Words by Chris Hector and photos by Roz Neave
Hans-Heinrich and Kathrin Meyer zu Strohen working with the stallion Rassolini. A perfect example of how great training and riding can be elegant, simple and horse friendly.
Back in 2011, it was a real bonus at the Bundeschampionate Young Dressage Horse Seminar to watch the pair work together with the stallion, Rassolini.
There are lots of beautifully elegant, effective riders in the world, and none more correct than Kathrin – just looking at any photograph of her is a lesson in the art of balance. Look to the weight in her hand, then look to the weight in her foot, look to the connection in the saddle…
Listen to Hans-Heinrich carefully and learn how to train, but first a warning: great training is not exciting or tricky – and the result can take your breath away…
The horse, the Hessen-bred stallion, Rassolini (Rubioso N / Silvano) won the Nürnberger Burgpokal in Frankfurt last December. He looked correct enough, but lacked that extra something.
Hans-Heinrich and Kathrin decided that after his win, Rassolini needed the equine equivalent of a ‘gap’ year:
“This year, after he won the Final we have just done walk, trot and canter, no shows. We try to get everything right taking time, not a quick time, we take the time to get it right,” Hans-Heinrich explained to the audience.
“People talk about walk – you must have a picture of the walk. Most riders don’t have enough time to work on the walk. Look to the hindquarters, the activity is okay, the walk is clear. The walk must have the looseness and also the activity, it is difficult to find the right way. You see with this horse, he becomes better and better in the hindquarter, the back is loose, look to the contact to the neck. Look at the gaits, look at the horse’s eyes. It takes a long time to get the horse and rider working together like this, especially with him, it took a lot of work on the straightness, right, left, a gymnastic every day to line up the hindlegs and the shoulders.”
It was time to do some work in canter. “You see many horses go shorter in the canter but the hindlegs are not working enough. In the flying changes I must control the rider, or she makes too much bend to get the change…”
Kathrin just walks into some half steps… “That is enough, no more. First we taught the horse in hand until he understood, but we never do more than just a few steps.”
“We must control the rhythm and the body of the horse then work, on the test movements, most people work on the test movements first. NO – first the body and the rhythm.”
“I like to work with the rider and the horse together – ask the rider, what would you like to do?”
“A little more trot.”
“Yes, but remember trot in the lengthening is not everything, the most important thing is to get the looseness.”
Certainly the horse is loose, and attentive, and forward and all those things you love to see, and it is also lovely to see that the whole time the rider’s spur has not touched the horse’s side.
Katrin and Rassolino Nurnberger Bürg Pokal winners, do their demonstration at the Bundeschampionate
“This is a good horse. You can see his happiness – he is strong in the body and clear in the head. It is the rider’s responsibility to gymnastisize the horse’s body, to build the horse’s body, then he will be happy to do the test movements.”
This article first appeared in the December 2011 issue of THM.
For more articles with Hans-Heinrich…
Look at the internetsite http://www.kathrinmeyerzustrohen.com There you can see what Kathrin’s career is, what she has done and the list of prizes in several years