Dressage
Dressage traces its most ancient roots back to Greek military exercises of horsemanship. The Greek commander Xenophon (*468 BCE) wrote the earliest work on training horses and using chivalry tactics in battle. The art has since then evolved to the ultimate in sophisticated and fun riding. Dressage particularly stresses repeat exercises based on movements a horse makes on his own, freely roaming the pasture. These typically range from simple patterns and circles at the walk, trot and canter to movements in extreme collection, such as the piaffe, passage, pirouette etc. The latter three are part of the showing off of stallions at the Spanish riding school, Valencia, and also the Cadre Noir in France, for example.
Margaretha Broekman
Born and raised in Germany, Maggie’s love for horses started at a very early age. Dreaming of a career which would somehow allow her to be around horses, her hopes were dashed when her parents insisted on her getting a “proper” education. Being a creative thinker, she settled with them to get licensed as a registered nurse in Germany, only to branch off into veterinary medicine. After completing her FN licensing, she worked for Wolf Kroeber, the original founder of the Equitana (the largest, most prestigious horse fair in the world, held every two years in Essen, Germany). To further advance her education she then studied under the guidance of Klaus Balkenhol, who was the former coach of the German Olympic team, and is currently the coach for USET
Being also a gifted photographer Maggie was hired to shoot the equestrian events for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. During this stay she fell in love with the American culture and freedom, and after a few further trips moved to California for good in 1986. She has since then successfully trained and educated horses and riders for dressage and jumping - both for her students’ private enjoyment and the show ring/competition.
Because of her unique combination of veterinary training and experience as an equine photographer, she is also able to offer clinics about biomechanics, exterieur, dressage theory, and saddle fittings. Through her keen instinct for each student’s and horses’ individual needs, she is happy to accept the novice and the experienced rider alike. She teaches beginners through grand prix level riders, and can take a horse from breaking level to grand prix. This, of course, includes jumping and combined training. In addition, Maggie also offers her expertise with horse evaluations, assistance in purchasing and selling - including appraisals, as well as stallion training & care, and preparing for the 100 day test.