse world. To discover something new that allowed the horse to be expressive and to develop physically and mentally was exactly what I needed at my personal crossroads.

What was it that first made you diverge from the traditional way of keeping horses and working with them, and put you on a different path?

Those are two very distinct questions and the two did not happen at the same time. At the beginning, while living and working in the city, the horses were kept in a boarding stable. For the first time, I started to realize that what was really going on in the world around me was a great contrast to my initial idea of what having a horse meant. The reality that my horse was living was not the beauty and dream of what drew me to horses. I saw this in every subsequent stable in which he was boarded. Look at any large stable, take a snapshot of the alley. It is very similar to a prison cellblock. Yet, how are horses usually depicted? They are free and running. Even stables could have beautiful names and logos of winged horses or comical smiling horses or a horse running free in a field. Not so in the real world, is it? It goes even beyond that with how we deal with horses every day. Yet, I was also trapped in the norm. Despite our feelings that may creep in
from time to time, we are constantly reminded through social pressure. No one, at any of the stables that we were at, thought as I did.

What made me start doing things differently was actually a combination of two different reasons. When I bought my first horse he was still boarded and undergoing basic training at the place that I bought him. One day, I was finishing a lap around the arena while other people were leaving the arena with their horses. I could feel my horse tense up right away. The horse was in a panic. He wanted to follow the other horses. He was neither angry nor aggressive, but he seemed terrified. I was happy with what we had accomplished and dismounted, but the trainer was not pleased. She told me that I was supposed to be the boss. I watched as the trainer struggled from the ground with reins in hand and I could plainly see that the only mounting that was going to happen was her anger. I think what made it worse was that she may have felt slightly embarrassed because this horse challenged her professionalism, or rather, diminished it to onlookers. She began to shout
and yank the reins attached to the Pelham bit. My horse reared up and as he did so, with his eyes wide with fear and pain, he looked at me. It shocked me. It was how he looked at me. It was only for a moment, but I saw a plea for help. A hope that maybe I, really practically a stranger, could do something. Even though I found the entire panic situation unpleasant, even understood that he did not want to be without other horses, it was based only on the physical reactions that I was seeing. I did not really attribute feelings to my horse. That is why that momentary glance surprised me so. I really felt his message. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the first time a horse `talked` to me so clearly. Maybe, it was the first time I noticed.

We did not stay there much longer and found new boarding at a place closer to the city. My horse’s registered name is JR Big Leo. Once we were on our own, he would accept the bitted bridle, but would show great reluctance to let me mount. Regarding the bit, like most of my learning, it happened by accident, and it was Leo who showed me. I noticed that he would be very relaxed when only in a halter, and if I tried to mount, it did not seem to be a problem. That solved it for me on the spot. I would remove the bit. People thought I was crazy.

I went further. By the time we left the ranch, he could be ridden at walk and trot. We had never cantered or galloped. We had some finishing work to do. In a halter with the reins clipped on, the square, metal piece along the cheek would rotate into his face when I did an open rein. That started to bother me, so I went in search of something else. I found Dr. Cook’s cross-under Bitless Bridle. For what it achieved for me and with Leo’s obvious approval of it, I became a representative. Nothing changed regarding people’s opinions about me riding without a bitted bridle. They thought it was pure folly and I even endured lectures from stable mates who, with good intentions, would try to dissuade me from going bitless. It was not their opinion that counted for me. It was Leo’s acceptance. That opened a completely new path for me. I never voiced my dislike of what I saw in training stables, I just decided to do things differently. It is not that I had
a plan or considered myself a better trainer. I did not consider myself a horse trainer at all. People just watching me and Leo, and eventually, our other horses, started to ask me to train theirs. I ended up becoming a horse trainer by circumstance. Nevertheless, there was still a lot of learning that would take place along the way.

As for the change in the traditional way of keeping horses, the change happened gradually. I found most stables restrictive. People would not want to ride at the same time as I because I did not put a bit on the horse. With so many boarders, riding, training or classes, having the arena free to play and run around with the horses was difficult. My wife bought a very young horse to give me the experience of starting from scratch. People were not used to seeing untrained horses. When I would take the young horse out of his box, people literally cleared the alleys because they were afraid. I was also not allowed to play with several horses at the same time. The owner of the stable considered it too dangerous. We were lucky to find an old barn rented out by a farmer. By the time we moved there, we had four horses. We practically had the place to ourselves and I was able to spend a lot more time with the horses. With the relative new-found freedom, I started
to notice a change in the horses for the better. It was then that we decided that we should get our own place.

Little did I realize that I had been conditioned to the stabling lifestyle for horses. Even though we had our own place, I initially reproduced the same environment of a typical stable. Boxes, paddocks, enclosures. Our horses were never shod, but when I learned more of the barefoot movement and started doing my own trimming, that is when things began to really change for the horses. I eventually dismantled the boxes and the stable became a walk-in shelter. Some fences came down and our horses were free to roam on our little piece of paradise.

