Western Riding in South Africa has been striving for many years to achieve the very high standard of reining skills seen in Europe, the USA and Canada. To speed things up, the Reining Horse Association of South Africa employed the skills of reining champion, Heiko Keuchel, to help advise, train and teach them and their horses.

A brainwave from the members of Western Riding KwaZulu-Natal, brought about an idea with a difference. They invited Heiko to spend two weeks, firstly training their horses, and then training the riders on the newly trained horses, culminating in a pointed reining show where the riders could prove their newly acquired prowess. Hosted on the beautiful Callaway Quarter Horse Stud in Underberg, I went to catch up with Heiko and watch him training the 12 horses brought to him for this purpose.

Winter training

Underberg is cold for most of the year, but early morning in the Umzimkulu River valley in mid-July, is winter at its best. The sun spills late onto the frost covered pastures and trees are still crystalline white, as I drive up the tree-lined driveway on Callaway Farm.

Kevin Lang prides himself on having state-of-the-art ranch style facilities. His Quarter Horses are still in their barn-style stables and Heiko is just dismounting from his first ride, wrapped against the icy air. Work starts early for all true horsemen, regardless of the weather.

Heiko grew up with horses, his father boasting membership of the German team at the World Nations Cup. Heiko started showing when he was seven years of age and, after finishing school, moved to the United States to gain experience in breeding and training horses.

Learning from the best

During his stay in the USA, he was fortunate enough to learn from some of the most successful trainers in the USA, including Al Dunning, Teddy Johnson (two times world cutting champion), Holly Hover (trainer of many world champions) and Pete Kyle (AQHA horseman of the year and world champion).

In 1989 Heiko purchased the American Pinto horse yearling stallion, Docs Smokin Lena, who has proven to be a successful show horse for Heiko with superior awards in reining and trail, as well as an ROM in working cow horse points in several other events.

Heiko now lives 20 km from Hamburg where he is involved in accounting, and trains horses in his spare time. He also shows his horse, Docs Smokin Lena.

Limiting genes

I asked him what he thought of the American Quarter Horse in South Africa. He said that although there are some quality horses in this country, our biggest problem is the limitations of a very small gene pool. With the limitations placed on importation of horses due to African Horsesickness, the only solution is the importation of semen or embryos.

He also discussed his feelings on the changes brought about due to showing in the USA, by breeding out the traits that make a good cattle horse and replacing them with show qualities, which have sadly changed the Quarter Horse into two separate animals, a show horse and a cattle / ranching horse – a problem so often brought about by the showring.

Groundwork first

We then discussed his methods on starting the young horse. This is always a vital question in my assessment of a true horseman and I have often been shocked at how open people have been with their barbaric methods of "breaking".

He explained how often he has arguments with his classical riding friends in Germany about their methods of starting young horses – how unnecessary it is to have a fighting, bucking, frightened young horse.

I was pleasantly surprised. He spends many weeks doing basic groundwork, using the methods of the great masters, Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt. He then moves onto the long line and perfects the groundwork before starting work in the saddle.

I asked him which bits he preferred, being aware of the bits used in the showring in Western riding. He said he uses the double-jointed snaffle as a starting bit, as it prevents the nut-cracker action of the conventional snaffle and allows separate movement on either side of the mouth, without affecting the opposite side.

He said he will often stay in this bit, even with his older horses, and only put the required, shanked bit in for show purposes. He admitted that the most difficult part of training is often the handing back of a well-schooled, balanced horse to an unschooled, unbalanced owner.

Match the horse

Watching him work with so many varied horses was a pleasure. His methods matched the ability, age and level of training of each horse. He was once patient and yielding, allowing for the stiff movements of a young horse and then altogether more demanding on an older, more advanced horse, unforgiving of silly unprecedented faults.

His methods were fair and I never saw him impatient or lose his temper. His hands were quiet and his seat would have made an Olympic dressage rider jealous. He could coax the best out of even the most unwilling horse.

I had a chat with a few of the owners of the horses brought for the two-week clinic. All of them agreed that it was money well spent and that they had benefited greatly by having Heiko first train the horses, before giving them lessons on their horses. Suddenly the horse understood the aids given. Heiko always had the time to answer questions and explain what he was doing and why.

I jokingly called him the "German cowboy" and he was quick to correct me, saying he was not a cowboy but a horseman.