So you warm up, so shall you reap…
Belgian photographer Dirk Caremans captured Charlotte Dujardin out on the jumping arena, warming up Valegro for the Kür at the 2015 European Championships. THM consulted Ingrid Klimke, author with her father, Reiner Klimke. of the book, Cavalletti to comment…
Charlotte and Valegro, about to enter the arena at Aachen
“It is no surprise to me. I know Charlotte goes quite often for a hack, and I saw pictures of Valegro at home out on the pasture. I think that is why he has such a spirit and the crowd loves him and her, they love them both because they make dressage look easy and fun. They both dance around, they have the spirit.”
Ingrid and Bobby, getting stronger
“Why train everything all the time, until the horse doesn’t want to do it any more? Try something different.”
“When I was in Pau, Bobby (Hale Bob) did his best dressage ever, because I was there with one horse for one week, and we put cavalletti on the circle with so many exercises, he was so supple and so smooth and had so much expression in his gaits. I am really convinced that cavalletti works.”
“The hindlegs must be energetic under the centre of gravity, that means the hindquarters get much more muscle, the back gets so much stronger, and the horse really shows himself. The horse has to have energy from behind, the motor is the hindlegs.”
Ingrid and her current dressage star, Franziskus