From what you have seen in your experience how do you see the horse world in the future, say about fifty years?

It would be nice to say that we will all live in peace with other animals; horses would be respected and revered like the fabled unicorn. With my personal experience and reality of the world around me, there is no fantasy world in my own lifetime. However, there will be changes.

There are already changes taking place with average horse owners. I remember when the barefoot movement began to creep into stables. It was met with much reluctance but it began to spread. Opinions clashed often and so some people would band together to establish a place where they could improve the lifestyle of their horses without being faced with negative comments or social pressure from those who wanted to cling to tradition. It has only been ten years since it first popped up here, but now barefoot trimming is a commonly accepted alternative.

When I used to give classes, all the younger generation easily accepted my explanations to them about the importance of keeping a horse barefoot and not using a bit. Changes will not be drastic or sudden but there is a steady progression of awareness and consciousness.

However, the largest impact would have to be on the big industry of competition and racing. In Quebec, the four major racetracks were shut down near the end of 2009. It was due mainly to a financial crunch because there was no more monetary support from the government and not enough people showing up at the track to watch or bet on the races. For the horses, things will probably get worse before they get better. The existing horses lost much of their value because there was much less demand for them. People could no longer maintain highly populated breeding or racing stables anymore. The loss of the financial aspect means that a lot of horses went to slaughter.

Animal welfare groups around the world have grown in size and, therefore, have a stronger voice. As a result, the public becomes more aware of injuries and deaths in competition and racing. If one law is changed somewhere, then activity is moved somewhere else. With precedents being set and awareness growing all the time, the industry will slowly shrink. If there are higher concentrations of racing in one area, there will also be higher injuries and deaths reported from that one localized event. I think it will produce a greater lack of support from the general population.

To stay alive, they need public support because the entertainment is what draws the money from all the people. Maybe this will force governing bodies to allow changes in competition, such as, for example, allowing bitless bridles. The average person will make changes for the benefit of the horse. The industry will make changes to allow the flow of money.

NHE continues to make a great impact on showing the beauty and what is possible with horses and also the hidden horror that takes place in the competitive horse world. Although I would not schedule a show tour with my own horses, the horse show, Cavalia, started with Pignon and Magali continues to make a great impact. When I talk to average people on the street, plumbers, construction workers, waitresses, or families with young children, the lasting impression they have is from the play at liberty. From one of the shows, I heard for the first time, how people noticed a big difference when it was a demonstration of dressage, or mirroring between two horses and riders. The difference is that the people actually noticed how constrained the horses were and frothing at the mouth with the bit.

It will take one small step to prepare the threshold for the next change.

Tell us about the most memorable horses in your life….your greatest (equine) teachers, your closest (equine) friends…

My heart starts to beat stronger and tears come to my eyes when all the different horses and experiences flash through my memory. They have given me so much and they all taught me something. Even though I did things a little differently, I only grasped a little here, understood something else there. I did not wake up one day and decide that I would do things completely different. My strongest point was developing a good relationship with a horse. The horses showed me a side of themselves that gradually changed my thinking more and more. It came to a point that I had to train the people, not the horses. Horses that I worked with at home would be so good with me. They would also be pretty good with the owner if I were present. If an owner showed up when I was not around, I would hear that they could sometimes not even halter the horse and would completely give up and leave in anger and frustration. What I realized after dropping one training tradition
after another, was that my horses, or all the horses I trained, because no force and pain were involved, were not `broken`. It was a trust and a bond that we developed. This trust and bond, comprehension, and willingness were part of our unique relationship. That relationship was not transferable.

There was a big turning point in my life with horses in the summer of 2005. There was an incident that made me realize I had been moving further on up the track, but the track was exactly the same. There were many special moments that different horses presented to me over the years but it never all coalesced as it did on this particular day. In a matter of seconds, I finally broke away from that linear way of thinking.

Different stories about different horses are presented in my book. It is just all too much to go into here.

You just finished your first book ”Beyond the Dream Horse” Let’s talk about it. Can you give us a summary or overview of it, and tell us if it is all about NHE?

The book highlights some of the horses that I have known in my life and what I learned from different experiences. It is my goal to present a different perspective so that others can begin to live with new insight, not only about themselves, but also about their horses. The possibility that has so often been overlooked has always existed. The focus here is not on any particular training technique, types of equipment, or even scientific research. Although such points are touched upon through the course of my own learning experience, this is primarily about the relationship. This is a rediscovery rather than presenting anything new or groundbreaking regarding horses. Everyone holds the potential to see with new eyes and renewed spirit.

