The main thing I am trying to emphasise is that we should be thinking about the work we do every day, it should be logical, systematic, easy to understand for the horses, easy to understand for the riders. How much you can teach a young horse, depends on the horse. Because they are growing all the time, you have to watch the horse and judge: is it enough what I am doing, or is it a little too much?
Training young horses should have nothing to do with developing an extended trot. A three-year-old cannot do an extended trot. The only thing you can do is show talent – and they can show talent when they do working trot well, through the whole body and a little bit of lengthened stride. The main thing, in young horse classes is to remember that success can still be achieved with CORRECT training…
Westfalian State Stud stallion, Rilke, who was trained by Hinnemann
Especially in the last few years, we saw a number of cases where riders were, in my opinion, too rough and tough on the horses to get bigger strides, or a bigger canter. It is absolutely unnecessary. We have a special test devised for young horse classes, which asks for working canter, and lengthened strides in the trot, and no more.
What you can show is rhythm and suppleness, not hurrying. You can show rhythm and suppleness with a little bit of expression, as long as you prepare correctly. The main thing is to discuss the basic gaits. It is not a special way of training, it is written in our handbook.
For Gold, competing as a 6-y-o and showing the benefit of correct training at the 2019 World Young Horse Finals at Ermelo
Stefanie Wolf’s For Gold OLD (Franziskus / Blue Hors Zack) was harmony in motion. Fresh, naturally forward, up in front but not jammed in front, loose and gay. The young stallion loosens calmly, naturally in the walk, the halt is less than perfect, about the only part of the test that was. Jo Hinnemann is a part owner of For Gold, and Stefanie’s mentor, a few years ago at the Bundeschampionate showing how a young horse should be trained and ridden, softly, naturally and at a level that was appropriate for its age. For Gold showed that the lessons have been well learned, and the judges were suitably impressed: trot – 9.3, walk – 8.5, canter – 9, submission – 8.5, perspective – 9 = 8.86 and into the lead, a lead they held all the way through the first group.
