When I put myself and two of my horses on a cargo plane in the fall of 2000 I really had no idea what type of experiences were ahead of me. My intention was to live, train and compete in Germany in order to learn and grow as a dressage rider. It seemed like a simple idea, but six years later I’m still adjusting to the differences.

I was not on the long list for the U.S. Equestrian Federation, so to get started as a foreign rider with the German Federation (the FN), the first thing I had to do was to obtain an official residency visa and live in the country for six months. After that it was a matter of filling out the paperwork and waiting. If my horses had been originally from Germany with German passports it would have been easy, but that was not the case so it took yet another six months to get their passports and show forms.

Once all of that was completed, the FN had to determine which rider class or “leistungsklasse” I should enter. German riders are not allowed to enter the tests at recognized shows as they wish, and there is no such thing as a schooling show. They must qualify their way up through the system in order to be allowed to enter certain levels, and this is not done based on scores but on placings.

I had ridden successfully at fourth level in Florida so they accepted those results and gave me a rating of LK3, or D3. To give you an idea of how it works, a beginner rider just starting out receives a D6, and the top Grand Prix riders that are long listed for the team are given a D1.

My D3 rating allowed me to enter up to Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I at shows within my region. That is, of course, if those classes were offered at the shows. All of the shows here must offer prize money, and if the show committee does not have enough sponsorship they can’t offer the higher level classes, which are too expensive for them to run.

On top of the prize money, the FN requires all classes to have a minimum of three judges, which can also get expensive. I’ve seen four shows drop off of the list of possibilities for me over the past couple of years because they didn’t have enough funds. I’ve had to drive much farther to find shows that had the classes I needed.


Driving Around Germany
Driving to the shows in Germany is always a bit of an adventure, and it can certainly get expensive. Owning a large truck or car that can pull a trailer is tough because gas usually ranges between $6 and $7 a gallon. I chose to buy a small compact car that gets better gas mileage for normal driving and then simply rent a small pick-up truck from our local car dealer in order to pull my trailer to the shows.

Getting used to navigating my way around Germany wasn’t an easy task. These days we have a great Internet map program, and if I’m traveling with someone who has a navigation system things usually go smoothly. However, when I first started driving myself to the shows on my own I didn’t have these aids, and the street signs here are horrible.

They don’t use the idea of north, south, east, and west. They simply have signs, which give you a town or city that is down the road. If you are from the area, and you know the neighboring towns it’s OK, but if not you have to stop and look at the map and study the local geography to figure out which exit or street to take. The good thing is that they use traffic circles frequently so you can keep going around and around until you figure out where you are supposed to turn.

Of course, even when you get the right street there can always be surprises. The biggest surprise I had when driving my mare Gracia to a show was when I drove for the first time to Wolfskehlen, which is on the other side of the Rhine River from where we live. It took a couple of hours to get to the Rhine, and I had a good map that showed where I was to cross. However, as I started to drive down the river I could clearly see there were no bridges within miles. When I got to the turn I looked down the hill, and sure enough there was a ferry.

My heart just sank because I knew it would take hours to get to the nearest bridge. The men on the ferry spotted me as I was sitting there contemplating what to do, and they waved me on down. I knew Gracia was a great traveler so I decided to take the chance. We fit on the boat, and she was good about it although she did look very confused to see me standing next to the trailer with the side door open while we were moving. My father’s theory is that she knew she was taking her first Rhine River cruise, and she simply wanted to know where her cocktail was. I think I could have used one at that point myself!


The Classes
Another reason that I’ve had to search farther and wider for shows is that having three judges per class also means that the shows typically only have one to two arenas at most. This limits the number of classes that can be run in a weekend so usually the shows only offer one test per level.

In other words, instead of having the choice of entering third level, test 1, 2, 3 or 4, the German shows will offer, for example, only third level, test 3. If you want to ride third level, test 2, you would have to wait until another show comes along that happens to offer that test. They might also have a fourth level test, but, of course, if your horse isn’t ready for that then you will only be riding the one test in that particular show.

