Rebecca Ashton sits in on the Queensland Master Class… She also took the photos but as you might have figured for yourself, clever as she is, she can’t write and click, and took these photos at another clinic at Brett Parbery’s in NSW…
Above: Hans Heinrich works with Brett Parbery and Larenzo
Hans Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen is boring. Boring in the most wonderful way. When you watch him train, you won’t see dazzling tricks or explanations that are complicated beyond understanding. Corrections are often suggestions, subtle and precise. It’s just good, correct work with an absolute lack of tension and harshness and the secret more often, is less rather than more. But the alchemy of incredible knowledge and a great eye on the ground combined with capable riders on top of willing horses produced a wonderful transformation for all.
The last event of Dressage Unravelled was a Master Class by Hans Heinrich Meyer zu Stohen. Despite a whole week of full day teaching, the maestro was as charismatic as ever, taking the audience through the levels of training from novice to FEI.
The youngest of the first three horses, Clara Mehel’s four year old Fürst Vincent was not very impressed with the indoor arena atmosphere and let it be known with his kicking and spooking, but Hans Heinrich corrected everything in a calm and firm way; calm with the horse, firm with the rider to create a good, correct reaction for the horse to follow, “The youngest one is the craziest one at the moment, but it doesn’t matter. It’s ok. Don’t kill him. Pat him on the neck, “ encouraged Hans Heinrich.
“The second horse (Taloumbi Anamoritza ridden by Brittany Pitchers), I am so impressed with how she is going from the last few days. She was so nervous, so crazy like a three or four-year-old horse, but the lady is much older. The training has helped.”
The walk was analysed and the following gleaned, “Look how the walk is going. Every horse has a clear rhythm. But every horse has a little bit of a problem in the shoulder. They are not going enough out of the shoulder.
Maybe you know, for the young horse to have a clear, good walk, the rider must have enough energy from the seat and leg.”
Once Hans Heinrich was happy with the rhythm and contact of all three horses, the riders were asked to shorten the reins a little and move into rising trot. All three horses were lovely and relaxed in the back so, one step at a time, little things were added without over-facing or upsetting the horses. The riders were asked to then go into sitting trot, just for a couple of strides. “Soft, sit down, just for a moment. Good. Very good,” praised the German. The whole time there was the constant instruction to pat the horse on the neck with the inside hand, just a small gesture to encourage relaxation and a stretch of the neck.
That was all that was required before the youngsters were once again allowed to stretch just a little, forward in rising trot with a strict request of no pulling on the rein, before walking. Not for a second was the walk allowed to lose its good rhythm and in return the horses loosened up very nicely.
The next step was canter work and Hans Heinrich explained how he wanted the riders to progress. “Shorten the horse, just so he knows. He should work from the leg. Now we come sitting trot and then the canter work.”
Jo Wray’s chestnut mare Ausrock Elisabella needed to balance off the outside aids a little better in the canter. “Keep the rhythm. Don’t fall down. Sit. Good. The canter transition was better balanced. Don’t worry so much that the neck came out. The feeling from the leg was better,” explained Hans Heinrich.
Clara’s youngster was feeling a bit too relaxed now, “Not so slow. That’s too lazy. Come on! Where’s the whip?” Someone from the audience offered the rider a whip but Hans Heinrich interrupted with the slightest of smiles, “ No she forgot it, it was her fault, now she has to work.”
I don’t think Clara will forget her whip again!
“We had such a nice canter today! What happened? It’s too much work for you perhaps?” The reverse psychology worked and Clara dug deep. “Good with your body. From your leg. There were some little mistakes but it doesn’t matter. Very good. Transition trot then walk.”
By the end there was praise for the walk as well, “He’s going better in the walk now and what is way, way good from the rider, that when the horse loses the rhythm in the walk, she has learnt not to pull on the rein. Just sit down so it learns to accept and go forward from the seat.”
The summary for part one of the Master Class was, “First thing, walk, trot, canter and work on the rhythm, that it doesn’t change so much. The next step is to change to and from working paces.”
The crowd clapped and when the horses reacted, the clapping ceased, but still in training mode, Hans Heinrich opposed, “When riders say, ‘Oh not so loud! My dressage horse!’, this is not so good for the horse. You must train it at home. Bring some young people in, make some noise and train all these things.”
Hans Heinrich watches on at Brett and Luxor 118
The next three horses in the arena were around elementary level and Hans Heinrich wanted to bring our attention to matching horses and riders. “Some horses are very tired or lazy. Some have too much energy or sometimes the rider has too much energy. So we look and watch and see.
