“Pignon was here.” That and his beautifully gentle philosophy, will be written in the minds of the people forever, who got to see, hear and feel Frederic Pignon work his magic on 6 ordinary horses in Sydney this weekend. (For those unfamiliar with the name, Frederic is the co-developer and trainer of the beautiful Cavalia and Eqi horse shows.)
I traveled for 12 hours to see him and it would have been worth weeks of travel – I’m so excited, that I haven’t even finished unpacking and done my washing and I’m here on the computer to try and share some of the magic. I haven’t seen my own horses yet either and I yearn to share it with them too.
Where do I start?
FREDERIC PIGNON HEARS HORSES
Monsieur Pignon hears horses clearly and he takes the time to listen to them, listening and feeling deeply to their story before he does anything else with them. None of the flamboyant “let’s get started imposing our will on this horse and show you what I can do” from Frederic.
And yet flamboyant he is – but flamboyant through the expressiveness of the horse rather than what he can get them to do – and yet what he can get them to do with his incredibly gentle and baby step and slow approach is phenomenal.
A little Brumby who had been a touch on the stern side, turned his heart inside out offering to give Frederic Spanish Walk – and yet there was not one single tiny bit of push from Frederic to get it – not the tiniest bit.
A young Spanish horse showed us the components that would later become piaffe in hand. And yet he too was not asked for piaffe. Another horse learned to relax into beginning to bow. A twenty two year old found a glorious confidence in his own movement (yes it’s never too late in my experience too!)
With every horse, Frederic starts with enjoyment – in fact that seems to be his foundation principle. He wants the horse to be saying YES! to everything because they are enjoying themselves, enjoying learning, enjoying stretching themselves, proud to show themselves to him and us, proud to be expressive, alive, alert, engaged and willing.
Every horse loosened up in their movement, started showing who they are and developed a beautiful flowing action as they brought that confidence and willingness and pride in who they are to the expression of their movement.
And he showed us HOW he got that result, he was constantly sharing the principles BEHIND what he was doing as well as some practical techniques.
Somebody asked him about does he have any teaching videos and he said no, because it wouldn’t do any good to copy what he does on a video – because he responds to each horse, individually, in the moment – and you can’t copy that. (Lovely validation for the “feel” that I teach that enables people to do that!)
For those of you who are familiar with chakras, you could actually feel his heart chakra expanded all over the arena – I had never felt anything like it.
THE BIGGEST THING HORSES COMPLAIN TO HIM ABOUT
I thought it was very interesting that what horses complain to Frederic the most about, is not mistreatment.
Frederic has worked with hundreds and hundreds of horses in clinics including problem horses and horses that have been quite dramatically mistreated and yet he told us that the biggest thing the horses complain to him about is not mistreatment – it’s being misunderstood.
I had not noticed that myself, but when I look back, yes that’s true. I felt great anguish from my horse Oliver for example, who was given to me as a “very bad boy”. He was not mistreated before he came here. In fact it was the reverse – he was attentively given the best of everything – and yet he was filled with anguish about being misunderstood and it was those misunderstandings that had so gotten in the way of their relationship. Lucky for me though, because he came here instead and I adore him.
Hmmm… Connection, listening, developing your own unique sense of feel – these things will steadily reduce and eliminate misunderstandings.
HORSES AS A PATHWAY TO KNOWLEDGE
This guy is so in alignment with what I believe in, it’s uncanny. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed him so much. He thinks that what horses can teach us, what we can learn from horses is a deeper connection with ALL things, how to BE with ALL things, to the betterment of the world.
“Are horses below us on the evolutionary scale?” he asked/gestured in his lovely but easy to understand French accent. “Or above us?”
It’s difficult for me to separate my work with horses and riders, from my work as a “healer”, from my greater beliefs in the way that God and The Universe works. For me too, horses have been my personal pathway to knowledge that has impacted my life outside of horses hugely, positively, dramatically and joyfully.
From horses I have learned how to find peacefulness and joyfulness and freedom from fear and other overwhelming emotions in ALL of my life not just with them. From horses I awakened from my numbness, from that space I was in of just putting one foot in front of the other getting through my work days and through life generally – I awakened (and continue to awaken) into an enjoyable engagement with life generally, finding a new vibrancy with everything that I do. Ahhh bless them all!
I expect that most of us who have been working with horses from a spiritual path would probably agree with Frederic that they are above us in many ways and certainly we can learn things from them which will make this a better world.
When we treat horses like this – when we treat them as beings that can teach us things that will improve our lives and the world generally – then we get to see more and more of who they really are.
VALIDATION
What I find so moving sitting here at the computer this morning, is that so much of what we do here, so much that I learned from listening to the horses themselves, was validated by Frederic this weekend.
