Teamwork/Cooperation/Individualization of Training Programs are Keys to Success at German Dressage
Reprinted from the August 2003 Issue of California Riding Magazine
 Jennifer and Herzberg share a special moment before an in-hand class. Photo by G. Walker. |
Herzberg, a 10 year-old Trakehner stallion that Jennifer owns in partnership with Gay Walker, is an excellent example of the Hoffmanns’ system at work. After importing Herzberg in early 2002, Jennifer and Jürgen felt that it was in the stallion’s best interests to keep him out of the show ring for the 2002 competition year even if it meant attracting fewer mare owners for the 2003 breeding season. Because Herzberg had only been competing at the equivalent of 3rd Level in Germany, Jennifer opted to go back to basics with him and work slowly, focusing on both mental and physical fitness. Her program today consists not just of schooling sessions in the dressage arena, but also grazing sessions, galloping on groomed sections of trail near the stable, trail walks, and play time in the large multi-purpose arena where Herzberg can hand-gallop.
Does this program work? Jennifer says that, “Herzberg is the absolute best CDI horse I’ve ever ridden. He’s not only a great competition horse, but we also share a beautiful partnership outside the dressage ring.” Herzberg’s competition results also answer this question in the affirmative. He won the Intermediaire Musical Freestyle at the Pebble Beach CDI, and placed 2nd and 3rd in the PSG and Intermediaire-1, respectively. Herzberg placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th at the Rancho Murieta CDI, and was 6th at the Del Mar CDI at PSG and Intermediaire-1 in a field that included several former Olympians, and won both the PSG and Intermediaire-1 at The Oaks/San Juan Capistrano Show with scores over 69%. Herzberg had not set foot in an American show ring until a mere 2 1/2 weeks before the Rancho Murieta CDI.
Another promising FEI horse shown by Jennifer, 8 year-old Dutch gelding Petit Danseur (owned by Georgia Griffiths), also illustrates the point. Imported just a few short months ago, Petit Danseur is new to PSG this year. Despite his inexperience at the FEI levels, he has impressed the judges with his athleticism and gaits, receiving scores to 73% at Intermediaire-1, FEI High Point Awards at 4 consecutive shows, and a 5th at Intermediaire-1 in his very first CDI at Pebble Beach. Jennifer and Jürgen are careful to keep schooling sessions playful for Petit Danseur so that his work maintains its characteristic freshness and brilliance, and are still experimenting and discussing what movements, warm-up routines, and the like make the horse happiest and most willing in his work.
Jennifer was also happy to add a new stallion at the FEI level this year—the 16 year-old Dutch stallion, Facet. Imported for student Gay Walker to begin her show career and as a breeding stallion, he will also be promoted at the FEI level by Jennifer on a limited basis for the benefit of mare owners. Facet is well known in Europe as a former Grand Prix mount of Ellen Bontje, and as a sire of top-quality dressage horses (although he has been unavailable for breeding since 1997). He boasts the highest dressage-breeding index of any Dutch stallion in the United States, and the 7th highest of any Dutch stallion in the world, even outranking that of Ferro. In his first open competition in the United States, Facet won the DG Bar Intermediaire-1 Sweepstakes with a score of 69.5% and was Reserve FEI High Point.
Jennifer still has her sights set on a seat on the United States Equestrian Team, and believes she’ll get there one day with hard work, but not until her horses are ready. It would be easy to push either Herzberg or Petit Danseur ahead, but she will not pursue her own goals at the expense of her horses’ health and well-being.
The Hoffmanns’ collaborative efforts are not limited to horses, either. “I’m not sure whether I’m paying for training, or for help with my teenager,” jokes Gay Walker. “But either way, it’s worth every penny. She’s here, and not boy crazy. And she and her horse are both doing great.” Thirteen year-old Susan Walker first began riding with Jürgen on her hunter pony two and a half years ago, and switched completely to dressage a year and a half ago when he found Kalibre, her 11 year-old Dutch gelding, for her on one of his frequent buying trips. Susan hasn’t looked back.
Last fall, she started working with Jennifer as well, and now she works predominantly with Jennifer who serves as role model, coach and trainer. Again the team approach pays off, as Jürgen and Jennifer are able to work interchangeably with Susan at home and at shows, and where one is not able to communicate a new concept, the other is nearly always able to succeed. Besides basic riding skills, Jürgen and Jennifer have also encouraged Susan to problem solve, thinking through for herself how to approach difficulties she’s having with her horse—and also how to provide for her horse’s physical and mental well-being. Like her mentor, Susan is attentive to her partner’s stress level, and spends time out hacking with him, galloping him, and grazing him—and feeding him his favorite treat: grapes.
Susan’s reward has been a talented and willing partner for the show ring, with whom she has won her last 11 classes, and her awards include the Jr/Am High Point Award for the Del Mar National Horse Show, and the Jr/Am High Point Perpetual Trophy for the Pebble Beach Show. Susan’s short-term dream is to become a member of United States Junior Team, and she and Kalibre are currently schooling towards that goal for 2004. (They aren’t eligible until Susan is 14).
Student Georgia Griffiths has another dream: her USDF Bronze medal. Working with Jürgen, she is 2/3 of the way there after a successful outing at ECI San Marcos with her 12 year-old Dutch gelding, Leopold. They are now schooling 3rd Level with their goal in sight. Although Georgia trains predominantly with Jürgen, Jennifer coached her at the show because Jürgen had a prior engagement.
Jürgen and Jennifer believe that there are no substitutes for correct training, and that there are no shortcuts along the way—every time a step is skipped in the hurry to get ahead, a price is paid in the end. Even more importantly, they believe that horses and riders are individuals, each requiring different programs to meet their needs and abilities, both physically and mentally, and each needing to be assessed and adjusted regularly for optimal performance. They’ve found that for them, it works best as a collaborative effort and they look forward to discussing each horse and rider over dinner on a daily basis, and bouncing ideas off each other. Others might complain that their spouses take their work home with them, but the Hoffmanns wouldn’t have it any other way.
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