Carl Hester: How to keep horses happy.

You know my first career was eventing. We where always asked for the way we ride dressage. The horses learn things in two days and then we go hacking or they have a day off. We are never in a school situation for more than two days. So the horses are always very relaxed. We are very relaxed, working hard and finally when are running your own live, find your own place – it’s just like heaven.

In England it’s obviously also a place of relaxed lifestyle for horses. Because the can have 10 month a year on the air. Somebody laughs about the weather in England but generally the horses can go out every day. I live in Gloucestershire which is the biggest horse county in England. Lots of fields, lots of health, lots of hacking. It’s really an easy place to keep horses.

Success breeds success

Valegro will do the World Cup again this winter. He is lucky because he is a Champion. Our job is to keep him happy, not do too much. Dressage has become very populare. It’s a sport that taken a long time to people to be understand. Success breeds success. It really is a new sport in England, it’s new energy. Charlotte is young and attractive. That’s inspiration for young people.

I never underate Charlotte’s talent. I mean, she is working hard, but she has got a gift. She can transform a horse like this (– Carl shows a chilling out movement). She can put all horses balanced so they can start moving that beautifully. She is very good with putting suspension in her horses – that’s the gift she got.

Not all roses and chocolats and sugar. I mean we work hard. When we are in the season we are hacking twice a week, cantering twice a week. So I want to keep them fit like an event horse but look like a dressage horse.

Charotte loves the clinics. I like staying at home, I have done so much. I love to be with my house, my birds, my arena, my dogs. We are very good together. When we are riding it’s perfect.

Das Gespräch mit Carl Hester fand im Sommer 2015 statt.