Débutant

I always take a little time for a preliminary briefing with the pupils I coach, a time crucial for understanding the state of mind in which we will be working: “Today we shall change the language we use. I ask you to trust me 100% because I am 100% certain of my method. There are no doubt other routes for achieving the same results, but this is a method I have experimented on myself, on my horses and on all my riders. There must be absolute trust between us. I am not like those doctors who ask you to stop smoking while they themselves smoke like chimneys. I am asking you to be as honest as you can with yourselves, with your horses and with me. This is because I will be honest with you. What about the horses? …Don’t worry, they can’t lie.”
This trust turns into real complicity between the pupils and me. From the opposite end of the arena a small gesture from me is enough for them to get the message.
The first rule to establishing 100% trust is to respect the obvious rules for making progress.
Everyone wishes to improve, but progress must be real; it is true that for each new exercise there must be a learning stage. Succeeding at the first attempt is extremely rare. However, each attempt must be addressed to successful progression.  
If the rider encounters a problem, it is better to return to the previous stage: to repeat the exercise at a slower gait, to lower the jumps or the degree of difficulty. Before jumping  a 4-metre water jump, a horse must be capable of jumping a small blue tarpaulin a metre wide.
It is up to the rider or the instructor to notice improvements. There is a sound logical basis for all this, logic that will no doubt clash with that of riders in too much of a hurry.
If one is incapable of performing an exercise at the walk, it is hardly worth trying at a canter. The same applies to jumping: it is pointless to set up a jump measuring 1.20 metres if one has a problem with a pole on the ground.
Teaching riding all too often generates incoherent or illogical behaviour, the source of many mistakes and a great deal of frustration.
In a commercial context, all instructors, at one stage or another, are tempted to do things in record time. But, that’s cheating and unfortunately, at the end of the day, nobody gains from it.
Personally, I prefer to rely on successful experiences. To do this it is necessary to return to basics. If the rider masters the exercises, the context is favourable to progression. It then becomes possible to rely on the strong points to allow the weaker ones to improve, whether the horse’s or the rider’s.
It is through the multiplication of positive experiences that one makes progress. If an exercise is badly performed, return once again to the previous stage. Always assess the level of the horse and rider before going to the next level. This rigorousness is fundamental. There is no room for compromise. You will soon notice if a rider tries to cheat, he will find excuses: «Yes but… my horse this and my horse that...».

A while ago, I was training a young international rider. I am sure she expected to ride over large jumps. For a week, we never jumped anything over 50 centimetres. Why? Because when she arrived, I under-stood she was frightened. She always looked towards the ground.
Together we returned to basics.
We worked with the aim of never looking down. This was the deal we had agreed upon. She was not to cheat. It was difficult because she had had this bad habit for a long time. At the end of her stay, she was transformed: her body was once again upright, she had regained her self-confidence and was ready to move on to the next stage.

Extract of the book "Secrets and method of a great champion"

The following talk has been recorded during the Pénélope Leprévost and Michel Robert’s Master Class of 2020. During the welcome session for the participants, our two great champions shared their vision of horse riding and answered questions from the riders and auditors. The topic of the relation and harmony between the rider and the horse is at the heart of the training methods Michel and Pénélope are promoting.

Michel Robert

We are all searching for solutions. The world is changing very fast and so are the minds, the awareness, the riding technics, the show-jumping courses, the horses. What we’re trying to pass on to you of course, are some technics but also a mind-set on how to see things, to observe, to understand and be aware of our influence. We want to better understand the horse’s mind as well as our own….We all function about the same way: We have the desire to achieve, but our actions are hindered by fear, worry, memories that bother us….
So how can we clean up all that? Pénélope and I are on the same path. We are heading into the same direction regarding these matters. We are lucky enough to find ourselves showing at the same venues such as the Sunshine Tour, in the spring. We advise each other and this collaboration allows us to evolve. If you are seeking advice, it’s because you want to change your habits. It requires determination and courage. However, the passion and love for horses will get you there.

Pénélope Leprévost

Michel and I met because we have the same vision of horse riding and competition …I take part of the Master Class because what I do daily makes me happy: My relationship with horses, competing…I see too many riders who are missing out on great things. I wish to help them by transmitting a few messages, my feelings… so they can experience their relationship with their horse to the fullest.

