Kristen Schwaegerle's 2010 Olympic Dream Trip Journal

Day 1 – Monday 28 June
11 a.m. Waiting for the plane in Boston!  It’s going to be a long day, but at least I’m on my way now.

This trip is the highlight of my summer, particularly after unsoundness issues with my competition horses effectively ended my competition season.  This trip is something I never would have been able to afford or even coordinate on my own, and I’m so thrilled I was chosen.  Every time I thought about the trip between sending my application in and when the selection was made, I got just a little sick to my stomach in anticipation and nervousness – I never feel that way, not even at big competitions! 

The flight from Boston was somewhat delayed, although I knew I had plenty of time at JFK. 

Note to travelers – JetBlue is an outstanding airline.  I’ve been on nearly all of the inter-continental airlines, and they are definitely the best. 

JFK Airport is a massive, crazy airport.  Jet Blue appears to have its own terminal and the signs telling you how to get to other parts of the airport were not very clear.  Here is the short version of my full tour of JFK Airport:  Get off plane, go pick up baggage, go from baggage to check in.  Walk full length of Jet Blue check-in to discover there is no Delta counter or directions to Delta.  Ask security person.  Take escalator to Air Tran.  Take Air Tran to Delta International check in.  Attempt to follow signs to Check In, concerned that I may be headed to an airport personnel-only area.  Come out into large, multi-level shopping center with Arabian sounding music.  Hike full length of lower floor (twice) trying to find a) check in or b) escalator to upper floor.  No apparent signs to either, no up escalator to be found – they only go down.  Carry luggage up a set of stairs (while getting strange looks) and finally find the check in area serving dozens of international airlines.  Delta is at the opposite end.  Get in line for ticket,  get in line to have checked baggage tagged, get in line to have checked baggage checked.  Finally head to security and wait in line.  Once I went through security, I went to the gate listed on my ticket.  Surprisingly, no one is there.  I get a sandwich, come back (still no one) and decide to check with the man at the counter.  He tells me to go down the stairs (behind the counter) and take the shuttle.  Wait for the shuttle.  Shuttle takes nice tour of entire tarmac, circling around three-quarters of the airport.  Finally dropped off at appropriate terminal, hike up three stories in a covered ramp and I finally reached the appropriate gate with 20 minutes to spare.  Ann was just  about to call to find out where I was!

I finally got to meet my trip-mates in person:  Ann Guptill and Annie Morris (chaperones), Brian Hafner, Mimi Stanley, and Christine Stephenson.  Then the wait began. 

Day 2 – Tuesday 29 June
00.01    Even dream trips have to deal with the reality of airports and ours was off to a less than auspicious start with a broken plane (on and off twice) and a flight delayed until 11 p.m. and ultimately cancelled at 11.50 p.m.  Since the airline had run out of hotel vouchers and it was too late anyhow, we dragged two benches together, put up our feet and tried to sleep under the plane blankets and pillows tossed out by airline staff.  Food consisted of $10 vouchers, plane snacks and water tossed out by airline personnel like you would to a pack of starving wild animals, which was a pretty accurate description at that point since the “screamers” among the disgruntled passengers had long declared themselves.

With the next possible flight at 9 a.m., what was to have been our very first day was spent en-route via air. 

9+ a.m. We finally got on the (formerly broken, now hopefully fixed) plane to Frankfurt. There were a number of open seats, presumably from fliers who opted to take a different flight.  Unfortunately our seats were even more scattered than the original flight and I was in the middle row with a woman who boisterously cheered the flight’s take-off and landing. 

11 p.m. We arrived at long last in Frankfurt, collected our baggage, waded through customs, and hiked and bused our way to the Sheraton hotel.

Day 3 – Wednesday 30 June
1 a.m. At long last, Annie and I made it to our room; real beds and shower.

6.30 a.m. Expensive hotel “breakfast:” a plate of croissants and coffee. We also scored some green apples after the server caught Christine trying to determine if the apples behind a glass case were also part of the complimentary meal.

I, for one, do not do well when sleep deprived.  By Wednesday morning I had had maybe four and a half hours of sleep the previous night, and just over one (interrupted) hour the night before at the airport plus a short doze on the airplane.  Needless to say, while my eyes were open, my brain was a little on the mushy side. 

After checking out of the hotel, we picked up our sweet ride: a Volkswagen Caddy Maxi, soon nicknamed “Bunni”.  A bit of a squeeze, Bunni had definitely seen better days before tourists had stripped the clutch and when a foot on the gas actually caused acceleration, rather than a slow roll.  But we quickly packed her up and rolled off. 

We drove to nearby Kronberg to spend the morning at Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff’s spectacular Schafhof. Stone walls and an elegant black iron gate led into a manicured parking lot.  Schafhof was stunningly beautiful, stone laid pathways leading to rings and buildings lined with beautiful landscaping. The towering home and expansive barns and indoor were splashed with the color of flowers, roses in particular, and given character with artful tile inlays, fountains and a bronze horse statue. 

We were greeted by Matthias Alexander Rath who gave us a tour of the facilities.  All around were tributes to the great horses and many accomplishments of the outstanding riders here. 

Matthias showed us the outdoor arenas and paddock areas as well as an outdoor track, which he said they use for both younger and older horses.  He said that they try to get the horses out of the ring, which can become “boring” for the horse.  Riding at the farm usually starts at 6.30 in the morning. 

We circled back to the huge indoor arena to watch a few hours of riding and training.  Matthias explained that they usually just work the young horses inside, preferring to ride in the outdoor arena, but that they would be working inside due to the unusually warm weather.  He offered us refreshments as we sat down on the ringside bench just before he got on his next horse.  Not long after, a cook (?) arrived with coffee, a silver bowl of juices and water, and a plate of pastries complete with china and silverware, which were placed ringside.  Between horses, riders would sip a cup of coffee or have a glass of juice.

