How did you get introduced to movie-riding?

At some point I was asked if I wanted to participate in a movie project. One had to learn to play Polo in a matter of 4 weeks.

I already had extensive experience by that moment in different equestrian disciplines. In my youth I learned the british riding style from Csaba Szilagyi and everything thing else one learns in Hungary. Later on I completed a trainer certification at the stud farm Dillenburg. Following that I began an apprenticeship at the Klosterhof Medingen, where one can learn pretty much everything about horse breeding, horse rearing, auction horses and performance tests. My foible for young horses stems from this period. Later on I have jobbed in the racetrack or rode hunts in the Lüneburger moor. But of Polo, I really have no clue!   

I didn’t hit the ball that well, but it was great fun and I continue to be invited to play Polo. The resulting 90 minute documentary also became very appealing, especially because I was able to gain some experience about trickriding und was able to simply ride at the Karl-May-Festival- without any “Preperation”. 

A little later the word spread that I realise exceptional projects on horseback. In Berlin at the time of the turning point I jobbed a lot for tv-shows like GZSZ, OP ruft Dr.Bruckner or as a bit player in for example “The Last witness”(ZDF). My affinity to film comes from earlier years. My Great-grandfather was one of the three movie architects at Fritz Lang, such as for “Metropolis” and the “Nibelung”.

Movie-riding, what is being done under this profession?

Our emphases aren’t sensational horse stunts and also not trick-riding. Rather we are contracted for special motives, locations and unusual campaigns with horses. A lot of fantasy is involved and real curious genres served: The Apocalyptic Rider for a demo, a black rider for a book premiere from the fantasy genre or an electrical rider for a cloak-and-dagger-operation.  

In the handling of the horse and in the right choice of location a lot of sensitivity is needed. Horses can also get in bad moods. A lot of patience is needed at the shooting location. The logistical expenditure is almost unapparent for the layman.  

The term „movie-riding“ does not emphasize that we often work on horseback for advertising agencies, publishing companies or radio channels . Our competencies are above all in costumes and stage. Our stage is mainly the city Berlin, where we dispose of superb local knowledge. This is very helpful when searching for the suitable shooting location

We have to arrange with the given circumstances that are often not easy on horseback, like congested traffic. A horse by nature is a flight animal. Horses in a big city are being bombarded by a firework of sensory impressions, noise, many people, foreign smells, glaring light an so much more....The horse’s welfare is always paramount. The daily shoots are therefore mostly no longer than about 2 hours. 

What kind of training do movie-horses have?

I wouldn’t exactly say movie-horses. More precisely, their standard of training could be compared to that of a police horse. Also breed and habit conform to the requirements of a police horse. In distinction from the police though, we also deploy mares and stallions.  

During the training the goal is to make the flight instinct of the horse controllable. To reach this goal our remounts are being introduced individually and according to their training level and their predisposition. This happens through the accustoming of optical and acoustical stimuli. This occurs rather unspectacularly. Already as 2 year old these horses are being led by hand into the country. Later on the horses are being accustomed to red-and-white barrier-tape or an opened umbrella in the indoor riding hall or in the outdoor riding hall.  

Parallel an experienced horse is ridden outdoors also to get the younger one used to road traffic. To keep rider and horse fit there is regular training in dressage, eventing and show jumping in Berlin-Charlottenburg. 

This happens on a playful level, in order to gain the horse’s trust and to build his character. The horse should always come out as a winner in these games to strengthen the learning effect more positively. The principle “from the easy to the hard” is the most important. Our horses are being trained according to the guidelines of the German Equestrian Federation (Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung- FN- „Richtlinien für das Reiten und Fahren“ – Band 1, 2, 4 und 6). The training level of Level A is the goal of the education

[more about Berlin- famous locations]

Filmography: Production year, title, employer, country, discipline