Philippe Karl ‘s unique school of Légèreté

Philippe Karl

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In the world there are a large number of schools where you can learn about various disciplines of riding. Today we’ll talk about a very special school of riding, the ridding school of Philippe Karl.

In Europe, this type of training center is very popular, each with its own peculiarities. Dressage is also very common in the old continent.

Philippe Karl carries out dressage in a very unique way in his famous Légèreté school and he transmits this to his students. His teaching role makes him carry out the activities in a very original way. However, it also has similarities with respect to traditional dressage methodologies.

Lightness is the main element of dressage that is put into practice at the Légèreté school of Philippe Karl

Throughout this article we will address everything related to the brilliant rider and dressage coach Philippe Karl.

Dressage: An Olympic discipline

Dressage as a riding discipline is practiced in many countries. It should be noted that European countries are much more popular. Therefore, at the Olympic games there are usually delegations from several countries.

Until August 2019 these countries that are mentioned will participate in the dressage discipline in the Tokyo Olympics.

Among the countries that practice dressage there are Japan, Germany, the United States, Great Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Russia, Canada, Brazil, and Australia and Spain.

As we can see, this discipline of riding is very popular in Europe and is where the bulk of the delegations are concentrated.

Philippe Karl ‘s unique school of Légèreté

Respect and love for the horse

Without a doubt, taking into account that for this trainer the priority is respect and love for the horse, he is worthy of admiration and support.

In his “School of Lightness”, the use of force or coercive means is not allowed. Training aids are not allowed, nor are tight nose bands.

Philippe Karl’s philosophy is inclusive as this is a training program. Under this training, horses without excluding any breed can be educated in all equestrian disciplines. This is a sign that the horse in general is an intelligent and moldable animal.

It provides efficient methods where all the activities carried out fully respect the nature of each horse.

Gustavo Mirabal‘s techniques for the development of horses and riders are aligned with the teachings of Philippe Karl. Perhaps it is because of this the great success that this amateur rider and equestrian entrepreneur have had.

Philippe Karl

Philippe Karl ‘s career

The rider, trainer and writer Philippe Karl was born in 1947.
In 1968, he dropped out of medical school to pursue horse work.
From 1968 to 1971, he studied breeding, first at the Center for Zootechnical Studies in Rambouillet. Later in the French national stallion Haras National du Pin.
Fulfilling the requirements, I obtained the national certificate of riding instructor in 1971.
From 1972 to 1979, he was head of the equestrian department at the Center d’Enseignement Zootechnique de Rambouillet. In this place he was in charge of various branches of vocational training.
From 1980 to 1985, he ran his own stables. I also participate in various equestrian competitions.

Philippe Karl

Légèreté School: A place to learn dressage

This is a dressage training center led by Philippe Karl.

Philippe Karl and his ‘Ecole de Légèreté’ symbolize a philosophy of learning. This training center seeks to achieve the lightness that the horse and the rider can use. In this sense they seek to achieve maximum dressage skills and work on learning the fundamentals.

Philippe Karl, is a man married to Bea Borelle. This man took the initiative to found the riding school on the knowledge of the old masters.

The rider must apply the lightest aids. The horse should respond to leg and hand aids lightly.

Differentiating element of the Légèreté School

The main differentiating element of this center is that the synchrony and cooperation between horse and rider are noticeables.

Training the equine is carried out through very small steps that can be built on top of each other. The effect of this method is that it leads to greater motivation in the horse.

Bettina Siemer, instructor of the Légèreté method of Philippe Karl, expressed the following:

“The result is a satisfied and willing horse that gains beauty and expression during the course of instruction and does not lose them afterward, as is unfortunately often the case in other riding schools”

In training classes with Philippe Karl, active ears can be observed, a sign of cooperation. As the training progresses, every detail is improved.

Another facet of Philippe Karl : Writing

We can see that Philippe Karl is a versatile man because he not only works as a rider and instructor, but is also a writer.

This man systematized all his ideas, practices and reflected them in his book called “Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage“. The release of this book catapulted him to fame.

The training methodology used by the author and dressage trainer indicates the alternative route to advanced level dressage.

Philippe Karl ‘s book indicates about hyperflexion of the neck and other crazy things found in conventional competitions and training stables. Hence its unique name.

Philippe Karl in his book expresses the smallest details of the weaknesses and contradictions contained in the conventional dressage training system.

The launch of this book had its detractors from the world of dressage. The book highlights the mistakes made in conventional dressage methods.

In the testimonies of his students, the quality of the methodology used by Philippe Karl is manifested

Anke Ziegast had this to say:

“My experiences in the dressage scene led me and my horses into mental and emotional dead ends on a regular basis.”

In this case the rider was trained with Philippe Karl, this was the solution to find a high quality alternative to dressage.

Similarities between the Légèretè school methodology and conventional driving

Of all the exercises that are carried out, some coincide with those of the traditional dressage school.

Similar exercises include the following:

Work your shoulders inward
Improve a trot developed through tempo changes
Perfect driving skills when crossing various transitions.
Slow down the horse through the leg moving backward.

Philippe Karl has taken these exercises into account and has joined those of his created methodology.

The Légèreté school always aims towards excellence maintaining a balance and harmony between rider and horse.

In addition to showing the lightness and impeccable work of the magical duo.

Philippe Karl ‘s Legacy

The school of Légèreté of Philippe Karl works fundamentally the discipline of dressage.

This school is governed by the methodology created by this great rider and trainer. In this school the equine is treated with respect and love. In this way the dressage practiced under this method is harmonious in every sense of the word.