Wellington, Florida (March 16, 2015)– Germany’s Kevin Kohmann is a Grand Prix dressage rider working his way up the ladder to success. A co-trainer at Diamante Farms, Kohmann always has the basics of dressage in mind, whether training or competing. At the Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDI-W, Kohmann came out on top in the Intermediaire I and earned a 70.658 percent aboard Suzanne Mott Dansby’s Perfect Step, a fourteen-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Peridot-Quintilla, Quick Star XX), in the Prix St. Georges. He also competed in Third Level Test 3 on Faron CR, Melanie Pai’s seven-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Flavigny-Samantha, Salvanto). Because of Kohmann’s effective use of the aids and quiet hands, Neue Schule is proud to name him the recipient of the Neue Schule Best Hands Award.
Kohmann was pleased with the award and the recognition for his steady, consistent, and sympathetic contact.
“This is one of the most important steps in the training scale: the connection between the rider’s hand and the horse’s mouth,” he said. “It allows the horse to swing over the back.”
Mette Larsen, founder and president of Metlar Premium Performance Saddlery, the North American distributor of Neue Schule Bits, said she is looking for effective communication along with a comfortable connection between horse and rider when she searches for award recipients during the 12-week Global Dressage Festival series.
“Horses deserve the very best we have to offer them,” Larsen said. “They deserve to feel good, and they want to perform and be happy in their work. Neue Schule works every day to find the kindest, most effective communication tools we can. This is how we give horses the very best we have to offer.”
Kohmann and Perfect Step, known as “Percy”, have been together part-time for the past three months. He and the gelding’s owner share him by each riding him three days a week. This was the first time Kohmann and Perfect Step competed together, and the first time the gelding has gone down centerline in awhile.
“He was excellent,” Kohmann said as he accepted his prize of a pair of new reins from Metlar. “I couldn’t ask for much more. It was a good clean test. He is an elegant looking horse and he makes me look good!”
Dansby said that she and Kohmann share a basic philosophy of dressage, and their strengths complement each other.
“He can really put the horse together, and I mostly work on the little, basic details,” Dansby said. “He has the acumen for getting right on and immediately connecting with the horses he rides. Kevin has amazing talent and he is well educated in dressage. He is effective in his seat and legs, and has sensitivity and “feel” in his hands, which are essentials for proper riding.”
Great feel and sympathetic aids along with an excellent, comfortable bit connected to good hands are the hallmark of a good rider— and Kohmann certainly fits the bill. Metlar will continue to present the Neue Schule Best Hands Award to riders who demonstrate soft, effective hands during competition at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. Steffen and Shannon Peters, Laura Graves, David Marcus, Karen Pavicic, Mikala Munter Gundersen, Kim Severson, Candice King, and Todd Minikus are just some of the riders who attest to the connection benefits of using Neue Schule bits.
The bits are ergonomically designed based on equine anatomy in order to make the horse as comfortable as possible so it can focus on what the rider is asking. Each bit is made from a sweet, warm metal that’s palatable for horses, allowing acceptance of the bit and better communication. Riders love their horses, so placing bits in horses’ mouths that are truly comfortable as well as effective is vitally important for both members of the equestrian team.
To learn more about Neue Schule Bits, contact Metlar Premium Performance Saddlery by visiting www.NeueSchuleBitsUS.com or call631-252-5574.
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Photo: Kevin Kohmann, on Perfect Step, wins the Neue Schule Best Hands Award at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. From left to right: Kevin Kohmann on Perfect Step, Chase Hickok, and fellow Diamante Farms trainer Devon Kane (Photo courtesy of JRPR— no photo credit necessary)