Michel Robert

We see riders running into the same issues over and over whilst some simple solutions exist. We would like to share some solutions with them. We also want to advocate for the horses by making sure they have a good relationship from their rider and enjoy what they do. This is what makes us happy when we are with them. When we want to improve, the priority is to be attentive to everything that can help the horses move better and function pain-free in any of the movements we ask them to perform: going faster, slowing down, turning, jumping, doing pirouettes or half passes….It’s one of the reason why we insist on having a good position. You can see on the Horse Academy videos that the closer you are to the perfect position, the more correct and effective your actions will be. This is the case with Pénélope whose position, when in motion, is close to perfection. Each time she influences the horse, she gets the perfect response. The more I go, the more I realize that most problems riders encounter are created by some inadvertent actions from the rider that work against what he’s looking for. It is for example the case of the rider who doesn’t realize that he spurs his horse in front of the fence and then wonders why his horse takes off after landing. The solution is not to get a stronger bit to try to control the horse after the fence. We are first of all going to make the rider be aware of his leg actions. To get front of a problem, I invite you to make things easier instead of adding more problems: no more leg and hand actions, no training aids….I often speak about looking for the root of the problem. Where does the problem come from: The horse reacted that way…What did I do just before it that could have trigger this behaviour?

Pénélope Leprévost

I work a lot on feelings, the harmony between the horse and rider. The horse’s behaviour tells us what to do or what not to do, what is good or not good for them. I think that we don’t listen to them enough. For example, if I sit a certain way and the horse is not happy, he brings his ears back, or switches his tail, speeds up…On the other hand, if I’m in this position, I can feel him loosen up…I believe in creating a unique relation with each horse. Michel, you are the one who taught me to close my eyes to improve my senses and feel how the right hind leg or left front leg would move….To feel deep inside, to be able to listen what goes on in the horse’s body and mind. When the connexion is there, the simple fact to think about turning is enough….The horse turns with no hand nor leg influence…..It’s such a pleasure to be able to ride a course with huge fences, being in a perfect harmony with your horse. To get this true connexion: the horse jumps…and then ask you “And now, what do you need?”….” Two big strides”…”Ok, a little more forward so..”…then the next moment, his waiting for your command….These are unbelievable moments to experience. I work my horses to be able to reach that. We can have that same feel jumping a 3-foot course. Even if you jump ahead of your horse, it doesn’t matter, because the most important thing is that harmony between you and the horse that will prevent the fault to happen. This communication between horse and rider will allow you to experience some incredible moments which at the end happen doing almost nothing more.

Michel Robert

Yes, this is what a beautiful equitation is about. An outside eye can’t see anything anymore. The horse turns to the right, to the left, increases his strides….but the rider doesn’t move. Both are connected with their mind only. I can remember Sissi de La Landes, a mare with whom I competed at the world equestrian game. She was so connected with me that just to think or to get ready to request something, would be enough for her to start the movement. There was no need of leg or hand action…just to have a good position. It was impossible to pull on her mouth or use the legs, otherwise it was a catastrophe. I could not move but just think. As Pénélope said it, it creates some fantastic moments.

Pénélope Leprévost

Ratina was also a very important mare in my life. I had an unbelievable connexion with her. I jump some 1m60 courses with her. She was double clear during the Nations Cup in Aachen. She was only 1m56 / 1m57 tall, but in her mind she thought she measured 2 meters. She was unable to walk, she could not slow down or speed up…However, I had such a connexion with her, I just had to think: “Beware of the fence behind…now, stay with me…” If I would pull on her to slow down, that was it! At the end, this mare was never really trained. In fact, we taught her to move under saddle without hurting herself. I just tried to find a way to communicate with her. I do have the feeling that very few people were able to do so. I had to adapt to whatever she would be willing to give.  I had to make her stronger and teach her to canter round, to breathe….then we made it happen the way we could, but we, each, had the same and only goal: Jump a clear round!

Michel Robert

Yes, that’s true that to win The Cannes Grand Prix with this mare seemed to be impossible…Even in a dream!

Pénélope Leprévost

I remember at the beginning of the Sunshine Tour, in the warm up area, I was on the ground next to her, not on her back, because she would turn her head over and bite my legs. I would mount Ratina and she would rush to the jump…I would stop her at the end of the line and dismount and so on.

