In this part of our series, “How to…”, are covering a fun class that is not nearly as popular in Europe as it should be: Hunter Hack. We have talked to two individuals that have loved this class for a long time: professional horsewoman and multiple AQHA World Champion Lainie DeBoer and multiple Int. DQHA Champion Christina Münster. They shared their observations and advice from an American and European point of view.
The Showlife has learned that Torsten Gärtner Leading Performance moves to a new facility. Torsten is a multiple Bronze Trophy winner and European Champion. We have talked to him and his wife Christina about their plans.
Many people might know Franca Bartke as a successful trainer in the All-round industry: Int. DQHA Champion, European Champion, Golden Series Champion – the list goes on. Fewer people might know that Franca has been studying at the Deutsche Sporthochschule in Cologne for two years now – this university is the most prestigious school for competitive sports in Germany. Franca has told us about her undergraduate course that features riding as well and how she juggles being a student and a horse trainer.
One great thing about our sport is diversity: There are classes that focus on the horse’s talent more than the riders and some were being an excellent equestrian is a must. There are two classes in which the rider’s body position is very important: Western Horsemanship and Hunt Seat Equitation. This article is about advice on how to improve your body position on the horse. Congress Champion Jadasa “Dasi” Jablonowski and her clients Mirja Bassing and Daniela Wagner are talking about their daily routines when it comes to practicing Western Horsemanship and Equitation. Furthermore, physiotherapist Laura Pfeifer will introduce some exercises that are helpful when working on that right body position.
The coronavirus might annoy us, but this article is proof that many good things can result from quarantine. Nina Zwölfer has used the time during the lockdown to write a book about trail obstacles. The long-time riding instructor from Austria published her book just recently and was ranked quite high on the Amazon bestseller list. Furthermore, many people on social media posted videos of them doing fun and innovative trail obstacles. So we had to know: What is this book about?
About 15 to 20 years ago, most people who showed at Western horse shows, were people who “switched”. People who started riding dressage horses or hunter jumpers and then got involved with the Western riding industry. Julia Schlömp, however, did it the other way round. She quit the allround events and is now showing at show jumping events.
Most of the articles published on The Showlife deal with all the topics around horse shows – that’s why this platform is called The Showlife. This article, however, is related to horse showing, but also about the unique bond between horse and rider that is more fascinating than all shows, ribbons and trophies. We have talked to Diana Art who astounded the audience at the 2017 Gomeier Freestyle Challenge with an amazing performance with her mare Peppys Art Attack. Diana has told us about the special horse family that lives at her place, about liberty work and how she built a relationship with her with her mare.
With all the shows being cancelled, many equestrians have time to practice which is why we have published another part of our series “How Too…”. This article deals with one of the most important elements of a Showmanship class: the back-up. A perfect back-up can be a deal-breaker in a strong Showmanship class. We have asked three top-notch exhibitors and trainers for their advice.
Despite the coronavirus, a lot is happening in our industry – this time we have got some news from Stop N Go Trainingstable: The team has recently moved to the Freestyle Ranch in Erbach, Germany.
Attending a clinic, driving to your trainer’s facility for some lessons or letting the trainer come to your barn – all of this is not possible at the moment given the current corona situation. But, every crisis has its positive sides, one of them being people starting to get creative: from virtual horse shows to online riding lessons, the internet has a lot to offer these days. We have talked to three trainers who offer online riding lessons.
