Story – Christopher Hector Photos – Tanja Becker/Equitaris
One of the many treats that are Aachen, is the chance to sit and watch the world’s very best dressage riders school their horses. The Aachen organizers are the masters of detail, and this year they are not taking any chances of wildfires on the social media with reports of cruelty in the warm ups. The 4 star Belgian judge, Jaques van Daele is the chief steward and he is joined by a little team of ‘info stewards’ on hand at the warm up arenas to provide spectators with information if required.
In truth, their task was made easy if not redundant since the riders were all on their very best behaviour.
Okay, the British rider, Charlotte Fry is based at the Dutch Van Olst dressage stable and her inspiration would seem to be more Anky than Carl but her warm up with Everdale is in no way abusive, it just seems a little rushed and forced especially when there are riders like Dorothee Schneider, Ingrid Klimke, Cathrine Dufour, Sönke Rothenberger and Isabell Werth demonstrating how tactful good training should be.
Dorothee with Showtime is using the walk and lateral movements in the walk to quietly build the collection, a few piaffe steps, then quietly out. Everything is about lengthening the horse’s neck, flowing sweetly to the contact. It’s a lesson that is reinforced by Ingrid with Franziskus, gently riding the big stallion out and into the frame, it’s long and low in the correct manner, where the movement is a horse friendly gymnastic, not an instrument of torture.
Meanwhile Dorothee is demonstrating another of the qualities of great horse people – time, nothing is hurried. She and Showtime have been quietly circling outside the arena, halt, let’s stand, don’t fidget, let’s walk.
Then back into the arena for more loose gymnastic trot in a big open frame, and yes, the horse is a little behind the vertical, but only those who obsess about the minutiae and miss the big picture could fail to see that the horse is not jammed in there, indeed when Dorothee gives more rein, the horse follows the contact down. I think it is called a proof stone.
The last time I saw Franziskus the stallion looked on the muscle and hard work, Ingrid has done such a fine job, now he seems so much softer, so much more with her.
And yes, if you were worrying, Dorothee has ridden Showtime, effortlessly, sweetly, to the vertical.
Meanwhile Ingrid and Franziskus have finished their changes and Ingrid is in forward seat, the big bay flowing round the arena.
Praise the lord of correct equitation, but Cathrine Dufour’s riding style has not been changed by her time working at Helgstrand Dressage, where the house style is less than harmonious. Far from being pushed over the top, Cassidy seems half asleep a lot of the time as the little chestnut wanders around the arena, on the buckle of the snaffle rein. But he comes instantly alive for some effortless piaffe, then dozes off again.
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Cosmo’s working session with Sönke is even more minimalist. Still wearing his rug, one step of walk, stop, one step, stop, one step, stop, a few little half steps, lengthen the walk, shorten the walk, lengthen the walk, getting the horse to really listen to the rider’s aids, listening to the rider’s seat, walk, endless walk, and still the rug hasn’t come off. They leave the arena, Cosmo gets a lump of sugar. Training over.
Isabell is doing much the same with Bella Rose, every time the mare anticipates what is about to happen, she asks for something else, yes, I know that felt like we were starting a pirouette, but I get to call the shots, and we are out of there. Start a movement, come out of the movement and every now and then Isabell says let’s rip, and a volte of passage, perfectly on the beat for every step lifts the hairs on the back of your neck. Out of the arena, breezing around in canter, then let’s practice our entrance. Canter, halt, a little more divine passage, then try that centre line halt again… even when they are leaving the arena, Isabell is like lightening, any time the mare says, oh we are doing this, the rider has a very different idea. I’m sitting next to my pal, George Morris, who growls: “A horseman always does the opposite of what the horse thinks it is going to do.” And follows that with: “Every second you are on the horse, you are either schooling or un-schooling EVERY second.”
ends
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Always love your ringside reports! Thanks Chris!