An interview with Christopher Hector

I first met Isabel, she was Bache then, before she married and became Freese, back in 2007, it was her job to show us around Holga Finken’s stables. Isabel did this wonderful kind of ‘oop oopy doop’ act, all rolling eyes and flashing hands as she took us on our tour.

Since then Isabel has come a long way and now rides some of Paul Schockemöhle’s top stallions, including Total Hope, who Isabel piloted to victory in the Nürnberger Burg-Pokal in  December 2019.

But Isabel has not forgotten her debt to Holga. She arrived in Germany from her home, Norway, in 1999 and soon found her way to Holga Finken’s barn:

“I worked at Holga’s place for fifteen years. I took my education there and now I have been at Schockemöhle’s for five and a half years, but still with Holga as my trainer.”

Holga Finken with one of his stars, Wahajama, who went on to compete Grand Prixwith Ann-Kathrin Linsenhof, after starring in young horse classes with Holga 

“Without Holga I would not be anywhere, we are like family, and he still comes at least once a week to me to train me with my stallions and the other horses I have, or I go over to his place with them for training.”

I always thought that one of the distinctive things about Holga’s training was that he got the horses so on his seat that he didn’t need the reins, he could give them that length in front because he could make them just listen to his seat…

“That’s our philosophy  and that’s where we want to come of course and what we are working towards. When we achieve it, that’s what we want where you have as little influence from your hand and leg as possible, but of course you have to have a supportive leg to give them confidence and to keep the closed.”

Holga training another of his stars, Wanesco – they must listen to the seat!

And winning at the Bundeschamps…

Holga was for a long time a young horse specialist, do you see yourself as a young horse specialist?

“I don’t see myself as a specialist at all. I love to educate horses, that’s what I do for passion, to get them young and ride them and develop them and hope that I can keep them. It’s a business so some get sold, but that is also a good thing about being at Schockemöhle’s when I ride the stallions, of course they are breeding so it is a double thing but on the other side, they don’t get sold so easily.”

Isabel winning the six year old championship with
Fasine at the 2015 Bundeschampionate

Tell me a little about Total Hope?

“I took him over completely last year. He came into my barn in September last year. He has been covering in Sweden since he was three, in the breeding season, and the other part of the year, he has been in Germany at our place where I’ve been riding him. But completely based in Germany at our stables since September last year – but I was pregnant at that time, so my assistant rider was riding him and I was giving her lessons. Then I had my child in November last year and then I started riding him by myself all the time.”

I saw Total Hope at the World Championships in Ermelo then now here in Frankfurt, and I think you have done an amazing job in a couple of months between then and now…

“Thank you very much. We are trying of course, that he gets stronger, that he gets closer from behind and more in self carriage, but also being careful not to do too much because he is so talented but he is still a young horse. He is very talented, he is very supple like a rubber ball, actually it makes it very easy and he learns very very very fast.”

Did you have any problem areas that you had to work through with him?

“The only problem we have with him is that he is very much stallion like, he has a lot of hormones. So it’s always the first days at a show with other horses because he’s a matcho. He knows he’s a stallion. When I get into a ring, it’s all fine.”

story continues after the advertisement

Did you ever ride his dad, Totilas?

“He’s been in our yard, and yes I have sat on him. I don’t want to compare them, but of course he has the talent from the parents, from both sides, if not, he wouldn’t learn so quickly and be so rideable, his rideability is so high, I’ve never had a horse like it. You train something, and he knows it, Oh that’s what you want from me – it’s easy! In the riding I never found a problem, yes he has a huge walk and of course to get this walk collected and in a clear four beat I have to have him with me. We train a lot on that, collecting, giving the reins, collecting, giving the reins, get the rhythm and the beat.”

At the end of your test, you did some quite nice passage…

“He offers it, he loves it, he wants it, it is very very easy for him – like his father. We have to train the action in the trot, but getting it forward.”

Going forward with Total Hope, what is the plan?

“Our next goal is to go for the Louisdor (the class for young Grand Prix horses, with the final at Frankfurt at the end of the year) If we manage it next year, or have to wait another year, we will see how busy he is, how much work we have to do, how easily it comes. Of course I’ve played a bit, the two tempis he does, he can do a couple of one tempis, his passage, everyone has seen it…”

Does he piaffe?

“A couple of steps but I haven’t really started with him, just playing. Now someone comes and does a bit of in hand work with him, without me sitting on him, absolutely no stress. He offers it but we have never tried to put it back on the spot yet.”

Totilas always had problems with the changes…

“He definitely doesn’t have any problems with the changes, they are the bravest, nicest things to ride on him, he makes it very easy for me, everything, changes, pirouettes…”

Another win – with Vitalis – Photo – Kenneth Braddick dressage news

Three years ago you won the Burg-Pokal with Vitalis, how do the horses compare?

“They are SO different. I mean I love Vitalis, he’s my baby, he does not know that he is a stallion, he is the bravest, sweetest, kindest horse. If you would punish Vitalis, he would DIE. He follows us like a dog in the stable, he is absolutely not a matcho, he just always wants to do everything right. I could put my one year old child on Vitalis without a saddle and go riding outside. If something happened, he would stop – that’s Vitalis.”

If you had to sum it up, what would you say are the most important aspects that Holga stresses in his training?

“Everything! The suppleness, the throughness, that we really work the horses over the back and give them time. I have been with Holga since twenty years, we know each other in and out and I am lost without Holga at a show. It’s family. I know what he wants, and he knows what I can do, we just match really really really good.”

story continues after the advertisement

Are you based at Mühlen?

“At Schockemöhle’s place in Mühlen, and Holga is in Hagen at Kasselmann’s, so we are about 50 minutes away from each other.”

The team – Holga and Isabell

What’s the most talented horse you have ridden in the last twenty years?

“I think Vitalis and Total Hope. I started at Holga’s right after Wahajama left, and Salinero had left.”

You are a professional rider, you are in the business of buy, sell, along comes a customer and out goes the horse, is that tough on your brain?

“Yeah. It is. That’s horrible. Like what I said, at Holga’s place we were a sales stable but working at Schockemöhle, they are breeding stallions which makes it difficult, but they stay longer, which is better because I am not good emotionally with letting my horses go.”

Isabel and one of her successful Bundes Champs rides in the past, Funny Girl

Do you have ambitions of riding at an Olympic Games?

“Of course, I am Norwegian which makes it easier to get on the team, but I still have to have the horse but of course that’s the goal, that’s every professional riders goal I think.”

ends

Want to breed to Total Hope or Vitalis in Australia? You can. Go to www.ihb.com.au

Total Hope

Vitalis