School of Lightness NZ

26/12/2025

A little late on the Christmas post 🎄
I hope everyone had a fun day with gifts, laughter & indulging 😋🥂

As the dust (& tinsel) settles & the last few days of 2025 remain… I reflect on a truly amazing year for Legerete in New Zealand & for my own goals acheived🌏🌟

A massive thank you to all of the students of lessons this year around all of New Zealand! 🙏💗 this year saw long term students further deepen & refine their abilities, new students becoming established mastering the foundations of Legerete work & brand new students just starting out with fresh enthusiasm (even when confronted with a totally new way of using their reins & co-ordination.)

I am proud of everyone’s dedication, practice & progress 🥰 I’m excited to see everyone in 2026! From my heart, thank you for being part of my journey & I feel so lucky to be part of yours!

Why we ❤️ Legerete

18/12/2025

I was in Northland this week with a new group of 6 riders (& 2 spectators) for 2 days of Legerete lessons 🤗 This enthusiastic & supportive team of ladies organised my visit, after watching my presentaions at Equifest back in October.

It actually felt more like a mini clinic than just ‘lessons’, which for me was a real buzz! Everyone watched each others lessons, took photos/videos & I did a theory session (on asymmetry) the morning of day 2.

A big thanks to Katrin, Ann & all who attended 😊 I’m very excited to see their progress in the months to come

It was the most ‘new students’ in one day that Ive taught - as the level of information I absorb for both the horse & rider not only assessing their needs, but teaching them as well, is pretty intense for me. I came away with a deep satisfaction, for eveyones super efforts & their openess to using the single jointed, loose ring fulmer bit which produced instant results 🤩

and that is…. Why we ❤️ Legerete

P.S. if you’re in the northern region & wanting to join in, please PM me so I can include you in our organising.
Thanks,
Sarah 😊

12/12/2025

Favourite line of the day! 🤩
"Sometimes the most revolutionary discoveries come from paying attention to what everyone else dismisses."
~ Katie Hinde, break through scientist.

Just like the work of Légèreté ❤️ It focuses on the precise details that all the other training ignores....
• Training the mouth with specific requests!
• Training balance via specific requests!

Understanding that the 3 key components for training that are essential & inseparable ~ Balance / relaxation > impulsion

• Balance & posture precedes movement...
• Hands without legs, legs without hands...

Philippe Karl created the quiet, clear & kind way to teach a horse a language, via the human hand & the horses mouth, with a simple snaffle (loose ring, single joint fulmer). So all communication is a dialogue both parties understand. Respect for the horses way of being, promoting wellbeing in the body, a relaxed mind (& nervous system) when riding & performing.

And because Legerete exists in our world, ALL equestrians have the chance to learn how to 'be' with their horses in a precise & connected way.
As more people wake up, become aware & discover Legerete, the equestrian world will change, for the benefit of all horses 💛

11/12/2025

Freedom 🩰🕊️

Neck extension ↔️ impulsion with stretch & eccentric contraction (carrying with openess)

Extended trot 🚀 impulsion with power & trajectory! Carrying with pushing power! Exertion without fear or tension.

Lengthening of the topline = lengthening of the stride ~ which must include impulsion.
Both are trained, responsive & balanced in Legerete.

Because ⚖️
Balance & posture preceded movement.
Created in harmony by ☯️
Legs without hands & hands without legs.

Why we ❤️ Legerete

05/12/2025

How lucky to see these snippets of Master Teacher Sylvia Stossel with her young 7 year old (Lusitano?) at a recent teacher clinic with Philippe Karl. 😍

It is beautiful to see the simplicity of the training of experienced trainers riding their ‘trained horse’ at their progressive level. Because the rider is already highly versed in what to feel & do, but being guided in their lesson the combination & refeinment of Legerete corrections in a moment, for further development of the horse with ease of the rider = leads to more progress. Here the cycle starts again. It is the best teachers, that readily become the student again & again. Every horse teaches us the same thing but in a new way 💫

It is easy to see why this training has such quick progress in the horse’s abilities & easily promotes the muscles & strength in a positive way (containing relaxation).

