Jean-Claude Dysli
Jean-Claude Dysli (* 1935 ; † December 15, 2013 ) was a Swiss western rider and western trainer. He was the founder of western riding and the breeding of quarter horse horses in Europe.
Life
Childhood and youth
Jean-Claude Dysli was born in Switzerland in 1935. He grew up with his grandfather Gaston Haenni in the Swiss Jura, where he learned to be loving and respectful of horses. After his parents divorced, he and his mother had to go to his new stepfather in Zurich. There he did his Matura. As a mounted soldier in the Swiss cavalry , he learned the English riding style, in which the horse had to subordinate itself unconditionally. In the cavalry he met Sadko Solinski , who was the same age and with whom he became friends. He first studied mathematics and physics in Zurich. When an old gentleman from his student union described mathematics as a breadless art and advised him to become a civil engineer, he switched. Not least to rebel against the disregard of his stepfather, who was also a civil engineer. He graduated as a civil engineer in 1958 at the top of his class at the ETH Zurich .
During this time he also got to know Fredy Knie senior and his horse dressage and became his pupil. He writes about him: "The meeting with Fredy Knie was a revelation for me."
United States
In 1961 he went to San Francisco , California to do his doctorate. At a rodeo event in the Cow Palace he got to know the old Californian riding style of the cattle herders and was so fascinated by it that he wanted to learn this riding style and did a multi-year training. His riding instructors were Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt , the American founders of natural horsemanship . He then worked as a cowboy on a ranch for seven years . In 1969 Dysli bought his first ranch, the California Training Stables in Hollister , which he ran for 11 years.
Back to Switzerland
On May 25, 1964, he returned to Switzerland with two quarter horses , which he imported by ship from California. His goal was to introduce the Californian riding style in Switzerland. Dysli brought western riding and the breeding of the quarter horse to Europe. But the breakthrough came in 1972 when he was allowed to demonstrate his riding style at a large equestrian show in Basel. First he rode a stallion in the classic California bridle on a curb in a traditional California dressage, then he showed a European M dressage program in the bitless classic hackamore and finally as a working cow horse without any bridle on the head. And all of this with the same horse. Now he was being taken seriously. In 1975 he became a founding board member of DQHA
Western riding in Germany
In 1973 he brought the first Paso horses from the USA to Germany and thus to Europe. In 1975 he presented the noble 5-speed horses at the Equitana and made them known to a wide audience.
He lived for many years as a western trainer and horse breeder on the Köshof near Welzheim near Stuttgart together with his wife Magda Bayer-Dysli .
Hacienda in Spain
In 1985 he bought the Hacienda Buena Suerte in Villamartín , Andalusia, Spain, where he and his wife Magda Bayer-Dysli founded a training center for western riding and a breeding business for quarter horses. He and his wife have two children: Kenzie Dysli and Raphael Dysli , both Western trainers known throughout Europe, Kenzie also as a trainer for freedom training and floor work. The marriage later ended in divorce. Dysli worked as a western trainer all over Europe for five decades and was represented as a "living western legend" at all major horse shows. He wrote books about western riding and horse-friendly ethics and culture in riding and made many instructional videos. His stallion 'Okie Isma Dad' died on December 8, 2013 at the age of 26; Dysli died of a heart attack seven days later on December 15 at the age of 78.
The hacienda was continued by his wife Magda, she died in June 2015. His children Kenzie Dysli ( freedom dressage and Iberian riding style ) and Raphael Dysli ( western riding ) now continue the work of their father.
Riding instruction
Western riding
Jean-Claude Dysly not only introduced western riding in Europe, but also fought for 40 years for a new ethic in dealing with horses. The horse must have fun! Riding on the loose reins with the horse assembled. Lighter and more relaxed seat, comfortable for horse and rider, "balance", your own equilibrium in a loose seat. One-handed reins control, so that you have the other hand free for working with the lasso, opening gates. Use of the bitless hackamore (Bosal).
"Relaxation, coupled with mutual trust, are the pillars of calm in the horse."
“Love your horse! Jean-Claude Dysli learned this wisdom from Freddy Knie; Tom Dorrance reminded him of this;
and since then he has passed this on to his students. "
“Horses communicate mainly through facial expressions, body language and feelings.
That is also the basis of my work with horses. "
Balance - feeling - timing
That is the basis of the understanding between horse and rider.
Balance
Horses have an enormous balance system that helps them not to fall while fleeing from aggressors. If we consider the rider's aids, the weight aid, in addition to rein and thigh aid, often plays the most decisive influence on horses, especially when the rein aid is almost completely eliminated due to the loose reins of western riding. On the other hand, this influence on the horse, transmitted via the rider's sense of balance, is gladly received by the rider. It is not connected with any coercion or pain! This subtle effect on horses requires the rider to have a very good sense of balance, or balance. Every person has the best prerequisites for this through his upright gait and can expand and refine them. A fully trained western horse can practically only be ridden on balance.
Feeling
The subtle physical impact, especially through the thighs, in view of the enormous sensitivity of horses on the sides is of great importance. The horse's mouth is so sensitive that it defends itself against any pain. The better a horse is trained, the finer it can be ridden! To do this, the rider needs the right feeling.
Timing
The horse has a reaction time of 0.3 seconds. Since horses communicate with one another in this short, direct period of time, it is essential for the rider to join this scheme as well. Timing means intervening precisely in the horse's actions so that it can associate the rider's action with his action. Then the human being is recognized as a herd animal to which one likes to affiliate and the discipline, also in mutual respect, becomes many times better.
Iberian riding style
With the breeding of Paso horses , Jean-Claude Dysli also turned to the Iberian riding style . Together with his friend, the riding master Manuel Jorge de Oliveira , he shot the film "TWO LEGENDS - ONE MISSION, the art of riding in perfection" in 2013. In it, the two of them show the handling of the horse and the philosophy behind it: "A real horse man is someone who not only understands horses - but also life."
literature
- Jean-Claude Dysli, Linda Tellington-Jones : Hackamore / Westernsattel - Introduction and Interpretation. Brochure - 1986
- Jean-Claude Dysli: His Way of Life: An appeal to the rider's conscience! - 2011 - bound and as PDF, ISBN 978-3-440-15660-5 .
- Jean-Claude Dysli, Manuel Jorge de Oliveira: Two legends - one mission, horsemanship in perfection. Wu Wei Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-930953-98-1 , DVD, 100 minutes
- Jean-Claude Dysli: DVD series: Casual elegance (2 DVDs), DVD series: Balance-Feeling-Timing (4 DVDs) jcdysli.de
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jeanclaude Dysli: His Way of Life ( Dysli: His Way of Life , an extract)
- ↑ Image: Dysli with Quarter stallion "Navada Victory" during a daily walk on deck (1964)
- ↑ Jean-Claude Dyslis first performances in Europe
- ↑ Dysli founds the German Quarter Horse Association (DQHA) and becomes a founding board member.
- ↑ Interview with Jean-Claude Dysli, in: Freizeit im Sattel 5/1983, p. 219
- ↑ An obituary for Jean-Claude Dysli
- ↑ Jean-Claude Dysli: Balance - Feeling - Timing ff.
- ↑ Love your horse! (Video with Jean-Claude Dysli)
- ↑ Jean-Claude Dysli: Balance - Feeling - Timing, Part 2
- ↑ TWO LEGENDS - ONE MISSION, the art of riding in perfection (an extract)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dysli, Jean-Claude |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss western rider and western trainer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Switzerland |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 15, 2013 |