Brian Hafner's 2010 Olympic Dream Trip Journal

Day 1-2
After a rocky start with some flight delays and having to spend the night at JFK, we made it to Germany! We hit the ground running our first day. Our first stop was Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff’s amazing farm, Schafhof. We pulled into this amazing facility that was impeccably manicured and rich with history. Throughout the day we were fortunate enough to see Ann- Kathrin ride in addition to her husband and trainer, Klaus Martin Rath and her stepson Matthias Alexander Rath.  We observed many different horses of all levels, and we were able to see their training at work. There were several things that I learned from observing these great riders, but the two biggest ideas that I took with me were the importance of rhythm and also the importance of having eyes on the ground. Rhythm is the base of the training scale but can be easily overlooked.  I was impressed to see that at Schafhof they really made sure the rhythm was constant within the gait. Whether they were riding piaffe, passage, an extension or just trotting a 20-meter circle on a young horse, they really focused on the rhythm being consistent. What also stuck with me was the fact that every rider had eyes on the ground for most of the ride. There was no guessing on whether or not what the rider felt from the saddle also looked the same from the judge's perspective because they have someone on the ground who is able to tell the rider how it looks. This is a great technique and after spending the day observing and absorbing training techniques it is no wonder why these horses were some of the best trained horses I had ever seen. The Grand Prix movements looked effortless which emphasizes even more the importance of correct training from the start. After leaving Schafhof we made our way towards Muenster where we would see some more great training.

Day 3
After an impressive first day, we made our way to visit Michael Klimke just on the outskirts of Muenster. We pulled into the riding club where Michael is based and again we were able to witness some really great riding throughout the day.  The biggest idea that I took from visiting and learning from Michael was to focus on the long-term goal for the horse. For Michael he seemed to be always looking towards the Grand Prix. Because Grand Prix demands so much physically from the horse, it takes years for horses to be able to compete at that level. Michael realizes this and will start working on movements such as piaffe when the horses are as young as five years old to get them developing the strength and the concept of the movement.  As you build the passage and piaffe slowly over the years, the horse should have a fairly confirmed piaffe and passage by the age of seven. This means the horses could be ready to show Grand Prix when they are as young as eight years old. It is so easy to only focus on the level you are competing at, but by planning and looking ahead, you can advance  your horse's training by being ahead of the game.

Day 4
Today we had a full day visiting two different trainers. Our first stop was at Ingrid Klimke’s barn which was also not too far from Muenster. I was very excited to meet Ingrid because she is not only a very great dressage trainer but she was also on the German Olympic Eventing team. As expected, I was impressed to see the amount of cross training that Ingrid did with all of her horses. No only is this great for the rider but is also great for the horses to get out of the arena. A big idea that I took from Ingrid’s training methods that I have started using in my own training is to use geometry and exercises help train the horse. For example a great exercise that Ingrid showed us to help with pirouettes is to half-pass towards X and at  X you ride your pirouette; if you are doing a full pirouette you then half-pass out.  Lateral work helps collect the horse, so by doing this exercise, the added collection from the half-pass helps the horse with the pirouette.  Another great exercise that I have started using is to use the wall/track of the arena to help straighten flying changes. By getting the changes straight on the track you can take that feeling and try to duplicate that onto the diagonal line.

In the afternoon we were fortunate enough to go meet with Helen Langehanenberg and watch her ride. We were all excited to meet her since she had just been featured in the June issue of Dressage Today. Throughout the trip the idea of relaxation in the horses was very prevalent, but in my opinion it was most prevalent at Helen’s. Every single horse she rode seemed completely relaxed and content with the work. One thing that inspired me was the importance of the good warm up for the horses. Helen would walk the horses thoroughly before beginning the warm-up. During the warm-up the horses were given the chance the stretch before having to really go to work later on in the ride. This is so important for the horses to get them loose and relaxed right away so that you can keep that same suppleness and relaxation throughout the work-out. It is much easier to end with a relaxed horse if you start the work with a relaxed horse and you could tell that this was very important for Helen.

Day 5-6
We were very lucky to be able to go see a horse show while we were in Germany. The show was a regional championship show for Rheinland. At this particular show we were able to watch some jumping, some vaulting and dressage. Most of our time was of course spent watching dressage, going back and forth from the warm-up arena to the show arena which was very interesting to see. You can get a great feel for the level of riding by looking at how a person warms a horse up. It was great to be able to see the horse before they got into the show arena and then compare that to how they performed in the test. The level of riding was very high even at the young rider level. All of the riders seemed determined and very focused which was great to see.

Day 7-8
These two days we had the fantastic opportunity to go visit the Balkenhol’s. While we were there we were able to see both Klaus and his daughter Annabel ride in addition to some other top rider including the chance to see Helen Langehanenberg again as she was there to train with Klaus.  It was also great to run into Guenter Seidel while we were there and to see that he was recovering well from his accident. After spending two days at the Balkenhol’s one of the biggest ideas that I got out of the visit was to ride quiet. Klaus was insistent that the riders never over react or get too aggressive with the horses. He stressed that the rider staying quiet will help the horses become relaxed and settle into the work. On the flip side, if the rider becomes tense and tries to force things, tension will carry over into how the horse works. This is a great tool to use in dressage because some of us get frustrated or nervous, and we must realize that the horse can feel this. It is very important to leave your emotions at the mounting block to ensure that you are not negatively influencing the horse.

Day 9
On our second to the last day in Germany we went to visit Fleyenhof which is the home and training center of Hubertus Schmidt. The very first horse we saw was one of Hubertus’s Grand Prix horses, and we were able to right away pick up some training tips that we saw him use throughout the day. One idea that I started using when I returned home was the idea to keep the bend in the half-pass even after the half-pass for a few steps to ensure that the horse does not anticipate straightening. If you are doing a half-pass to the wall, some horses will start to stiffen and brace themselves towards the end of the half-pass because they know there is a change in bend coming. By keeping the bend of the half-pass for a few steps along the wall you can re-train the anticipation and stiffening when the horse gets to the rail. Another great training tool that Hubertus used is that the horses must be hot off the leg, so much that when you ask for piaffe the horse should require very little, if any, legs pressure from the rider at all.  Especially at home the horses must know that they cannot quit in the piaffe. As Hubertus gives the aid for piaffe, we saw him use very little leg aid. This is crucial because in the show arena if the horse decides to quit in the piaffe you have an aid to fall back on.

Day 10
After being inspired by some amazing riders and horses, I think the entire group was ready to get home and ride! We made our way back Frankfurt and had an uneventful trip home and to our horses! Many thanks to The Dressage Foundation for giving us such a great opportunity!