The BAPSH and the LBSGB
Why support your Breed Societies?
Having just resigned/retired from 3½ years working on the BAPSH board I have been in the unique position to see how a breed society works from the inside. Unpaid and hard working Board members are often criticised or blamed for all manner of things, ranging from too many wasps at a summer breed show to not allowing late entries 1 day before the Championship show takes place.
People are also quick to complain when their imported Spanish horse, who’s “papers will follow in the post” turns out NOT to be a PRE and who then decide that this oversight must somehow be the fault of the breed society in the UK!
However, when members make some very valid complaints (or indeed suggestions) they are taken seriously and the board discuss them at their regular meetings. The Board try to ensure that the situation is rectified or an explanation is given as to why a decision is made etc. This is where your voice – as a member – will be heard.
Board members represent the BAPSH membership.
Working for the BAPSH board means representing the members first and foremost and I felt my particular role was to promote classes at horse shows and to lift the profile of Spanish horses among the wider equestrian field. This brought me into closer contact with the Lusitano Breed Society of Great Britain and together, the two associations were able to widen their scope of influence. More influence brings greater benefits to the membership
Organising the BAPSH National Championship Show.
Being on the show committee of the BAPSH National Championship Show, and the Iberian Performance Show in addition to assisting with the Spanish classes at the Lusitano Breed Society Show has also given me the opportunity to understand the complexities of organising, and coordinating complex equestrian events. It must be said that without a team who ‘pull together’ the event itself would either not exist, or would be poorly run. Suffice to say, even the most efficient and motivated team can, and do, make mistakes.
The satisfaction however, does come from seeing lots of competitors who turn up, compete, enjoy themselves and their horses and who, (hopefully) return home with a few rosettes and a trophy or two!
Membership support.
Usually, the organisers are unable to compete with their horses and sacrifice the ability to promote their own stud or business, in order to get the job done for others to benefit. In an ideal world which was fair and just, everyone who has the opportunity to compete regularly would at some time or another donate their time. But for many, they choose to exhibit their support by sponsoring an element of the show. This is a perfectly acceptable position to take and one which benefits everyone.
Using your vote.
Members have a voting right, an opportunity to have their say and to influence the way in which their Association is run. The A.G.M. is the forum at which their voice can be heard. There is little point in having a view or wanting something to change if members do not bring their views to the A.G.M. or decide to simply not be a member.
What you get for your membership.
My personal experience in working for BAPSH and alongside the LBSGB is that the Board members of both associations work extremely hard. They DO usually put their responsibility to the membership first, act in good faith, promote and advertise the breeds, liaise with official bodies, oversee the website, produce a professional and informative magazine, maintain the finances, run the stud books, organise the gradings and inscriptions, manage the membership AND run an annual Championship Breed Show. I believe this represents good value for money where the membership fee is concerned. If that is not enough perhaps you could be a contributor who would make the difference.
The future of our breed societies depends on what we do in the present.
What is classical riding?
A working definition of Classical Riding
In this climate of classical, this often cliché word is overly used by people who attempt to gain added credence. Thus, there has become a certain amount of confusion, with riders accepting standards of teaching which are not based on true classical lines. There are however, faithful horsemen and women who are not necessarily in the competitive arena but who are recognised widely by their competition peers to be true classical trainers. These are the individuals who have honed their knowledge meticulously over very many years, teaching, riding, training and in some cases performing for audiences across the UK. One such person is Peter Maddision-Greenwell.
Described in Penny Hillsdon’s excellent book Pathfinder Dressage as one of the world’s top trainers, Peter is a closely guarded secret among the owners of Spanish and Lusitano horses. However, he recognises that riders of all breeds and at every level should be encouraged to comprehend the elusive classical riding approach. Peter’s skills lay in immediately identifying exactly where each rider is having difficulties. From these first basic steps, the building blocks of classical riding can begin. Often a degree of uncomfortable self-analysis is required. It is always so easy to blame the horse, the weather, or some other abstract article for something not going correctly in the training of the horse, or lack of improvement in one’s riding. For any rider, it is easy to carry resentment, anger, pain or an undesirable emotion which transfers straight into the saddle under which the horse is trying to move. Or, along the arms into the hands and from there into the very delicate mouth of the horse who contends with the metal bit and the attitude attached to it from the rider!
