Horse Connection

charlene strickland

Editor’s Note:
Charlene Stickland is the best-selling author of The Warmblood Guidebook. She has studied what makes the Europeans so successful in international competition for nearly two decades. She recently traveled to Germany to witness not only the Young Horse World Championships, but to investigate how these horses are bred, raised, trained and ridden to demonstrate their international talents. In this exclusive Horse Connection article Charlene takes us behind the scenes at some of Germany’s top stables.

Watching the young horses compete at the World Championships of Young Dressage Horses is an eye-opener—impressive movers demonstrate their talent for sport at levels that are hardly imaginable. The top horses are the caliber of Salinero and Lingh, the horses placing one-two at the 2005 World Cup in Las Vegas. They also match the quality of past champions Gigolo and Bonfire. In both the five- and six-year classes, the winners aren’t just pretty youngsters. They performed with the energy and activity that are hallmarks of champions.

A panel of three judges awarded each horse five numerical scores, 1 through 10, for walk, trot, canter, suppleness, and general impression. The top horses in each class proved their prospects for international levels, with the top five five-year-olds scoring at least one 9, and the best three six-year-olds each scoring at least two 9s. The five-year-old winner, Florencio 2 (Florestan—Weltmeyer) even received a 10 for his canter, with a final score of 9.48. Six- year-old victor, Damon Hill 4 (Donnerhall—Rubinstein I) finished at 9.02. Both stallions were bred in Westfalia.

Producing World-Class Prospects

Sixty-five of the world’s best young horses competed in the World Championships of Young Dressage Horses in Verden, Germany, July 1-3. Entries in each age group performed the FEI preliminary and final tests. German-bred horses dominated, with eight of the 15 in the six-year-old final, and 10 of the 15 in the five-year-old final.

Germany’s best young horses originate from the breeding areas of the north: Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Oldenburg, and Nordrhein-Westfalia. For almost a century, breeders in these German states have produced horses for sport. Besides their own homebreds, they buy youngsters to raise and train and are constantly improving the quality of their stock.

In the area around Verden, farms like the Baumgart family’s Schwartze Hof and Stall Ramsbrock are established sources of top-quality horses. Both have raised young stallions that have become sires at the Hannoverian state stud at Celle. Some horses raised by the Baumgarts include the Celle sire, Don Juan, and Isabell Werth’s Warum Nicht FRH. The five-year-old Royal Highness (Regazzoni—Dream of Glory; 2004 winner of the four-year-old Hannoverian Champion stallion class at Verden) was ridden by Hannes Baumgart in the 2005 Championships.

In the town of Menslage, near Bremen, Heinrich Ramsbrock and his team have raised 200 young stallions that have become sires worldwide. Stall Ramsbrock’s horses represent studbooks for Hannover, Oldenburg, and Westfalen.

Two of the 2005 finalists were raised at Stall Ramsbrock: Dresemann (Daidalos—Wolkenstein II), the 2002 Bundeschampion (German federal champion) as a three-year-old; and Donnerball (Donnerhall—Alabaster), second place this year in the five-year-old class. Stall Ramsbrock bred the stallion, Fürst Heinrich, the 2003 five-year-old champion at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses. This farm also was the source of Nikolaus 7, Guenter Seidel’s ride in the 2002 World Championships.

These breeders represent the trend toward horse breeding farms, just a few decades old, which produce most foals in Germany. Today the old-time farmers, who for generations raised horses as a sideline on the family farm, are fewer in numbers. However, horses are still raised the traditional way. Youngsters live in herds in large pastures, under natural conditions.

Trainer Marten Hillmann explained the sorting of the two year-old stallions at Stall Ramsbrock. “In one field are two-year-olds selected for the Körung [stallion licensing]. In another field are the two-year-old stallions not selected.” Hillmann worked at this farm before starting his own facility in Bassum, Germany.

At age three, the two-year-olds “graduate” from the pasture into large open barns, staying in smaller groups indoors. To prepare for the stallion licensing, those selected later move into individual stalls.

“Before they go to the Körung, you start them a short time under saddle,” explained Hillmann. “Just to get an idea on the price, and to see how they go.”

