Arete (Greek) in its basic sense means "goodness" or "excellence" of any kind.  In its earliest appearance in Greek this notion of excellence was bound up with the notion of the fulfillment of purpose or function; the act of living up to one's full potential. It is essentially being and doing one's absolute best - becoming the best person you can individually be. The moral excellence or arete of a person or thing was then ηθικη, or virtue.  The Greek goddess of virtue was named Arete.  Alexander the Great was said to exemplify arete in his steadfast pursuit of excellence.  The meaning of the word changes depending on what it describes, since everything has its own particular excellence; the arete of a human is different from the arete of a horse.  At Arete Farm Store we are committed to excellence.  If you have any comments please contact us.  We’d love to hear from you. 

Lisa Mills

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CLASSICAL DRESSAGE?

If you can’t stand abuse - then the Classical Riding Club is for you. 

Book Review:  In Deference! By Anja Beran

Anja Beran was born in 1970 in Frankfurt, Germany.  She studied classical equitation with Manual Jorge de Oliveira, an apprentice of Nuno Oliveira, in Portugal.  Anja’s passion for classical principles shows in her choice of words and her use of exclamation points.  She believes horses are suffering because riders and trainers are taking shortcuts and not adhering to classical principles.  She would like to see everyone return to classical equitation principles.  In this book she outlines how the classical principles should be used to create a partnership with the horse, one of harmony and lightness, not force and domination.  There is also a section of the book where she interviews Dr. Gerhard Heuschmann (he is the vet who presented with Klaus Balkenhol at the USDF Symposium on how “rollkur” is physically harmful to the horse).   Dr. Heuschmann answered many of Anja’s questions in a very direct way.  For example, when Anja asked Dr. Heuschmann about the use of draw reins, he answered: “The consequences of this crude exertion of force and tense backwards-orientated riding are often resistance and unwillingness of the horse which may even go as far as rearing.”  Dr. Heuschmann says, “My intention to cooperate on this book was based on the vision to spare as many horses as possible physical damage and mental torture with appropriate treatment and training.  As a veterinarian for horses and educated horse trainer, it became clear during my career that there is a direct link between classical equitation and the health of the horse.  Horses which are not trained in the way of classic principles almost unavoidably have to suffer from injuries to the legs (tendons and joints) and back.”  This book is available in English, and the translation is sometimes awkward, but always understandable.  As of now it can only be ordered through the German publisher.  Email Isabella Sonntag at Isabella.Sonntag@wu-wei-verlag.com.