Fritz Stahlecker

A Man of Knowledge

Fritz Stahlecker, an engineer, born in 1925, is considered one of the most distinguished hippologists in Germany. As a self-taught horseman, he has worked with young, often difficult horses from the beginning to the highest level of dressage training.

Influenced by various sources of literature as well as by the classical training concepts in France and Spain such as the School of Légèreté, he developed a specific training approach: The Hand-Saddle-Hand Method.

Fritz Stahlecker always perceived riding as an art rather than a pleasure. He dedicated his life to promoting riding according to the principle of légèreté and methods of schooling horses without force. He wrote various articles questioning the modern riding ways and the influence of the competition scoring system for the training of horses.

He fought throughout his life against schooling methods that are too demanding, physically and mentally, for horses that are not yet fully developed. He died in March 2018 at the age of 92.

The Hand-Saddle-Hand Method

Developed as a way to gently prepare the young horses for riding, the Hand-Saddle-Hand method (HSH), values the ability to teach the horse in a playful manner based on their natural curiosity and willingness to learn.

With this training method, horses can learn and practice some of the high school exercises from the age of 2-years-old, without any pressure, pain, or discomfort. If the training involves the horse’s ability to learn technical exercises, there is almost no physical stress as the exercises are taught from the ground, without the added weight of the rider.

As an engineer, Fritz Stahlecker had enough creativity and tinkering spirit to work on inventions dedicated to increasing the comfort of horses during training. For example, he optimized the existing curb bit and developed the HSH-Center-Curb-Bit, which is designed to prevent pressure upon the horse's tongue.

Through the HSH method, Fritz Stahlecker prepares horses for the training under the saddle, not only physically but also mentally, by bringing them closer to their rider, helping them develop strong bonds and long-lasting partnerships.