When there is such a limited choice in classes this also means that the classes are very large. Typically 30 to 40 riders will enter, and it’s not unusual to have a final class of 25 to 30 riders. The smallest class I’ve seen in five years of showing was 12 riders. However, since their qualifying system is based on placings they limit the number of places they award when the class is that small. In the case of 12 riders they only awarded up to fourth place, and they actually would have had the right to limit it to third place. The fifth- and lower- placed riders’ scores were not recorded or noted in any way by the FN.

This, of course, makes it difficult to move up, and it can even be an issue sometimes to hold on to your rating. They give you two years at a certain leistungsklasse before they will drop you down if you do not have enough of the required placings, and it can take being placed in the top three of the highest level classes three times before you can move up. Not an easy task, especially if you are only riding one horse, which is not taken into account by the FN.

The other thing that takes getting accustomed to is the way in which show entries are handled. As it is in the States, a rider must enter the show a month ahead of time, and late entries are accepted at the show secretary’s discretion. The class schedule is then sent out a week before the show. This gives the rider their bridle number and the times that the classes will start.

However, the ride times are not given until one hour before the class. A rider is not actually considered to be confirmed in the class until she arrives at the show grounds and contacts the secretary to register. It’s quite an art to learn to call the secretary enough times to get a feeling for when you will ride, but not call so much that you end up getting into trouble with them.


The Show Experience
Once the final list is issued, it’s off to the warm-up, which took me a long time to get used to. Many of the shows only provide a 20-meter by 40-meter area or smaller as a warm-up for two show arenas.

At first it feels like a demolition derby, but slowly but surely you get used to warming up with as many as 10 riders in the same area. The show arenas are also not as open and nice as they are in the States. The shows are normally run by riding schools, and many of them simply don’t have the room, nor the financial means to build good arenas.

This certainly is not always the case, but it’s common to compete in an arena that you cannot circle outside of before beginning the test. The rider must enter by going into the arena and simply ride up the centerline after the bell has rung. The borders of these arenas can really be interesting too. Sometimes they are hedges with the letters hung in the brush, and other times there is simply a rail or fence. I once had a woman standing right at H with her baby carriage shaking out her baby blanket as her baby screamed and cried. Needless to say that diagonal line didn’t go so well.

All of this–combined with some ruthless judging–is what makes the German riders so tough. I was in a Prix St. Georges class where I watched 12 riders go through the test without making a mistake. Of course, the quality of the movements and gaits varied, but they all did their tempi changes, pirouettes, etc., without missing a beat.

I also didn’t make any mistakes other than starting my three tempis a little too early. It was a huge class with many top Grand Prix riders, including Ellen Bontje of the Netherlands riding a wonderful young stallion. If I hadn’t started those changes a little early I would have gotten 8s from the three judges instead of 7s, and just that small difference of 3 points overall would have caused me to place fifth instead of ninth as I did. To succeed here one simply has to dig down and work very, very hard.

It does pay off too. I have won a few classes here, and it is wonderful to ride in the victory ceremonies. These are held for every class, and participation is required. If you don’t show up you are eliminated. At first I thought this was silly, but after I realized how hard it is to place in a class in Germany I started to become a big supporter of these victory laps. It is a well-deserved ritual, and the recognition is very nice.

There is a down side to how tough these shows are, though. It is in the general atmosphere at the show. Showing is not considered a time to socialize. Of course there are exceptions and the people are generally nice, but showing is business here, and there is no desire for chitchat or social parties afterwards.

I think that’s one of the differences I’ve had the hardest time adjusting to. The better my German is the more I try to socialize with my neighbors in the show tents. Some of them will respond accordingly, but more than once I’ve had people give me a one-word response and then simply walk away entirely uninterested. This isn’t due to the fact that I am an American. They treat each other this way as well.

I have, however, made some wonderful friends here in Germany in and out of the dressage world, and it’s certainly been a tremendous experience. I’m going to stick it out and keep working hard to get better and continue to adjust to all of the differences. Neither task is easy, but I think it will be well worth it in the long run.


Stephanie Law