August/Septemer 2026 Issue

August/September 2026 | EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN 41 TRAINING WITH David De Wispelaere A Compassionate Introduction to First Saddle, First Ride By L.A. Berry For My Horses Have Something to Say au- thor and 1990 U.S. Grand Prix National Free- style Dressage champion, David De Wispe- laere, training has never been synonymous with breaking. Ten years ago, the Happy Hoofers 4-H and Mendon (NY)Pony Club alum returned to the United States, after riding and training since the 1980s predominantly in Eu- rope, where he gained a refreshingly compassionate and equitable approach to training horses: “I ask horses to dance with me. Not enter a boxing ring.” David walks that talk, sharing the kind of enviably sympatico relationship with horses usually reserved for Walter Farley or Marguerite Henry novels. Es- pecially with 2005 German Rheinlander stallion, Florentin, raised and trained by David since a colt, “He was born in a castle in Germany so he does think that he’s a prince.” If your goal -- whatever your disci- pline -- is so much synchronicity with your four-legged partner that you seem to breathe as one, look no further than the ground-to-saddle relationship be- tween David and Florentin chronicled on Instagram, @dwdewispelaere. Tacked and willing, the red stallion saunters hands-free from barn over to mounting block (after pausing to sniff the flowers). Once David is in the saddle, a cookie awaits, and it’s off for a GoPro ride from between happy horse ears. These are some of the rewards to compas- sionate horsemanship and, if you’re lucky enough to have a young horse, you have what he calls “a blank canvas.” Like Beato and He- roico, two talented but different young horses whose introductions to the mounting block and that First Ride have been shared on IG. Getting a horse to say yes to the saddle and rider starts with a few good steps and a whole lot of “good boys.” The Cast “For me, working with young horses is about avoiding negative experiences.” So who are the young horses in David’s good hands? Heroico is a four year-old Trakehner (Her- zensdieb “Heart Stealer”) colt with Thorough- bred breeding on his dam’s side, and stands 16.3 hands. He says the colt has “a lot of blood” but understands voice commands and was finding his trot after only a couple of trips un- der saddle. “Heroico was a little distrustful on the ground but after being a little over reactive I’m pleasantly surprised at how comfortable he is under saddle. We’re almost in sync with our legs.” Beato MG III is a 16.2 hand (“and growing like a weed”) 2021 PRE Andalusian (Andaluz Mango II) stallion bred by Yeguada Marin Garćia who was so sensitive at first that David learned to whisper vocal commands to get smoother, less “surprised” transi- tions. “If someone throws a ball you don’t ex- pect, you ‘brace’ against it. But the tickle of a feather can ‘wake up’ nerve endings,” he said, likening the young horse receiv- ing a voice command to catching a ball. “A shout gets one reaction. A soothing tone gets quite another.” It’s a fine place to start an introduction. Big Steps Not Taken Lightly The first step to under saddle be- gins before a saddle and at the mount- ing block. Step up and step down a few times. Shuffle your feet on each of the steps. Jump around a little. Repeat this with the block on both the near and off sides. “Heroico never cared, but Beato? The first time I dismounted he was shocked. Beato was good with me on the ground in the round pen. But when I stepped on the mounting block his eyes popped! I don’t think he expected me to be tall enough to look him in the eye. So first, we had to work on building his confidence with two- and then four-step mounting blocks.” 1. The Saddle: Once a mounting block is a non-issue, try a saddle with no stirrups, girthed lightly but securely while your horse is haltered to a long lead. And don’t use your best saddle, obviously. Use that spare in the Continued on page 45