Michel Robert

Yes, we really had to believe in it. Most riders would have thought it would not be possible. When we are facing so many problems and we succeed in solving them, it’s a huge victory. It worth more than any medals…More than to win some Grand-prix!

Pénélope Leprévost

What is important in difficult situations like that, is to be able to transmit some positive messages to the horse. To prevent a problem, it’s important to not build up the pressure and keep a positive attitude. We need to look for the slightest correct response and make the horse understand right away that this is the response we are looking for. Then we do it again and then the horse starts to understand. He will assimilate the good behaviours quite fast.

Michel Robert

At the end, it’s important that the horse feels good in his body. It’s what will quiet his mind. As I often say, it important that the session always ends up on a good note. Horses agree to take part in what we do, but they also need to enjoy it.

During the Masterclass that took place on January 5th and 6th of 2019, at the Boulerie Jump venue in Mans, Michel Robert and Pénélope Leprévost answered the questions to the public.

In your view, what is to «be a Champion»?

Michel Robert
To be a champion is just like to have a label. There are more and more French Champions with the “Clubs competitions “and pony competitions. It is true that it is necessary to define what the word “Champion” means. Are we a champion from the moment we become an Olympic Champion like Penelope? Numerous people want to become a champion in their heart, in their mind…after all, each of us need to see how far he can go.

Pénélope Leprévost
Not everyone wants to become a champion. Some can dislike challenges or competing against others.
The first and most important thing that matters, is to find the horse that will take you to the expected goal. We ride first of all for the relationship, to pass on something.

How did your partnership started?

Michel Robert
This notion of relationship with the horses is crucial. If we like to ride horses, it’s for a reason. We are attracted to them passionately. It’s not just a question of money or fame in the show ground. Penelope said it really well earlier. That’s this relationship with the horse that we want to develop and enjoy. Whatever the discipline, this notion of harmony with the horse is a priority.Michel Robert
The first time I saw Pénélope riding, I thought to myself “Well, the ideal position that we are all seeking truly exist”.

Pénélope Leprévost
To start with, we have one thing in common. We both lunge our horses in a rope headcollar! Many people are looking at us with wide eyes. When we met, Kronos D’Ouilly just arrived at Michele’s yard and for me, it was Jubillee D’Ouilly. This mare was really good, but she was uncommon and fearful.

Michel Robert
That’s right, Jubilee didn’t really liked humans. She was sore a little bit everywhere and had some bad past experiences.

Pénélope Leprévost and Jubilée at Equita Lyon in 2008

Pénélope Leprévost
With Jubilee, we had to get to the bottom of all the exercises. At first, I had to sit on her forward and to her right. I rode her like that for two years. I couldn’t really explain why, but I could feel that she was more comfortable when I was riding her that way. The first time I went to train her with Michel, he lunged her without any saddle and with a headcollar, then he put a saddle on her and I rode her while Michel was lunging me and I had no reins, like a beginner. Then, we put on a bridle with the headcollar still on her, and we attached the reins to the collar. One thing lead to another, we succeeded in transforming her into a champion. Jubilee was my first grand-prix horse and without Michel’s help, it would have much been more than challenging as she was extremely hard to ride. Within 6 months, I was able to do some grand-prix. At first, in the warm up, I couldn’t even get close to the fences. Michel really helped me with my technics and my spirit.

Michel Robert
Penelope is able to ride some horses at the grand-prix level who normally would not be able to jump more than130cm, and win with them… such the ones at La Baule.
She really gives wings to her horses. She knows how to have them give120% thanks to her position and also her determination… And the horses are willing to give it to her.

Pénélope Leprévost
Such horses have a real good heart, however it’s crucial to not betray them

Michel Robert
It’s when we encounter difficulties that we realise how important it is to be technically and mentally sharp. When we are a well-seasoned rider, riding a brave and easy horse who accepts everything, we don’t really learn anything more..

Pénélope Leprévost
Well, that said, it’s also great to ride easy horses from time to time.

Michel Robert

True.
With complicate horses, we really need to be a believer. For that, Penelope has an exceptional spirit. We cannot be successful if we don’t have the vision of success in mind.

Are you doing a lot of mental preparation before your rounds?

Michel Robert
I think everyone is doing some sort of mental preparation…sometimes even without being aware of it. The simple act of walking the course is already a sort of mental preparation. When you need to remember that after the vertical, there is an oxer, and then a turn…It is already some mental programming.

