Day 7: Anabel and Klaus Balkenhol

Today we traveled to the farm of Klaus and Anabel Balkenhol, to observe them training their horses. Unfortunately, Klaus had left to travel out of town this morning, so we did not get to meet him; however, it was wonderful to spend time learning from his daughter, Anabel. It was fun to talk to Anabel after having seeing her show in Verden the day before. As we drove down their driveway, I was instantly in love with the charm of the stable itself. The barns were large and brick, with dutch windows and arched doors. There were endless flowerbeds surrounding the buildings, along with vines that covered the brick walls. We were greeted by Anabel when we drove in, and then we followed her to the outdoor where she climbed on a big, beautiful Hanoverian mare.

The Stable of Anabel and Klaus Balkenhol

The Hanoverian mare was six years old and was partially owned by the Hanoverian society. She was purchased two years ago from the Verden auction. As we watched Anabel ride the mare, it was obvious that tempo changes are a major part of their training system. I never saw Anabel ride a long side where she didn't ask the mare to do some kind of tempo change, either going more forward or bringing her back and asking for more collection. The same was true in the canter. I also noticed that bending lines were a big part of their program, which seemed to help make the horse more supple. In addition to watching Anabel work the mare, we also got to see Guenter Seidel and David Blake school their horses. It was a bonus to travel to the farm and see two top American riders schooling in the ring, too!

We watched Anabel work a few other horses, and then observed her teach a lesson. I enjoyed listening to the lesson, and wrote down a few notes I thought were important. She explained in the lesson that a horse should never trot around in the same tempo all the time. The horse needs to be made active, but activity does not come from just riding the horse faster. Instead, the horse should be slowed down and activated by driving the hind legs more under the body. Another major point I thought was important to remember is that the horse must react to the leg and then be left alone so that the horse carries the rider. The rider should not have to aid every stride in order to keep the horse going.

Anabel schooling the passage

After we spent a few hours at the Balkenhol's stable, Anabel invited us all out to lunch with her and her mom. We had a delicious lunch at a local cafe, which gave us the opportunity to ask her questions about horse care, training, and showing.

Hannah Pierucci, Molly Eastridge, and me visiting with Dablino

In the afternoon, we once again returned to the Balkenhol's stable to tour around the barns and property, and to watch her ride a couple more horses. We learned that most of the horses above four years old do not get turnout in order to prevent injury, and most of the horses are ridden twice a day. We also got to meet Dablino, Anabel's top Grand Prix horse. He was the sweetest horse, and definitely appreciated the sugar cubes we fed him!

The young riders, the chaperones, and Anabel

Our day ended with a dinner out with Anabel, US rider David Blake, Guenter Seidel's groom, and Anabel's working student. It was a fun dinner full of lots of laughs. It was great to spend an entire day with Anabel, both at the barn and outside of the barn. She is an incredibly kind person, and seemed very happy that we spent the day at their farm. In all, it was a fantastic day in Germany with great people and beautiful horses!