Anna-Sophie Fiebelkorn’s passion for riding lies in the early stages of training: “I love to take a horse from unbroken to seven years of age, the time when they are first learning all the exercises. I think it’s boring to ride horses that are like taxis, and you just sit there giving directions.”
Anna-Sophie and Imperio, a Trakehner stallion who went on to Grand Prix
“A lot of riders want to go up the levels too quick and they forget the basics. They can do tricks but they have no connection from the inside calf to the outside rein. I don’t know how they do that, but it’s why they end up with big problems. They just need to establish the basics before they go FEI.”
The stallion Benicio winning at the Bundeschampionat
“Keep your hands soft and low in front of you. Try to lengthen the neck in the beginning, warm him up, stretch the body, get his back up.”
Anna-Sophie as Guest Rider and judge of Young Horses in Australia
“Make sure he starts to follow off your inside calf to your outside rein. Ask for more bending and flexing. But with easy hands, be soft in your hands. You can ask using your wrist, you don’t need to use your whole arm.”
“You don’t need to use your inside hand to get him into the outside rein, use only your inside calf. Try to ride without using your inside hand. The inside rein is for showing him the way, just for a second, then he should stay there by himself. You have to hold him on the outside track with your inside calf.”