We were happy to receive the new release
of Fritz Stahlecker
In-hand-work for young dressage horses
We cannot deny that "creative in-hand work leads to fascinating successes."
Fritz Stahlecker's training method hand-saddle-hand (HSH) encourages young horses
to easily learning classical dressage exercises. In the last decades,
Stahlecker has been training dressage horses up to Grand Prix-level
Part 1 of the DVD: Shows the Basics
Part 2: Advanced training
Fritz states: "Horses are like children, their ability to learn is greater in the first years of life. If horses are carefully and gently trained in-hand the first years of their life, their qualities will be fostered well and perfect results can be achieved later on."
With his exceptional hand-saddle-hand-method, Fritz Stahlecker shows how to train movements up to advanced dressage exercises with young, only three-year-old horses – gently, without any stress and considering important sport psychological aspects. If the horse is backed at the age of four, the rider can start on an already advanced horse that knows the exercises and that has already developped the necessary muscles to carry the rider without any problems. He continues to train collection and cadence in-hand later on – this is of great advantage for the body and the soul of the horse.
„Légèreté“ – riding without a strong influence of the hand – is what every rider should strive for. The well padded schooling bridle of Fritz Stahlecker was especially designed for the basic in-hand training. The young horse learns basic exercises without the rider’s weight, without any bit. His mind gets challenged, yet there will be no resistance which has the positive result of no tension or wrong movements. The horse will be ready for high performance training.
All those who prefer aesthetics and creativity rather than force and strength when training dressage horses will love this film.
Additional information:
Fritz Stahlecker, a textile engineer, born in 1925, has worked with horses, also difficult horses, since he was a child. His opinion is, the biggest mistakes result from a violent use of the reins. Inspired by the Légèreté, one of the basic principles of the Romanic riding style, he developed his own training method and has already trained various horses up to advanced level.,
A very special thank you to Petra
Wägenbaur for her work and efforts in translating our questions in English to German for Herr Stahlecker and then translating the answers back to English. Thank you Petra
Wägenbaur . Having had the opportunity to watch the First DVD, we share with you some of the questions that came up watching the first DVD part 1.
1 Why do you call your training system Hand – Saddle – Hand?
I start with work in hand, over a period of one year in which the rider is a sort of playfellow of the horse. The young horse gains more and more confidence and learns all the difficult movements which are necessary for dressage competitions. Then, very slowly I combine the work in hand with riding, at the beginning, first week - 5 minutes riding walk, second and third week - 10 minutes walk, 4th to 8th week 15 to 20 minutes walk, 8th --16th week – 15 minutes walk and 5 to 10 minutes trot!
With the time I reduce the time I spend on work in hand but it still remains a possibility in between to correct errors, to improve certain movements and to have a greater variety in what I am doing with my horse, to offer him a change in our program.
.
Warum nennen Sie Ihre Methode Hand – Sattel – Hand – Methode?
Die Methode beginnt als Handarbeit, bei der der Reiter der Spielpartner des Pferdes am Boden ist. Wenn das Vertrauen etabliert ist und das Pferd alle wichtigen Lektionen beherrscht, beginnt nach 1 Jahr allmählich das Anreiten im Wechsel mit Handarbeit. Sehr langsam, beginnend mit 5 Minuten Schritt in der 1. Woche, 10 Minuten Reiten im Schritt in der 2. und 3. Woche, 15-20 Minuten Schritt in der 4. bis 8. Woche, 15 Minuten Reiten im Schritt und 5 – 10 Minuten im Trab in der 8. – 16. Woche!
Die Handarbeit wird dann im Umfang allmählich reduziert, wird aber immer wieder zwischendurch eingesetzt, um evt. Fehler zu korrigieren, Übungen zu verfeinern und dem Pferd Abwechslung im Programm zu bieten. Handarbeit und Reiten bleiben also auch später immer wieder zwei verschiedene Möglichkeiten, mit dem Pferd zu arbeiten.
