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When my father announced our family was moving to Germany, I had no idea the opportunity that awaited me there. I was twelve years old when we relocated to Heidelberg, a university town in southern Germany. In an effort to maintain some "normalcy" for me during this time of change, my father sought out a riding stable nearby so I could continue my passion. The head trainer of the Heidelberg Riding Academy just happened to be Walter Zettl.
The stable was located about thirty minutes away by trolley, a ride I eagerly took every day. The Riding Academy stabled approximately forty horses, most privately owned, but several of them were Herr Zettl's schoolmasters. The combination of Walter Zettl and these horses proved to be my greatest teachers.
Each day I would arrive at the stable to find Herr Zettl schooling some of the younger horses. He would patiently elicit seemingly effortless maneuvers from these animals. Herr Zettl also had several working students who would also be riding and schooling horses under his constant tutelage.
The Riding Academy was a spectacular facility. It had a large indoor arena that was mirrored on three sides with grandstand seating on one end. From Herr Zettl's glass-enclosed viewing room above the grandstand, nothing escaped his eye. Often when you were riding you'd hear him call out to you from his viewing room "ausgezeichnet" or "gut getan." His encouragement and praise was always welcomed. Outside there was a dressage arena, a jumping arena, and a beautiful cross-country course that ran along the river. All areas were lush, green, and maintained to perfection.
The Riding Academy was constantly filled with activity. Herr Zettl's students ranged in age from children to adults in their sixties and seventies. In Germany riding was not just a hobby, but a way of life. My classes were mostly small group lessons of four or five students, but occasionally they were private. Herr Zettl would teach us to dressage three times a week, and then one lesson
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would be devoted to jumping. Our lessons would always include lots of suppling exercises, lateral work, and cavalletti.
The atmosphere for lessons was usually quite serious; no quips, joking, or small talk among students. We rode always in breeches and tall boots. Horses were immaculately groomed and tack dust-free. Any straw pieces remaining in the horse's tail was strictly "verboten." Riding was a sport taken seriously by both sexes, with at least forty percent of our riders being male. Although Herr Zettl spoke English, lessons and conversations at the barn were carried on strictly in German. The working students frequently helped me with my language barrier, as some German words, such as "Schwung," do not translate well. Their assistance with my German was invaluable.
After riding with Walter Zettl for about a year, he found a wonderful horse for me. Pasha was a four-year-old Trakehner/Holsteiner cross with a fabulous, although occasionally feisty, disposition. Walter schooled Pasha for me four mornings a week, and I would come and ride him every afternoon. He learned quickly and was a pleasure to ride and work with.
Activities at the stable really escalated when show season started in early spring. We would spend both days of each weekend traveling to nearby cities and towns. Herr Zettl would take between five and fifteen students to each show. Prior to your first event he would spend time with each student attending to last minute details in the warm-up area. If it was a jumping show, Walter would walk the course with you, explaining how best to ride it, always with helpful tips and insights. And of course, there was invaluable ringside coaching. Shows would be filled to capacity crowds. Students of Herr Zettl always pinned, and our stable frequently swept all places in jumping. Herr Zettl coached me to a junior championship title in our region as well as a bronze status in the German young rider federation for dressage and jumping.
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Each year in December Walter Zettl would plan and present an elaborate Christmas demonstration show for all of Heidelberg and the surrounding communities. This show required several months' preparation by all. Walter meticulously saw to every detail, including the choreography of all the pas de deux rides as well as the quadrilles.
At the age of seventeen I said "aufwiedersehn" to Herr Zettl and returned to the USA with my horse Pasha. We lost contact at that time. In the years after returning home, busy with college and the adjustment of returning to the USA, I made on the biggest mistakes of my life: I sold Pasha. For years after that I punished myself by staying away from horses, and I vowed never to ride again.
Twenty years later, while taking my daughter to her riding lessons, I realized how much I had missed having a horse in my life. I began riding again, and I was pursuing the purchase of a horse for myself. My thoughts went to Walter Zettl, who had been so much a part of my riding career. Shortly after that I saw an article in Dressage Today showcasing him. I located Herr Zettl in Canada and I contacted him by phone. A friendship rekindled, Herr Zettl graciously agreed to come to Tucson to help me with my new young horse.
You can see this master at work at the Walter Zettl Clinic on October 12, 13, and 14 at the home of Glenda Toll. There will be eight local student riders. Auditors are welcome. Please call me for details at 577-3418.
Walter Zettl, at the age of 21, was the youngest rider ever to receive the German Federation Gold Medal for riding in both upper-level dressage and jumping. He coached Canada's Young Riders Dressage Team to three consecutive gold medals, as well as coaching Canada's Olympic Three-Day Event Team. He is an author and speaker, traveling the world instructing clinics. His newest book, Full Circle, is scheduled for release next year. His current book, Dressage in Harmony, is a must read.
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