Germany Training Report with *Pics*

dressager

dressager

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Anyway on with the important bit first… OMG the tack shops!!! I nearly fainted when I walked in. In fact I managed to spend over 400 Euros on the first visit alone, not mentioning the second visit, which was meant to be just to collect a hat that I was waiting for. I was unable to resist the matching plum Pikeur scarf to the woolly hat and Roeckl gloves I’d bought the day before, plus the shop assistant just kept choosing me out things that fitted perfectly so it wasn’t REALLY my fault when I left with another bag load. The shopping experience turned out not to be quite the bargain I’d envisioned as I then had to pay Ryanair for an extra 2kg of luggage (despite me wearing about 3 layers of new clothing) but hey, Euros aren’t real money anyway :rolleyes:

So after winning my last competition in the UK on 71%, I decided to head to Verden for five days (minus the horse) to have my riding completely taken apart and be made to feel like I am incapable of even a Walk and Trot test. And it definitely worked! About 90% of the first lesson was spent in walk, I mean, I thought I’d mastered the walk but evidently not. I’d literally walk half a 20m circle then be called into the centre to be given about a dozen corrections, I’d walk another half circle to be called in again and given another dozen, different corrections. Add to this I was trying to dodge some pro riders on rather stunning, very electric horses being prepared for next week’s Elite Auction… A very stressful start to the week! After that first lesson the trainer I had went offsick and I had a younger Bereiter instead, hope it was nothing to do with my riding :eek:

Things did improve though and by the third lesson we had all three paces! By the next we even had a flying change so there was some progress at least. The horse I found trickiest was a big (17h?) Hanoverian mare called Shakira, below. She was very willing and forgiving, but compared to my much lighter WB it was like trying to steer a ship and all I kept hearing was “MORE OUTSIDE REIN!” My hands seemed to develop a life of their own, too high, too low, too hard, plus severe inside rein-itis to top it off. The thing is I really didn’t want to crash into anyone and when outside aids fail sometimes Plan “Steer with Inside Rein” is your only option! Ok ok excuses aside, I’m going to work harder on it and get my bum on some bigger, chunkier horses with necks wider than the width of my entire body, plus I'm going to mark my reins so I can tell when my outside rein starts getting longer.

shakira3.jpg


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"Where are those pesky arms now..."

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Shakira looks fab here, shame about the dodgy rider :D

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Absolutely loved all the harsh discipline and will be going back in December, and maybe even someday with my horse? Who knows :)
 
La la la la *hands covering ears*

I am not talking to you anymore, you came all this way, so close to me and did not find time to come say hello and meet my boys :( :(

Just kidding, Shakira looks fab, did you fall in love with any of the auction horses?

Which tack shop was it??
 
Wow sounds absolutely amazing-What an experience! How do you get onto these kind of thing and how much does it cost?
Were the tack shop prices £££ more than british prices? ( like £2k for a bridle that kind of thing! :rolleyes: )
 
WOW sounds AMAZINGGGG

If you wouldn't mind could you pm some info on how you got into this and a rough idea on how much they charge + accommodation ect, it sounds amazing and something I would LOVE to do in the future!!!

xxxx
 
I think you look fab on your photos!!!

I lived in germany many years ago and remember the facilities they had - some of the indoor schools were amazing and often had a bar attached and people literally spent all night there - and yes, everyone did look like they had just walked out of a pikeur photo shoot!

I also remember as 7 year old we were put on 16 hand horses - there wasnt really ponies to ride where we were!
 
Sounds fab! I would be deadly in a tack shop that sounds so amazing. You and your horse look fabulous, hope you had a great time.
 
Oh I'm so jealous and I'm 'an eventer' Sounds mega and reallly great to get that super precise and strict instruction, I bet you learnt loads, come on them let's see your shopping spree items, the tack shops sound mega!!!
 
I think I know where I'll be begging Dad to go on holiday next year.... :p

My main question is, do most people speak english!? I speak about 8 words in total of different languages :o (french & german in school taught me veeeery little!) And it's usually awkward enough for me speaking to people who do speak the same language. In spain this year I found myself very overwhelmed at times with the langage barrier and all :(

More info would be great :D
 
Another thing to go on my list of things to do when I win the lottery!! :)
Sounds like you had fun and learnt a lot.
 