The self carriage in joyfulness that comes automatically as we understand and work with the Comfort Zone Model – that’s Frederic’s “expressive horse”, although I have to tell you I have never seen anyone achieve that so fast.
He has NEVER had a horse buck as he starts them with riding – they are too busy enjoying the experience. He starts a young horse by sitting on them for a few minutes at a time enjoying with them the scratching of their withers – and nothing else – for a month. That reminded me of the couple of things that we do here with older horses to take them to developing that same delicious enjoyment of a human being on their back.
If the babies show ANY sign of tension, he gets off, waits and sets it up again when they’re ready. By the sounds of it, his babies don’t even learn what tension is and yet with the horses in Sydney he showed us what can be achieved quite quickly even when tension already exists.
Yet another validation – he said that it’s hard to separate training the horse from healing the horse. That’s been my pathway too, healing the horse within the training itself and in my case, healing the person within the training of the horse as well.
Over and over again, one thing after another, it was clear that we were in alignment. But I guess it’s not surprising – when you listen to horses you’re going to hear the truth.
I’ll share more of what I learned and how it fits with what we do here, with students in the next Live Seminar – so if you’re already in one of our programs that gets the monthly Live Seminar, keep an eye out for that email in a week or so’s time and there’s a fabulous conversation going on in the comments section too.
MAGALI DELGARDO
And as for Magali Delgardo. It’s sooo… sad (can you hear the smiling in my words?) I’m just going to have to take a trip to France to work with her. Sorry folks, I just couldn’t drag myself away from the feast of learning that I was having with her husband to watch her dressage teachings which I had also been very much looking forward to!
If you EVER get the chance to work with either of these two, then grab it with both hands and run towards the magic.
So lovely to hear that such great horsemen/women exist in this world. The world needs these kind of people.
I don’t think that horses would like to be placed above humans. I think that they would like to be treated and undestood as equals. I do agree that horses or any other living beings have a lot to teach us. We just have to open our hearts to listen to them. Looking forward to learning and sharing more with you Jenny!
My interpretation was that horses can so clearly teach us how to be happier/ more authentic/ more connected to our own selves and others too – for more peacefulness and happiness and well being generally – that the horse had more to teach us in some ways than we had to teach them. I wonder if other people interpreted that combination of words and gestures similarly?
I agree that it’s a relationship of equals and that the horse has more to teach us than vice versa. It’s interesting that it’s a Jewish teaching that as the era of Moshiach approaches, there is ” divine inversion” – which means that the things which were below switch to becoming above. The body becomes the head of the head, the woman becomes the head of the man and so on — and the “dumb beast” becomes the guide of the human. They say that Moshiach will come on a donkey. Sometimes I like to think that Moshiach will BE a donkey!!! But certainly the spirit of Moshiach is channeled by the donkey, don’t you think?
Something else I’ve been thinking about – when I see all the marvelous things Pignon can do, I look at me and my little gang of quadrupeds and feel that we are quite drab and unaccomplished in comparison, which of course is against the spirit of all this. I have to remember that my intention is not to do glamorous things with PREs but to listen to the horses close to me and learn what it is they have to teach and impart. I have to remember that the important thing about Pignon isn’t the Piaffe but his relationship with the horse. I can have that same relationship in a much more humble context. Also, sometimes it’s not even about teacher or teachee (new word, folks!), it’s about togetherness, which the horses love as much as we do.
But wait – there IS something we have to offer our horses. Horses in nature are subject to the exigencies of survival and must needs engage in certain survivalist behaviours. In the age of Moshiach, there are no predators, and food is easily obtained by everyone. So there is no need for certain testosterone-heavy, aggressive, dominant behaviours. Us humans are able to provide for our horses a space in which survivalist values don’t pertain, a “preview” as it were of the eternal Sabbath. That is our main responsibility toward them. Horses recognize this in us, and this is why Bridget bowed to me the other day. And this is why I must also bow to her.
Well I didn’t know that about the Jewish prophecy – how fascinating. Maybe the wave of people seeing horses as magnificent beings and allowing the horse to be our teacher in all sorts of aspects IS the prophecy coming to fruition – from pure horsemanship like Pignon, to experiential learning with horses, to horses as healers. When you look at it, it’s going on all over the place.
As for your comment about feeling quite drab and unaccomplished in comparison. Yesterday I started playing with Oliver to do one of the exercises that Frederic showed us. Ten minutes in the morning and maybe even less than that after the afternoon feeds. And he just loved it. Watch this space! There’s nothing drab and unaccomplished about feeling wonderful – it shines out. The trick is – actually it’s it’s not a trick it’s a key – the key is to KEEP that feeling wonderful as you start doing things together. THAT is how to extend the magic of the beautiful relationship with your horses even deeper.