2 You mention in your video that in the past that horses were backed in October of the 4th Year but that breeders today want to get their horses backed that much sooner. You also mention that like children it is easier to teach horses when they are younger. But we don’t put children at 1 or 2 into school. So what age would you recommend that we start working the horse?
You can start as early as you want, without the weight of the rider and without bit it won’t do any harm to the horse. With my stallions I would start when they were 2 ½, at the age when they left the herd, when the selection for breeding purpose in order to become a stud took place. You can’t let them go back into the herd afterwards and so I started with them always in autumn. With mares you might wait or you can do the basic schooling during the winter and give them back to the herd for the summertime. They can “digest“ what they have learned, enjoy a bit longer liberty and freedom and grow up. When you then start again in autumn the following year, you can go on where you stopped and you will see that everything you teached them is still in their mind.
Sie erwähnen im Video, dass früher Pferde im Oktober des 4. Jahres angeritten wurden, dass aber Züchter heute möchten, dass ihre Pferde viel früher eingeritten werden. Sie erwähnen auch, dass es wie bei Kindern einfacher ist, Pferde zu erziehen, wenn sie jünger sind. Aber wir lassen ja Kinder nicht mit 1 oder 2 Jahren in die Schule gehen. Welches Alter würden Sie also empfehlen für den Beginn der Arbeit mit einem Pferd?
Man kann die Handarbeit so früh wie möglich beginnen, ohne die Belastung des Reiters und ohne Gebiss kann sie dem Pferd nicht schaden. Hengste werden bei uns mit 2 ½ für die Körung aus der Herde genommen, d.h., man kann sie dann nicht mehr wieder eingliedern und deshalb fange ich mit Hengsten im Alter von 2 ½ Jahren an. Bei Stuten kann man evt. etwas später beginnen. Ideal wäre es, das Pferd im Herbst von der Weide zu holen, über den Winter die erste Grundausbildung zu machen und im darauf folgenden Jahr noch einmal ein halbes Jahr Weidegang einzulegen, bevor man dann wieder anfängt.
3 I really enjoyed the ridden work. I was wondering if you could share who was the rider in the DVD and some general information about them?
The riders in the DVD: at the very beginning you see the young Alexandra Stadelmayer, my granddaughter, on the gelding Dix, a horse trained by me. With Dix the 15 year old girl started in S-dressage competitions. The rider in the rest of the DVD is Claudia Jung. She is a breeder and trainer of Arabian horses. Some of her stallions she presents at horse shows with the hand in work program. With the Arabian stallion Testo Rosso she became second at the European competition for Arabian horses. Testator, another of her stallions, learned movements like courbette and cabriole. The gelding William is the first crossbreed she is schooling. She recently started work in hand with a Spanish horse and is regularily riding my stallion Mataré.
Ich habe die Reit-Sequenzen sehr genossen, Könnten Sie uns sagen, wer die Reiterin war und uns ein paar allgemeine Informationen über sie geben?
Die Reiterin, Claudia Jung, ist eine Araberzüchterin, die auch mit ihren Arabern die HSH-Methode sehr erfolgreich praktiziert. Sie hat mit ihrem Araber Testo Rosso bei der Europameisterschaft der Araberpferde den 2. Platz belegt, mit ihrem Araber Testador zeigt sie an den langen Leinen Sprünge über der Erde. Im Moment hat sie einen Andalusier und den Hannoveraner William in Ausbildung. Claudia Jung ist Schülerin von Fritz Stahlecker und reitet den Hengst Mataré täglich.
4 I notice you state in the beginning that “The mouth is not to be touched for the 1st few months”. Would you like to share with our readers why you think this is so important?
SUBSCRIBE
to HORSES For LIFE™ Online Magazine for full access to the exclusive
and educational monthly articles in every Issue. Register and then USE
the "Subscribe"button in the left hand menu.
Your subscription includes access to
A FULL 2 PAST YEARS OF ISSUES!
Over 300 Articles!!!
For the Instructor, For the Rider, For the Horse.
Horses For LIFE - For You!
OR Enjoy the free
articles in every issue available for Registered Members! Registration
is FREE! Look for the asterisk * that denotes Free Articles!