It seems as if we live in a blame free society; we look for every possible scapegoat to avoid admitting responsibility. A dressage trainer or classical trainer is firm in his or her beliefs that each rider must accept that the responsibility lies with him or her to accept their faults and to work on correcting them. An ever-ready supply of excuses will always prohibit a rider from learning. Short cuts in training horses may work for short periods. A good trainer will know horses learn by systematic training, not by force or brutality or conversely by allowing the horse to take control.
True masters of equitation, and there are many who work quietly away from the glare of publicity, dedicate their lives to improvement of themselves and their horses. Fortunately, some impart their knowledge to others. They have the self-discipline to know that gaining the illusive partnership with a horse starts with an understanding that the dedicated road is long.
The epitome of a high standard in any discipline begins with the basics. For instance, most of us have very fundamental position problems which hinder the horse immensely. Once these have been corrected riders are amazed at how differently the horse moves. Given that, if you took the rider out of the equation, the horse, whatever it’s breed, would carry itself and move freely; this fundamentally changes once the horse has to carry a rider.
Thus it is always the rider that requires the assistance but when this picture is one of beauty and balance, then to me, this is classical, nothing more nothing less.
Author: Lorri Ould Owner West Spring Stud
All content is copyright West Spring Stud 2010 unless otherwise stated and may not be reproduced without written permission
Origins of the Horse of Spain
The Andalusian Horse – Now known as Pura Raza Espanola
The Andalusian horse derives its’ name from the lush delta of the Rio Guadalquivir, in the heartland of Andalucia covering southern Spain.
Thousands of years ago, the pre-glacial land-bridge which linked Spain to North Africa contained wild horses which eventually evolved into two separate breeds. With common ancestry and evolutionary factors, these were to become the Barb and the Spanish horse (Andalusian). Both breeds are strong, close coupled and agile, able to thrive in such varied terrain as high, rough mountain slopes and lowland, marshy belts around the coastal deltas. Both breeds are hot blooded.
The modern purebred Spanish horse is still as fiery and courageous as its ancestor whilst at all times remaining attuned to his rider’s wishes and possessing a high degree of intelligence. His aptitude for high school training has made the Spanish horse constantly desirable as a horse of war for thousands of years. From the Carthaginians of coastal Spain in the 6th century BC, famed for their mercenary cavalry units, to the all-conquering Roman cohorts who drew over one third of their remounts from the province of Hispania, the courage and strength of the Spanish horse was exhorted.
During the 8th Century much of the horse breeding was controlled by the Monks of the Christian Church. Fortunately, invaders saw the necessity of protecting this breeding stock and allowed the Spanish horse to survive.
Little by little many breeding establishments retreated northwards into the unconquered regions of the peninsular, thereby preserving the purity of their horses. One of the most historically famous conquerors from this land was the 11th century El Cid, who is immortalised in numerous statues mounted on his monastery-bred stallion Babieca. After three centuries of Moorish dominion, this animal has the unmistakable stamp of the Spanish Horse.
Throughout Europe during the middle ages and specifically the 16th and 17th centuries, the popularity of the Spanish horse is depicted in numerous historical artefacts. There was an increase in demand for the breed over this period as it was used to upgrade and establish local breeds, the most notable of which is the Lipizzaner. 18th century England saw the development of the modern Thoroughbred horse. This breed was in part being advanced from the Spanish Horse who continued to be a worthy addition to the Royal Studs.
Mounted skills, perfected in combat moved away from the arena of war and into the riding academies of Europe where the ability of the Spanish horse to perform High School manoeuvres remains unsurpassed. Today, this breed has numerous accomplishments within the sphere of equine endeavours to add to his historical status, yet it is his role in history which has made him the true aristocrat of the Equine world. Throughout history no ruler has appeared complete without the company of a Spanish charger and his depiction thereon. Artistic ideals may change yet the same horse is portrayed over and over again, be it in classical treatise on horsemanship, marble friezes, statues or paintings. The Horse of History, the Horse of Spain.
In recent years this horse has seen a worldwide renaissance. The official U.K. governing body,’ The British Association for the Purebred Spanish Horse’ displays a website and is an important, accurate source of information (www.bapsh.co.uk).
Author: Lorri Ould Owner West Spring Stud
All content is copyright West Spring Stud 2010 unless otherwise stated and may not be reproduced without written permission