{"id":24976,"date":"2015-10-30T15:08:40","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T04:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/?p=24976"},"modified":"2021-08-16T11:53:12","modified_gmt":"2021-08-16T01:53:12","slug":"simply-brilliant-steffen-peters-at-equitana-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/2015\/10\/simply-brilliant-steffen-peters-at-equitana-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Simply Brilliant – Steffen Peters at Equitana"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"steffenSmile\"<\/a>Story – Chris Hector & Photos – Roz Neave and Travis Cole<\/h3>\n

I was wondering just how Steffen Peters would go as an Equitana super Masterclass star\u2026 when I saw him operate in Sydney a few years back, I was impressed by how quiet the guy was. He was using a mike and head-sets to communicate with his riders, and I had to sit right next to him to catch his words.<\/p>\n

But of course when you are dealing with someone as intelligent and competent as Steffen, there is no need to worry. He is obviously an old hand at this dressage-lesson-as-a-public-spectacular caper, and communicated brilliantly with those in crowd who had come to listen, which did not include a sizeable number who wandered off when they realised that Steffen might live in the United States but he does not wear a big hat, nor have a simple solution to every problem. He does have however an extraordinarily subtle and complex way of dealing with the issues that confront every serious rider.\"Ravel-Jan11\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This year, the selection of horses and riders was excellent, and the three young horses for the first session were superb creatures and presented the clinician with a canvas large enough to showcase his brilliance.<\/p>\n

Maree Tomkinson was riding a five year old imported mare, Debstar (by World Young Dressage Horse Champion, DiMaggio). Ree explained that the mare had been imported in foal and was only now in work and was right at the beginning of her competition career. Shannon McKimmie was riding Ambassi, a five year old gelding by Sandro Hit, while Nicole Tough rode the six year old, Flavio, by Florestan.<\/p>\n

Steffen showed an unerring ability to hone in on the trouble spots. After watching Debstar, he identified the problem area: contact.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis mare has nice gaits, I am a little more concerned about contact, that she is a tiny bit against the bridle. It is important to explain to horses how much contact we accept, and how much they accept. When she cruises around, we have to stay very picky about the connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the trot, just focus on connection, create a suppleness, ask for some flexion, it is about accepting contact in a nice way.\u201d\"Maree1steffenclinic\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Steffen noticed that Maree was riding without a whip and a helper was sent to get her one, but this was whip use with a difference: \u201cI am very picky about the use of the whip. It is not to send the horse forward, not to punish the horse, it is to get the horse\u2019s attention. If she is not responding to the half halt, give her a little touch. We need to create more awareness of the aids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you bring her back, another little tap, we have to create lightness, self carriage, acceptance of the aid. Horses trick us into accepting too much contact. I\u2019d like to see a more obvious half halt \u2013 followed by a giving. She is too straight in the neck, while working on the half halts, address suppleness. Bend her a little to the inside, to the outside. Use the whip very gently when you come back so the transition becomes more clear to her \u2013 truly releasing after the horse gives a true answer. We want the horse to truly engage the hindlegs, but first what do we have to engage? The horse\u2019s brain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you came in, she was a little asleep on you, too much in hand. If there are too many times when you use a half halt and the horse doesn\u2019t change, that causes trouble. I appreciate the new judging direction, that the judges want expression, but they also want harmony.\u201d\"MareeleaningbackDSC_0676\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And Steffen is a stickler for rider position: \u201cDon\u2019t lean back. It is okay for a moment, but just for a moment\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, let\u2019s finish with a few transitions in canter\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

But this is not okay, the mare\u2019s first move in the canter transition is to go against the contact:<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Engage her mind, it is up to you to make her rounder, not up to her. You are accepting too much contact, with her the contact is a downhill tendency, it must be an uphill tendency.\u201d\"Maree3SteffenClinic\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Once again, Steffen wanted Maree to use the whip in a very creative way:<\/p>\n

\u201cForward, now collect, a tap with the whip \u2013 now you are creating adjustability, broadening her horizons. Now try a walk transition\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

And it comes up fine, and Steffen is delighted:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was proof in 15 minutes there has been a huge difference in self carriage. In future you must work on an obvious half halt and a true response. Now is the time in her development to establish lightness, self carriage and adjustability.\u201d<\/p>\n

