#109 The Secrets to Success with Olympian Jessica von Bredow-Werndl

00:00:01: In this episode, we're airing a special classic episode with Olympic dressage rider

00:00:07: Jessica von Bredow-Vernel.

00:00:31: Welcome to the Equestrian Connection podcast from WeHorse.

00:00:35: My name is Danielle Kroll and I'm usually your host, but we're airing something a little different this week.

00:00:40: Shortly before WeHorst trainer Jessica von Bredow-Vernel won the World Cup Freestyle in Germany with a sensational score of eighty nine point six four.

00:00:49: back in twenty twenty she appeared as a guest on The WeHorses Podcasts With WeHore CEO Christian Krober.

00:00:56: In this classic and translated episode, the personable dressage rider from Germany discusses a secret to her success.

00:01:04: Her journey to top level of sport AND training philosophy that enables her to have her horses in peak fitness and motivation exactly when it counts!

00:01:15: You'll hear the crucial piece of advice an athlete gave her and how she managed fast-tracked the journey of KWPN stallion uni and how she managed to win this special horse over.

00:01:29: So again, This is a translated episode from The Wee Horse podcast originally aired in twenty-twenty but it's still just as good today.

00:01:36: enjoy

00:01:37: every now And then we replay classics for you From our we host podcast evidence locker.

00:01:42: so Today we have a conversation that I personally remember extremely fondly namely Back when we recorded the podcast, I can still remember it very well.

00:01:53: she wasn't an Olympic champion yet.

00:01:56: It was in the year twenty-twenty –it But it is still a highly interesting conversation.

00:02:09: Above all, It's also a timeless conversation that I am having with her and That Is why we would like to recommend this podcast classic The We Host Classic With Jessica von Bredow-Wendel To you once again Enjoy!

00:02:35: Why are you a dressage rider?

00:02:36: Yes, that's a good question.

00:02:38: I was absolutely crazy about animals even as a small child!

00:02:41: When i was four my whole bedroom was already full of pictures of animals and My aunt used to breed leveza ponies back then.

00:02:48: And thats how we got into riding in the first place.

00:02:51: We were then allowed by brother & I To take riding lessons there once a week on school horses And for me, it was immediately clear that this horse virus had completely taken hold of me.

00:03:01: But then off course doesn't mean you stick with it and For us It just really turned out That way even though we were doing two things at once.

00:03:07: for a while.

00:03:08: I Was also a ski racer?

00:03:09: And my brother was too.

00:03:10: You are not far from the Alps after all.

00:03:13: exactly

00:03:13: Obenhausen is between Munich and Rosenheim

00:03:16: More between Munich and Salzburg, so really close to the Austrian mountains.

00:03:20: You're practically a ski racer by birth there aren't you?

00:03:22: Our mom also raced in ski competitions.

00:03:24: She competed at the European Cup as a ski instructor herself.

00:03:27: And were you then on a bit of crossroads trying to decide if going out riding or perhaps heading off for some skiing?

00:03:33: Yes it was like that.

00:03:35: We sometimes picked up from school very often In winter Even ate in car.

00:03:39: Then went to Slalompole training As we call it drove to mountain and train then drove home.

00:03:44: Everyone still rode their pony And at some point there was still homework to do before we fell into bed, dead tired.

00:03:50: When were in high school it's already clear that is really difficult to juggle all of this.

00:03:55: Yes thats not possible.

00:03:56: and then decided on horse riding.

00:03:58: I mean for me its wasn't a difficult decision but having make the decisions isn't exactly cool because we also enjoyed skiing.

00:04:07: But you as family didn't have anything with horses?

00:04:10: Nothing.

00:04:11: We are not a horse-riding family at all.

00:04:13: Only our aunt bred Leversow ponies and that's how we got into riding, but my dad had an office furniture company And used to be a passionate sailor.

00:04:20: something

00:04:21: completely different again Something

00:04:22: completely different and was very successful at it too and mom She always preferred to ride as a child But was supposed to head to ski and wasn't allowed to

00:04:31: weren't really allowed To.

00:04:32: she

00:04:33: was allowed to sometimes but she wasn't allow to fully pursue her passion.

