A Lesson in Positive Thinking
I was excited to attend German Olympian Ingrid Klimke’s Masterclass at Galway Downs in Temecula on December 2-3, presented by Entrique Consulting. The program outlined her classical approach to training through the levels, from young horse to Grand Prix, incorporating cavaletti work and a special session for eventers.
The event was sold out, with over 700 spectators. The holiday themed vendor village offered an excellent variety of goods, and the two hour lunch break provided enough time to do some shopping and take advantage of the book signing and photo opportunity with Ingrid, who gamely signed hundreds of her books that were offered for pre-purchase.
“Horses try to give their best if they are happy and healthy.”
A constant theme throughout the weekend was Ingrid’s empathetic, positive approach to training, and her quiet insistence on correct rider position and aids, even asking more than one rider to drop their stirrups to encourage a deeper seat, quiet legs and a better feel of the horse. Each session was filled with positive feedback and enthusiasm when things clicked, and her love for the horses showed through.
The first session focused on warming up the horse, which Ingrid feels is the most important part of the ride and sets the tone for what follows. A 10-15 minute walk, with reins on the buckle begins the session, with horses asked to step forward and stretch down. At the walk, horses were introduced to the cavaletti, one pole at a time to encourage hind end engagement and round backs. Ingrid stressed that no more than four poles should be used at once, with heavy wooden poles being optimal, coupled with soft end pieces for safety that let you vary the height of the poles. Riders were asked to keep the horses straight, then give the reins and let the horse figure out the exercise. If the horse was confused or hurried, Ingrid continued with one pole until they were comfortable and stretched down. It was fun to see the horses’ gaits improve, along with their focus on the poles.
From there the poles were adjusted for trot, and again introduced one at a time, allowing the horses to feel comfortable in the exercise and stretch without rushing or tensing. Some horses felt it was easier to canter the trot poles and Ingrid laughingly commented that maybe they would like to be eventers. After a walk break they worked on canter, with Ingrid asking the riders to lighten their seat, almost in a two point, to help the horses warm up without any weight on their backs. If one of the younger horses seemed excited, she asked the rider to canter forward with a stretching rein, to get rid of the freshness. It was wonderful to see the horses loosen and stretch, with the gaits improving.
It was no surprise that Ingrid incorporated cavaletti exercises into almost each session, as the author of a well-known book on the subject. She explained that her work at home incorporates one day of lunging over cavaletti, then five days of riding with some pole work each day, depending on the horse, and then a day off. Horses are warmed up in one ring, then ridden on a trail to the dressage court, and then trail ride back to the stable, followed by a day off. The poles help strengthen the hind end, create a more supple back and encourage self carriage. Ingrid advised riders to be patient and confident with the horses that took a little longer to learn the exercises, saying how once they figure it out, they will reward you in the end.
Cavaletti exercises included trotting a semi circle with raised poles, focusing on keeping the horse bent on a circle. This is where the colored stripes on the poles come in handy, so the rider can focus on one color, depending on their horse’s stride. Another incorporated walk and trot poles in a serpentine pattern, with walk half halts in between to promote self carriage and hind end engagement. An exercise I found quite helpful incorporated four walk poles followed by a turn on the hind quarters, and then back over the poles, to help keep the walk open and engaged, so simple, yet so effective.
“If the horse gives the wrong answer, you must change the question.”
Ingrid emphasized that even if the horse responds with the wrong answer, there’s still progress, you just need to change the question, so the horse understands. It was another example of her sympathetic approach, and put the responsibility for clear aids and communication on the rider. Ingrid pointed out several times that there are two types of giving with the hand, a rubber fist, or the elbows. The thumb should not sit on top of the whip, but close around it, to allow the fist to be flexible and soft. She stressed that the rider’s hands should be a fist length in front of the withers, creating a straight, supporting rein for the horse, especially for the young horses.
Another constant theme was “Positive Forward,” asking riders to half halt and give, with a quick, positive reaction from the horse. “Give with the hands, nose forward, and make it easy for the horse.” During one session Ingrid had the riders do a walk-trot exercise on a circle where they trotted, walked one step and then back into trot. One Young Rider’s experienced gelding tended to be a little lazier, and Ingrid lovingly called him The Professor, working with the rider to get him to act more positively forward from the halt and walk. She outlined three steps to gain a more forward jump into the gaits: 1) Soft leg, 2) Quick slap with the calf, and 3) Spur and whip in a quick movement. “Come, otherwise I come, you must mean it!” Once the horse was moving more forward Ingrid coached the rider to keep that energy flowing, with a marked improvement.
In the final session each day Ingrid worked with three event riders and their horses, obviously relishing the change at the end of the day. The riders started by cantering over cavaletti in a circle, maintaining a steady rhythm. Ingrid noted that this was an excellent exercise for horses that get excited or rush. Then they were asked to adjust their strides over two single poles, showing different stride counts while keeping a balanced canter. If horses rushed Ingrid asked them to maintain a dressage canter. Other exercises included flying changes over a three and four loop serpentine, with cavaletti placed on the centerline. Riders had to execute a clean lead change over the cavaletti. The final exercise incorporated a cross-like pattern with four poles, working towards rollbacks or a quarter pirouette. The circles got smaller and smaller while the riders were asked to sit more deeply and give more quickly to help establish balance. It was a great way to end the day, and the horse and rider pairs all showed marked improvement.
Ingrid has a wonderful, positive approach to training, quickly rewarding good behavior and looking past the “wrong answer.” Each session ended with the horses trotting forward, chewing the reins out of the rider’s hands, and stretching down. It was easy to see why this multiple Olympian has been so successful in more than one discipline.
- Kari Browne