Don’t hold out on us too long!
I’m working on more information right now! 🙂
That’s right Jenny. You do not remember me and that is fine. I was subscribed to your free lessons at some point but never followed it up and ultimately disappeared. And that too is OK,
My horse Marcello and I have gone through different layers of consciousness. We have both evolved. And continue to evolve. Me experiencing and exploring higher frequencies. Marcello experiencing the vibrations from the world around him. Evolving in understanding those too. In a different manner. Like a horse.
I have read Frederic Pignon’s books and followed him and Magali on You Tube. They indeed are very very inspiring.
I myself am a classic dressage rider combining my teachings with the energetic world. The energetic world like in energetic medicine. Also other energetic philosophies like the chakra’s, auralayers and connections. A field of Knowing. Becoming. From Constrictedness to Expansiveness.
Thank you, Jenny… Namaskar
Woohoo! A like minded soul indeed. Did you notice on my bio that I am a “healer” in many different modalities? Nice to see you here again…
What can Frederic inspire us to? How can we take OUR own unique talents and expand into that goal of a horse who is proudly with us, saying “Here I am and I am amazing”? How can WE be with our horse proudly, saying ” Here I am and I too am amazing”? i.e. If we can create that possibility for our horse, can we dare to create that possibility for ourselves as well?
Good question, Jenny. I feel right now that the best I can do for my horses is to say, “Here I am, I’m available for whatever work you want to do, and I will do my best to hear you and follow your lead.” Occasionally I’ll form a plan, and it will work out beautifully, but most often, it seems that the horses are the ones with the plan, and it behooves me to get with it!
oh so jealous!! but so glad you enjoyed it all
That made me think of my dry Aussie understatements that I come out with sometimes. Enjoyment is not a big enough word. I am INSPIRED!
Thank you, Jenny for your wonderfully inspirational story “THE EXPERIENCE ” it feels like. It has so much of “my feel ” too. Cannot describe how I appreciate you putting this in writing. Thank you so much.
So very much ?
Ahhh you’re ALREADY a sensitive! You’re welcome Geerteke. You’re new to our work here? (I don’t recognize the name and I do all of my own emails.) Here we help people who are already sensitive to be comfortable and confident about using that and help others to notice and develop their unique sensitivity. 🙂 Welcome to our community!
Oh Jenny, thank you for being a conduit to learning more from this extraordinary man. I’ve watched him on Youtube many many times, and read his first book (need to get his second). I know what it’s like to be around people whose presence just makes you HAPPY–and how you WANT to engage with these people because of all the happy energy they generate that bubbles up from them and then, contagiously, from you. THAT’s how I want my horses to feel around me (I have a ways to go)–so I keep working on being groundedly HAPPY (the Deep Bubbling Comfort Zone stuff you teach). I think that’s where Pignon is with horses–a presence that makes them feel HAPPY–, which is why the young horse was telling him, “Oh look, how happy I am to be able to do this!” Whoo Hoo! (Love you!)
Love you too sunshine. And Alaska is STILL on my bucket list!
Our happiness and/or peacefulness has to be authentic hey? We can’t pretend it and have it work. We can’t push down our pain and have the horse be happy just because we LOOK happy. In fact that makes them very uncomfortable and less likely to do what we want hey? I know you get that, that was for people reading the comments here who may not be so familiar with our work. Happiness is REAL and to the bones…
Awhhh I so loved reading about your experience Jenny, your heart shone with the energy you were enveloped in during your experience and I felt it here too reading your words…thankyou…I now aspire to watch/meet this great man. I am so grateful to live in a time when the horse is truly being seen for the teacher he is and honoured for that. There are quite a few human teachers out there now who are sharing the same message and I feel very warmed and excited by that prospect…we are heading for that field that Rumi wrote about….
Spill! I know of Rumi only from others – what is the field that Rumi spoke about?
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.
Rumi
I just like to add the line (its where the horses are….)xx
Thanks Liz. Deep… I get the first part easily, I’m still absorbing the last two lines!
I absolutely loved hearing about this! Thank you for sharing. Wow, and to learn that the horses complain more about being misunderstood. What a motivator to understand them better! I do not want to miss your next live seminar! When I read about the little brumby it just made me cry at what is so possible and what we miss out on so often.
The way we develop our conscious feel, it’s 100% possible Shelley. You’re already on your way. I got some pieces of the puzzle that will make it so much easier that I’m busting to share!
Jennie, i am so glad you are such a sharer of what you know and learn! I am so grateful to you.
June,
Jean-Francois is Frederic’s brother. And they are very different in how they approach their work with horses. Easy to get confused. Do check out Frederic Pignon.