00:04:36: And now she's living out her dream from back then through us, and that is obviously great.

00:04:40: And why did it become Dressage?

00:04:42: You could have been a show jumper too or gone in completely different directions.

00:04:45: Well dressage was always the foundation for everything!

00:04:48: And Benny he used to do all of this with me no matter what we...

00:04:51: Your brother Benjamin Exactly

00:04:52: my brother I had to add.

00:04:54: He wanted to jump but the foundation is dressage and he has pretty cool pony de Capo which made it appealing enough for him to stick with dressage.

00:05:04: And I have always enjoyed jumping with the horse.

00:05:07: But

00:05:26: then, in a way running on two tracks doing the whole thing together with your brother is really something special.

00:05:31: Yes

00:05:31: that's wild!

00:05:32: Looking back it's also really unusual I would say and we naturally got on each other's nerves from time to time i think no matter what we did together.

00:05:39: just normal like brother and sister.

00:05:41: so

00:05:41: The usual sibling love

00:05:42: quite normal.

00:05:43: but I have to say the older We get the easier It becomes and the nicer it gets And the more grateful we both are That we have each Other?

00:05:56: So it's really cool how that has developed.

00:05:58: The perfect symbiosis now, so to speak?

00:05:59: Yes!

00:06:00: And were there also a few happy coincidences?

00:06:02: because its not inevitable you know... ...to slip into this top level sport.

00:06:06: It takes a bit of luck here and there too.

00:06:08: Did that happen along the way or was it always?

00:06:16: So it was just always this slight competition between us, the two of which however never turned negative.

00:06:34: I can't remember a single day in our lives where we had real competition.

00:06:38: so there's something stimulating and that is negative... It was positive!

00:06:43: And when we said to do this professionally that doesn't exist but after all very successful during our junior and young rider years We didn't go buy ourselves expensive horses.

00:06:54: We learned with the horses from an early age, always only bought young horses and then trained them together.

00:06:59: With our trainer at that time Stefan Minch And in hindsight That's really good because we've simply always taken this long journey with a horse to get there.

00:07:11: And during that time as a junior and young rider, the feeling definitely solidified in me.

00:07:16: I don't know if i can say the same for my brother but for me That would really love to do this professionally.

00:07:22: But then there also came a time after that Junior & Young Rider period Where we were very successful where We simply had no success at all For five or six years.

00:07:31: Huge dry spell!

00:07:32: We didn't have the horses At the right time To be able build on our successes To build them for adult years For senior year And then from twenty one to twenty six, we maybe had a small success here and there.

00:07:44: Like qualifying for the Nürnberger Bergpokal final or once.

00:07:48: I qualified for the World Championships Qualified Young Horses but that was it!

00:07:53: It's also fun and also sacrificing your life a bit for it To go in that direction right?

00:07:59: Well...it wasn't even The World Championships.

00:08:01: I qualified young horses For the Bundeschampionade.

00:08:03: But other than that There is nothing.

00:08:05: We were quite spoiled by success From our time as young riders.

00:08:08: And when you have absolutely no success for five or six years after that, Benny and I were studying on the side.

00:08:34: as a nutrition coach after my studies, and I was just chronically unsuccessful or so it felt at the time.

00:08:43: And you really do ask yourself if its all worth it?

00:08:46: Honestly i also had huge self-doubts... ...I didn't know if I could come anywhere close to what I achieved now that Im in the senior category.

00:08:58: Luckily then I ended up with very cool coach.

00:09:02: Someone set up an appointment for me who apparently is a very good athlete um Tobias Angra whom I didn't know well but whom i met at an event and just

00:09:11: from my life.

00:09:12: Yes exactly,

00:09:13: whom I met in the event And he then told me about The Coach.

00:09:16: said go there sometime.

00:09:17: ,I think that would be good for you.

00:09:18: So mental coach more like A Life Coach?

00:09:20: yes

00:09:20: it's More of A Life Coach Who Just Asks You The Right Questions.

00:09:24: Then He Asked Me The Right Question.

00:09:26: It then became pretty clear to me quite quickly that I absolutely wanted to ride.

00:09:30: So it was like a windshield wiper, that i turned on once and could see clearly again...