“Is the horse good for my temperament? Is he good for my training? Lazy riders and lazy horses never really go together.
“This first brown horse we might first think that he doesn’t go forward, but no, I think the rider is a little bit lazy! The chestnut mare has good energy for a dressage horse. The hindquarters are working up and down. It’s natural for the horse.”
It was then into the trot without pressure, without increasing the speed and without the horse’s neck too high. Hans Heinrich again singled out Lisa Jones and the chestnut mare Wolkensom, “Now you can see how they’re all working naturally. The chestnut mare is the same as the walk. The activity is top. The rider sits in the horse, not on the horse and she gets a brilliant contact and brilliant activity from the leg. She has a good seat and then she can ride better.”
Happy with the horses, the progression was into half pass from just after the corner to the centre line. “Hannah’s (Giblin) horse (Woodside Maestro) is the laziest, so she must find a little bit more activity from herself. That is better and then he’s better together. You see that? You can see all the horses can do it. Emily, more energy. Don’t wait for it or lose it. Ask for it. Quicker. Stronger with your body. Active, not faster. Both legs. Ja woll! That’s ok! Active and a little bit shorter. Very good. Much better.”
Emily Peacock on Royal Harlequin flashed her trainer a cheeky grin and wink at the acknowledgement and Hans Heinrich approved, “That’s funny. You have a rider who works and works, and it is way, way big the concentration, for the trainer and for the rider, but take two or three seconds that you recognise all the good things and the better situation, it’s nice for everyone.”
Hannah had momentarily lost momentum and Hans Heinrich was quick to correct. “Hannah! What are you doing?” then to the audience, “She said to her horse ‘canter’. I want ‘CANTER’. Lazy rider, hanging on the rein. You need more energy! Everything ok?”
“Yes!” said Hannah with great conviction.
“That was better!” encouraged the trainer at the change in attitude, “Do you want to leave the horse lazy or ride him stronger? Ja! The transition was not so bad. Now she has more concentration, which creates better contact, and the rhythm is now good. This is coming from the rider. She is working! Very good!”
A change of rein and then Hannah tried the canter the other way, but started cantering away from the canter 20 metre circle Hans Heinrich wanted her on. There was that sense of humour again, “Don’t go away. Come back. It’s not so bad here.”
The figure reestablished, work recommenced on the quality of the gait, “Outside rein. Outside rein controls. Pat him on the neck with the inside hand. Good. Come on. Sit, quicker from the inside leg. Get it. Fantastic. What we have seen before, and what we have done, sitting more in the horse, more energy, better concentration. With every horse, it is difficult that you have a good side and a bad side. Hannah found a better control in the outside rein. I’m happy. You also? Ja! Don’t forget it, inside leg, outside rein.”
Emily also worked on evenness in the horse on both reins and the instruction was similar, “More forward with the inside hand, but stay in the same rhythm. Just sit there. Just forward with the inside rein. What is absolutely super is that everyone can see that the control is in the outside rein. What is so good is that the horse is even both ways. Now trot and let him stretch. Let him go. The looseness of this horse is a top basic, in the body in all the gaits.”
Lisa and Wolkensom were going so beautifully that Hans Heinrich decided to try some flying changes with the combination. “Lisa is sitting very well. We can see with the left and the right canter, that the left side this horse needs to be a little bit stronger in the shoulder fore, from the rider’s body. Inside leg. The changes are good, but watch the shoulder. Keep the straightness of the body in your control.” Lisa took the instruction on board and the change was instant. “What do you think of the canter on the left rein now? I think it’s much, much better. It’s stronger and rounder. The rider needed more control. The rider showed the horse the way, and told the horse that everything was ok,” explained Hans Heinrich.
The last group of riders showed the FEI work. Lucinda Nutting was lucky to be riding 20-year-old Belcam Crusader, Linda Scherglatt’s old Grand Prix horse, and Hans Heinrich was eager to encourage such opportunities. “When you don’t have any time to school a horse, then you must buy a bicycle. When you have time to train a horse, you have two steps forward, one step back, but in the end you have a school master. The first horse is a really top school master. You cannot buy such a horse. When you have the chance go have some lessons on a school master, that’s the best thing in your life. You get some feeling for a special rhythm, or special lessons. The school master must have been trained in a top way. You can see from the body of the horse, you can see the activity of the hindquarter. It just goes. It is 20 years old, but he is a nice type.”
The three horses started the session just like the youngsters; in a loose trot, stretching, good activity in the body, low giving hands from the rider.
