Hans Heinrich is a household name in Germany when it comes to the training of young riders and young horses. If you go to any of warmup arena at the big shows like the Bundeschampionate, Hans Heinrich is everywhere, warming up and preparing many combinations.

The German has been the director of the Hoya National Riding School since 1986 and in 2001 he became the national dressage coach first for the Junior and later the Young Riders. His responsibilities also include training the auction horses for the Hanoverian Verband and heading the licensing commission.

In this podcast, Hans Heinrich talks about the improvement in rider fitness over recent years and the importance of concentration and patience for the rider. The importance of downtime and the reason it’s necessary for the concentrated work needed to coach well. The problem of not training a horse from the lower levels up. Being self motivated and knowing what your dream really is. And….do the basics ever change?