Dear Rita,

There I was, riding across the threshold into Schultheis’ arena. I had clambered over his garden fence, left footprints in the rose beds, trespassed on his property on horseback, and somehow he still wanted to see me ride. Looking back on this now, I am dumbfounded.

In retrospect, I don’t think Mr.Schultheis ever found out that I had walked through his rose garden. I’m pretty sure he went to his grave without that knowledge. His roses were his pride, and he invested a lot of time in them. It would be amongst these same roses that he would be found dying from a heart attack two years later.

I entered the arena, pulled the cooler off my horse, and started around the track in working trot. Schultheis watched from the middle. He asked me to change rein. Then he said, “Stop. Wait.” And he disappeared for 10 minutes.

When he returned, he had a Bereiter in tow, and he in turn had a horse in tow. Mr. Schultheis took me off my horse, put his rider on my mare and then handed me the reins to the other horse. “You ride this horse.”

After I mounted, he pulled the stirrups off my saddle and said, “Sit. Trot. Hands forward.” I did just that. I made it almost 20 meters before he said “Toes down.” I thought he had misspoken so I put my heels down further. He screamed, “TOES DOWN!” I obliged. He said, “Good.” After that, every time I passed his corner he said, “More forward.” As the horse warmed up, we gained more and more and impulsion until we were nearly flying around the track. It was exhilarating!

In the meantime, Schultheis’ rider had picked up the reins on my mare, put her poll at the highest point, left her neck free and started riding her through some basic movements as if she were trained by the Keeper of the Light himself. She was transformed. I was impressed.

Twenty minutes passed. I didn’t think about anything other than what Bodo had taught me. Sit in rhythm, swing with the horse’s back, keep your hips and lower back loose. Don’t pull. Ride straight. Ride forward. Go with the impulsion, don’t sit against it.

Schultheis was not saying much, and slowly I got very much into the feeling of sitting the trot on that young horse. Later I found out that it was a 4-year-old Trakehner. I thanked my lucky stars that Bodo had taught me the basics of sitting and riding into the contact.

I was even more grateful that I knew how use the Schultheis saddle—aka Stubben Tristan Extra—and that I was comfortable in it. For riders who are used to using knee rolls, the conversion to a Schultheis saddle can be shocking. But I had learned to sit in that saddle—I had always ridden in it—and back then I didn’t even know that it was considered special. I just was proud that I could sit on that horse so easily and handle the level of impulsion that Schultheis pushed us to.

After 20 minutes Mr. Schultheis said, “Stop. Walk now.” I did, and eventually his rider got off my horse and took the other one away.

Mr. Schultheis patted my mare on the neck. “Good horse.” Then he pointed at me. “You have a good body for riding. How many kilos do you have?” I said, “65 kilos.” He said, “Me too. It is ideal for a rider. Lighter is no good. Do you want to train here with me?”

I said, “Oh yes.”

But oddly, that angry look reappeared—the one that had crossed his face when he caught me riding up his lane. It was intimidating. He said: “The stable is full. I have no place for you.”

I didn’t flinch. Somehow this seemed like a final test to me. Besides, I had sat the trot for Willi Schultheis. Nothing could disappoint me now. I looked him in the eye and I said, “Mr. Schultheis. I cannot stay where I am. If you cannot take me here, could you please call Rudolf Zeilinger and ask him if he has a place for me? Or could you tell me another place to go?”

He looked me straight back in the eye, still very intent. “Come back tomorrow at 2 o’clock. Come to the house.”

I got back on Traviata, he threw the cooler over her back, tucked it under my knees, gave me that Cheshire Cat grin and sent me on my way.

Well, Rita, I was very still that night. I was elated that I had ridden in front of Willi Schultheis and not made a complete fool out of myself. But that elation did not keep me from thinking seriously about my future. I wanted to learn. I wanted to train Grand Prix horses. I wanted to do it right. Was I even good enough? Would I find someone to take me under their wing? I knew that something would change the next day, but I didn’t know what. My fate was out of my hands. I slept until the early grey of morning.

I could hardly concentrate on my riding the next day, even though my trainer was back in town and doing his best to get me to ride my horses “durch Genick.” I just wanted to keep their necks up, ride sitting trot and enjoy the beautiful swing of their gaits.

He asked one of the other riders, “Was hat Katrin heute?” I heard the rider reply that there was nothing wrong with me, but that I had been over to Schultheis’ stable to watch the training while he had been away.

Ah ha. I saw comprehension dawn on his face. He didn’t say anything more to me that day, but sometimes I saw him watching.

At 2 o’clock sharp, I entered the front gate at the Schultheis Stable and went straight to the house. I rang the bell. Nothing happened. I was afraid to ring again. I went into the stable. It was empty. One to 3 o’clock in the afternoon is traditionally quiet time in a German stable. Lunch is served, naps are taken—both for equine and human. So I went back to the house and rang the bell again.

This time Mr. Schultheis appeared at the door. He had bed head. He did not invite me in, and he remained standing in the doorway. He said, “I kicked two people out of my stable. I sent the horses home. Come with your horses tomorrow.” His eyes twinkled. Then he closed the door.

That, dear Rita, is the unbelievable story of how I came to train with Willi Schultheis. But there is more—two years more of incredible learning, great riding and beautiful stories. Stay tuned…

I’m Catherine Haddad, and I’m sayin it like it is from Vechta, Germany.

Training Tip of the Day: Does your seat enhance the natural motion of your horse’s back or does it interfere with the motion?

http://internationaldressage.com/