Horses were all warmed up and cooled down in a similar manner.  After being briskly walked by a groom for around 30 minutes, they did low and round stretching work at the start and end of the workout.  It was very loose, rhythmical and relaxed, but at the same time the rider (Ann-Kathrin, Matthias, or Klaus-Martin) encouraged expression.  Nothing looked forced or tight.  The horses were forward, swinging through the back, and reaching into a steady contact.  After a walk break, the rider would pick up the reins of what appeared to be a completely different horse:  the horse was immediately uphill and expressive.  I was impressed at how no matter what was being asked, the horses maintained the same rhythm and looseness through the back, which resulted in highly engaged hindquarters. 

Many horses were worked in snaffle bits and those in double bridles always had a soft curb rein.  The horses were trained to be so sensitive to the rider that they reacted strongly to the smallest correction.  As a result, I rarely saw riders use any more than the lightest touching of the leg to aid the horse. 

The riders, particularly Matthias and Klaus-Martin showed tremendous core strength—their upper body never moved, no matter what they were doing—and a correctness of seat.  The position and balance of their seat not only allowed but also encouraged the horses to lift their backs and swing thereby increasing impulsion.  It was interesting to watch Klaus-Martin get on Matthias’ horse at one point—while Matthias has an exceptionally good seat, the horse offered a little more expression and effort under Klaus-Martin’s more experienced seat.  This exemplified the fact that seat development – and the elusive “feel”—is something that can only come from years and years of development and time in the saddle.   It was nice to see Matthias at one point remove his stirrups—even top riders still take time to focus on developing their seat. 

Another thing I noticed was that there was always a ground person in the ring to help the riders both as a second set of eyes and as in-hand help for piaffe-passage work.  I noticed that tempi changes were almost always ridden on the rail to improve straightness and likewise pirouettes were ridden on the centerline to improve accuracy. 

At Schafhof, they like to buy the nicest possible young horses and do the training themselves.  We got to see a couple of three-year-olds, just under saddle, being worked.  They were first lunged outside before being brought in and lunged with the rider on top.  The young horse was then let off the lunge to do big figures around the arena.  The young man who was riding them was very brave, but also perfect for the young horses as he stayed with them no matter what they did.   For the dark bay 3-year-old stallion who was being naughty, they ended up putting loose Vienna reins on to remove some of the resistance.  I noticed that Vienna reins were the side reins of choice (I never saw anything else) for lunging and under saddle.  The young horses were all ridden forward into a steady, light contact with huge gaits.  The rider never restricted the horses’ forward desire, only encouraged balance and rhythm. 

At the very end, Ann-Kathrin’s daughter came out to ride her pony when the ring was a bit quieter and Ann-Kathrin could focus on coaching her.  A lovely young rider, she had clearly inherited the family’s talent for riding, and years under the coaching of top-level professionals had developed her seat and style far beyond most her age.  She first rode a more experienced pony, and then Ann-Kathrin helped her with a younger, less experienced pony, lunging and then getting on first to school him.

It was very interesting and inspiring to watch, but by the end of the morning, lack of sleep had all of us nodding off. 

We invited Matthias to join us for lunch, but he declined saying that he was working out for two hours in the afternoon in an effort to become more fit for the WEG.  Horses are all taken out a second time in the afternoon for a 45+ minute hack to improve their fitness as well. 

Matthias recommended the “Pepperoni” (I thought he was talking about what he liked to eat), an Italian restaurant in Kronberg.  Kronberg is a lovely little town with cobbled streets and buildings and a large, grassy park.  We ate at the Pepperoni before embarking on our three-hour drive to Munster.  I passed out within a few minutes in “Bunni” and only awoke as we were entering Munster. 

We were staying at the Ibis Hotel, a short walk to downtown Munster and next to an all-glass parking garage.  The hotel was narrow and tall and had an Ikea-economy vibe.  The room was cute and small, and when you placed your room key card in the slot to activate the lights, not only did the lights turn on but the TV also turned on to a faux-fireplace complete with romantic atmospheric music—quite a surprise!

I had just enough time to change clothes and unpack before heading back downstairs to meet the group for a dinner outing.  We headed towards the downtown, following signs to the “Altstadt.”  We wandered around the cobblestone streets as the buildings became older and older.  We finally chose a restaurant just down the street from a historic church.  Next door was an old building that appeared to have some sort of high-level function complete with security, bus loads of attendees, and lots of military personnel. As we made our way back to the hotel, we stopped by a lovely corner ice cream café for a tasty dessert treat.  My choice: bitter dark chocolate.  It wasn’t bitter- maybe a little less sweet than normal ice cream.  A black-brown color, it even had small chips of bittersweet chocolate.  Hands down the best ice cream I’ve ever had. 

Sleep was awesome. 

Day 4 – Thursday 1 July
Thursday morning we were scheduled to visit Michael Klimke at his stable, located at the opposite end of the lake on the edge of Munster.  Michael spends his mornings riding and training, and then heads to his law practice in the afternoon. 

We arrived at Reitverein St. Georges on Reiner Klimke Weg, an older farm that was the same riding club Michael’s father the late Reiner Klimke trained out of.  With the indoor at its center, there were two long aisles of stalls on each side.  One side was the riding club, the other Michael’s stable. 

Not only did we meet Michael, but also Jim Koford, a U.S. rider and trainer who is currently training with Michael and competing in Germany.  Interestingly, Jim and Ann knew each other  from back in Pony Club days.  Luckily for us, we not only saw Michael training, but also Jim as well as both men helping one another on the ground.  Jim, who was quite chatty, also gave us additional insight into Michael’s training methods as well as the dressage culture in Germany from the perspective of a rider from the U.S.

Jim gave us a quick tour of the barn and showed us the two large outdoor rings and grassy knoll surrounded by a dirt track.  He explained that here, they like to take the horses out on the track before working them in the ring for a walk or gallop.  Jim made the observation that dressage horses in Germany are kept extremely fit, which is why they can go into a show warm-up and “practice, practice, practice” and still have a horse that is electric in the ring.  American horses are often viewed as being overweight and under fit.  Jim noted that they do very little to no joint maintenance here; they just keep the horses super fit, which in turn keeps them sounder, longer.

Dressage is “an entirely different sport here,” he said, and you can’t just come over for one competition and expect to do well.  You have to earn the respect of the other competitors and judges, and that requires being in Germany for some time.  Jim said performance expectations such as test accuracy are much higher.  The intensity of training is also very high – if you are asked to do a movement, you do it now and accurately, even if it’s not set up perfectly.  No extra circles. 

