Ingrid Klimke Will Always Carry Her Father's Message

In the six years since the death of Reiner Klimke, one of the 20th century's most respected and beloved dressage riders and trainers, his children have never stopped urging others to live by the message of his life's work.

And the essence of that message, said his daughter, Ingrid, is that nothing is more important than the well-being of the horse.

"My father said what he thought. Whenever he thought something wasn't right, he said so. He knew the classical way was right and best for the horses, and he stood up for it," she said.

Classical, to Reiner Klimke, meant a training approach that sought slow, steady progress--at whatever pace was best for each individual horse.

"My father always said, 'Things just take time.' He did not believe in quick tricks or things like draw reins," recalled Ingrid. "Rather than using such things, he said it is better to go on the circle and do things like half-halts and transitions to get the horse under himself and light in your hand."

Her father taught her that "educating" the horse is no different than educating people. It requires not only teaching the horse something new, but also giving him the time he needs to fully embrace what he's learned.

"It's like school--you don't learn to read and write all at one time. It's one step at a time. And if you have the first two steps down, then you add the third. But if the third is not working, then go back to step 1 and 2. But don't ask again and again for the weak point," said Ingrid.

"What you do, you must do really precisely. You focus, you concentrate, and do whatever you do really 100 percent, and then the horse also has the chance to give 100 percent."

The responsibility that Reiner Klimke felt for defending the meticulous approach of the classical method has now fallen to his children, Ingrid and Michael, both tremendously accomplished trainers and riders. It's a responsibility that Ingrid admitted she took on rather reluctantly at the urging of her father. But now, at age 38, she's determined to carry forward his message as best she can.

A Responsibility
If her father were still alive, Ingrid probably wouldn't be traveling the world giving clinics.

"When my father started doing clinics in America, we'd always ask, 'Why do you go once a year to America when we have enough work at home and there are so many shows?' He said 'It's important to go out there because you must give something back. You can't only take from this sport. You must give your knowledge.' And he said that other people did it before him, and that he was now responsible for doing the same."

His argument didn't initially sway his daughter, who even in her father's last days showed more interest in riding than sharing knowledge.

"When he was in the hospital [after his heart attack], he told me that as soon as he was home from the hospital, I must redo the book on the Basic Training of the Young Horse with him. I told him, 'At the moment, I don't want to write books, I want to ride.' He said, 'No, it's important. You had to learn it, and now you have to give it.' And, so, I redid the book and brought it up to date."

The revised book was released in Germany last year, and an English-language version is scheduled for publication this year. She had already worked with her father on a revised version of his book Cavalletti, which came out in DVD last year.