Pénélope Leprévost
 For my part, I think I do things more instinctively. I don’t intellectualise as much as Michel. I don’t think ahead about my attitude.

Michel Robert
Ok but you know your course before you enter the arena. Therefore, there’s already some anticipation. Even dressage riders do it. They go into a corner and mime their test. Of course, the need of mental preparation is different for each individual. For me, when I was in a grand-prix competition, I needed to imagine the perfect course at least 5 times in my mind before entering the arena. If the course was not perfect in my mind, I would keep reviewing it. For most riders, it’s a precious help.
To program our mind positively is a priority. If one is being told that he’s bad and good at nothing, he will program himself in a negative way and will have very little chance to be truly successful. The power of our mind on our action is huge.

Michel Robert and Kronos d’Ouilly, Starting the course Grand-Prix of the Toscana Tour 2018
 

It is amazing to observe to what extent horse and rider influence each other both mentally and physically. This is especially true of horses and riders who have been working together for a long time.

From one rider to another...

When riding someone else’s horse I am very quickly affected by this influence, to the extent that if one does not pay attention it is easy to fall into the bad habits of the its usual rider
I recently rode a horse with regular paces, balanced and above all perfectly calm on the flat. After warming up, I decided to jump a few very small fences to start with. A few strides off a small fence I suddenly felt an abnormal anxiety in the horse. His breathing was blocked and his movements lost all their suppleness. The horse jumped but his jump was as if paralysed by fear. A few metres after landing, everything returned to normal and the horse started to breathe normally again.
It wasn’t hard to understand that the horse was reproducing his usual rider’s fear-ridden behaviour. The danger would have been allowing me to be drawn into the horse’s game. I think that very quickly my own breathing would have been blocked in front of each fence.
This example is a good illustration of the importance of always taking time to assess the situation, with regard to the horse’s physical and mental state, its experience, my position, my state of mind at that moment...in the long term this means saving a great deal of time. Short term it is a good technique for not falling into the trap of the horse’s bad habits.
There are also many other examples, such as the rider whose hands are too high, or who sits in the saddle in a specific manner. To compensate the inconvenience caused by this bad distribution of its rider’s weight, the horse will tend to organise his attitude so as to suffer as little as possible. If you were to ride this horse, you would quickly tend to assume the same defect as the rider, because the horse would put you in this position with his behaviour and his attitude.
Likewise, if you are sometimes tense and worried, the horse will perceive your tenseness and he too will be blocked. Usually this happens to the same part of the body as in your own: i.e. tense jaws or a rigid back.

Humans are beings of habit

I also often notice that the same riders often ride the same kind of horses. A rider who for a long period of time rides a horse with a particular technique and style, will tend to reproduce and look for the same configuration in all the horses he rides. Human beings are creatures of habit and tend to constantly re-create the same situations. I remember a rider who had won many competitions with a horse that was very hot, held his head up in the air and was ewe-necked. Nowadays, all the horses she rides look like that. I am convinced that her lack of analysis has resulted in her missing many experiences, which no doubt would have allowed her to progress in her riding. It is also very damaging to her horses that inevitably suffer due to this mistaken and unnatural position. In the short term, they all end up with the same pathologies.

Back to your true self...

To confront these situations, in which the rider tends to render his riding dependent on the horse’s habits or defects, it becomes crucial to constantly concentrate on one’s own sensations and to keep one’s centred position. One must do this until the horse understands that it is more comfortable to function in a normal position.
I often use the horse’s conformation as a starting point; with the objective of later ensuring that it has a frame of mind favourable for working correctly. I start for example by warming the horse up on the lunge. Without a rider on its back, the horse is able to move freely and assumes a better attitude, being physically more ready to do well when one rides it.
I can also start working with an analysis of my own mental or physical state. It is important to be free of pressure caused by fear, resentment or absolute will… In short, being oneself, and having an even spreading of one’s energy between actions, thoughts and feelings. If one is dominated by one’s emotions, by fear or anger, analytic capabilities are altered and actions lose their effectiveness. Communication with the horse can no longer be established in a manner that is clear and understandable for it.
Once the “head” is in order, it is possible to concentrate - with a free mind - and then physically work on being as close as possible to the ideal seat. It is only under these conditions that horse and rider can really be in harmony.

Extract of the book "Secrets and method of a great champion"