All of the horses at Michael’s were warmed up the same way: a very low, deep, round frame, still in the contact, until the horse’s back is really loose and swinging.  The gaits are forward and rhythmical, and despite being in such a low frame, the horse’s balance is always uphill, resulting from an engaged, “jumping” hind end.

After warming the horse up, Michael takes a loose-rein walk break before collecting the horse.  Before trotting off, he activates the hind legs with just a step of piaffe which expands into a loose, uphill and very expressive trot.  Michael takes frequent walk breaks between intense sets of work, making sure to pat and reward the horses for their effort. 

I really noticed Michael’s kindness toward the horses. He was always patting them to both reassure and reward for their efforts both while working and during his walk breaks.  These frequent breaks and rewards seems to keep very hot, talented and expressive horses much more relaxed and sane.  Many of his horses had so much energy and desire to “go” that Michael had to ask the horse to wait.  That energy was then focused to create energetic down transitions (I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s really true!).  The horses’ performance was amazingly electric, and yet they all seemed to stay relaxed and completely with their rider. 

At the end of the work, he returned the horse to a long and low frame at the trot for a few minutes before cooling the horse out at the walk. 

Piaffe is started in-hand at the age of 5, and by age 7, a horse that has not been taught piaffe already is considered difficult and too late.  Jim explained that the four- and five-year-olds spend a lot of time galloping outside as well as jumping and doing cavaletti work.  The year they turn 6 is when they really get down to serious work.

Michael likes horses that are more sensitive.  He commented that some of his favorite horses have half jumping bloodlines, which tends to make them a bit brighter as compared to two dressage lines.  Case in point: a 6-year-old Florestan-Donnerhall gelding nicknamed “Hamburger.”  This particular horse Michael worked in hand prior to getting on. 

Michael and Jim worked together to provide each other with on-ground help, particularly for piaffe-passage work.  The riding schedule was coordinated such that each rider had the help he needed when he needed it. 

At one point, Michael reminded Jim to encourage his horse to take a longer frame so that the hind legs could engage better and the cadence could subsequently be increased. 

I also noticed that no draw or Vienna reins were ever used, even when a horse is being naughty or resistant, like the chestnut mare being ridden by Michael’s wife. 

Jim went on to tell us that the one time Michael yelled at him, it was because he was just walking.  Horses don’t just walk here, Jim explained, they power walk.  The horse must jump behind and always activate its hind legs, right from day one.  “It’s almost like being taken away with,” he said.  You should be able to put your leg on and have the hind leg automatically activate. 

Unfortunately Michael had to head off to his law practice, but Jim took up our offer to join us for lunch and in turn offered to be our tour guide for the afternoon. 

We went to restaurant located on the end of the lake in Munster with a large outdoor seating area on a wooden dock.  The weather was lovely and warm, and it was the perfect place for a midday break. 

After lunch, we headed towards the Olympic Training Center, making a quick gas station stop for fuel and water.  As the far-corner third-row passenger, I had barely tumbled out of the stifling van before I saw Brian pushing a small rusty car out of the gas station around the corner into the street and… well it must have started, because Brian came back!

The Olympic Training Center was very quiet with a few horses poking their heads out of the stable windows.  For the most part, the expansive rings were empty.  The facility was absolutely enormous, and the indoor was stunning with roof-high glass windows, high-tech manicured footing and clean, sleek bleachers.  Just across from the parking area was a small paddock with a herd of miniature horses (and their miniature run-in sheds), including a little palomino baby. 

After the DOKR, we headed around the corner to visit the Sattelkammer Warendorf, which happened to be down the street from the Westphalian State Stud.  After admiring beautiful leatherwork far outside my budget, we strolled down to see the stallions.  The State Stud is another huge facility with beautiful stone building laced with ivy vines.  There were several large riding areas and a track all surrounded by neat rows of  trees and precisely trimmed hedges.  The courtyard in front of the main office had a paddock with the state stud logo laid out in flowers next to a bronze rearing horse statue.  The 12-stallion quadrille was practicing in one of the outdoor rings.  In terms of risk level, I would put this activity up there with skydiving or cliff jumping.  Not kidding.  Twelve testosterone-filled stallions were being ridden nose-to-tail and stirrup-to-stirrup (I think only one rider wore a helmet) while doing complex movements at the direction of  the whistle-blowing coach.  Many of the stallions appeared less than thrilled with the activity (i.e. double bridle + draw reins). It was an impressive feat, made more impressive by the fact that by the end (somehow) everyone stayed in line (more or less) and all riders were still mounted.

After leaving the Stud, we stopped a couple of shops down from the saddlery for an ice cream. The ice cream over here is excellent and a perfectly sized one scoop for 60 cents. 

The drive back to Munster was a nice tour of the countryside.  Arriving at my room on the second floor, I dug through my bag for my wallet, which contained my room key.  I dumped the contents of my small backpack and camera bag on the floor.  Still no wallet.  Mentally kicking myself, ‘Kristen, this is not the time to have a brain cramp.’  No wallet to be found – I located Ann and we went to the front desk where a very helpful and kind woman looked up the number to the ice cream shop, called them and asked if they had found anything (they didn’t speak any English there).  As luck would have it, it was in the last place I had used my wallet.

Ann was kind enough to offer to drive me back to Warendorf to get the wayward wallet.  Amazingly enough, my wallet was there and the contents completely intact.  I’m sure if I had dropped it anywhere else, that would not be the case and I was incredibly grateful for that.  As a thank you, I took Ann to dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant down the road. 

Day 5 – Friday 2 July
Ingrid Klimke had requested that we arrive at 10.30 a.m., so after a leisurely breakfast and e-mail check on the hotel computer, we arrived promptly at that time. 

The entrance was dark with heavy tree cover and led to a black iron gate set in a stone wall which opened to a large, bright cobbled courtyard.  The wide driveway wound between old stone buildings and pastures as it made its way towards two outdoor rings, an indoor and more stables. 