After the previously mentioned incident in 2005 that turned my seemingly perfect world with horses upside down, I met Lydia, thanks to Dr. Cook. Of course, Lydia introduced me to what she and Alexander were doing, and that became part of my life. As a progress with horses, that story is mentioned in the book. I explain what NHE is all about, Lydia’s mission and the forum experience and how NHE changed my activities with my own horses.

Who is your intended audience? What is your hope for the book? What would you like it to accomplish? How would you like it to affect your readers?

It is for any horse owner that is seeking a way to better understand and connect with their horse. I wish that the experiences that I went through and learned along the way could have been explained to me a long time ago. It would also be a good book for anyone who is thinking about buying their first horse. I think that even a non-horse person would find many parts of the book interesting including the parts involving horses.

It is not just a compilation of stories, but what I have learned through the described experiences. The expectations between people and horses are quite ingrained in our own psyche. We tend to adhere to the past and what we know or what is learned, or standards with which we grew up or are accustomed. It is often much more simple to do so than to deal with a new realization that is before our very eyes, or in our hearts. Yes, even when we are seeking it. It is denial or selfishness, or maybe even fear. It is not easy to wander off the beaten path when everyone is calling out and pointing the usual way back. We so often ignore our own feelings and do not appreciate the wellspring of our own experiences as a reality that can truly exist.

The challenge is to explain what I mean when I try to describe something learned from horses. Yet, I believe those who have had similar experiences will easily understand it. Secrets and treasures of the heart are not easily described. Pure emotion of the spirit is not readily understood. Yet, there are people scattered throughout the world who will understand exactly what I describe. It is almost a phenomenon that those numbers have been steadily growing in recent years.

I give examples of how I worked with my own horses. I want to help people realize the variations that could be applied according to the character of different horses, the creativity of the person, and how to adjust to different horses in order to develop new forms of communication. All I can do is relate my own experience and hopefully, people will be able to walk away with something from that.

My intention was to write a book that would touch the hearts of all who read it. It did not turn out exactly as I wished. This is not fantasy and so the world creeps in oftentimes with the coldness of reality. Nonetheless, it is this diversity that allows love to shine ever more brightly when it is found.

Where can people find the book?

Beyond the Dream Horse – A Revealing Perspective on Attaining a True Relationship, will be available in August 2010 through bookstores or through the internet on Amazon.

Among the articles in this issue, there are:

Natascha Smargiassi

The official NHE representative in Switzerland Natascha Smargiassi  lives with her three horses in the town of Giubiasco in the Canton Ticino in the southern part of Switzerland where the language and culture is Italian. Natascha is one of the most action-oriented and successful members of the Horse Revolution.

“The Horse Crucified and Risen” by Alexander Nevzorov. Chapter two. Equestrianism

The second chapter of the long-awaited book by Alexander Nevzorov.

Cartularium. The “Chardon” curb

This curb was mentioned in the “Horse Encyclopedia” though it deserves a separate and very thorough description as it is an absolute rarity and convincing proof of the complexities of hippological history, reflecting the purposeful movement of “preschool” equine Europe which pursued the development of pain inflicting properties of bits in order to achieve at least some control over the horse.

Reviews. Linda Tellington – A Tin Can

A very popular book “Getting in TTouch: Understand and Influence Your Horse’s Personality” is reviewed by Alexander Nevzorov. Readers will learn what Frederico Grisone and Linda Tellington Jones have in common, and what the main secret of the TTEAM method is.

Colloquium

Interview with the Norwegian Dan Guerrera, one of the world’s most famous ungulologists became a “horse person” quite late in life. He has a gift not only to see hoof problems and to understand ways of solving them, but also the talent to communicate well with different people. Quite quickly Dan became a successful practitioner and a good teacher. He teaches his students to be professional ungulologists and to horse-owners he conveys how much depends on them since they see their horses every day while the trimmer comes and goes…

You can order the fifth “NHE Equine Anthology” issue here:  http://www.horse-revolution.com/category/nheea

Alexander’s passion for old school Haute Ecole helped to choose the logo which he placed in his manege. It was two horse heads back to back complete with bits and reins. With the creation of NHE, he decided that his personal logo choice should be changed to reflect his own philosophy. Therefore, the bits and reins were removed from the logo. It now exists as we know it today.

The HR logo has greater significance. The image of St-George slaying the dragon is very powerful in Russia. The logo used by HR went through a couple of changes over the years. However, it still represented a play on the image, or, a reversal of roles. The main reason being that the Russian branch of the Equestrian Federation used the image of St-George slaying the dragon within their own logo. To represent HR victory over equestrian sport, HR initially put the dragon in the saddle slaying the human. That changed to a closer version of the original and how it exists today.

