Ecole de Légèreté – Light Riding with Heart and Mind

The Ecole de Légèreté – German for „School of Lightness“ – is a riding education rooted in classical horsemanship. It was developed by the French riding instructor Philippe Karl. The Légèreté style of riding is characterised by unconditional respect for the horse and a complete rejection of physical and psychological force, submission and coercion.
 
The School of Légèreté sees itself as an alternative to the working and training methods of modern competitive dressage. Its internationally influential representative, the German Equestrian Federation (FN), counts Philippe Karl among its most prominent critics.

Légèreté – lightness – sounds pretty and poetic, like a leisurely amble across a summer meadow or a gallop along the beach. But the Ecole de Légèreté is also a very concrete, well thought-out concept for training horses: the aim is to achieve the desired result – the healthy, systematic gymnastic development of the horse – with as little influence as possible. In other words, with a light hand. Restrictive aids such as auxiliary reins or nosebands fastened too tightly are fundamentally rejected. As are harsh bits and riding practices that cause the horse pain.
 
However, the Ecole de Légèreté is not a standard curriculum forced onto every horse in the same way. Rather, it is a framework within which entirely individual, but always logically structured training paths can be followed. With the methodology developed by Philippe Karl, horses of all types and breeds can be trained soundly and without force in any riding discipline. Even quite „ordinary“ horses and their riders can thus enjoy perfect training all the way up to the movements of the High School.
 
The practices and exercises of the Ecole de Légèreté are grounded in a deep understanding of the nature of the horse. They reflect decades of Philippe Karls intensive personal experience with horses and his extensive expertise in anatomy, physiology, osteopathy, biomechanics, psychology and behavioural science.

The philosophy of Légèreté can be applied directly to the riding saddle, too. The saddle should

• be light to carry for the horse (light in the sense of pleasant, comfortable),
• enable light communication between rider and horse (light in the sense of unimpeded) and
• here there are clear parallels to the Iberosattel® concept.