AWeek inWarendorf
by Katie Shoultz A hunter rider from Kentucky trains for a week in Germany with Martin Fink.
way of deflating that boldness. As time marched on, as an adult I one day realized that I’d become stagnant in my riding—the very antithesis of my personal goals. I realized that I have remained in a sheltered, warm and cozy place long enough when in the saddle. And more recently, as time speeds by until it feels like it approaches warp speed, I’ve
A
s a bold and fearless young rider, my ten-year- old self would be ashamed if I needed constant affirmations from my trainer. But a few hard knocks and time out of the saddle has a funny
become a big believer of stepping outside of my comfort zone. If life is what you make of it, I have some living to do. My comfort zone was the hunter ring. I knew what to
expect; I had my routine. Show jumping, in contrast, was frightening—the jumps were big and the horses were fast. Could my brain and body keep up? I found myself itching to learn more. Last year I couldn’t get enough of the Olympic show jumping coverage. Instead of scary, I found the sport mesmerizing and began to wonder “what if.” When opportunity came knocking on my door to train in Germany for a week last fall, I knew I had to go.
Finding My Way My destination, Warendorf, Germany’s horse capital, is an area clustered with trainers and riders in all the disciplines. Warendorf isn’t big, by any measure, and the old town morphs into residential clusters and farms with few obvious road signs. It took a couple of wrong turns, overshot roads and rerouting of the GPS before locating the right barn tucked away on a quiet country road. Not exactly certain where to check in and unable to completely decipher the signs, I headed to a barn. After a brief discussion with an assistant, then another assistant, and then a few more, I finally
Martin Fink competing in Germany. Photo of Warendorf Market by Rüdiger Wölk, Münster. Warmbloods Today 73
Photos of Martin Fink courtesy Martin Fink
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