© Smail & Van Rossem 2010
Body Awareness - the path to the horse
The Programme
Click on the PDF icon to
view our programme for the
weekend
‘I leaned back a little and asked myself, where it begins, that magic? The magic in Body
Awareness, in Spiritual Awareness, in the first encounter with a horse, with a new day, and
actually every moment.... that is how it all begins – with feeling.’
Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling
A weekend of community and celebration in Bellingen, Australia, Nov. 2010
We came from as far as 500 km to the north and 600 km to the south and joined up with
each other for a weekend celebration of community in the little country town of Bellingen, a
place of serenity and beauty.
Saturday lunch and everyone is feeling the buzz. A community of people heading in the
same direction brought togetther initially through a desire for authentic togetherness with
horses and now united in the pursuit of of what is indispensable for it: an authentic life.
Body awareness, the precursor to acquiring the body language that is so essential for
communication with horses. Warmest thanks to our Hempfliing accredited body awareness
trainer, Jo Ross.
Studying and discussing The Horse Seeks Me by Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling, arguably one
of the most important books if not the most important to be written in our time. Chapters 1
and 2 and the first part of Chapter 3 set out the context within which body awareness
occurs.
Watching videos produced by Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling, amongst others, those designed
to accompany his book, The Horse Seeks Me. You can watch them again and again, and
still see something new each time.
Rhythm is so vital to life and living. Drumming allows us to reach the stage where conscious,
deliberate conduct yields to intuitive celebration in the moment. The secret lies in
abandoning the intellect to rely on feeling. Feel the beat!
Authentic interaction with horses requires dominance (not domination!) and trust. Without
trust you have nothing. Without dominance, the horse cannot seek and follow you, for you
are clearly not the leader it can rely on.