Dressage movements in Legerete are not by ‘levels’, they are gymnastic exercises. You’ll also see lots of breaks at halt to rest between movements, to praise & reward. It’s an important part of the learning phase for the horse. And YES it feels wonderful for the rider to be gliding around an area together with their horse… the outcome is the beautifully trained horse (& rider) 💗 in real connection & harmony.

The ‘Team’ is the dream
Why we ❤️ Legerete

(& yes, we use treats to connect, reward, rest digest & mobilise the jaw is the bonus part) 🥰

25/11/2025

Everyone who watched my Equifest presentations, heard the same message at the start. It’s teaching the horse a language, so there is a clear dialogue between horse & rider from the start. Light, kind & unmistakably harmonious 💞

Why we ❤️ Legerete

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRFUvdcjIU2/?igsh=MWg0N2UzbGxvcWU3Mw==

24/11/2025

The Legerete journey is life changing. It’s not only an amazing way of being with, and training, your horse. But it’s a fast track to self awareness & personal growth. It not only opens horizon’s & possibilities for what you could do with your horse, but the connection & harmony you feel when riding is really the gold nugget of life. Those moments…
Leave a comment if this resonates with you. And if you have or haven’t heard of Legerete before?



Sarah Cullen

12/11/2025

100% truth!!

I believe (& intrinsically know) Every rider in the world will one day train based in Legerete. Its is a knowledgeable & therefore a respectful understanding (& easy!) way to ride , train & to be with our horses.

Be ready world. The movement started long ago, but now its ripple effect will be world changing.

Truth, even when not understood by others, will always become reality 💗

Gravity 🍎
Planet 🌎
Electricity ⚡️
Légèreté 🦄

The change will be swift, wide spread & for the better of all horses & equestrian sports worldwide.

🙏😌🤩
Why we ❤️ Legerete

10/11/2025

Always so accurate, well said & truth.
Monsieur Philippe Karl 🫡

Why we ❤️ Legerete

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BnXBH1rrh/?mibextid=wwXIfr

31/10/2025

Awesome sessions up & down to cambridge this week with my regulars - all of their steady practice paying off with leaps & bounds in progress! 🤩 but the highlight for me was working with Shirley & her lovely mare Eve, on day 2 in the double bridle work in hand & under saddle. 🥰

Why we ❤️ Legerete

26/10/2025

❤️ full respect for the horse
🦄 Ecole de Legerete
💎 Philippe Karl

Philippe Karl, renowned rider and teacher of French classical riding, shares his passionate critiques of modern dressage riding, and discusses how we can tra...

21/10/2025

Wow what can I say!
3 x arena presentations 🐴🐴🐴
1 x theory session 🖍️📝
Sharing as much information about the core basics of Legerete as I could at each session. I emptied the well! Resulting in a different level of exhaustion this week… 😵‍💫😴

I get quite internally anxious & worried when it’s something I’ve never done.
I’m not sure why 🧐 although it did make me reflect on how or when I learnt to worry about things? Because we certainly aren’t born worrying…
So I will contemplate the discovery from this experience & reflect on how it feels to now know how to do presentations at a large event. 😌🧘🏻‍♀️

I really felt at home in my lecture on Friday afternoon - had a great turn out too.
As for the indoor arena (Sunday morning) this space was my favourite! But echo of my own voice 📣took some getting use to & might have been the reason I was talking a bit slower than usual (which is actually a good thing!).

Of course I got into my ‘mode’ of mimicking the balance with my own body as I was explaining, which is a good visual learning reference for people… and it can be quite comedic too 🤪😆

I really hope (& look forward to) going again next year, to help more people learn & be inspired + seeing all the familiar faces too! 🤗

Sarah x