Hubertus Hufendiek with Samantha Belsham on Dolcetto II and Zoie Gray on Stoneylea  Furstin Leila in Te Awamutu this week.

Dressage officials are increasingly coming under pressure to put horse welfare at the forefront of the discipline, according to visiting German coach Hubertus Hufendiek.

Trainer of many horses and riders to Grand Prix level, Hubertus is midway through a series of clinics in New Zealand before he heads home in time for Christmas.

“Trainers, judges, stewards, we are all under a lot more pressure. But it’s also good, you know, because things like having a noseband that is too tight or too loose is never good for the horse’s welfare.   Or presenting a horse at the show that is maybe not ready to go there yet,  everybody should really think about if it’s a good thing to do,” he says.

This comes at a time when equestrians are increasingly being scrutinised on social media, where short videos can be shared – often out of context – posing a threat to the sport’s social licence to operate.

“Internationally, what we all have to be aware of is that our sport doesn’t get represented in the negative way, especially in Europe.” 

But more than that, he says that it’s about keeping horses happy. 

“It is definitely good that the FEI have put more importance on horse welfare, and to see that federations such as Equestrian Sports New Zealand are following their lead.”

Hubertus has visited New Zealand multiple times over the last 20 years and says he is pleased with the calibre of training he is seeing on his latest trip.

“When I came here for the first trips, it was very often that you could see horses trying their hardest to do all the tricks without really having any good basics.  Trying to improve the quality of the basic trot and canter for an international level is absolutely necessary if you want to achieve something.”

“You work on that and then try to improve.  It’s really good to see, now, how it’s making a lot of difference.”

“Also, the quality of horses that you have in New Zealand has really improved. Bringing in frozen semen from Europe has definitely made a positive change here,” he says.

Hubertus is visiting six centres throughout the country and his visit is being co-ordinated by Andrea Raves.

So far, he has worked with riders in Palmerston North, Blenheim, Christchurch and Dunedin, and is looking forward to working with top riders in Hamilton and Auckland.

He was delighted to catch up with Melissa Galloway while in Marlborough recently.

“I hadn’t seen Melissa since she was at my place for a while when she was young.   I’ve followed her, as we were all interested in seeing how she does.  I think you can all be very proud of what she’s achieved as she’s done an amazing job,” says Hubertus.

NZL-Melissa Galloway rides Windermere J’Obei W during the for the Dressage Individual Grand Prix Qualifier. Equestrian Dressage. Paris 2024 Olympic Games | Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. Wednesday 31 July. Copyright Photo: Libby Law Photography

Melissa’s lovely chestnut Olympic Games mount Windermere J’Obei W (Joey) was sold to a rider in Germany after the event with a little assistance from Hubertus.

“I helped them to find somebody, so that worked well, and the horse is going very well with the new rider,” he says.

Currently at Christine Weal’s property in Te Awamutu, Hubertus moves on to Auckland in the next few days, before returning to his home in Westphalia, near Hanover, in time for a Northern Hemisphere Christmas.

Background

Hubertus started riding at 11 years of age. From 1999, he trained regularly with Team Olympic Champion Hubertus Schmidt, considered by many as one of the most successful dressage trainers of our times.

At age 17, he was awarded the Gold Badge of the German Equestrian Federation for winning 10 PSG tests. He also had several Grand Prix successes at this stage.

In 2004, he started work as a Bereiter (a certified horse trainer/rider with advanced training and exams through the German Equestrian Federation) at the Olympic Dressage Stables of Max Theurer in Austria, and from 2005, he worked and trained full-time with Hubertus Schmidt. 

At the end of 2010, he passed his professional Riding Instructor Master’s degree with distinction and started his own Equestrian Training Establishment in Bad Salzuflen followed by founding the business of “H&H Sport Horses” together with his partner Anne Lene Holmen.