"Classical Dressage Training in Practice according to the H. Dv. 12 "
In the title of the book, the question will come up for many readers: What is meant by the phrase “ac-
cording to the H. Dv. 12"? And how did this come about?
The H.Dv. 12 (Heeresdienstvorschrift von 1912) were the regulations
written for the German Cavalry, or the “German Cavalry Manual on the Training of Horse and Rider of…mehr"Classical Dressage Training in Practice according to the H. Dv. 12 "
In the title of the book, the question will come up for many readers: What is meant by the phrase “ac-
cording to the H. Dv. 12"? And how did this come about?
The H.Dv. 12 (Heeresdienstvorschrift von 1912) were the regulations written for the German Cavalry, or the “German Cavalry Manual on the Training of Horse and Rider of 1912”. These riding instructions were supposed to provide a unified, but by no means inflexible training for horse and rider according to classical principles. "Classical" in the contemporary understanding of the word meant taking the
horse’s nature, including his mind, and his biomechanics into account.
In this way, the young horse’s body would gain in strength and fullness and his spirit would not be
broken. The Cavalry horses that trained with these principles remained in service for many years (ver-
ifiably much longer than in any other country) and were always able to cope with pressure. In ad-
dition, the horses became so rideable with this type of training that the average rider, the soldier, was able to use the aids on his horse reliably, even one-handed with a double bridle. The writers of the riding instructions from 1912 to 1937, which contained the recognized principles that had been handed down for centuries, improved and further contributed to the principles. These writers were, among others, Major General Max von Redwitz (an authority on the entire body of equestrian litera-
ture), Colonel Felix Bürkner and Colonel Julius Walzer (both of whom were considered the best riders of their time), Colonel Andreas von Flotow, Colonel Hans von Heydebreck (a recognized hippologist), Lt. Col. Fritz Lauffer, Major General Maximilian von Poseck (General of the Cavalry), and Colonel Frei-
herr von Holtzing-Berstedt.
All these riders were real horsemen who dedicated themselves to their calling with passion and
devotion. The tried and tested expertise of the old principles—passed down for generations—plus the practical experience of these luminaries, which was only written down in the substance of the H.Dv.12, came close to being lost after WWII.
The author of the book “Classical Dressage Training in Practice according to the H.Dv.12” has suc-
ceeded in taking this treasure and making it understandable to our time. He enriched it as well in such a wonderful way with his own experiences from decades of practice. Gert Schwabl von Gordon pre-
cisely formulated this book in order to express the essential features of correct riding for readers of today. He takes the reader on a journey back to a time in which riding was still considered a privilege.
For me this book is the foundational work that is both comprehensive and at the same time easily un-derstood, and one that I will be reading and using as a reference again and again.