Nichole Aird’s stallion, Larundel Gianni, was swinging slightly in the quarters and Hans Heinrich asked Nikki to get them working a bit more before popping the horse up into canter, “Have the feeling of what the hindquarters are doing. In the canter, not shorter but instead have clear rhythm. Inside leg. Don’t give up. Have the rhythm clear. Active from your seat. Hindquarters working. Outside rein a little bit stronger so he stays rounder, not so high. Active! He is lazy. Wake up! Quicker!” The stallion’s longer body meant hindquarter control was very important. Straightness and activity were the main focus, and a good reaction to the rider’s inside leg.
Lucinda also needed more from her gelding, “Not like that, lady. I call her a lady because she’s riding like a lady. You have to try more. The activity from the hindquarter needs to be more.
“Hold the head and neck straight. Just sit, sit. Now the balance is better. Threes, twos and one time changes. SO! That was just super. Even when she’s finished the changes, she keeps riding. She wasn’t just happy she got the changes, she worked on the next step. That was super.”
The masterclass finished with Sally Evans showing the potential of her little bay mare, A Spider Bite, with some lovely piaffe/ passage work. Again the focus was on those basics that are key to everything in dressage: activity, rhythm and straightness….and of course a big, stretchy trot to finish off.
As well as the Queensland Masterclass, Hans Heinrich ran a couple of clinics on his visit to Australia in Sydney and Brisbane. Brett Parbery and Linda Foster, who rode in a clinic, give their perspectives.
BRETT PARBERY
“Hans Heinrich was great. A really nice guy who was very genuine. In your riding style and system, there is always a place for a reminder of good quality ‘German riding’, a place for training from a credentialed instructor such as Hans Heinrich. He was absolutely engaged, positive, enthusiastic, good humoured in the challenge of making it all happen, but very, very thorough as well.”
“The main point was control of the horse’s rhythm from control of the rider’s body and seat from the moment you first stepped into the arena to the last walk step of the lesson. The attitude of your body is the control of the horse and his posture and way of going. His message was that the rider’s position had to be very balanced and correct and never altering at any moment. Rider position dictates how the horse goes.”
Brett and Fürsten Friendship
“He analysed each horse’s type and gave the appropriate instruction for that particular horse, whether it need to be rounder, higher, quicker, slower. It wasn’t a one-size-fits-all approach at all. He has a really great feel for things, and conveys very, very good building blocks, which are all very horse friendly, for you to build your system on.”
“He was one of the best instructors we’ve had out here. He made an imprint on me and it was also a great reminder of things that needed some attention. I would definitely ride with him again.”
LINDA FOSTER
“I thought Hans Heinrich was very motivated and very positive. He was riding every stride with me and he worked my tricky Sandro Hit out in about five minutes. He was very disciplined in his teaching and wanted problems fixed straight away, but when things were correct, he was quick to reward. He basically went through the training scale and once the box was ticked, would move on to the next stage in the scale. He started with the rhythm and then the contact and once the horse was balanced and the connection was good, then we worked on improving the paces. The horse then felt happy to dance and move bigger without being held. Then it was then important to maintain everything.”
Linda and Neversfelde Samiro
“He was strict on my corners which was then very beneficial for the movements that came afterwards, whether it be shoulder in, or half pass. Hans Heinrich also slightly tweaked my position and what was interesting was that really small changes, like moving my lower leg slightly more forward, led to really big changes in the horse that I’ve been able to maintain since. He required a certain level of perfection in the horse and rider’s balance, no matter what level the combination were riding at. That keeps us all honest!”
From watching Hans Heinrich teach quite a few lessons at varying levels, the message remained constant; good rider position and an exemplary understanding and control of the horse’s rhythm from that position. From this came correct contact. The progress was subtle and gradual, more activity, more collection, more jump, crescendo-ing like a great piece of music, but the difference in the horses from start to end was significant.
With some horses, the tenser personalities, the instruction was to sit and wait. The less motivated horses had to be helped along a bit more, never left too long on their own. The rider is the chief, and must have the body fitness, and mental concentration to do the job correctly.
Above: Hans Heinrich working with Christian Flamm and the Brandenburger stallion, Samba Hit at a clinic in Warendorf
Rebecca also sat down for this interview with Hans Heinrich…
I saw a clip of you riding not long ago. You were an exemplary rider. Obviously it takes hard work to be that good, but for you, was it natural or are there certain things, extra things perhaps that riders need to do to improve. Basically, what’s the secret!?
“You must have a natural position in yourself and out of this natural position you can have a good base from which to train your muscles and the feeling of good riding, and out of this training for the muscles, and the feeling, you get the good impression on how you must feel and work the horse. Heavy people can train and become fitter with other sports like running or swimming or riding with a bike. Heavy people sometimes have problems with this muscle, or that muscle, or sometimes with the body, so you must find out what is your problem, and you work on your problem. Then you get more energy, and you have a better feeling, and you can work the horse better.”