This is where I went: http://www.hannoveraner.com/2371.html
They can organise you accommodation 5 mins walk away in a comfortable guesthouse for… 15 Euros a night! Flights to Bremen (30 mins drive away) are really cheap with Ryanair and the lessons were 40 Euros each, so inexpensive overall for the experience you get.

I’m sorry FrodoBeutlin, even 5 days was not enough to sort my riding out, I think 50 years might be better! I promise I will come soon as now I’ve done it once, there’s no stopping me!! And hey, what about these trips over here without telling me, like OLYMPIA ;) The tackshop was Sporthaus Verden. I have never seen so many lush saddlecloths and breeches (that fit me!) in one place. I am seriously taking an empty suitcase next time. There were several auction horses I saw I would have sold my soul for, but they tended to be the hotter ones and not sure either my riding ability or my wallet is ready for such an extravagant purchase. And where will I keep such a horse? Definitely not at my current yard where they are scared of old donkey Risby :D Ok Ok I know the answer to that question begins with G!

Seabiscuit all the brands like Pikeur and Cavallo were cheaper, I bought a pair of Cavallo breeches for just 80 Euros. Even the Konig boots are cheaper out there, I was astounded to find Konig Sirs starting at 500 Euros and had to tear myself away quickly as the shop assistant started measuring my legs! Konigs must be practically free in Holland!!

Georgiegirl I think it is good they skip past ponies. I am hoping my riding will improve quicker by riding horses that are too big for me (not difficult when you're a midget like I am) and then when I eventually get a me sized horse everything will feel much easier, well that’s the plan!

Sol everyone I met spoke fairly decent English, don’t worry, I don’t know any German whatsoever and I got by on my own. At the riding school the young instructor who taught me was fluent, but others weren’t so good, so it might be worth checking before you go to get the most out of your lessons.

If anyone fancies going and won’t go on their own let me know as I’m happy to go again ;) I don’t have any horsey friends brave enough to attempt Germany and break the illusion that they are a good rider, so its great you guys are so keen to go, you won't regret it! (Frodobeutlin has been telling me this for a long time!!)
 
That looks lovely, I am hoping to go out there this time next year as I have a friend who is moving close to there with her horses soon so we can stay with her for a few days and have some lessons as well.
Seeing the pictures I can't wait for the year to pass :)
 
If anyone's interested in the training side...

The one really important thing they tried to get across was inside leg to outside rein which I know we're all sick of hearing, but when you really FEEL it, it really is a lightbulb moment. They constantly got me to give away my inside rein on a small circle to check I was really riding from my outside aids and the horse didn't fall in or out or change the bend/outline. It made me realise how one sided I am as I always found it much harder on the left rein and I must ride with too much inside rein in this direction. And you need to use quite a lot of inside leg initially to really drive the horse through and engage the inside hind, I'd always thought the quieter the legs the better but German instructor told me my "boots were too full of jam!" (I think she meant jelly :D) and my muscles weren't strong enough!

Well I put all this into practice on my horse today. I made a conscious effort to keep reins the same length (I marked them using plaiting bands!) and not lose the outside, and to really drive drive drive with the inside leg to push him through, and once through, to keep driving and not just relax totally once we got there, but instead to reward him with easing of the inside rein. It must have worked, as he started licking and chewing the bit, just like Shakira had done! And here is a horse people have said is lazy with his backend, fussy with the contact and previously used to headshake. It took 110% concentration to try and keep my hands in the correct position and not to tense when we did have moments of losing the outside shoulder. Also, they taught me to always keep the thumbs bent and not flat so that they stay softer and you're less inclined to grip with the hand. This alone is a revelation!

After Anky claiming you don't use legs aids for a halt (perhaps that's why she can't halt?!) I was always confused as to how to ride a halt and didn't 100% trust my trainer here when she said to put my legs and squeeeeze into the halt. But luckily that's how they taught me over there too. Start with the driving aids, the legs, then the seat and last of all the hands, but "KEEP DRIVING!"

