Table of contents for Dressage Today Extra Volume 23 in Practical Horseman

Germany’s Johann Hinnemann offered attendees of the 2018 Adequan® U.S. Dressage Federatioin FEI Trainers Conference in Del Mar, California, a glimpse into his training philosophies. With Steffen Peters and Kathleen Raine among the demo riders and Christine Traurig as Hinnemann’s assistant and translator, the event had a family feel. The rest of the demo riders and the mostly upper-level trainers watching and participating in post-ride discussions got a two-day immersion in Hinnemann’s methods. A former coach of the German, Dutch and Canadian teams, the German Reitmeister is a sought-after instructor and continues to ride, breed and develop young horses in Germany and California. “Submission is the most important goal in every stage of training,” Hinnemann began at the Feb. 6–7 conference held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. “A supple horse…

Germany’s Johann Hinnemann is not a fan of a few new-fangled things in the sport. Short girths and saddle blocks that lock the rider into place are among them. Of short girths, he questioned how it’s possible to maintain the saddle’s centered position on the horse’s back when the rider must lean over so far to adjust it. During his riding demonstration, he summoned help from the ground to adjust his horse’s girth. Hinnemann said he loves his own Passier saddle that “was invented just after the First World War.” He wondered aloud, “Is it possible to buy a normal saddle anymore?” By “normal,” he meant a saddle that allows the rider enough room to move as needed to get and maintain his balance, rather than be “just stuck in…