Day 2!

 Day 2 of the Olympic Dream Program was packed full of excitement as we got to visit one of Germany’s top trainers as well as several famous places in the city of Warendorf. We arrived at Hubertus Schmidt’s stable bright and early at 8 a.m. where we had the pleasure of watching him and his bereitas train around 20 horses. It was fascinating to watch so many high quality horses concentrated in one place. They were all very different in their movement and conformation, but they all shared a very steady way of going.

We all noticed how when a new horse came into the ring, it was very difficult to decide at what level the horse was actually at. They were all ridden very relaxed, rhythmic and somewhat flat in their warm up. Hubertus explained how important the warm up was to making sure that the rest of the training session was productive. He said that he gives each horse as much time in the warm up as needed to become loose and supple. Then, when that had been achieved and Hubertus put the horse together, it became stunning! The looseness and suppleness was still there, but the gaits became magnificent. What seemed at first to be a very nice lower level horse turned out to actually be a talented Grand Prix horse!

 One of the things that makes watching Hubertus so extraordinary, is observing the way that he quietly trains his horses. All of the horses were spectacular, but it was achieved quietly and not through force. After schooling a difficult movement, Hubertus would ride the horse forward into a bit of a stretching frame. He explained that it was important to test this and always feel as if you could ride the horse’s frame forward and down at anytime. He said that when the reins are softened, the horse should follow the bit straight away. The horses should not remain stuck with a stiff neck, and he should not pull the bit down falling onto the forehand either.

 While training Hubertus rode many,many half passes. Every horse was exceptional at performing it. Hubertus explained that the half passes were not so good because he is very good at riding half pass, but because he does a lot of suppleing and loosening preparation. He said that when teaching a young horse half pass, the maintaining of cadence and relaxation take precedence over sideways movement. He said that each horse is taught on a “flat” or “shallow” half pass in order not to disrupt the horse’s rhythm.

 We spent nearly four hours watching Hubertus’s morning training schedule and it was truly educational. We really saw a lot in a short amount of time. From observing a young 4 year old that was recently purchased by Hubertus, to a 5 year old qualified for the German Young Horse Championships, to several successful Grand Prix horses, and many others in between.

  It was interesting to watch the young horse, because we got to see the qualities and characteristics that were important. The young horse was very balanced and elastic in its movement, which Hubertus later stated for being his reason for purchasing the average looking bay gelding. In addition to getting to see some of Hubertus’s fancy Grand Prix horses, we also got to see Emma Kenerva and her Olympic horse, Spirt. Emma represented Finland at the London Olympics, where she and Spirit placed 22^th in the Grand Prix Special on a 71%. Hubertus said that she has been riding with him for six years now, and that they were very happy with this year’s results.

After leaving Hubertus’s stable we traveled straight to Warendorf, where we spent the night. The town was so beautiful and the people were very friendly. We spent the afternoon browsing through a wonderful tack shop, walking through the German Stud Farm, and looking around the German Olympic Training Center. We also got to see the Swedish 3 day Eventing horse, Wega that won the Siliver Medal! Day 2 was fantastic, I will never forget it!!!