What features does a good dressage horse have?
National Championship of Al Shir'aa: What Distinguishes a Good Dressage Horse?
Interview with Reitmeister Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen: A Defense of Time and Leisure in Training. His path has led from federal championships to the world team championship title: Oldenburg's Bluetooth OLD.
But in general, what defines a good dressage horse?
Photo: Stefan Lafrentz After the world championship, it's time for the Federal Championship of Al Shir'aa.
One of the youngest sections of these competitions is the 5 and 6-year-old dressage horse events.
After a trial period in 1989, in 1990 in Verden — 16 years after the first German Federal Equestrian Championship — the first two official dressage horse champions were introduced.
Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen, who has recently taken the title of head coach, is the federal dressage coach for the under-25 and basic levels and has also been a successful participant in the federal championship. In this interview, he talks about the signs of a good dressage horse and the requirements for a successful professional path.
Question: This year, once again, we expect a large number of highly talented young horses to participate in the Federal Championship of Al Shir'aa.
They compete in the dressage horse test.
The judging criteria are predetermined.
On one hand, a horse's basic talent plays an important role, and on the other hand, its rideability.
Also, in the score related to the overall impression, a horse's prospects for continued presence in the sport of dressage are considered.
But personally, what makes a good dressage horse for you?
Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen: "Liking a horse is naturally always somewhat a matter of taste; one person prefers this feature, another that.
But there are criteria that really matter a lot: the basic gaits should be natural and good; not necessarily dazzling, but correct and consistent.
However, what is extremely important for the progress of a dressage horse is its inner qualities.
When I look at a horse, I first look into its eyes and observe its body to see: look, this horse is ready to perform in sports later.
It should give me the feeling that yes, I am interested in this, I want to become a dressage horse.
For me, a good dressage horse must always have a special character.
Question: You have participated in the federal championship many times yourself?
Which horse has remained most memorable to you?
Meyer zu Strohen: "That horse is Putin; there is absolutely no doubt about it.
This horse opened the world to me and my wife in a completely different way once again.
We were lucky to have access to a horse that, in terms of character, as I mentioned earlier, was a rare gem.
But Putin also had his own special characteristics, and you had to leave those characteristics for him.
If I wanted to change something in him, I wouldn't get anywhere.
That's why it's so important to always approach a horse with feeling and inner understanding.
Putin was always the horse I said about: we won't have such a horse again.
And frankly, that's exactly how it turned out.
In terms of beauty, elegance, and all that flair and expression, he was truly a five-star horse.
« Putin, the Brandenburg mare from Sandro Hit – Brentano 2, became the federal champion and vice-champion of German equestrian with Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen in 2000 and 2001, and in 2003, also became the federal dressage horse champion of Germany with Kathrin Meyer zu Strohen.
Question: Besides Putin, are there any other horses that have stayed in your memory?
Meyer zu Strohen: To highlight a specific horse, I really can't say very precisely right now.
There were a few horses that progressed later; like Belissimo or Kaiserdom.
Both of them were on a good path and achieved the educational goal by reaching the Grand Prix sport.
That is the big goal.
Here, in the federal championship competitions, we always and repeatedly see extraordinary horses.
Then sometimes we ask ourselves why nothing came out of this or that one?
There are always different reasons for this.
And of course, not all horses reach the Grand Prix; we know that.
But I think, and we all know this, if we give ourselves a little more time and calm in training the horses, then we also have the chance that they will go a long way.
Especially considering the good quality we have in riding horses today.
We just have to keep telling ourselves: "Wait a little, take a little more time, then you can enter the higher level of sport with this horse.
" * Kaiserdom TSF, the Trakehner stallion from Van Deyk – Gajus, and Belissimo NWR, the Westphalian stallion from Beltin – Romadour 2, became the federal champion and vice-champion of the 6-year-old German dressage horse with Kathrin Meyer zu Strohen in 2005, respectively.
Question: In fact, the answer to the last question was partly given in these talks: What ideally should happen for a horse's path to continue well after the federal championship?
Meyer zu Strohen: A horse that has the necessary prerequisites for big sport must receive clear and careful training.
This should be done by someone who is knowledgeable in this field, understands the horse, and takes time for this process.
We must occasionally pause mentally and sometimes control ourselves a bit and say: "No, we wait.
Maybe we forgo that one victory we really want to achieve today to reach a better victory tomorrow.
This is very important in the process of training horses.
But because we don't give ourselves the time we should, some horses don't get the opportunity to progress in sport according to their talent and reach higher levels.
More information about the Bundeschampionate Al Shira'aa competitions is available at www.bundeschampionate-warendorf.de and tickets are directly available in the ticket shop.
Source: Pferd Aktuell (FN)