00:09:33: It was an eye-opener!

00:09:34: That

00:09:35: was really great.

00:09:36: so um..I am also very very grateful that everything fell into place like that back.

00:09:41: Then I was twenty six And I just told myself okay?

00:09:43: I have my vocational training now I have My degree I Have my high school diploma I have Everything I need.

00:09:48: I already have professional experience.

00:09:50: Now I'm Just going full throttle until I'm thirty And at twenty-eight I think i was in the A squad.

00:09:57: So,

00:09:58: At twenty six making a decision to really say okay... ...I'm giving myself four years now.

00:10:02: either it takes off.. ..in quotation marks or just do gym?

00:10:06: Or run the gym.

00:10:07: and that's nice life too!

00:10:09: It is not necessarily.

00:10:10: there isn't only black & white.

00:10:12: There are many different.

00:10:13: lives can be beautiful but I am so glad decided on this life after all and find incredibly exciting.

00:10:19: Now when observing you guys mental training is big topic generally the topic of coaching which we mentioned as well.

00:10:25: Does that come from the phase of life you were in, where you had to make a decision or was it already there before?

00:10:32: Always for a long time.

00:10:33: I wrote my specialised paper on mental training back at school because i simply experienced this first hand In my first junior year ,I was completely surprisingly second at the prize de besten and that is the first selection event for the European Championship.

00:10:48: And then I wrote in this second Selection Event, i don't even remember where it was back then... ...and naturally had a huge chance to qualify for the Euro team!

00:10:57: But I was so nervous I couldn't get anything together.. ..and went off course twice!

00:11:00: How old were you?

00:11:01: Fifteen?!

00:11:02: I went of course twice and ended up twelfth out-of-twelve!

00:11:05: That's when I knew oh shit!

00:11:06: Damn super

00:11:07: optimal!!

00:11:08: I think

00:11:08: there's something to be done here In that area, North I went.

00:11:11: That's when I really started focusing on preparing myself better, using rituals and routines for competition.

00:11:17: Is that something where you also feel like you were ahead of your time?

00:11:20: Because especially in equestrian sports... ...that is a topic coming up more now.

00:11:24: Mental training-I think it was the general societal thing but.. ..when they're fifteen years old completely utopian people are dealing with themselves right?

00:11:33: Top athletes have always done this!

00:11:35: Because I don't think maybe there weren't that many junior top athletes.

00:11:39: Maybe we were quite early on that, but even though it is now a more public topic... ...but I believe peak performance in top level sports.

00:11:46: everyone deals with mental strength in their own way.

00:11:49: Now its perhaps the most well founded knowledge that's easily accessible and there are more coaches than mental coaches today.

00:11:57: But back then many people surely already did that.

00:12:00: where do they engage?

00:12:02: Where does the equestrian addition come from?

00:12:04: So, on one hand the mental aspect but it's also about equestrian training.

00:12:08: How did you develop the philosophy that is now for example... Also being shown really publicly with The Training Evening at Equitana by Breddo Verndl which is on We Horse?

00:12:18: Where did that inspiration come from on the equestrion side?

00:12:22: We have been inspired since our first day on horses.

00:12:25: So it's really a combination of all the things that we like, the best I would say!

00:12:49: then it's simply about the perfect seat and this very precise riding.

00:12:53: And he really taught us that wonderfully, we were also always lucky enough to go great clinics such as with Hubertus Schmidt for example when we also trained with Udo a long time.

00:13:02: We were allowed to train with Isabel in five years But that was after a while, the time when I also became quite insecure because i realized... ...I couldn't just copy her.

00:13:15: She is so unique and special in how she works with horses!

00:13:19: And somehow when finally decided to take the leap out for myself after all this time.. ..I unexpectedly discovered a clear path forward working closely together with Benny.

00:13:29: Honestly it's incredibly rewarding an eye-opening to see everything has come together in such meaningful way.

00:13:35: We somehow had the feeling of picking out the best-of everything, so to speak.

00:13:39: Somehow found our own way of working with horses but also living.

00:13:42: it was very important for us that the horses get into their pasture and this is how a fundamental principle came about because we said simply want to work.

