Christopher Hector talks with Dorothee Schneider
Showtime winning at the Bundeschampionate
The German medal-winning team at Rio – isabell Werth, Dorothee, Sönke Rothenberger and Kristina Bröring-Sprehe
Watching Dorothee Schneider ride at the Frankfurt Horse Show, I was reminded that this talented professional is unique, she is the only dressage rider I can think of who is a young horse star – with multiple World Young Horse titles to her name – plus she is also a medal-winning star at the very highest level, the Olympics and WEG.
Showtime and Dorothee – team members at Tokyo
Do you have two different training strategies, or if it was all on a continuum, from Young Horse to Grand Prix?
“It’s really my life because I love to develop horses, from the young level, maybe to the Nürnberger Burg-Pokal and Louisdor, then on to the top level. Working with young horses is for me is something I think about, I want to do it step-by-step, and I want to show that the horse is happy in the work, that is the point you can see later. When the horse is from the body, from the gymnastic, from the mental situation, in such a good condition that he can do the more difficult movements with no stress – and a happy horse shows that it is happy – and also the audience can see it, and the judges.”
Developing the young horse
“That is the step-by-step developing of the young horse, to take it every time with you, and to have a good concept around the horse, time in the paddock, relaxing time, good gymnastics, submissiveness, good condition in the body of the horse. Then step-by-step we can try the more difficult things and stabilize them later, perhaps in the Grand Prix.”
Dorothee and multi World Young Horse Champion, Sezuan
“I think the mental situation of the horse is a very big point along with the body condition, then we can go step-by-step to the top.”
Sammy Davis Jnr, moving up the steps…
Do you know with those young horses which ones will go on to the top…
“I hope I can feel it, that I can feel if we have the quality to collect later. At first I am a rider who wants submissiveness and straightness, so that the horse is able to use the hind leg over the back to the mouth, then I can take this into the movements. Not every horse can go to the top level, but I think the rider can help, and teach the horse to use its whole body, then I hope I can feel when we can make the next step to the next level.”
Dorothee and Faustus celebrating a win
And the horse tells you that?
“Yes, because the horse shows, I am able to collect in the hind leg, I am able to take the weight in the hind leg, then you develop it step-by-step. From the five year old, you ride a good transition on the hind leg, and try to move the hind leg under the body, and one or two years later, you are able to ride small steps, and one year later perhaps, you are able to ride piaffe. But it comes from the horse. What happens if I try to ride a classical piaffe with a four year old horse? It is not possible because the body is not prepared. When the body of the horse is prepared, and the rider has the feeling, there comes the point when we can go forward together and the horse is happy because it feels, okay I am able to do it. Then you have a good mental situation to go forward.”
Dorothee and First Romance at Aachen (Photo Tanja Becker Equitaris)
But your horses are always in a lovely outline, there is never this jammed up in front and short in the neck look, they always look easy in the neck…
“Yes I try it, but we know it comes all the time from behind, over the back to the mouth and that is the point I think you have to think of. If it comes from the front, that’s when everything is getting tight. So I try to ask the hind leg behind me, then transport with my own body, with my head, and with my position, this power into my hands and into the mouth. Then I have a light connection from behind to the mouth, and I think that’s the point, not going back with the reins, but riding from the hind legs into the mouth.”
I know in my notes from your tests, I wrote, like all great riders, Dorothee is invisible…
“Yes, I think that is very important, to be invisible. I think it is a big point to not ask the horse things that are not possible, instead to ask the horse to go with me, and to ask myself, am I doing it right? Can I help, not that I want to ask too much, I want the feeling that the horse is able to do it with me together, in a good mental situation then I am happy, and that’s my job.”
We are all now starting to think a little bit about Paris, which horse are you looking to as your main Games ride?
“I don’t know, I think it is very difficult to come in the German team, there are very good riders and very good horses. I have a very good horse with First Romance, I think he is able to do everything very good, last year he was stabilizing his Grand Prix, and did his first Freestyle over 80%. But he needs to take his time, he can get a little bit nervous, but if I qualify with him for our championships, then we will see.”
What will be the special things about First Romance, the highlights?
“The highlights? The horse is very very good in the hind leg, very short in his body, if the hind legs are all the time under the body, that is the highlight, but the difficulty is to have him open, that we have to stabilize. Very good pirouettes, very good walk, a good walk is also important. I try to stabilize all these things with him and hope he will take them with him, because sometimes he is a little bit nervous, a little bit looking to the surroundings, but the horse is very good. I have great hopes for him.”
First Romance starting out his journey to the Games with a win in the Louisdor in 2018
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