Wendy Bruszewski – Australia
Hi I’m Wendy Bruszewski a Dressage Judge from Northern NSW in Australia. I grew up in suburban Sydney and moved to the country in 1983. I have been riding since I was 7 when I joined the local pony club but didn’t actually start what I would call “real” riding until I was in my early teens. I began teaching through pony club taking on some private lessons along the way. I worked as the pony club team manager for a while which involved working with a team of four riders doing all the circuit shows in working their way up to Sydney Royal show.
During this time I also was showing my own horse and would ride and train horses for the show ring for various owners mostly being quarter horses, appalooosa and palominos. When my horse had to undergo major surgery for a tendon injury I had to find somewhere to agist him that provided “vet standard” stabling which lead me to one of the local thoroughbred studs where I worked in return for agistment.
This was a huge learning time as the stud had four stallions and about 70 of its own mares. Foals were turned out en masse each season and preparation for yearling sales was a large part of the work. The stud manager was from a western horsemanship background and from here I went into doing western riding and reining in particular, took my fancy for a few years, again riding, training and showing mostly for breed owners.
In my mid twenties a friend invited me along to watch at a dressage competition, it was the NSW State Championships and I was so intrigued by “how do they do that” so I took to learning more about dressage and bought my first thoroughbred. Another huge learning period resulted from this decision. I started learning how to ride dressage and realised I had a lot to learn!
During this time I also sat for my first dressage judges accreditation and became an Equestrian Federation Association Level 1 accredited coach doing both in 1983. I worked part time for an equestrian centre where the wife had show and dressage horses and the husband racehorses. Another period of learning, but new skills and experience in life working at the racetrack with racehorses was quite different.
Some changes in my life lead to me buying a small acreage in Northern NSW and moving to the country in late 83. I built up a business giving private lessons and did this for a few years until taking on permanent full time office work with TAFE in 87. (TAFE is an adult education organization – Technical and Further Education). I also started part time teaching for TAFE in horse industry courses and did studies in various equine based courses for the horse industry and also equine massage, anatomy and physiology.
Throughout this time I was moving up in my accreditation as a dressage judge and am currently at D level (Medium), which is one level below FEI. I have competed and judged in dressage for over 20 years now and although I work full time as Campus Manager for TAFE I still teach part time, but primarily now provide equestrian consultancy services.
I have trained with many trainers but found one of the most important things in rider & teacher learning is about horse & rider body interaction & centered riding principles.
About two years ago through the wonders of the internet a came across a Texan trainer named Chuck Mintzlaff. I became intensely interested in Chuck’ Foundation Training principles. I had always had a “different” view on how I wanted horses to interact with me, and the work in foundation training was just where I wanted to go. I needed to be able to continue the dressage based training but incorporate the ground work principles of foundation training into my routine and soon realized the benefits when my dressage horse started to improve his performance behaviour and responses.
I’ve introduced the foundation training in ground work to all my horses now even the oldies and every horse responds well and is easy to handle and the special part is the trust in our relationships. No restrictions are needed in the ground work and the horse enjoys the participation with the handler.
PS:
Stand in front of an 800kg, 16.1hh horse and make him believe that there is no way he is going to get past you to the feed he so often was given freely without the need to do anything to earn it! Sounds incredibly dumb when you hear it perhaps, why would anyone want to do such a thing? Since when did training the horse coincide with one of the very basic natural instincts of survival, the need for nourishment. But stand in front of him I did! Did he mind, of course he did. But it didn’t take him long to work out that there was something different needed now, but to get what he wanted, he needed to work out what he had to do to get it. I was more than glad to oblige by showing him a few simple “signs of submission” that he complied with easily. And so began the Foundation training of this horse!
So what does it mean to me?
The communication I have achieved through the Foundation Training with my horse, has changed our whole relationship forever. No longer am I just the human who brings the feed at feed time. And no longer is the feed the whole reason we meet each day. It’ about the relationship we have built that connects us in a way that brings rewards of understanding and respect for each other. When my horse is uncertain of the circumstances and environment that surrounds him, he seeks reassurance, for he has learned from me, that I can be trusted. He can feel assured, that as I have proven myself to be a dependable leader, he can trust in my judgment. The signals he has learned are familiar and create reassurance, and a feeling of well-being. He understands what is being asked and he willingly will go with me wherever I lead. Restraints aren’t necessary, he is content to be with me.
Many times I’ve arrived to start a lesson with a new person only to remove the whip and spurs as a starting point to much debate in some cases about how "he just won’t go for me without them!". But in time I can help them to overcome this belief if only they can find true positioning that keeps the horse on the aids, returning the whip in later phases brings about different perspective on what its use should be. Its no longer the crutch used because the rider has insufficient in ineffective leg pressure to maintain momentum.
Ahh!! sorry I’m waffling away. You’ve probably heard me waffle something along these same lines before. But my gist was to clarify as well, that the whip and spurs can become a crutch on which riders lean and become less effective. Not the answer to all situations but one much debated among dressage riders at many levels. Some trainers do see them as being essential but in the experienced hands like any training tool can be effectively used. But just like the use of voice example above if you aren’t making the right connections with the tools, then they are completely useless adornments or have become overused and abused and simply become annoyances and irritations to the horse.
As for commenting on trainers IMO Robin seemed to be "tongue in cheek" taking the mickey out of the ploy of marketing anything and everything as a ‘tool’ for which you train your horse. I didn’t get that she was dumping on JL or PNH from her post. Like I said before, I know many people who use and have success with this and I leave them too it, their choices, like my choices are personal and mine to make. If so many of these modern day trainers sold the artificial aids that have been used for centuries how many would they sell. This is where they take on the "con man or woman" image to me. Like the vacuum cleaner salesperson who will sell you a $1000 beaut version if your are gullible enough to take in the marketing hype. When the $200 version will probably clean up your house just as effectively as it always has, or better still, the old fashioned way, using a straw broom!
Where they are advocating how to better use your body effectively, your body language, voice and practical horsemanship to communicate then they are really practical horse trainers in my book.
Hence the FT principles base themselves on some simple everyday tools, connected to some simple everyday life needs and instincts, and you combine your ability to become a good communicator, and it all seems so simple. All I have to do is practice a few basic commands on myself in the mirror to see how my body language is going to appear to the horse, its so simple and easy. And I get to continue to train my horse in the discipline I want to aspire too, and all it has done is contribute good and practical effects at every step along the way. I was even able to learn from interaction over the internet, I never even had to leave home, build a round pen, or buy a single new item except maybe a $1 plastic bucket!!
Add to this what every person has at their fingertips if they so desire to learn such as, I have become educated in horses their history and natural instincts, understanding horse psychology, body language, physiology, anatomy, structure and basic horse care, which has been learned from books, videos and many, many courses, watching, listening and asking questions, bought me much I needed to know along the way about understanding practical horsemanship and combining these with practical applications of hands on experience. Heavens knows I’ve made my share of mistakes no ones that perfect! No trainer will show you the trails of mistakes they made with horses they’ve left in their wake for famedom.
What really gripes me most of all about many trainers in today’ "markets," is the thought of trying to show someone "horsemanship demos" and people go away from hese things with bits and pieces in their mind, a bag full of new weapons (sorry tools) and God help the horses who end up on the end of their attempts to mimic and duplicate such demos. Yet here is Foundation Training. A simple, methodical step by step process that accelerates to each level only as fast as the horse and his owner both feel comfortable.
Wendy in Australia