Focus on the "happy athlete”
Masterclass with Christoph Hess on training show jumping, dressage and para-dressage horses
On the break day for Europe's best dressage riders, spectators in the large dressage stadium were treated to some highlights on Saturday evening. Training ambassador Christoph Hess had invited Beerbaum stable rider and European Championship participant Christian Kukuk, Para dressage rider Gianna Regenbrecht and dressage rider Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock. The focus for all of them: to keep a happy horse, a "happy athlete".
Christian Kukuk - accompanied by his colleagues, the newly crowned Vice European Champion Philipp Weishaupt as well as Eoin McMahon - was allowed to make the start. The elegant seven-year-old mare Dominate Me by Dominator 2000 Z, was worked dressage-style over Cavaletti. Dominate Me has already been successful up to 1.40-meter jumping in youngster tours this season, and that despite the fact that she only came into competition as a six-year-old, according to Kukuk. Right from the start, the mare's excellent balance in trot and canter is noticeable, which Christian Kukuk sensitively maintains through his influence with weight, thigh and reins. "After all, canter is the basic gait of show jumpers, so to speak," says Christoph Hess. For this reason, Christian Kukuk works the mare in the traverse so that the inside hind leg works even more under the center of gravity and closes in. "As you can see, all of this gymnastics happens but without making the horse tight, so the horse can continue to use his neck as a balancing pole," Hess said. After that, it's break in stride: "See, that's a Happy Horse!" praises Hess, as the mare immediately drops her neck and demonstrates her mental and physical looseness. So Kukuk is finally able to ride a different number of canter jumps between three cavalettis with equal spacing, the mare listens to him, and is easily ridden back and forth without going against the bit. Along the way of training, he says, Ludger Beerbaum's stable rider always includes "explaining these things to the horse calmly."
A "happy athlete" is also the second horse to present itself to the spectators. The gelding "Ben" is also seven years old, and his rider is the incomplete paraplegic para-dressage rider Gianna Regenbrecht. Before she mounts the gelding, her helper and partner walks around the arena to show him the new atmosphere. This is the perfect way to deal with a young horse, says Hess: "Horses are herd animals, so it makes sense to have a companion on the ground at the beginning of new situations, who walks next to the horse and thus gives him security." Ben thanks her for that in the riding session that follows. Gianna Regenbrecht works sensitively on the gelding without disturbing him in any way. Two whips support Regenbrecht as she cannot use her legs. Ben presents himself in mental and physical balance. Gianna Regenbrecht is satisfied: "I'm really really proud of the way he did this. (...) I still have to work on keeping this big horse even more closed and 'round'. That's the difficulty for me, because with the two crops when I use them as thighs, he tends to go forward even more." Christian Hess also sums up positively: "You fit together really well and I think many people watching here are already keeping their fingers crossed that you will be part of the team with Ben in Paris next year!"
Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock brings up the rear with the eleven-year-old Queolito. With Florine OLD, the 28-year-old has earned her place in this year's Perspective Dressage Squad. Queolito is even less experienced, so the dressage rider uses the stadium atmosphere to loosen up the gelding, who has already been placed at Grand Prix level, with fine influence. Later, the two then also show Grand Prix lessons such as passage and piaffe. The rider receives praise from training ambassador Christoph Hess for the light seat she incorporates every now and then in the canter: "It's like a piece of sugar you give your horse!" It's an exercise for horses of any discipline, Hess emphasizes. Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock's plan for the training session worked: "I used the atmosphere here so that my horse gets more self-confidence at such stages and then starts to shine more himself." The masterclass was rounded off with the opportunity for spectators to ask questions about what had been shown. Christoph Hess took the time to answer every question.
