The leading of a horse and very closely connected to this the general issue of safety are fundamental basics of Klaus' work and teaching. Both fields are in his opinion very much underestimated. This video shows excerpts from the Compact Schooling which are illuminating both leading and general safety and it surely makes very clear how high his fundamental demands are in this. Those who are acquainted with the work of Klaus know, that it is not at all about killing the horse's soul in order to get it under control -- on the contrary -- for him it is about continuously raising the horse's inner power and independence and through the development of the own personality being able to hold and handle it in mutual cooperation. You may find much further information in the new book: The Horse Seeks Me.

This video describes important parts of the horse therapist Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling's work. For a better understanding it is helpful to connect this video with his background, added in the following:

Hempfling, with his professional background in communications has shaken up the international horse world. He is working with these powerful, dignified creatures in accordance with nature. The development of the rider's "presence" and an orientation to holistic principles is integral to this work.

Klaus has the ability to "know" a horse within a few seconds and within a few minutes of the first meeting, he establishes a relationship so firmly that anything after that is completely based on trust. Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling (The Horse Seeks Me) is touching equestrians worldwide, with response in fields like natural horsemanship, horse whispering, classical and freestyle dressage, equestrian sports, western riding, endurance, eventing and horse riding in general. He is at the forefront on working and interacting with horses and is known for authentic and effective groundwork according to the horses' nature, often proved and documented with stallions (breeding stallions). He considers the horse's psyche (horse psychology) and communicates via body language with these beautiful creatures. His first book, 'Dancing with Horses' met with overwhelming success, especially in pleasure riding and natural riding. Klaus lived with wild horses in wilderness to observe their animal language and natural horse behaviour. In the beauty of this nature he developed his principals of the 'first encounter' of human and horse. One of his specialities is the work with difficult and aggressive horses. Hempfling transforms dangerous, nervous, traumatized horses into cooperative companions. They recognize him as their leader, and become willing partners in groundwork and under saddle.

A number of main articles on his horse work have recently been published in Horses For Life http://www.horsesforlife.com.

Very important for Hempfling is in general to interact in different fields as long as the activities accord to the horses' nature. He is therefore also coaching horse-people from fields like show jumping, baroque and artistic dressage, driving, racing, working equitation, doma vaquera and garotcha.

The KFH riding system 'Balanced Weight Riding' starts with thorough groundwork and lunging at liberty, building up the potential for the exercises of the High School Dressage (Haute Ecole), like shoulder-in, Spanish walk, passage, piaffe, half-pass, flying change, which all origin in the horses' natural movements and may be performed at completely loose reins (bareback riding, rein-less and bridle-less riding), in contrast to the main procedure in English dressage (represented by names like Helgstrand and Grunsven), and the conventional classical dressage (represented at Cadre Noir, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Escola Portuguesa de Arte Equestre and the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art). One may say that he is meanwhile one of the leading names in the issue animal and especially horse welfare and horse passion and love, as well as horses in wildlife, roots in nature and animal communication. The German TV programme called him one of the most important horse whisperer of the world.

At the end of the day all that count is the human’s personality, his balance in soul and body. 

In the past of human beings horses have always been a symbol of how each individual deals with the world, with its challenges and threats.  
Today I would like to send you a little clip, which I created by myself. It is about the feeling, about my experience, standing in front of a stallion of powerful self-presentation, who is, after all, behaving like a gentle bird - in spite of his extend possibilities of expression.  On the outside this seems powerful, but inside it is of extraordinary gentleness – it must be.

Formerly humans were together with horses, to be able to understand and deal with life in a better way.
All the mechanisms which the humans have created in modern times, were actually supposed to help. But it now becomes more and more obvious, how they are, in their own dynamic, turning against the humans – almost like an inevitable natural disaster. How vulnerable it has all become. A tiny country in Europe, actually of minor commercial importance, is facing national bankruptcy but the real threats are the ‘markets’, which are just about to ‘crack’ and eat up one of the strongest currencies on the globe – with profits of milliards for the global gamblers. Governments appear powerless.
A small cloud of ashes in the air paralyses the air traffic, today centre point of many areas of communication and trading. How immense are the threats. Unbelievable amounts of oil flow out in the Golf of Mexico and an environmental disaster of unforeseen dimensions is threatening. Technique, business, trading – the humans’ instruments are out of control. With unforeseen consequences for each individual, for nature and for humanity as such.

In my new book I begin the first chapter with the headline: We are concerned with the horse – but the horse is concerned with the world. And that is the only reason at all why I personally went to the horses. It was told about one of the ancient Kings, that he was unable to rule his country, because he was not even able to handle his horse. At the end of the day a human always stands completely alone in front of a horse, in front of destiny or in front of the tremors of the world. And somehow that is, so our forefathers said, one and the same thing anyway. And the tremors of the world are meanwhile threatening to take on giant dimensions.

To mature and become a man, a boy of the Maasai people must kill a lion with bare hands. Many die in doing so, because they rely on their outer strength. Only he, who discovers and develops his inner strength and builds up on this, may accomplish the impossible. In the future, more and more, the absolute impossible will be expected from all of us. The signs are more than obvious – and isn’t it about time to ask how one should and could prepare for this? That might also be the reason why the theme ‘Horse’ is so present in the world in these times. For one, the horse is the devil’s foot. But for the other, it serves as reminder of that, which really counts; the essentials. And that is my focus, when I talk about horses. And that is the focus of the ancient sources of the world. They all recognized the horse as the main symbol of human freedom as such and as the symbol of the creative power and possibilities of each individual. And here lies the focus in the future.
In the light of the circumstances in the world I couldn’t leave it to remind of this once again. And I will continue doing so.

If you like, please have a look at the clip – with the means I have – as an artist – it does in its own way seem to say the same.

Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling - May 2010