KNHS

On April 5th, famous dressagetrainer Christoph Hess hosted the KNHS College Tour 'No tightening without relaxation' in a sold-out National Equestrian Center in Ermelo (NL). He did this alongside dressage rider Justine Mudde, eventing rider Sanne de Jong, and Leendert Jan Hofland, the team veterinarian for TeamNL eventing horses. Afterwards, it was clear that attendees were clearly inspired as they returned home.

For each of them, there were interesting takeaways they could immediately put into practice with their horse the next day. During the KNHS College Tour, everyone was glued to their seats while the German dressage trainer, former president of the German Olympic Committee and revered international judge, spoke. In total, four combinations entered the arena; Mudde with three of her horses and De Jong with Global Faerlie Flashy, one of her TeamNL tophorses. There was a lot of interaction with the audience, who could ask questions via WhatsApp.

Willingness to learn
Christoph started off together with Justine Mudde and a four-year-old offspring of Glock's Toto Jr. "A young horse needs a second person on the ground who also guides the horse on the lunge line. This way, the rider can give the horse enough rein freedom to maintain its balance. The goal with a young horse, but actually every horse, is first relaxation. Only then is it open to learning. One horse relaxes more in the walk, the other in trot or canter," Hess said during this demonstration.

'Inside hand only for decoration'
"Ride with your inside leg towards your outside rein. Your inside hand is there for decoration only," Christoph explains, with Leendert Jan Hofland adding: "The rider's inside hand can even seriously harm a horse. The horse is forced to rotate on the foot, because the inside hind leg is held back, resulting in injuries." Hess continuing: "The inside leg sets the pace, even for hot horses. Driving aids control the pace. Also, support a horse by riding shoulder-in on a circle. Shoulder-in is also key for riding good transitions. Riding shoulder-fore or shoulder-inwards also ensures that the horse has to place its inside hind leg under the mass and will naturally slow down. However, the shorter you take the reins, the faster the horse will run."

Light seat like a sugar cube
With Justine Mudde's next horse, the audience noticed that the horse was leaning outwards. A question about this was posed to Christoph, who responded: "Is your horse difficult on the left hand and stiff on this hand? Then train the horse with an outward bend, so that you maintain a right bend on the left hand. The horse will naturally come into balance and become straighter." And why does Justine often ride in a light seat? "The light seat is like a sugar cube for your horse. Ride in canter once in a light seat so that the horse can use its back correctly. Also, don't sit too quickly in sitting trot, but stay light."

Rider as physiotherapist
Veterinarian Hofland emphasized: "Sufficient walking breaks and not training too many days in a row are important. Fatigue leads to uncontrolled movements, which can cause the horse to get injured. You can't train better every day. Provide horses time to recover. And make sure you stretch the neck first and then flex it. Biomechanically, it's only possible to flex when the neck is first stretched. Without the space created by stretching, there isn't enough room in the joints to flex. The best physiotherapist for the horse should be the rider."

Good feeling is the highest aim
In line with this KNHS College Tour, Hess concluded with wise words: "Make sure your horse always leaves the training arena with a good feeling. The horses must also enjoy training with the rider. Only then do you achieve 100% harmony. The horse is our partner. A good feeling is the highest goal with a happy horse, because they also stay healthier for longer."

Watch this KNHS College Tour and learn from the famous Christoph Hess.

Photography: Fleur Louwe