00:13:52: happy horses then happy horses are horses who above all go in the pasture.

00:13:59: That's when we started following through all the top horses like Une back then out to pasture and everyone.

00:14:06: we just put them out on the pasture as well.

00:14:08: That was also the beginning of our own training time for the first time so that After we were allowed to learn from so many professional great trainers, and even today in the future.

00:14:21: We will never stop learning.

00:14:23: but looking back that was really The beginning of something entirely new for us.

00:14:27: And then you know it's your top horse with whom?

00:14:28: You've been broken into the world elite.

00:14:30: That was the game changer right.

00:14:32: yes Yes I don't know if anyone thought It Was possible In retrospect.

00:14:36: Many people tell me they Never Thought it was possible that i could make it With unei But i only had him and i imagined So much that he simply that this is it and I could make with him, he also grew beyond himself for me.

00:14:48: Totally grew beyond myself!

00:14:50: That's a great feeling when you have the feeling of being happy and absolutely want to do everything right for yourself.

00:14:56: And yes...that makes my proud in retrospect.

00:14:59: But I must add that Johnny Hillbirth back then

00:15:01: The national coach at the time, still a National Coach today He

00:15:04: wasn't the national coach yet when he started To be our training partner or rather to be trainer also in big tournaments When i was about twenty six.

00:15:12: That's what this real independence is for the first times of my life.

00:15:16: Is Yinei for you?

00:15:17: Also something like your horse-of-the-heart Your career will hopefully last many more years.

00:15:22: You are right in middle.

00:15:24: Can one already say that Uene was such an incredibly important building block on this path?

00:15:29: Yes, definitely.

00:15:30: Although I have to say every horse that has accompanied me so far is a very important building-block... ...I've learned so incredibly much from all the horses!

00:15:37: Uene from him probably learnt them most consciously.

00:15:41: So it's just such a conscious independent questioning.

00:15:44: Also honestly for first time in my life i took over a horse who knew how do things.

00:15:50: He had already been shown in tournaments up to Inter too, he basically knew all the tricks.

00:15:55: And that is different from when I train a horse myself and develop a language together with it.

00:16:00: It's always something different and special.

00:16:01: Yes!

00:16:02: Aboveall i first have learned how speak his language before we could develop common languages.

00:16:07: also get him on my side first.

00:16:09: I think, i mean...I want to win over every horse but stallions they don't immediately commit you.

00:16:19: That's what it felt like for me and I just tried make his life so incredibly as very possible that he would become curious about me.

00:16:28: For example He wasn't the most diligent back then, which I can't say about him at all anymore today.

00:16:34: he has a lot of power now too but i just did piaf work with in forest for example

00:16:42: and always keeping them occupied Exactly!

00:16:44: And riding without saddle Yes yes..i came up with something.

00:16:48: So Piafing In The Forest?

00:16:49: What else Did You Do?

00:16:50: I don't know...I tried to make every day different.

00:16:52: I mean....he naturally has his feeding routines & his paddock routine and I don't know, Aquatraner, Treadmill.

00:16:58: Those routines are there.

00:16:59: but when i rode him it was always a bit different for example going for a ride beforehand then working or just the racetrack Or just in the woods And suddenly galloping In the woods doing piafs or pirouettes if space allows It!

00:17:11: The next day I rode without a saddle.

00:17:13: On the third day... ...I did different sequences.

00:17:16: So that's all

00:17:17: simply the variety.

00:17:18: I tried to introduce Variety.

00:17:21: He found it super exciting.

00:17:23: Then he wanted more and with that came the strength he had to be able to carry better.

00:17:29: And then everything somehow became easier for him, but it did take a while until we really grew together.

00:17:34: You just said past your time for every horse.

00:17:36: What else do you place importance on?

00:17:38: Speaking generally of all horses now Well

00:17:40: We want them doing well.

00:17:41: I always say its like huge mosaic.

00:17:44: All little pieces have fit together and one such piece can be physiotherapy, the perfect saddle making sure it's really good for the horse that the bits fit.

00:17:54: I don't know... It is just about trying to remove all of obstacles which could prevent a horse from moving well or feeling comfortable.

00:17:59: That also includes us as riders with our fitness.

