Stephen Clarke, famend coach and five-star worldwide choose, has lately been working with Swedish classical groundwork specialist Charlotte Wittbom, a former pupil of Luis Valença in Portugal.
Charlotte helps Stephen’s shoppers by groundwork, whereas he mentors her in making use of classical strategies to competitors success.
The pair lately recorded a podcast discussing Stephen’s life, profession, and the individuals who formed his journey.
“I grew up in a little bit Welsh village – my father was the native policeman – and we had a stunning residence subsequent to a farm the place the farmer saved Welsh Mountain ponies,” Stephen explains.
“I used to be fascinated by them. It turned out that in case you might keep on with out getting bucked off, you had been allowed to take them to some reveals. That’s how it began.
“I then went to the Flint and Denbigh department of the Pony Membership, which was very properly organised. The late Dorothy Johnson used to return and instruct there, and she or he grew to become a lifelong mentor to me.”
Which coach stands out for Stephen Clarke?
On the coach who formed him essentially the most on the subject of his dressage profession, Stephen picks out Jennie Loriston-Clarke.
“I was a contest rider for the Wirral Driving Centre,” he says. “It was a coaching centre for worldwide college students getting ready for his or her BHS exams, and we – the competitors riders – had been the store window.
“Every year, the FBHS examinations had been held at Stoneleigh, and we had been anticipated to take educated grand prix-level horses for use as guinea pigs for the ridden exams.
“I’d take considered one of my older horses, Purple Satan, and Jennie all the time introduced a few hers, too – and we simply hit it off.
“I additionally had with me my up-and-coming grand prix horse, Ulysses. Jennie noticed him and mentioned, ‘Why don’t you come to me for the weekend and produce some horses?’
“She’d simply come again from the Olympic Video games in Montreal, and she or he let me acquire check expertise on her horses, Kadett, and Dutch Braveness, and helped me with Ulysses – lots.
“Then she determined, ‘Why don’t you go to Vienna for the winter to coach with the Spanish Driving College?’” Stephen recollects.
“Ernst Bachinger, who was the chief rider on the time and had additionally educated the British workforce, got here to observe considered one of my coaching periods in England. He favored Ulysses and invited me over.”
Coaching with the Spanish Driving College’s chief rider
Stephen ended up spending two winters at Bachinger’s personal stables simply exterior Vienna. In change for coaching together with his grand prix horse, he labored with the younger horses and a few of the more difficult ones.
“It was essentially the most great expertise,” he says. “That’s the place I learnt essentially the most about in-hand work.
“One among my jobs was to face on the horse’s head, hold it straight, and permit it to cowl as a lot floor as Herr Bachinger needed.
“But when I let the horse get crooked, or stopped it from shifting ahead, he’d shout at me.
“I learnt in a short time how delicate the work needed to be. He was a whole artist. Understanding when to manage, when to melt, when to reward – it gave me an actual really feel for the element.”
From there, Stephen was awarded a scholarship to coach with Ferdi Eilberg, who had lately moved to Britain from Germany. Stephen describes Ferdi as a perfectionist, very like Ernst Bachinger.
“I used to dread the phrases, ‘Come down the centre line and halt at X,’” he laughs. “For those who didn’t get it proper the primary time, you’d be doing it the entire session.”
What made Stephen Clarke elevate his sport?
Though a lot of his focus remained on coaching at residence, Stephen provides that competing – and later judging – internationally additionally had a transformative impact on each his driving and his strategy to coaching.
“I believe while you’re uncovered to the warm-up area with high-level, well-known riders, it may be a bit nerve-wracking,” he admits. “However really, it’s in these environments that I raised my sport essentially the most.”
He describes how, in these days, alternatives to look at elite competitors had been uncommon, which made these moments all of the extra beneficial.
“We had been much more remoted, which is why I cherished going to the highest competitions.
“Each time I’d come residence and prepare the working pupils, I’d be fairly powerful on them, and so they’d roll their eyes and say, ‘Oh God, he’s been to Aachen once more’,” he provides with amusing.
Not all of Stephen’s horses had been simple. “The one-time modifications had been all the time a problem,” he says.
He recollects one transformative warm-up ring encounter: “David Hunt cantered over. He’s all the time very humorous – a little bit bit sarcastic – and he checked out me and mentioned, ‘What are you doing?’ I defined, and he simply mentioned, ‘Possibly your canter’s not ok?’
“So we labored on bettering the exercise of the canter within the assortment, and as if by magic, the modifications grew to become straightforward – that was considered one of my largest classes.”
A turning level in information sharing
Stephen additionally credit Girl Joicey’s Trainers Scheme as a turning level in how information was shared in British dressage.
“She arrange this group, and we’d journey to a few of the large worldwide reveals collectively, share motels, and spend hours watching the warm-ups,” he recollects.
“It introduced skilled trainers collectively in a constructive means. Relatively than being in separate camps, we grew to become pals. It was a incredible solution to develop a shared coaching philosophy on this nation.
“The entire sport is mostly a continuous studying course of – and it’s fascinating to observe individuals develop.”
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H&H dressage and sport horse editor
Oscar graduated from York St John College with a grasp’s diploma in Literature in 2021 and joined Horse & Hound in October 2023. Oscar labored for high dressage rider Emile Faurie for 4 years after ending an equine administration course at school. Underneath Emile’s tutelage, Oscar competed on the 2015 Nationwide Dressage Championships and travelled with Emile’s horses to CDIs at Aachen, Vidauban, Saumur and Achlieiten. Oscar continues to compete in dressage, alongside his day job.
