Words of Wisdom from Klaus Balkenhol
“In Germany, I may see 25-30 horses at two or three years old with phenomanol talent, five years later there may be one competing internationally.
“The biggest mistakes in training occur at five, six and seven.”
“The best dressage stallion is a gelding, if the horse is not being used for breeding, it is better to geld.”
“Judges have a big responsibility because riders will always show what the judges are rewarding.”
“There is one method of training. The goal is, we make the horse strong for the work we ask of him–strong for longevity. There is no ‘new’ method of training. One must always come back to the training scale.”
“The good rider can work a horse in a way that the horse does not even realize he is working.”
“The secret of taking the rein is always the giving part.”
“One has to school the inner desire of the horse to go forward.”
“Draw reins are okay in the hands of a good rider, but not all riders want to be good.”
“Work out problems at the beginning of a training session, so the horse is not tired.”
“When the rider is laughing and having fun, they are loose, thus the horse goes looser and looser”.
“We are servants to the horse”.