As you look through this small collection of typical photographs of equestrian sport and other human activities which involve horses, you could consider where does the greatest human cruelty and dishonesty come from. And you probably would answer that it is the «iron» in the horse’s mouth.

But this wouldn’t be completely true. Look closely at these photographs: at the faces of the horses writhing with pain and fear, at their tormented eyes, at their bodies blasting with muscular strain, at their mouths and legs pouring with foaming saliva and sweat. Look at the human faces disfigured with anger and fear.

Try to ask yourself honestly:

• Why humans do these kinds of things to creatures who think and feel as much as humans do? 
• What is the purpose of this now, in the 21 st century, when savagery should belong to the past?

We will give you an answer at the end of this atlas of cruelty. And now – look and consider… There is a great myth of sportsmen that says that all of these photos are trivial and that there are no such things in real equestrian sport. But its not true. This Atlas contains photographs of what champions and masters of sports do. All the photographs here are typical and you can easily verify it if you’ll visit any equestrian event with your own camera. None of these photos were processed via Photoshop. They are all true facts. 

You can use the photos anyway you want, but please leave the HR and NHE copyright information.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE (13 Mb) >>>

The sad fact is that in our region, in Ascona, a rich people and VIP touristic place, there will be a polo tournament in July. Very rich lobbies have organized it and are even gathering sponsorship for it. They want to make out of that a very exclusive VIP event to attract rich people and enhance the direction of tourism showing Ascona as a very exclusive place to come.

Since two months I stress the Veterinario Cantonale (Highest Authority of the Department for the Animal Welfare of Canton Ticino, the southern Switzerland Italian speaking Region) sending him a file in which on one side we could clearly see with pictures and newspaper articles and scientific studies,to demonstrate that the riders are in danger too. The answer I got from the Veterinario Cantonale is that as some polo tournaments have already taken place in Switzerland  in the past, he cannot simply avoid it and he has to study how to make the right controls.

I think that he was having the pressure at a highest level as the money is the King and comes above all.

So I asked him to tell which will be the control and who is going to make them. I have to met him again this month to discuss how to go further. He wants to stress about the anti doping controls and maybe so he can show a beginning and demonstrate the harm of polo. Before no controls at all have been done.

The result of my action is not as conclusive as I hoped, but at least I have done something. I decided to go there and make sure the right controls are going to be done. I’ve asked that some authority is being there, with me to see the whole tournament and I’ll photograph the event in order after to demonstrate how painful it is for the horses.

We have to balance the diplomacy and the temper with which we are going into the Horse Revolution if we want to have results. We have to act, continuously, seriously and be happy with little results at the time, but never loose the inner contact with the final goal, The Abolition of Equestrian Sport.

The photocontest will be held by the «Horse Revolution» with support of Nevzorov Haute Ecole in conjunction with a project aimed at instituting criminal proceedings against equestrian sport.

We accept photographs of any kind of equestrian sport including rodeo, flat racing, driving, steeplechase, Arabian and gaited horse shows. We also accept photographs of bad housing conditions and of abusive treatment outside of the sport contests.

The photocontest will contain different divisions, for professional and amateurs. Dates and other details will be given soon.

To help competitors, Nevzorov Haute Ecole is preparing a photo guide called “The cruelty of equestrian sport: types, methods, and the nature of the cruel treatment of horses. Documentary Photographic Evidence’’.

I can openly say for the first time (with sadness, but really frankly) that if we are honest with ourselves and if we have respect for other living beings, if we rely solely on scientifically sound and accurate data, we have to recognize that the anatomy of the horse (no matter who is on horseback: a child, a Haute Ecole master or an athlete) leaves no possibility for riding. There can no riding – no need to fool your head – not for five minutes or ten minutes.

Riding is always a huge problem for the horse’s spine and spinal cord, and the muscles cutaneus scapulobrachialis, and cutaneus maximus – those subcutaneous muscles that take the first blow. I can say that after riding, the restoration of the horse to a relatively normal state of the back, with restored blood flow in some muscles, takes more than a year. I understand that to some extent these unpleasant words will probably turn away many from the school; but for those who come in the hope to achieve an extraordinary relationship with the horse, no, you can not ride anymore.

The sadness is due to the fact that I regret my own name is associated with riding on horseback (despite some unique achievement in this area), and the fact that I, wittingly or unwittingly, have done very much to popularize this extremely disgusting fun. I now regret it, but, as I always say: well, of course, I was not born with the knowledge that I have at the moment. But, alas, I am to get this knowledge and also to work as icebreaker for the whole School, because I am involuntarily leading the way, breaking the terrible ice of errors and delusions.

The school must progress with the teacher; riding is no longer admissible for the students of NHE; not even collected and not even for five minutes, it is senseless to think we can fight for Horse Revolution, and still ride on horseback.