I’ve always wanted to ride like the Germans. As a kid I remember watching the 1996 Olympics and wondering why I didn’t sit on the horse like Ludger Beerbaum or Isabell Werth. It really looked like they had their spines replaced by steel with perfectly square shoulders.

I rationalized that this was a professional rider thing and that normal riders would never really get there. Then I showed up in Germany and realized that ALL German riders have this same posture. Seriously.

The young kids on ponies, the old ladies on retired dressage horses, and even some of the yahoo men riding crazy jumpers. They all have such strong cores and solid shoulders that I’m left jealously wondering how they develop it, especially when my posture trends more towards hunch  back.

I’ve become obsessed with developing it myself. I refuse to leave Germany without a gorgeous posture. I figure there are only two logical methods of how Germans develop their riders to look like this—the first is obvious: lots of hours on great horses with great trainers (too obvious and hard to recreate) or it’s a secret ingredient in their amazing bread.

I can’t turn back time to start riding dressage earlier and more consistently, but I CAN consume massive quantities of German bakery bread to see if it has any effect. So far I haven’t noticed any immediate benefits besides happiness, but I’m committed to trying the bread method as long as my breeches still fit.

I know both of these methods are really specific to Germany (unless you are lucky enough to have an amazing bakery near you, then join my experiment!), but have no fear, U.S.-based readers, I have figured out the REAL secret to how to ride like a German. The indoor arena.

I know, sounds crazy. We have indoors in the States. But folks, you haven’t seen an indoor until you’ve seen a German indoor.

First, take a perfectly wonderful arena with mirrors and great lights, then stuff six or seven jumps in there. Make sure that it changes layout frequently and blocks most of the normal diagonal lines we dressage riders love. Then, add up to 13 riders in there. Ensure that there is at least one kid on a pony, a jumper, two lessons going on plus an unruly young horse to get the maximum benefit.

Bonus points if you can fit someone lunging, too. And if you want to REALLY recreate this experience, tell all your riding friends to either ride in silence or to attempt to speak in German so attention is split between actively riding and attempting to listen to what they are saying. Every evening is absolutely insane, but for maximum effect ride in this chaos at least five nights a week.*

The first few months will be awful. Know that expression, “fear stiffens the spine?” That’s exactly what we are going for! Those first few months may not produce the most effective riding but it’s a good, fake way to look a little more German. I like to think of it as training the muscles that support the spine.

Another benefit of this indoor training method is it will fix any tendency to look down. I promise you, the minute you look down at your horses adorable ears, you WILL be trotting directly in the path of a pony jumping a crossrail or an angry trainer riding a young horse. Doesn’t matter what gait, speed or how alone you think you are, looking down will instigate disaster immediately.

Have no fear though, after a few months it will start to feel more natural. The fear will wear off to annoyance, because show season is coming up FAST and you have to be able to use a center line every once in a while. The fear that held your spine straight will change into resolve because you WILL fight to get your diagonal line, running over ponies in the process if need be because you are as sick of riding in a crowded arena as you are of this unending, god-awful winter. And after way too many months of this chaotic riding, you will find that your posture has improved by leaps and bounds and you are basically cured of looking down. 

So, no reason to dread winter riding this year. Next time you’re ready to bail on a crowded arena, try to think of it as an opportunity to get that German experience at home!

*This is at a public boarding facility that caters to about 100 horses of various disciplines. Obviously this will be harder to recreate at a private facility, but feel free to attempt the bread method of training! 

Kristin Alexander is an adult amateur dressage rider living in Kaiserslautern, Germany. After being in Northern Germany many years ago as a working student, she moved to California, Virginia, Tennessee, Washington D.C. and Florida for school and work, trying to fit riding in at each location. She is now living in Southern Germany where she lucked into an amazing lease on the super horse, Acridos. Kristin’s taking lessons, participating in clinics and recently started showing again after a 10-year hiatus. Follow her as she navigates language barriers, re-entry into the show ring, and balancing riding with traveling around Europe.