More follows<\/em><\/p>\n

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With the next horse, Shannon’s Ambassi, Steffen tackled front-on the issue of deep and low, and quickly made it clear that he is no fan of automatically putting the horse deep:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a nice soft horse. It is important to let horses stretch when necessary, but don\u2019t start every day long and low, only do it when necessary. I adjust the work to what the horse tells me. What I am trying to do is engage his mind, not breeze around on a loose rein, that is just teaching the horse to be disrespectful.\u201d\"ShannonSteffenClinic4\"<\/a>At this point the horse has a little freak out and wants to head for the gate:<\/p>\n

\u201cTurn the horse. When a horse jacks up, be positive. When you feel he wants to go to the gate, flex, but in counter flex.\u201d Later in the session, when he came to ride Shiraz Black, Steffen gave us the post-graduate course in dealing with horses that wish to go somewhere else\u2026<\/p>\n

\"ShannonCounterFlexSteffenClinic\"Steffen does not tolerate kicking at the horse, and he brought the mike maestro, Roger Fitzhardinge into the arena, and tapped his back. \u201cSee Roger looks at me, I\u2019ve got his attention but he has absolutely no idea what I want him to do \u2013 it\u2019s the same when you kick the horse. Instead of a little kick, follow through with the driving aid. Close your leg for one second instead of a tenth of a second, and really get a forward reaction. It is so important to get a true reaction to your driving aid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TappingRoger\"<\/a>\u201cRight now you are supporting him every step \u2013 refuse to give the aid too repetitively. Don\u2019t kick, the calf is the driving aid, and the spur is the emergency aid. With young horses it is so important to get the correct response from the leg to the rein. Horses have choices, they can use their muscles against the rider, or they can use their muscles to carry themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to ride creatively every day, it is easy to fall into the trap of just repeating movements, we have to get away from that. If you feel you are weight lifting, stay away from that. It should be like dancing, light and uncomplicated. The spur can\u2019t be used to maintain a gait or to maintain collection. Use a minimal aid \u2013 never use the spur for more than two or three strides, use the spur to send the horse forward, not just numbing our horses. The use of the spur is intended to make the rest of the leg aids more refined. Don\u2019t bug the horse with the spur, it has got to make a difference when you use it. You can make your horse sensitive to your knee, to your thigh, then people can\u2019t see the aid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"31\"\u201cYou are a good enough rider to say, I\u2019m going to make a difference every day. Say to yourself, I\u2019ve still got a lot to learn, but I\u2019ll teach him every day\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk yourself the question, is the horse in front of my leg? Wake him up, don\u2019t let me say it to you, you are the trainer, raise your standards. Train, don\u2019t just ride the movements. Give your horse a chance to enjoy every day.\u201d
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

With Nicole Tough and her lovely Florestan, Flavio, Steffen had the chance to re-emphasise the major theme of his clinic \u2013 contact.\"NicoleSteffen2SteffenClinic\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cYour horse has three good gaits, but be picky about connection. The priority of contact is the suppleness of the contact. You can push to the hand if your horse has an understanding of suppleness. Now the horse is going nicely forward, swinging, ask, how about the contact? How about the response to the leg? Every day, think: energy, suppleness, self carriage. Give him things to figure out, give him things to learn. I love the way he moves, but think about the understanding of suppleness on his part. The physical part might be established, but the brain is just not there. It doesn\u2019t work for me \u2013 inner leg to outside hand \u2013 if you just focus on that, the horse gets stiffer
\nand stiffer.\u201d\"Nicole3SteffenClinic\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cCreate reasons why your horse let\u2019s go. You took the rein, he gave 50% and you let go. Ask and get a true release, then\u00a0 you give a true release. Your horse is balanced enough, don\u2019t be afraid to make him understand suppleness. If you don\u2019t ask for suppleness, the horse doesn\u2019t offer suppleness. Don\u2019t let him learn to use muscles against you. Release and praise, he wants to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow was that transition? He rested in the transition \u2013 he can rest after the transition. Now he can walk off, but when you walk, slowly give the rein, don\u2019t let him rip the rein from you, he must take it respectfully and you allow him to
\ntake it.\u201d\"NicoleSteffen5SteffenClinic\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a horse with international potential, and as a trainer, you have a huge responsibility to ride him like you did today\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

In part two, Steffen works with two medium advanced horses \u2013 Jayden Brown and F\u00fcrst Friedrich and Justine Greer and Yarra Valley Rodrigo, as well as Jenny Gherke and her Prix St Georges horse, Gitane\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n

This article first appeared in the January 2011 issue of THM.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more articles about Steffen? Go to his Who’s Who for a full directory:<\/p>\n

Peters, Steffen<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n