Ingrid greeted us outside the indoor, offering to take us on a quick tour of her stables.   She said that she has about half her horses are eventing and half dressage.  The aisle of her main stable was three times the normal width and cobbled like the driveway, and the stalls were large and airy.  Ingrid’s horses all get turnout, be they dressage horses or jumpers; she feels it keeps them happier and healthier and far outweighs the risk of injury. 

The indoor was fully lined with glass windows allowing for bright, natural light.  Midway down each long side was a set of cavaletti on a curve. 

Ingrid soon explained her love of cavaletti work each day the horses are worked. She uses cavaletti work to increase the hind leg angle and engagement and improve the horse’s strength and muscle tone as (particularly on the curved-line cavaletti) the inside hind leg must carry more weight. 

Ingrid recommends keeping the cavaletti on a straight line when first teaching a horse to go over them.  Once they are confident and comfortable,  introduce a curved line.  Ingrid likes placing four cavaletti on a curved line – because of the curve, the horse must bend and flex the body just as they would around a circle.  Because the cavaletti are closer together on the inside, and farther apart on the outside, the inside hind leg must quicken and carry more weight. 

Ingrid said that she prefers wood cavaletti because the horses feel (and respect) it more when they knock it.   She starts cavaletti work with 4-year-olds.  She also chooses to place the cavaletti just inside the track at B and E because there, she said, you can still practice your whole dressage test without them getting in the way.  One set is for trot, the other for canter. 

Early on, Ingrid explained that she prefers to work her horses in the snaffle.  If a horse becomes too strong, rather than changing the bit, she prefers to temporarily change the noseband to a drop noseband.  Likewise, she uses small spurs and no whip in an effort to make the work electric, but still easy.  Ingrid’s horses – both dressage and jumping – jump at least one time each week. 

In the warm-up, Ingrid insists her horses must stretch down, forward and into the outside rein so that they stay steady and consistent in the contact.  The horse must be loose and swinging through the back.  She suggests using transitions to test the connection – ideally the horse should stay steadily reaching into the long and low contact in both up and down transitions (walk, trot and canter). 

When Ingrid trains her horses, they are either stretching down long and low, or their poll is the highest point, with nothing in between.  When the poll is the highest point, she warns to make sure that it is always the highest point, particularly in transitions or other exercises. Here again, transitions are a great way to test the connection. 

Watching Ingrid coach one of her working students, she made a strong point that she does not want to see the rider do anything.  Definitely no hand motions, and as little (invisible) leg motion in the flying changes. 

Transitions are extremely important to Ingrid.  She had a student working one of her 5-year-olds practicing canter-walk-canter transitions on a circle.  She explained that the transition aid should occur when the hind leg is deep and the front end is up – the same timing for flying changes.  The horse must stay evenly reaching into the contact and moving forwards.  The instant the transition occurs, the hands should be released slightly forward so as not to block the horse’s forward motion.  Ultimately, the transition should be smooth, easy and seamless with the horse learning to sit in the transition.  The ability to ride clean transitions thereby increasing the “sit” of the horse is critical for all future movements. 

After the horse was doing nice walk-canter transitions, Ingrid had the rider move on to medium canter-collected canter transitions.  Particularly with younger horses, but even older ones, Ingrid believes that if collected work is being done, it needs to be interspersed with medium canter to allow the hind legs to come forward under the body, so as not to lose the impulsion. 

When evaluating a horse to purchase or train, Ingrid looks for ones with natural balance and rhythm, and whose hindquarters track straight (not wide) and under the body.  Even more importantly is the temperament or mind of the horse.  “You can change the body but not the mind,” said Ingrid, the nature of the horse always stays the same, i.e. heavy, spooky, etc.

Around 11 a.m., Ingrid taught a lesson to one of her students, a young Adult Amateur woman who had a somewhat spooky Prix St. Georges gelding.  “We are going to practice our English today,” Ingrid said to her client. 

At the walk, the rider should keep a steady contact but allow the elbow to give forward and follow the movement of the neck.  The walk pirouette should occur in the same rhythm as the collected walk, with no change in the flow of the exercise. 

Ingrid and her student worked on canter pirouettes.  At the start, Ingrid encouraged the rider to smoothly ease into the pirouette while also increasing the hind leg carrying weight.  When warming up pirouettes, Ingrid suggested starting by half-passing to the centerline and then making a pirouette.  The first time she encouraged a bigger pirouette with a focus on rhythm, and then the second time making is smoother.  Another exercise she suggested was half-passing to a centerline pirouette and then half-passing back to the wall. 

When the horse became a little heavy and slow behind, Ingrid had the rider do canter-walk-canter transitions to quicken the hind legs and lighten the forehand.  Ingrid said that the horse should “grow bigger in collection.”

Ingrid then had the rider practice her Prix St. Georges test, putting together the things they had worked on.  In the extended canter across the diagonal, Ingrid recommended being quicker off the rail so that you have more time to fully collect before the end and flying change.  The flying change itself should be “dead straight to the letter.” The centerline halt should always be dead straight, and the horse should immediately trot off after the halt with no walk or half steps. 

After the lesson, Ingrid coached a working student warming up Ingrid’s 8-year-old Diamond Hit stallion who is at Prix St. Georges.  Canter cavaletti are set at the highest height and really help to increase hind leg activity as well as collection, since the horse must not only pick up its legs but also rock back on its hindquarters, much like jumping.  The exercise she had her student doing was staying on a circle at B and E (where the cavaletti were located), do canter or trot transitions on the centerline while continuing to go over the cavaletti.  This exercise really helped increase hind end engagement and strength (transitions and cavaletti) as well as required the horse to remain attentive and focused on what the rider was asking, so he did not start running through the poles. 

In jumping competitions, 5-year-olds must be able to change leads.  One of Ingrid’s favorite exercises for helping teach horses their lead changes also involves using cavaletti.  With her working student as the demo rider, Ingrid had us step outside to one of her outdoor rings where she had two cavaletti set up at a 90-degree angle in the middle of the ring.  At the canter, the horse must change leads (and direction) over the cavaletti, making a smooth turn back to the other cavaletti where another lead change will occur.  The rider must give over the jump so that the horse can use its back.  The incorporation of turns after each jump helps to horse figure out what lead to take.  If you increase the tightness of each turn (in balance) this also turns into an exercise to teach pirouettes. 