Evidence of Excellence

Bred for superior movement, these young horses demonstrate temperament and rideability. And the system works. Master trainer Michael Bünger, from Schleswig-Holstein, described the development of young horses: “There are certain physical constructional points you have to have with the horse. Look at how the horse is, first, from the character, and then from his construction. Then you can think about how to develop him so he will be able to be a riding horse.”

Most likely, Germany will continue to produce the world’s best dressage prospects. Few foreigners can acquire performers of this quality or duplicate the program that allows these young horses to demonstrate their talents. In the past six years, the 12 winners of the five- and six-year-old classes have represented four breeding areas of Germany. The Westfalen studbook has earned the most championships: sweeping 2005 and 2004, and earning one championship in 2003. Hannoverian and Oldenburg have each had three champions wearing their brands, and one champion represented Brandenburg.

Of course, the Dutch also contribute to the high level youngsters. The highest-placed Dutch-bred, Spargo 4 (Krack C—Boreas), finished fourth in the six-year-old test (8.68). Also in that test was Edward Gal, who was second place in this year’s World Cup, riding Sisther de Jeu (Gribaldi M—Amor) to seventh place (8.34). And Florencio’s rider, Hans Peter Minderhoud, is also from the Netherlands. In 2001 and 2002, Minderhoud rode another double champion, the Hannoverian Rubels, to back-to-back titles as a five-and six-year-old.

Three American-owned horses came to the 2005 event—all of German breeding. The five-year-old Currency DC earned the best US placing, qualifying for the final with rider and owner Susan Dutta. The bay Oldenburg finished 11th (7.76).

Two bay Hannoverians represented the United States in the six-year-old class: the Hilltop Farm stallion, Royal Prince (placed fourth in 2004; 21st 2005) and Donegal, 29th. Donegal was the first-ever US-bred horse competing in these championships.

Top-Class Riding

To nurture impressive movers for licensing and later the World Championships for Young Horses, trainers specialize in developing youngsters. They start early to bring horses along, building a foundation for the FEI levels.

These experts help young horses remain balanced. With the volatile young stallions, they apply methodical use of the aids to influence every stride.
Bünger described guiding the prospect’s natural impulses. “You tell him where to go with his power, and encourage the possibility of the inward hind leg to go under. Then we ‘close’ the horse, from the back to the waiting hand. It’s telling him, ‘So, look what you can do with your legs.’

“Riding can be defined as creating situations to help the horse to do what you want him to do.”
Competing at the Championships, two veteran trainers demonstrated the art of the young horse. Dr. Ulf Möller rode the talented San Rubin (Sandro Hit—Rubinstein I) to fifth place, five-year-olds (8.44). Möller is known as the master of these championships with many top placings. A longtime friend of Scott Hassler of Hilltop, he helped prepare Royal Prince for the Championships.

Hassler described the challenge of developing a horse almost ready for Prix St. Georges, but still amenable to perform the movements of the Young Horse tests. “Royal Prince makes such good flying changes. I would love to put tempis on him. I would love to work him with canter pirouettes. He has super reactions for piaffe and passage—but I don’t want to get his nerves up. So you have to be patient.”

Virtuoso trainer Holga Finken displayed that patience with the two five-year-olds he rode into the top six. He took Donnerball to second place (8.86), and the crowd-pleasing Rusty 223 (Rubinstein I—Weltmeyer; yes, another Rusty!) to sixth (8.42).

In Germany, successful trainers learn from the masters. For example, Hillmann has trained with both Möller and Rudolf Zeilinger, coach of several Olympic riders including Michelle Gibson and Britta Johnston, a German trainer based in Virginia, who started training with Zeilinger this August.

Trainers can balance the demands to develop both basic movements and the brilliance shown by young superstars like Florencio. Bünger expressed concern about giving young horses time, emphasizing, “You develop the horse so he doesn’t get damaged by us. We have to do everything to make it capable to be ridden by us, without being damaged.”

He noted, “Development means a lot of thinking and working and looking at puzzles. You start with ten pieces, and go up to 50, 500, 5000. If you think of a horse like a 10,000-piece puzzle, you build them up.”

“With each capability, you are ready to try next time. But don’t ask the horse to do more than you can handle.” Such concern fosters this trainer’s focus, crucial to helping young champions on their way up: “To preserve the mind and body of the horse.”