00:18:02: We are simply athletic too so we do not block horses in their movements.

00:18:07: So i try look at matter on both sides so they make life easy.

00:18:13: And I make it so much easier for the horse by optimizing everything.

00:18:17: From their daily feeding to the farrier, To fit of the saddle and even my own personal fitness... ...to ensure we are both performing at our very

00:18:24: best.".

00:18:24: That is a very modern approach one has to say But

00:18:27: i keep learning more all-the time.

00:18:28: So The Approach Of Removing All Obstacles Is By The Way Also How All The Big Internet Corporations Do It.

00:18:33: Scrum Is Such A Buzzword That People Often Throw Around.

00:18:36: The Scrum Revolution Which Is Reaching Many Corporations And Many Large Companies Is Exactly About This Topic.

00:18:43: How do I manage to clear away all obstacles so that one can reach their full potential?

00:18:47: That is the way, isn't

00:18:53: it.

00:19:07: You have to be really careful there.

00:19:09: So what still counts the most is really good riding and simply listening to your gut feeling, And I'm a total gut-feeling person anyway... ...and i just try to feel my way into it.. Into the horses and see if they are doing well!

00:19:21: And yet.... ..I've got great people around me who support me.

00:19:25: Just make sure that the saddle fits The feed is good That we also ensure that the horse isn't restricted in its capabilities from whatever side And that is very, very important I think.

00:19:38: What role does success play in that?

00:19:40: That's a good question!

00:19:41: Well i do believe that success spurs you on but at the same time when I also have failure and it just as much part of it as success... ...I fortunately always realise quickly that this isn't why I'm doing it.

00:19:53: so the reason for me to do sport now.. ..is because I really believe the daily work with horses makes me happy.

00:20:01: So thats why to come back to my first question what fascinates me about this?

00:20:05: sport and that is simply this non-verbal communication with an animal when you manage to then dance with the horses based on these finest aids.

00:20:13: And even as a eight year old girl I already said, ''I want learn how to dance with

00:20:17: horses.''.

00:20:18: That's still why my child in me today says it every day.

00:20:21: It just gives so much joy for dancing or working with them.

00:20:27: The most beautiful success are those in daily training When i teach young horse a new trick and they have understood it.

00:20:35: That is just cool!

00:20:36: Do you also do like groundwork or circus tricks here in there?

00:20:39: Yes, I do that too.

00:20:40: Not that much, because it's a bit difficult time-wise.

00:20:42: But with Zaire for example I did that whole lot also at tournaments.

00:20:47: so she...

00:20:47: At tournaments too?

00:20:48: Yes

00:20:48: but not with circus tricks but rather with leading and parking and letting them stand.

00:20:52: So

00:20:53: just groundwork Like

00:20:54: the little things in the stable tent you can practice

00:20:57: And also on the arena.

00:20:58: yes Simply so.

00:20:59: she engages me She focuses on me and builds trust.

00:21:02: Now i notice this helps her to relax now and enjoy it so much.

00:21:07: The

00:21:08: golden ribbon is then of this overall work.

00:21:11: It would be a lie if I said that i don't enjoy winning and being successful, thats cool!

00:21:29: It continues with the same daily routines.

00:21:32: And that is so beautiful, but also part of it!

00:21:35: So for example I once had a huge success with Erne where i was very narrowly second behind Isabel That's five years ago and she won the breakthrough for Weigold in Amsterdam... ...and i was really narrowly back behind her with eighty two percent back then Then felt so wild Felt crazy awesome!

00:21:53: That was my best freestyle back there In such an awesome result.

00:21:57: Two hours later im sitting on this plane and its all gone except that I still have a smile on my face.

00:22:02: But nobody cares anyway, but it has... In

00:22:04: the end?

00:22:04: A few hours later i'm already burnt out in quotation marks Am I...?

00:22:08: Yes

00:22:08: exactly!

00:22:08: ...but still I am happy and also a bit proud That I managed to do that And Proud of Wenne that he did It with me.. ..But that is not The reason why I Do it And I realized that too When I didn't qualify for Rio.

00:22:18: It was so close Because if you had asked Me three months before Are You gonna be there?