While Ingrid does not have someone on the farm that can help her on the ground daily, she does have someone who comes one to two times a week.  When doing in-hand work or piaffe-passage with the help of a ground person, she does it at the start of work and also keeps it short. 

Ingrid, who rides a couple of stallions, explains that the key to a successful relationship with a stallion is establishing dominance at the very beginning.  You have to be “on top of them” at the start, explained Ingrid, or you will always be second. 

Ingrid then got on her 7-year-old Florestan gelding “Flipper” who she said is at Prix St. Georges but has difficulty with the flying changes.  With young horses starting working pirouettes, Ingrid recommends half-passing towards the wall, then doing the half pirouette.  This helps encourage the horse to turn.  Another more advanced exercise is doing a half-pass to the centerline, doing a full pirouette, and then continuing the half-pass to the wall. 

For hot or sensitive horses, Ingrid likes to give lots of walk and pat breaks.  The rider must be very patient and calm. 

When starting to work the changes with Flipper, Ingrid removed her stirrups explaining that it gave her a deeper seat and allowed her to hold the horse better with her body.  When asking for the change, Ingrid also used additional flexion as well as her upper body to help the horse.  Ingrid started on the 20-meter circle, cutting down the centerline and asking for the change before continuing on the circle on the new lead.  When the lead changes became more consistent, Ingrid worked towards riding changes on the wall to improve straightness. 

While Flipper may have trouble with his changes, Ingrid demonstrated his talent lies for piaffe and passage work.  When starting piaffe/passage, Ingrid recommends working along the wall, which provides additional security, and as the piaffe-passage develops, moving inwards off the rail. 

Ingrid’s last horse of the day was an electric 6-year-old stallion, a typey, beautiful black horse that even she described as a “handful.”  This horse was just starting to learn his flying changes.  Before attempting any changes, Ingrid started by practicing canter-walk-canter transitions on the circle to get the horse listening to the aids and really engaging the hind legs.  When those transitions became smooth and prompt, she then tried a full change, which came easily and without fuss. 

The stallion was also very talented in the piaffe and passage, and Ingrid went on to explain to us that some horses can be taught piaffe and passage together as the same type of activity.  Other horses who have a really natural passage, you want to keep the piaffe a completely separate exercise when beginning to train it.  Otherwise, it can ruin the already natural passage. 

One other suggestion from Ingrid:  never allow a horse to stop to “make apples.”

At 2 p.m. we arrived at the riding club where Helen Langehanenberg trains.  It was a huge facility, with several large barns, two indoors, a walker, round pen and outbuildings (those were the ones we could see).  Many of the buildings were new and a few even had solar panels on the roof. 

Helen was a bit surprised to see us, as a slight miscommunication left her unsure of whether we were actually coming.  Even so, she was very friendly and pleased to see us, although apologetic that she only had a few horses left to work. 

The first horse she got on was a stunning liver chestnut filly (Damon Hill x Rubin Royale) with a blaze and socks.  Lunged beforehand by Helen’s working student, you could already see the filly’s fabulous hind leg activity and articulation at the walk.  Even though she was only 3, this filly was balanced, forward, relaxed, and confident in her work, which only served to further highlight three fabulous gaits.  I’m pretty sure I was drooling – I’ve seen some nice horses, but this one was unreal.  Helen explained that she would be doing the 4-year-old FEI division and then her owner wanted her back as a broodmare. 

Helen’s next horse was the 10-year-old chestnut mare “Fleur Rubin” (Florestan x Rubinstein) who was featured in a recent Dressage Today issue.  “Fleur” is competing at Prix St. Georges and starting to train at Grand Prix. 

Fleur’s warm-up consisted of low, deep stretching that was soft and slow yet still powerful from behind.  The mare was slightly on her forehand, and her movement appeared average.  Both horse and rider showed a quiet relaxation that appeared effortless.  When Helen picked up the contact after the warm-up, the only thing that changed was the balance and expression—the relaxation and appearance of ease was unchanged. 

The mare’s strengths were her super walk and canter.  A successful Prix St. Georges horse, Helen is working on moving her up to the Grand Prix.  When schooling the pirouette, Helen worked to make sure Fleur remained adjustable and listening to her aids.  She did this by sometimes making the pirouette bigger, smaller, or a different number of steps. 

Helen explained that Fleur is very smart and once she thinks she knows what is happening, she sometimes tries too hard and doesn’t listen to the rider as well.  Like in the pirouettes, Helen worked to make sure Fleur was listening to her aids by changing up the number of strides between tempi changes.  She schooled four tempis to two tempis (almost all on the quarterline), and once the mare was settled and waiting for her aids, Helen would put in a few one tempis at the end of the line. 

Helen said that she trains most horses in a snaffle, and for the ones that are good with the double, she will only put it on one or two days before the show.  Others that are not as good in the double will need more training in it. 

Her last horse of the afternoon was a 6-year-old grey “M”-level gelding by Royal Diamond who was there for training.  This particular horse is hard to get to use his hind legs properly.  While not the fanciest or most talented horse we had seen, he really showed off Helen’s riding style.

No matter what is happening, Helen always remained very quiet and very calm.  She insisted on hind leg engagement, never allowing the horse to drop on his forehand or lean, so that that forehand soon lightened.  Because the horses are all so relaxed under her seat, they remain soft in the neck, reaching to the bit and taking it forward correctly. 

Helen explained to us that she works to make sure the rhythm always stays the same and focuses on quality transitions and suppleness.  This attention to rhythm, throughness (transitions) and suppleness is what makes Helen’s horses look like putty when she rides them.

After she was done with the grey horse, Helen took us on a tour of the riding club.  Her young horses get five days of work each with two days off being turned out in the paddock and the walker.  Her competition horses have five training days a week, one day of a long and low warm-up, and one day spent out in the paddock and walker. 

Helen said that she never works a horse until it is exhausted – they should always have energy left at the end of the ride.  She also tries to hack them out whenever possible.  Helen said she really tries to make sure the horses are always motivated to work. 