Did you ever do things like that, sports other than riding?
“For me, I just rode. But for the sport, the horses and the riders are getting better and better. Fifteen years ago, you just sat on the horse and rode. Now we are still doing that, but there is more, and more special training aside from riding, to help the rider get better in their position. It’s all changing step by step and it is working very well.”
What do you think, either mentally or physically are the top characteristics of a rider?
“You must have everything! Special for the rider all the time, is strong concentration. Concentration in myself and of my body. Out of this feeling I get the feeling and the information from the horse. The flow from my body to and from the horse, and also to the teacher over there. Teacher, rider, horse must go like this, forward, backward, forward, backward with the flow of information. When I sit alone on the horse without a teacher, I must get that feeling back and try it and feel it again.”
“The problem is also sometimes you have the feeling in your mind, when you get with the horse one time a good feeling. Then you try and get it back again, but you can’t. You feel there is something missing, and sometimes you must wait because you cannot get it for this lesson, but it is there. So, that’s the one thing that’s also needed: patience.”
“So all the things, the physical and the mental are just such important things. Some riders must work more on this, the other rider on that. I had this afternoon one lady, I said to her, “Wait in yourself.” She was thinking all the time about a point way ahead of her, but she didn’t have this point here. She will get to that point, this I know, but this point here is not good enough. So, work first here and then you can do the step to that point. From here to there is a big step. Make it here first.” 
Hans Heinrich and Poetin at the Bundeschamps. Poetin is a full sister to Samba Hit…
You’ve worked a lot with young riders. Nowadays a lot are from wealthy families, they are given good horses, and perhaps don’t have to work so much, or at least work from the bottom up. Do you think that makes training them more difficult?
“If you have this person early enough, in a good way step by step, then it is not a problem. When they come in quickly at a high level and you start to do this and this and this, then it can be a big problem.”
From your teaching here, is there any point that you think should be mentioned?
“They have an idea in their mind what the basics are, but not really a straight basic. It’s swimming a little bit. Sometimes they have this, sometimes they have that. They must have really stronger understanding of the correct basics. You must go a little bit to this side or to that side of it sometimes, but the way you are going must be a stronger line.”
And for you that’s the German Training Scale?
“Yes. It’s such a big place here and there are many people around, some people say this, and some people say that, so that is very difficult for the riders to find the straight way. In Europe, we are strong on our way.”
Do you think the training needs to change at all for the new breeding, the hotter, finer horses?
“No, no. The basic way of how you train the horse, that is the way we had 20-50 years ago. That’s the straight way. I know that the breeding of the horses is going so quickly fast forward, the types and the minds. The horses now are much lighter from the neck, from the mouth and also most of the horses have more intelligence than 10-15 years ago. They have better concentration and everything is working quicker, but the basic of the horse is always the same. You don’t change the centreline when you come in!”
What’s life for you now? What’s a normal day?
“Normal days are 2-3 day clinics and then some private lessons. It’s whole days of teaching, and I must have also this concentration for myself, so after two to three days then I must clear myself a little bit. I read a book, or ride a bicycle, or some other things so that I can get really fit in myself. To teach a person in such refined work you have to have such concentration. You must have the horse and the rider around you, and for me it is very, very strong work and it makes you tired very quickly. To teach a person, you must have this live energy, not just sit there and say, ‘Good, right rein’. This sort of teaching doesn’t have power. The rider learns from the power teacher with good energy. The person who teaches from the ground is in a special situation. You must do it, and then have a rest.”
As far as top trainers, there is you and a few others and then further back Rehbein, Schultenbaumer, Klimke, to name a few. I would say we’re not seeing these “master trainers” coming up so much anymore. Do you agree or am I wrong?
“There are quite enough people, but the problem is, there are a lot of good young trainers in the world, but they are working a lot on their own, and on their own riding. Some of them have enough people to teach, but I think we must help them stand a little bit more in the front, so the other trainers can see.”
Final words…
“Every rider has his own future, own dream for a horse or special riding or training. He must think more and look more to these things, and then he will work like this person or work with that particular trainer. As they progress, sometimes it changes as well. A young rider will have a dream and see it on the video or see it at a show and they will think, “That is my dream, that is my riding.” When we don’t have a dream or see something we like, we don’t have a way, so we must always be looking.”
You can view more articles with Hans Heinrich on his who’s who page!
http://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/whos-who/meyer-zu-strohen-hans-heinrich/