Words Chris Hector, pics Ros Neave

“If a horse is four years of age or fourteen, it does not matter, every day you have to train the basic work.”

Barclay, a 19-y-o Breitling son, gives young riders a feel for higher movements 

“It is the most important thing. Once you have the basic work, then you can improve with the exercises later on. If the basic work is not well done, then you will have problems with each new exercise.”

You don’t do anything special with the horse’s frame, it is all in a very natural position…

“That’s how it should be. I like to work the horses with a normal snaffle bit in a normal frame. The horse has to carry the weight, not the rider. We are not here to carry the neck or to carry the head.”

In breeding we should not forget about the character, we only think about movement, movement, movement, and if you cannot manage the movement and the character, then it will go worse and worse.”

“I have a very good contact to my stallions. If I go into the stable and whistle, they start to paw with the fore-leg, I’ve taught them that, they are okay with me. As we walked past the horse wash, Wolfram whistled, and the young stallion in the wash pawed on cue.”

“I think what is important with these horses is that I am the breeder, I know them from the first phase of their life – then you have really close contact.”

Want more wisdom from Wolfram?

https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2018/03/wolfram-wittig-mr-natural/