When we got to the hotel that evening, I couldn’t find my room card (the brain cramp continues) in my bag.  So, I went down to the office and they provided me with a new one.  I got into my room and placed it in the slot that activates the light and electricity—without the card in the electrical slot you can’t charge anything, which means that you can’t charge anything when you are gone.  My wayward room key was sitting on the little shelf next to my bed.  Being clever (or so I thought), I thought I could leave one card in the room so my camera could charge while I go downstairs to check my e-mail. 

No luck.  The old room key had been deactivated, and I had not tried it in the room to see if it even worked.  Sheepishly I went down to the front desk for a second time, asking for a room key activation to get back in. 

Because most of the group was tired and not particularly hungry, we had a light dinner and returned to the hotel quite early.  Not ready to go to sleep and not interested in watching German voice-overs of bad American movies, I recruited Annie to take a walk around the city.  We decided to try and walk to the lake we had seen on the first day.  The nice footpaths were lined with grass and trees.  The first few rabbits we saw seemed quite cute, until we realized just how many we were seeing and then we stumbled upon a herd of small rabbits, totally unfazed by just how close we were.  Well, you know what they say about rabbits, and I’d say they have a problem in this city!

We made it to the lake, walking along the waters edge past a popular park that featured a few gigantic stone balls.  The grassy areas were filled with students and other people enjoying the warm summer evening.  An alarmingly thick cloud of smoke blew over us towards the water, and when I looked, I was surprised to see it all came from a mini, plate-sized grill. 

All over were red brick bike paths.  As the biking capital of Germany, the cyclists in Munster took their rights very seriously.  Caught standing on the red bike path when bikes were passing, you’d be lucky if someone just yelled.  More likely, you will get pegged or something to that effect.  Distracted by a giant television screen showing a World Cup football game, Annie and I received a shout for having half a foot each on the path.  After that we were much more careful not to get run over!

We continued our walk by heading towards the historic district, admiring the lovely stone architecture of the churches and cathedral.  The evening ended with one last serving of the super-dark chocolate ice cream.  Mmmmm.

Day 6 – Saturday 3 July
Saturday morning we drove just under two hours from Munster to Langenfeld to watch a regional Young Rider championship.

Trundling Bunni down the Autobahn at a pace that was her comfortable max (but still within a reasonable American highway limit), drivers in even small cars would pass by going so fast that the whole van would shudder with the draft.  In the two lane sections, we would be passing slow moving traffic in the right lane when one of these speedsters would zip right up to our bumper and start gesturing or applying their horn until we moved over (please bear in mind that often the vehicle to our right would be a semi-truck).  It was definitely an experience! 

The weather today was officially sweltering, the kind where you sweat just standing still—just like home. 

When we arrived at the show, cars lined the roadway in all directions.  After driving (slowly) for quite a ways, we found a parking lot down the road across from the public pool/people pasture (a large park-like area).  Apparently Germans are much less concerned about body image based on the number of old dudes in tiny Speedos.  Not cool.

At the show we saw an awesome vaulting competition, which was very impressive. This included singles as well as team vaulting, although we only saw two singles sets.  When watching the team competition, I noticed some of the teams were missing numbers in their lineups.  I also noticed that off to the side were a number of vaulters (based on the upper arm muscle development) who had arm, leg, and other injuries.  Based on the impressive moves these young people were doing on top of a tall, moving horse, I am not entirely surprised to observe that it is also quite dangerous.  In addition to dressage and vaulting, the show also had a jumping Bundeschampionate qualifier and a Junior/Young Rider jumping competition.

The vaulting competition concluded at around noon, so we decided to find our hotel – “Hotel am Wald” – which was old, but clean.  As soon as we dropped our stuff off in the rooms, it was back to the show for lunch and our meeting with Christoph Hess (who was a judge at the show) at 3.30 p.m.

Since the dressage classes didn’t start until 3.45 p.m., we (Brian, Annie and I – no one else was hungry) decided to get food at the local outside bar/restaurant.  The waiter did not speak English but did make it clear that he was miffed that a) we brought drinks and therefore were not buying any and  b) three of us were sharing two humongous plates with accompanying salads.  Fortunately, Ann used her German language skills to order for us and after that, hand gestures (and a nice cook) sufficed.

As we were waiting to meet Christoph Hess, large black clouds started to roll in on a strong breeze, bringing with it an impressive lightning storm and heavy, pelting rain.  We took shelter in an annex to the indoor warm-up arena that also served to let riders out to the competition arenas.  It was here that we also met the show manager, Peter Fuss, who was very welcoming.  We talked to Peter and Christoph about the show, the venue, and competing in Germany.  Christoph also told us how high-tech the footing is at this venue, featuring state-of-the-art drainage and irrigation systems to ensure the footing is excellent no matter what the weather.  

Apparently a lightening storm must really be right on top of the riders for a German show to be put on hold.  The first riders were sent out to the rings in the pouring rain and thunder.  When we asked Peter at what point they would delay a show, he said, “when we see lightening” (which we’d been seeing for the last 15 minutes).  It was only when the second round of riders went to go out that he decided to put things on hold.  At this point the cold wind and horizontal rain was blowing so hard we were getting wet inside the indoor.  It was about 40 minutes before they sent riders back out—lightening and horizontal rain still going. 

I would have liked to see the first few riders go, but by the time I made my way to the exit door, I couldn’t see over the row of tall Germans who stood head and shoulders above my 5’5”.  A solid wall of them blocked my view; I’m pretty sure I understand why they like such large horses. 

As a result, we decided to watch riders warming up from the dry comfort of the bleachers.  Behind us was a viewing room – the Germany versus Argentina World Cup game was playing (Germany won) and the men at the horse show had locked themselves in to watch. 

There were so many outstanding ponies and impressive young riders.  We all found favorites, mine being a chestnut stallion with extravagant big-horse gaits.  The riders in the Junior, Young Rider, and Grand Prix classes were okay, but what really impressed me was the quality and training of the horses they were riding. 

When the rain stopped, we moved outside to watch the Grand Prix class, that was followed by a fashion show featuring young riders on foot, children on ponies led by their mothers, and two jumper riders jumping simultaneously. 