00:22:22: Then I would have said, ninety percent yes.

00:22:24: And then Cosmo and Showtime came along with Sonka & Doroh like a phoenix from the ashes passed me by... ...and i simply wasn't in Rio!

00:22:31: I was number four on the world at that time while Rio is taking place.. ..And I just wasn't at the Olympic

00:22:36: Games!!

00:22:36: That hurt first because it's just huge dream to ride in the

00:22:39: Olympics!!!

00:22:40: That is my dream again this year and want make it again.

00:22:43: Yet despite initial disappointment.... ....I was fortunately able realize very quickly that absolutely nothing in life had changed.

00:22:50: But still get do what love every single day and that is what I try to reflect on every day as well, but i am simply grateful for what I get to do.

00:22:57: And not always just chasing from one success to the next defining myself by that... That's Not Who I Am!

00:23:02: If you look at top-level sports now we are here in Neumünster a World Cup Station On The Way To The Final In Las Vegas You Are Also Competing.

00:23:11: if you Look At The Field Of Competitors Not Just Here But also At Many Big Tournaments You Can See There Is An Extreme Amount of Money In The Sport.

00:23:19: So there are also riders who buy horses with a lot of patronage behind them.

00:23:23: How important is money nowadays to get where you are now?

00:23:26: I am very fortunate, really have partners by my side that provide me with horses for example Mrs Birkler Keller from whom i'm allowed ride some great horses back then and also Ferdinand.

00:23:40: It is important to have partners, I can't say money but partners who entrust you with horses that In the meantime, we are also earning our living with it.

00:23:56: It's not prize money because that would be a lot of pressure.

00:23:59: if you said yes and have families but don't want to chase from one tournament until next as many show jumpers do

00:24:07: Then go out every weekend... That

00:24:09: is not life I imagined for myself!

00:24:12: I wanted my little mom there too And right now he still comes along.

00:24:16: He isn't in school yet But that works wonderfully.

00:24:21: money naturally plays a role because we also use it to finance our livelihood.

00:24:25: So Benny and I took over this facility, And he

00:24:47: says, He is always confronted by people who say well in other sports tennis soccer whatever it is possible to go from zero To one hundred.

00:24:55: do you think that?

00:24:56: Is generally still possible in equestrian sports at the moment to break into top-level Sports?

00:25:00: if you just say I'm a pony rider From xy and i'm starting now.

00:25:03: It is possible.

00:25:04: I Always say it is always worth fighting for your goals and If I hadn't had my own facility I would have applied to The best riders In the world and started as a groom.

00:25:13: I would have watched, listened like a little mouse and tried to learn something by watching.

00:25:19: And used every opportunity.

00:25:21: maybe get on the horse there!

00:25:23: If you are truly passionate about something then money.

00:25:26: but of course sports where it is easier because not as financially demanding to hold a tennis racket or keep a horse if your own horse But clearly its possible?

00:25:37: It's not easy in

00:25:40: other sport.

00:25:41: But generally, would you say that with a lot of hard work and dedication everything is still possible?

00:25:46: Because it's very important message I believe too.

00:25:53: And Charlotte Dujardin, for example is an example of that.

00:26:04: She worked there I think as a temp or something for Karl Hester and i think she groomed more than she wrote... ...and he eventually discovered her talent!

00:26:11: And she was probably very hard working...

00:26:13: An outsider?

00:26:14: What are your personal goals?

00:26:15: As a person or as athlete?

00:26:17: Both You're mother you have son Moritz.. ..you live in Albenhausen on your facility….

00:26:21: …you train the horses but you have personal and sporting goals.

00:26:25: Where's journey heading if look five years into future?

00:26:28: Well Athletic goals just to continue where I started

00:26:32: and to fly to an Asian country later this year.

00:26:34: The funny thing is my son always says when i ask him Where we are flying?

00:26:37: To he, always says Tokyo because i told Him about it once that i would like to fly there.

00:26:41: This yeah And whether He's coming with me and he Always Says We Are Flying to Tokyo That Is Of Course A Huge Childhood Dream.

00:26:48: Olympics Have?

00:26:49: I was already allowed to be at the world championships and European Championships.