🙂
Love
Kristine
Really beautiful writing Jenny! Thanks for sharing. I too had a very similar experience when I saw them a few weeks ago in TX. In my healthier days, I would have packed my bags to go study with them.
Healthier days? Email me!
Bubbling full!! I have already put my name down for both liberty and ridden lessons with both my horses for next time…greedy much! And an extra cherry on top treat was meeting you! I have found my place among the like minded horse people I have craved for for so long. Look forward to more of your beautiful words and teachings xxx
What next time????? I heard it took five years or so to get them this time? It was lovely to meet you too after all this time Caithe. Who would have thought that I would have met my South African student in Sydney of all places! It makes SUCH a difference to be part of a community of like minded people doesn’t it…
Jenny I loved your report on this. I felt tevery word of it.
I was feeling pretty passionate, so I’m glad that came through! Thanks Barbara!
Oh Jenny- I am so envious! What a wonderful experience – and then to note all the commonalty’s of your own teachings within his -Priceless 🙂 I am totally looking forward to hearing more on the blog plus your beautiful sharings on the monthly call.
I’ve started the notes for the Live Seminars! I’m sure that it will be more than one…
I am so looking forward to learning more about your weekend experience! I have seen the Cavalia show and it is just magical!
On the weekend he talked about one of his brother’s horses being injured and he needed to prepare a wild horse for the show within 2 months and how he needed to completely come at that from no pressure on the horse or himself to be successful in that time frame. Because the secret of his success is absolutely no pressure that could put tension in the horse. They made it and the horse performed really well. 🙂
I’ve seen on some of his stuff online that some of the language he uses doesn’t seem to jibe with the reality of what does – like he speaks of “domination” – and also he talks about how reading the Bible made him realize that humans are put here to be in charge sort of. What’s your take on that? I’m sure it’s just a question of language or interpretation.
I meant to say “dominance” not “domination”
Gosh are you sure we’re talking about the same guy? All I saw was absolutely lovely energy, incredible gentleness, deep respect for the horse as a sentient being and actions that matched his beautiful words and energy. Are you sure it was FREDERIC? There’s also Jean-Francois who I don’t know anything about? And how long ago – cos we all grow? Everything was the opposite of dominance but the thing that sticks out in my mind particularly is the little Brumby that he was teaching the beginning elements of Spanish Walk. He finished, saying “he’s had enough for today” and moved away from him and then the horse… I’m trying to remember exactly what he did to tell Frederic he wanted to offer more… I think he walked towards Frederic and then lined up against the fence again??? I remember it being a clear signal from the horse anyway that he wanted to do more. Can anyone who was there remember exactly how that happened?
Anyway as Frederic came to stand beside him, without any indication with the whip at all, the little horse OFFERED the Spanish Walk – lifting his leg up significantly higher and more freely than ever before. It was absolutely heart warming to see the way the horse offered such a flamboyant movement without even being asked – it was a “look at me! Look what I can do now!” Definitely not dominance…
Gosh – there ARE two Pignons! I didn’t even know! They’re brothers, and yes, Jean-Francois is more conventional in his techniques. (Although when you look at his videos, his horses do look happy.) Apparently the brothers parted company years ago over just this issue. Hempfling also talks about dominance, and he’s another I’m not 100% comfortable with, although he does have this Svengali like effect on horses.
Frederic and Magali did a clinic in Texas in March and I missed it!!!
Yeah – sorry! I think there’s going to be a lot of Aussies who regret that too. There was only about ..hmmm… maybe a bit over a hundred people there in Sydney and I know at least four of us had flown from Melbourne way.
June, klaus has a total different definition of dominance. There is no force in his definition, only protection and the care and love of a parent.
Yes, that figures, Shelley – I think that word resonates more for some people and can have a positive connotation. For me at the moment, it’s not a useful concept.
I didn’t comment on the religious aspect because I had no knowledge of it, but it occurred to me that those words doesn’t jibe with his question about which are the beings that are higher in the evolutionary ladder? Humans or horses? And he was definitely suggesting that horses could well be higher than us and that we had a lot to learn from them.
And thanks for going to this clinic on behalf of all of us, and now we eagerly await all the Pignon wisdom to be siphoned in our direction via the wisdom of Jenny Pearce!!!!!
🙂
Lucky ducks – that was on my radar too but it didn’t work out. xx
Ahhh well, I’m planning to share bit by bit and how it fits with and expands what we already do, on the Live Seminars. So you won’t miss out altogether!
“Grab it with both hands and run towards the magic.” What a lovely sentence.
Oh Kathy – you would have adored him. Pity you’re in America! The couple of times when he made a “mistake” (only very small) he stopped, walked over to the horse, put his hand on their forehead, said “sorry” and stood there for a while. I felt like he was feeling / communicating how it could be different in that pause with them.