I soon noticed that all horse trailers are either horse vans or Brenderup-type trailers often pulled by mid-size sedans (no pickup trucks) with small, undersized looking curved hitches.

After a long day we finally made it back to the hotel around 8 p.m. and met for dinner at 8.30 p.m. at the hotel restaurant.  Food was blah (meaty Italian), but thanks to the World Cup coverage (and very happy Germans) there was soccer on the outdoor porch to watch.

Day 7 – Sunday 4 July
Day two of the horse show.  Up, packed and down the hall to the complimentary breakfast.  Breakfast was pretty much the same at all the hotels that offered it:  a selection of rolls and bread, platter of cold cuts and cheeses, some fruit (in this case fruit flies as well), eggs and warm meat, and a variety of spreads such as fresh jams, Nutella and honey. 

We headed out to Bunni at 7.30 to discover... the car keys were missing.  Fortunately (?) Bunni’s driver side rear sliding door doesn’t actually lock.  A scouring of the van, hotel room, hotel lobby, and Ann’s luggage ensued. 

Journal quote: “7.50a – Situation still not looking good”

After calling the car rental company as well as back home (“we can’t do anything until late Monday or Tuesday”), at 8.15 a.m. we decided to get a taxi ride to the show.  Hopefully by the time we needed to leave, this would be sorted out. 

The FEI Junior Kur started at 9.00, FEI Young Rider Kur at 10.30 a.m., FEI Pony Championship at 12.45 a.m. and the Grand Prix Special was at 1.00 p.m. Watching the Kurs, I was most impressed by the creative choreography – these riders had truly unique freestyles that made them very interesting.  It did not always work, but it was interesting and would definitely score high in creativity and difficulty. 

Luck was with us when at noon time, Ann found the keys in the bottom of a hidden compartment in her bag (she wasn’t the only one to have dug through it earlier!).

At 12.15 we watched the “Finale Star-Equip Jugend-Cup,” the grand championship of an equitation class/league for young riders (under 15?). Apparently 800 riders around the country tried out and these were the top 10 or so.  Ridden at the walk, trot, and canter, most horses were in Vienna reins so the rider could really focus on their seat.  Many of the children were tiny and on an array of ponies and horses.  The “Jugend Cup” is clearly a super way to not only get the youngest riders involved in the sport, but to also promote correct training and development of the seat.  The runner up was 7 or 8 years old and received a score of 9.0 and the 14-year-old winner had an impressive score of 9.4.  This type of class is something we lack in the U.S. Here, we don’t have anything to offer very young dressage riders competitively.  This type of class really promotes quality of rider development. 

Another thing I noticed – horses over here are not trimmed; muzzle, bridle path, ears and tail are all left au natural.

Mid afternoon we took the taxi back to the Hotel am Wald, packed up Bunni, and made the drive to the Landhotel Hermannshohe in the tiny town of Holtwick. Driving around Germany, I noticed that there are a lot of homes and barns completely or partially encased in solar panels as well as a large number of wind turbines.  It was great to see that alternative energies were being implemented not only in upscale, wealthy towns and cities but also in farms out in the countryside.

The hotel was situated in a lovely, tiny town out in the countryside.  The hotel itself was actually a farm and was surrounded by expansive fields.  Our nice “triple” was made up of two beds and a couch, which, once we obtained another pillow and sheets, worked out fine.  The only other thing that needed to be worked out was a third bath towel.  Using our handy dictionary, we sent Mimi to the front desk to ask for a towel.  When one of the girls who worked at the hotel knocked on the door, Christine answered, taking the towel and turning around to face me with… a hand towel.  Oops.  I grabbed the towel and ran down the hall to intercept the girl who brought the towel, using hand gestures and the word “grosse.”  She figured out what the silly Americans were asking for and brought a bath towel.  The next night the couch was set up as a bed, and there was a mini bag of gummy bears on all three pillows. 

We chose to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, as it appeared to be the only restaurant of substance or size within a reasonable distance.  The outdoor patio area was lovely in the warm evening, and we were all starting to get a little giggly from exhaustion. The waitress was nice enough to bring all three English menus in the restaurant to our table.  The menu translations were priceless, using terms and phrases that equated to what a German menu would have looked like if I had translated it from English.  If I could have taken one thing home from Germany, there is an excellent chance I would have taken that menu.

For dinner, I ordered the “Wind-Blown Ham” on “Farmer’s Bread.”  It was actually quite delicious and most likely came from the hotel’s farm.  None of the young waitresses spoke English, and only one knew a few small words and phrases.  They were all clearly reluctant to attend to the large, non-German speaking American group who was slowly disintegrating into laughter as the evening dragged on.  On the upside, unlike American restaurants, those in Germany seem much less concerned with turning tables over quickly, rather expecting people to spend a lengthy time at their meal.  In the end, we had to approach the waitresses to pay our tab so we could get to our rooms before 10.30 p.m.

Day 8 – Monday 5 July
The first day of the new workweek brought us to the Balkenhol stable. The entrance gate required someone at the barn to open it (fortunately we were following a client in), and opened to a long, narrow driveway lined by paddock fencing and evenly spaced trees.  The courtyard was L shaped; the first leg had a home on each side that featured beautiful and bright natural flower gardens and a thick growth of ivy on the front, the doors and windows just peeking through.  It opened to a large rectangular area created by the indoor arena and barns. 

We soon met Klaus who explained that he does not speak very good English and prefers to converse in German – fortunately Ann knew enough German to translate, so between translation and broken English, we were able to understand what was being communicated.  We also met Klaus’ lovely wife Judith who was very friendly and welcoming. 

When we entered the indoor, to our pleasant surprise, Guenter Seidel was sitting in a chair in the arena.  Still quite injured and on crutches, Guenter is still recovering from his accident.  Part of his day was spent at physical therapy (“painful”) and the other providing coaching and serving as  invaluable eyes on the ground. 

There were a couple of working students at the stable, one of whom is American and the other British. 

The first horse Klaus brought in was “Dablino” a 10-year-old chestnut gelding.  Klaus said they bought him as a 6-year-old and he was very difficult at the beginning.  Dablino will be going to Aachen. 