00:26:53: But, The Olympics somehow have an even more intense... Is

00:26:56: the Olympic flair in the end?

00:26:57: ...I

00:26:57: don't know.

00:26:57: it's just all the disciplines together.

00:26:59: That is totally wild!

00:27:00: European Championships And World Championships that's just the disciplines.

00:27:04: Just equestrian sports but this olympics..that is really something else.

00:27:08: ..and i am really looking forward To It.

00:27:10: .But Even There its just important now ,That I stay true to myself and give my best every single day !And there's nothing More To It Than I Can't Do Anymore Than That.

00:27:19: And then I hope that it works out this year.

00:27:20: Yes, That would of course be a great goal!

00:27:22: We are offcourse keeping our fingers crossed.

00:27:25: and dear Jesse at the end Of every WeHouse podcast we naturally have The four classic WeHous questions.

00:27:31: before i let you go again...

00:27:32: I don't even know them yet..

00:27:33: Yes thats not bad at all but You will able to answer them very well.

00:27:37: Question number one Do you Have A motto you live by?

00:27:39: Do what

00:27:40: u love or Love What U

00:27:41: do??

00:27:41: You can say both.

00:27:42: Soi dont have such a concrete motto But I love what I DO And that is also not always the prerequisite for it.

00:27:49: So if you do what you love, then everything you do is not work and my work is of course... You don't need that now either sugarcoated.

00:27:56: It's also exhausting every day to take care of all the cases.

00:27:59: but when you do up with dedication and Love Then it just fulfills you so much?

00:28:03: I try to give dedication and love To What i Do as well.

00:28:06: very good question number two Is there a person who has particularly influenced you perhaps Also With regard to horses?

00:28:12: yes those are The people i mentioned earlier.

00:28:14: Those are my instructors.

00:28:16: Already, my first riding instructor Paul Elzenbaumer who is still with us... ...who's at our facility every day at eight years old

00:28:23: Can he believe what has happened since then?

00:28:25: No and also there for the first time in Aachen last year And really wants to come back this year.

00:28:30: That makes me incredibly happy because he naturally somehow sowed the seeds Because we managed get involved with such enthusiasm.

00:28:36: It was great that I see him everyday.

00:28:39: We did send him into retirement at sixty-five, but a day later he was back there at seven.

00:28:43: So

00:28:44: say something every now and then.

00:28:45: Jesse does it this way or Benny Does It That Way?

00:28:47: He

00:28:47: helps us keep the facility in shape But still gets on our horse himself Every Now And Then.

00:28:51: so he really is A totally impressive person.

00:28:54: after that The eleven years with Stefan Minch were incredibly valuable!

00:28:57: And the time With Isabel Was also valuable.

00:28:59: the Time Now with Johnny Hillbreath and Also Monica as a trainer is amazing And we have had Andreas Hausberger from the Spanish Riding School with us as a trainer for fourteen years now, an incredibly good friend of our family and highly valued instructor.

00:29:13: Now in the past three years also a totally great trainer Morten Thompson.

00:29:17: so those are most formative instructors to me So far.

00:29:20: Who has accompanied The Journey?

00:29:22: My brother and I reflect on each other.

00:29:24: We help one another walk this path together.

00:29:26: That is of course the most valuable thing.

00:29:29: If you could give riders or horse people one piece of advice for dealing with their horses, what would it be?

00:29:34: Have

00:29:34: some real fun with your horses.

00:29:36: Enjoy the time that you spend together and always treat them like very best friends.

00:29:41: Wonderful!

00:29:42: And finally please complete this sentence For me Horses are

00:29:45: The most wonderful meadows in whole world.

00:29:47: Nothing else can come after that.

00:29:48: Jesse We're keeping our fingers crossed.

00:29:55: Thank you

00:30:01: for listening to this episode of the Equestrian Connection podcast by WeHorse.

00:30:06: If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world if could leave us a rating and review as well on social media!

00:30:14: You can find us on Instagram at WeHorse underscore USA, and check out our free seven-day trial on wehorse.com where you access over one hundred seventy five courses with top trainers from around the world in a variety of topics and disciplines.

00:30:31: until next time.

00:30:32: be kind to yourself your horses and others.