52 SIDELINES JUNE 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Jochen Schleese CMS, CSE
A
rgentina was the frst place I saw gauchos when I was a
young boy. Although I was born in Hannover, Germany,
I spent the frst seven years of my life in South America.
It was here that I discovered my love for horses. One day when
we were out for a drive in the country, I watched the gauchos
galloping alongside my father’s car, chasing a rhea (wingless bird)
at full tilt while swinging the bolo with both hands. The magic was
the feeling that horse and rider were one – almost like a centaur!
No reins, no obvious “riding” by the cowboys. From that moment
on, all I wanted to do was capture this magic and experience this
same type of harmony.
After we moved back to Germany, I kept bugging my parents
to buy me a horse. My wish was fnally granted and I got my
frst pony. I began to ride obsessively and started competing in
eventing. Unfortunately, the next years saw a shift in focus for
me - while following my childhood dream and seeking this magic,
I fell into the trap of money, medals and fame. Nothing could really
come close to what I was looking for – it was all about man and the
horse/machine. I lost touch with everything I was drawn to horses
for in the frst place. When I found my calling in my career, it was
the opportunity for me to reconnect and fnally recapture this
magic I frst felt in Argentina. I’m now able to share this worldwide
with people who are searching for the same miracle where man
and horse move and feel and think as one.
I fnally got my frst real horse in 1978 – a beautiful Hanoverian
gelding named Pirat. I began showing him and placing in state
championships, all the way to the Germany Nationals in 1982
as part of the Young Rider team. However, he began to show
signifcant signs of lameness after this and we began all sorts
of treatments and diagnostics. He would rest, be fne for some
weeks, and then the little hitch in his step would show up again.
In 1984 after qualifying for the European Championships I had to
retire my partner for good, and my riding career came abruptly to
an end. I wish I knew then what I have learned in the past 34 years
working in the industry and consulting with equine professionals
around the world.
At the time I did not attribute his lameness to the saddle, since
I was surrounded by experts – vets, trainers, farriers who all had
a job of keeping us ft for the team. When I think of the remedial
applications we used in an attempt to ward off the lameness
with, including blocking, blistering, re-shoeing and all sorts of
pharmaceuticals, I could cry. I know now it was simply the fact
that the construction of my saddle was not in keeping with the
requirements of the horse – with every step his shoulders were hit
by forward facing tree points, the too narrow gullet impacted his
spinal processes, ligaments and nerves along his back, and the
gullet plate likely pinched him and impeded his wither muscle as
he tried to jump and move. I had followed the advice of experts,
but the result was a textbook case of torture for my poor horse.
Knowing that my horse had suffered from an ill-ftting saddle, I
became determined to alleviate this consequence for other
horses. My life long study of the detrimental effects of poor saddle
ft, the horse in motion and equine development, led me to develop
Why I Do What I Do!
e
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Jochen at the 1982 German Nationals
Jochen works with a client’s horse to ensure proper saddle ft.
“I followed the advice of experts, but
the result was a textbook case of
torture for my poor horse!”
Continued on page 54