As Klaus walked Dablino around, you could see just how relaxed and confident the horse appeared, even when he spooked at the painter on the ladder outside.  In the warm-up trot, Klaus kept the tempo and pace slow, slowly building the impulsion and power.  The horse was relaxed and reaching down to the bit, making the work look easy and effortless.  Likewise in the canter, Klaus kept the tempo slow while still maintaining the jump and impulsion from behind.  Overall the work looked easy, calm, and no-fuss.  Although Klaus started his horses out in a longer and lower frame, I would not have described it as the long-low-round preferred by Michael Klimke and some of the other trainers. 

When Klaus went to pick Dablino up after the warm-up, the cadence and expression was immediately, effortlessly there.  Soon after Klaus finished warming up, Anabel got on (Dablino is one of Anabel’s top mounts).  Anabel is a very straight and quiet rider, whose aids were almost invisible at times.  Even though he is clearly a very sensitive horse, Dablino always stayed with his rider and seemed willing to chill when asked.  In between intense sessions, Anabel would do calm/relaxed work to keep the relaxation. 

I noticed that all of these indoors seem to have very high-tech footing.  Apparently the Balkenhols recently had a new footing system put in that consists of a spring base (like rubber mats) with a drainage and irrigation system.  The sand was 10 cm deep and mixed with a cloth-like material to retain moisture. 

One of the working students brought out a black 4-year-old mare who was just four months under saddle.  Klaus explained that young horses “must learn to go forward.”  This young mare showed not only a desire to go forward but also to reach quietly into the contact at all three gaits. 

Klaus said they don’t start horses here until the age of 4 (not 3) and are much less concerned with the FEI young horse tests.  “They need time, time, time,” he said.  They prefer to go slow with the young horses until the age of 6 when they really start to work.

The 4 and 5 year olds have “normal gaits” and then they ask for more expression at age 6.  Klaus emphasized the importance of focusing on rhythm and tempo at an early age.  Young horses are also taken out on their outdoor track.  Helmets are worn by all riders on young or green horses. 

We were able to see an array of lovely horses ridden by Anabel and the working students including “Rubins Royale” a successful Grand Prix horse and “For Ever,” a highly talented 6-year-old bay gelding.

The term “consequential aids” was very clear watching the riders here; horses are expected to respond promptly and correctly at all times.  If they did not, they were quickly and clearly corrected.  Likewise, whenever a horse was halted, they were expected to stand squarely. 

The last horse of the morning was “Heartbreaker” a 5-year-old gelding owned by a young client.  This horse was very different from the horses worked regularly by the Balkenhols.  He lacked the throughness, suppleness and lightness of the other horses, although by the end of Klaus’ session he looked very different.  Anabel made the comment that “a young rider should have an older horse to learn from and a younger horse should have an older rider to learn from.”

At lunch we took Klaus, Judith, Anabel, Guenter, and Guenter’s three grooms out to the Hermannshohe restaurant.

The afternoon is for “young horses” said Anabel. 

The first horse Anabel took out was a 4-year-old blood bay mare who had just been started.  She rode her quite forward into a light contact.  She also had a working student on the ground with a lunge whip to help if the horse got “stuck.”  According to Klaus, this particular mare had a lot of contact issues when they first started her, so she is just now being re-started.

Anabel’s next horse was a 6-year-old light chestnut mare, who she was working on teaching changes.  Klaus said they found her at auction and described her as talented but not very rideable and very marish.  It was clear watching Anabel ride that this was a challenging horse.  Klaus also noted that they prefer to get the horses as babies and bring them along themselves.

In the afternoon, many of the horses got second workouts.  The afternoon session was usually easier with more stretching and of shorter duration. 

In a who’s who of the horse world, Emile Faurie, a British Olympic team rider stopped in to visit Guenter this afternoon as well.

I’ve come to notice that drop nosebands are used much more frequently here in Germany than back in America, although I’ve recently started seeing more at home.

We collectively decided to find someplace besides the hotel for dinner.  We drove down the road a short distance into the “town.”  The center consisted of two shops, two Italian pizza places directly across from one another, and a German bar that was closed.  We chose the slightly nicer looking pizza place. 

Day 9 – Tuesday 6 July
Day two at the Balkenhols’ we spent the morning watching riding in the outdoor arena, as the weather was a bit cooler for a change. 

A regulation size ring with rubber footing, it is surrounded by fields and beautiful landscaping.  I have noticed a trend at these farms towards beautiful flower gardens and landscaping. 

Guenter, Judith and Klaus set up chairs under an umbrella by the flower garden at C. 

Klaus rode Guenter’s horse “U2.”  Klaus warmed U2 up slowly and quietly.  Nothing was rushed or harried, and the horse looked very settled.  The work he did was very deliberate and controlled, as he performed pirouettes, piaffe, passage and tempi changes.  As a rider, Klaus is very quiet and deliberate in his movements.  Nothing is quick or harsh.  He is clearly a very strong rider, and as such, he sits, asks, and the horse complies.  Part of this, too, is just how relaxed and confident his horses are – they look like clay in the hands of a sculptor. 

Anabel practiced her freestyle (sans music) with Guenter and Klaus providing help.  She also rode “For Ever”, her talented 6-year-old gelding who I mistook for a confirmed FEI horse.  He was light and expressive, and when she asked for a few one tempis for the very first time, he offered four.  He will be a horse to watch for in the future. 

The working students also brought out a parade of horses, both to the outdoor and indoor arenas. 

To our pleasant surprise, Helen Langehanenberg arrived with a couple of her horses to do lessons with Klaus.  Her first horse was the beautiful, black “Responsible.” The mare and Helen were alternates for the last Olympics.  She also had “Fleur Rubin” the 10-year-old Prix St. Georges mare we saw at Helen’s farm.  Her riding and therefore her horses were characterized by their relaxation, expression and engagement, all of which was done in such a quiet and calm manner. 

Around noon we said our thank yous and parted ways, making the drive even farther into the countryside to the Hotel Rustemeir im Winkle in Borchen-Etteln.

We stopped once on our way at a rest stop with bathrooms and picnic tables.&nb