Philippe Karl - www.philippekarl.com

Monsieur Karl is a French Classical Dressage Master who has studied the centuries old classical techniques of dressage for over 40 years.  He has trained thousands of horses and riders across Europe and is a former member of the Cadre Noir in Saumur, France where for 13 years he was active as a competitor in dressage, jumping and long reining displays. 

He is teaching his “Philosophy of Ease” worldwide with the theme of absolute respect to the horse.  He is one of the most outspoken critics of the modern dressage world and undoes the contradictions in training, preferring to analyse the biomechanics and anatomy of the horse’s balance and self-carriage.  Rather than a forced display, he brings harmony and knowledge together to keep dressage as a form of art.  (Pip Easton - Hoofbeats Magazine - Australia)

Mon. Karl with Susanne Lohas, the host of the clinic I attended in Germany

Clinics that Support Monsieur Karl - With Veronika Bühn

Several students attended recent exams with Monsieur Karl in July 2010 and were highly praised by Mon. Karl for their work, one of these was Veronika Bühn.

In the current climate in Europe, Mon. Karl is regularly under attack from those who do not like to see things change.  I know that most of you who read this will be well aware of this kind of attitude - and not only in the horse world of course!  Anyone who dares to be different, anyone who challenges ideas that have been in place for many years will be open to criticism. Human beings, by nature, do not like to be questioned and find it hard to think outside the box. They do not see why something they have done for years should be done any differently now - but this is not progress. This only seeks to stagnate us and keep us from growing.

Monsieur Karl did not pass the students examined on this occasion and he explained to them that there are still a few small things to work on. He was very positive and said that he will like to continue to give them lessons.  It is understandable that he is very particular about the work - it is very important to always keep standards high and this becomes especially so when, like Monsieur Karl, you are so much in the public eye.

When it comes to horses, people seem to be particularly blinkered. I remember not so long ago when someone's argument for putting shoes on her horse was "because her great grandfather shod Queen Victoria's horse..." or some such nonsense.  I do not mind someone arguing a case - but argue it with logic and common sense.  Mon. Karl shows that the laws of biomechanics, physiology, anatomy and locomotion guide us in how a horse should be ridden if we are to ride it in a way that does him no harm.  He seeks to blow away the myths and illogical arguments for riding and working horses the way that many do and he uses the logic of equine learning theory in order to help the horse understand what is required by the human handler. He shows us answers and never gives us an "oh because that's the way it is" reply.

Mon. Karl teaching in Germany

Stand up and Speak Out - Be the Horse's Lawyer

So few people have the ability, confidence or courage to stand up and speak out. As I have said before, someone has to be the horse's lawyer, but this does not always make them popular. There are a few quotes that we should keep in mind when facing those that seek to knock us down when we try something new or when we present them with change:

"If we are always governed by other people's thoughts - what is the point of having our own?" (Oscar Wilde)

"Great spirits have often encountered opposition from mediocre minds" (Albert Einstein)

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life and in change there is power" (Alan Cohen)

"If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything new" (Sir Ken Robinson)

... and the one that for me sums up what Monsieur Karl is doing and is taken from Martin Luther King Jr:

"Never, never be afraid to do what's right - especially if the well being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way"

So, because of the challenges that Mon. Karl currently faces and because he is in the spotlight, he understandably needs to be even more sure that the teachers he puts out there to take his ideas forward, are not just good but always strive for excellence and continued improvement. Veronika and her colleagues from this past exam have been invited to continue with the refresher courses alongside those who previously passed the exams. These include more teaching practice and in addition, they are now invited to present some of their students to Mon. Karl during their lessons. This is a wonderful way to gain more experience and show how well they are passing on the knowledge.

ProHorse helping spread the word in South Africa

Monsieur Karl spoke personally to both Jan and Veronika about their trips to RSA.  Because they are doing such a great job here, because of their positive and proactive work and because they are supporting and promoting him here he is happy for them to not only continue coming here but is positively encouraging them to teach what they know about his work.  He wants them to continue teaching and to help students here reach a standard and a level ready for him to teach should he run a teacher's course here. It is because this is new here and because of the possibility that Mon. Karl will come that everything needs to be right.  We have a chance of blowing those myths right out of the water before he ever arrives.

Just imagine, the teachers we have are going to be better than ever before.  This gives us a real chance to stand up to the rest of the world and take horsemanship forward because we do not have so many preconceived ideas.  It is not that the conventional and traditional ways are not out there - but we are not yet so blinkered and stuck in our ways that change is not possible.  The very nature of this country may mean that change is seen as a challenge but not an impossibility.  Maybe that stands in our favour.

Please do continue to support Monsieur Karl, Veronika and Jan in their efforts.  Look out for their clinics listed on our Events page.  Veronika will now be continuing more personal lessons with Monsieur Karl and working toward taking the exam with him at a later date.   All this in the long term will be to our benefit.

Philippe Karl Books and DVD's

As Vroni is keen to return to RSA on a regular basis to progress the studies of her students here these will be a good investment for anyone wishing to take their horses to the highest level of training. Postage will only be the local South African rate and this currently makes the set R1340.  The usual price for the set of 3 x DVD's is around R1625 plus import duty, tax and postage from Europe on these.

The Philippe Karl book "Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage": available from us at R460 plus postage although I try and get them to people personally or via friends around the country if possible so that we don't risk either loss or damage and as they are heavy, post can be expensive. They usually retail for around R560 and some I have come across over R600 even when ordered via Amazon.

HQ Issue 56 September/October 2010: Philippe Karl Article - please look out for our article in issue 56 of HQ including promotion of the possible teacher's course for RSA. There is also the chance to win Listener places to Vroni's clinics in each of the locations where she teaches: Gauteng, W Cape and Natal.