To wake him in canter I didn't do a pony club kick with both legs like I usually do, I just put my inside leg on more strongly, maintained the outside rein, kept the outside leg "there" to catch the quarters but not active, and low and behold, the energy increased but the tempo didn't! Hmm, I think these Germans know a thing or two :)
 
Very interesting reading, thanks

I noticed you wrote:

And here is a horse people have said is lazy with his back end, fussy with the contact and previously used to headshake.

My horse is extremely lazy behind, not particularly fussy in his mouth but does twitch around during the summer months so he has to wear a nose net etc. I will be putting your information into practise! lol
 
dressager said:
Also, they taught me to always keep the thumbs bent and not flat so that they stay softer and you're less inclined to grip with the hand. This alone is a revelation!
Click to expand...

Yes, this is true, and something that my trainer also told me at the start!! She actually said that I looked like a "foreigner" with my flat thumbs (err, maybe because I am?! :D :D )
 
Haha! I have never come across bent thumbs ever, and they were shocked at my flat thumbs too! Oh my, after 22 years of riding and I really am a beginner all over again :(

Are you taught to drive that much with the inside leg? I felt like I was using too much leg at first, but then back home I've aways been made to feel if I have to use ANY leg then this is too much! So perhaps I wasn't using that much :confused:
 
Well its a relief the training really is consistent then. My old trainer D used to yank the inside rein right round if the horse wouldn't flex in that direction so I kind of got used to seeing that kind of riding, even though it didn't agree with any textbooks I'd read. But the Germans are so quiet and focused its a joy to watch. A horse that looks ordinary on the lunge suddenly looks outstanding when ridden, and not the other way round! I was surprised to see no riders carrying whips either which shows how good the rest of their aids must be. Its funny, as the first thing people asked me when I got back was "How brutal was the riding?"
 
Yes, I really don't understand where this misconception comes from.....the same on this forum, loads of people seem to think that most Germans practise rollkur !

Totally agree with the lunging/ridden difference, though I tend to see it between warming up phase and proper 'work' phase. In Italy I was used to seeing horses looking absolutely world-class when warming up, with the hugest trot etc. and I was so shocked when I realised that here they tend to deliberately keep the trot small at the start - there is time to let it blossom once the horse is more up. My trainer says it's one of the biggest compliments when people comment on how average a horse looks at the start of a session, and how fantastic it looks at the end.
 
dressager - if you didn't mind the company of a very enthusiastic almost-17yr-old, I'd be dragging you there now! :p I mean.... as soon as I win the lottery.... :o

I really would love to do something like this, it sounds like you learnt so much! :D But I'd also worry that I'm not any where near good enough to benefit, though surely (I think) you learn most from those who are best at teaching AND have most experience? I would love to find much better instruction over here, but I worry that me & Dan are too awful and there isn't much point in trying :confused:
Ah well, it'd still be brilliant I'm sure!
 
You know Dressager, if you go again in December I might join you, I feel I would benefit from riding different horses again. I do not have the opportunity to do that here.

Did you ride 2 horses a day?
 
That is so interesting. As you say, I was surprised at how small the trot was that they wanted. Previously I have always been told as much forwards as possible! Everyone is just obsessed with getting that big show trot, there are often posts on the BD forum about how to create it which is just not the right way to approach it.

I had a long discussion with the Bereiter about how and when you should start to ride the horse more up as it seems such a fuzzy topic. She made it sound so simple, that if you can quietly raise the head whilst maintaining the hindleg and the back remains soft and raised, then the horse is ready. She was not the first German to moan about the lack of English words when it comes to explaining certain things, like the scales of training.
 
That is so interesting. As you say, I was surprised at how small the trot was that they wanted. Previously I have always been told as much forwards as possible! Everyone is just obsessed with getting that big show trot, there are often posts on the BD forum about how to create it which is just not the right way to approach it.

I had a long discussion with the Bereiter about how and when you should start to ride the horse more up as it seems such a fuzzy topic. She made it sound so simple, that if you can quietly raise the head whilst maintaining the hindleg and the back remains soft and raised, then the horse is ready. She was not the first German to moan about the lack of English words when it comes to explaining certain things, like the scales of training.
 
I am sooooooooooo jealous :p

Pics are great, you must let us knwo if you decide to go again. And I think I know what I want from my OH for my birthday :p
 
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