Russia

Dedicated to the memory of Pasha Potstrelov
Moscow horse trainer

The Russian American Horse Training Workshop ,Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia
Sponsored by: Peace Fleece Russia
Goal: To introduce Russian youth to the challenge of training and caring for horses while, in the process, strengthening their own character and self-esteem.
Proposal: Peace Fleece will bring together horse trainers from both the United States and Russia to share each other's techniques and to provide an opportunity for Russian students to learn these skills. Peace Fleece and its Russian staff will coordinate a pilot workshop in September of 2007 in order to work out the details of how to run a training exercise on a larger scale the following year (2008) as well as to identify a student population that will participate in the future. Rationale: Throughout the United States today, there are examples of troubled young people who have found a new purpose to their life through working with horses. At our farm here in Maine where most of the chores are done by horses, youth from the local schools find a safe place where they can befriend horses, care for these animals and for the first time find a four-legged friend whom they can trust.		Trainers at Velikoye Horse Farm south of Yaroslavl
By brushing or cleaning the hooves of a 1000 kg animal, these young people learn to concentrate on a specific tasks. By riding or driving these animals, they appreciate the need for total concentration. And finally, those students that are able continue with the program realize that the horse sometimes has the ability to "mirror" the student's own behavior, often showing them a path to an unproductive memory or emotion that may have long lain dormant. Facing this memory for the first time, some people become free of its negative power and begin to create a new and more productive identity for themselves. From inmates in Texas prisons working with wild horses to abused children comforting abused horses, we are learning that four legged friends can sometimes breathe life into the darkest corner of the human spirit. History of the horse in both countries Russia has a long and proud tradition of breeding and training all manner of horses. From the Arab crosses of the Don Region to the Russian drafts of the north, horses were the mainstay of farming and transport well after WWII. Even today horses and carts are often the only method of reliable transport through roads of unplowed snow or spring mud. The men and women who trained these animals were respected members of their communities and were often sought after by the youth to pass on their skills.		Peter Hagerty of Peace Fleece and Russian Troika champion Andrei Korchagin
American settlers and the cowboys that followed depended on the horse for their survival. Some say that Native Americans were the first to ride and train the animals. Others claim that Spanish brought them in their ships. And it may well be that they crossed a land bridge from Siberia thousands of years ago. The wild mustang that today subsists in the stark deserts of the American West is a symbol of survival and courage. Horses and horsepower play an important role in the history of both Russia and the United States. Peace Fleece in Russia Peace Fleece has been working in Russia for over 20 years with artisans, farmers and farm youth. As a licensed for-profit company in the United States, Peace Fleece and its Russian partners in Yaroslavl have successfully marketed Russian wool and high quality hand made knitting crafts to Europe and the Americas. Since Peace Fleece arrived in Russia in the mid-1980's, it has understood the importance of Russian youth being actively involved in the process of creating a new country built on the foundation of democracy and responsible free enterprise. Some of Peace Fleece's first artisans were talented Russian high school and university students with impressive skills and a strong work ethic. Unfortunately many Russian youth today are struggling to find purpose in their lives and mentors whose values they can emulate.		Shepherd Vera of Istra Region with her horse
Immediate issues to be resolved by Sept 2007: - Identify appropriate Russian and American trainers - Identify criteria for student participants - Identify the site that will host this event and provide appropriate horses for training - Develop a program including but not limited to: 1. training a young colt to lead 2. putting on a saddle and riding for the first time 3. putting on a harness and driving for the first time 4. helping a horse work through specific fears and phobias 5. helping the human to see the world from the horse's perspective - Design a training facility to ensure a safe environment for horse and student - Develop a budget and funding source - Conduct a one day trial workshop with a Russian and American horse trainer and Russian students on the chosen site (to work out final details) - Decide on a name for this event Issues to be resolved by Sept 2008: - Finalize the funding for the event - Promote the event as an educational opportunity for all Russians to see - Secure local and national media coverage -Peace Fleece has requested a film and video company from the United States to consider making a bi-lingual documentary of the event, focusing in greater detail on the lives of the participants and the role that the horse has played in the history of both countries.		Local Maine student with Belgian Draft "Duke"
Please join us in Yaroslavl. Contact Andrei Gordeyev or Peter Hagerty for more information.