Paul Stick

Paul Stecken, 1985

Paul Stecken (born June 29, 1916 in Münster , Westphalia; † September 15, 2016 there ) was a German trainer of horses, riders and riding instructors. He was also the head coach of many professional and championship teams, coach of several Olympic champions and world and European riders champions.

Life

Farewell to Paul Stecken

Major a. D. Paul Stecken in the 15 Cavalry Regiment of the Reichswehr or in the 15 Cavalry Regiment of the Wehrmacht . At the end of the war, as a member of Cav. Rgt.15 Paderborn, he was chief of the cavalry inspection department at the cavalry school. His trainers at the time were Count Edwin von Rothkirch and Trach , Hermann von Nagel and Rolf Lippert . In all years of his activity as a trainer, he therefore paid close attention to training riders and horses according to the riding regulations H.Dv.12 . In 1950 he took over the management of the Westphalian Riding and Driving School from his father Heinrich Stecken . On December 8, 1985, he was bid farewell with a party in the large indoor riding arena of the Westphalian Riding and Driving School.

After that, just as before, he devoted himself almost exclusively to the training of horses and riders, including teaching trainees at the Westphalian Horse Studbook and other, often internationally successful, top riders. On July 27, 2006 Paul Stecken was awarded the golden plaque of the Chamber of Agriculture of North Rhine-Westphalia for his services . Stecken was a member of the honorary council of the "Xenophon eV - Society for the Preservation and Promotion of Classic Riding Culture", founded in 2006.

Inseparable from Paul Stecken is his often-quoted saying “Riding right is enough”, which reflects his conviction as an uncompromising advocate of classical riding theory.

Coaching career

Stecken supported the training of Reiner Klimke in the Westphalian Riding and Driving School together with his championship horse Fortunat ( eventing riding ). The horse Fortunat stood for many years in the Westphalian Riding and Driving School and despite its commitment in high-performance sport, thanks to thorough and gentle training under the guidance of Paul Stecken, reached an old age of more than 35 years. Klimke's daughter Ingrid Klimke was also trained from Stecken to his death.

Riding master Horst Karsten was promoted in the Westphalian Riding and Driving School by Paul Stecken, also through the discovery and training of his Olympic horse Sioux , up to the participation in the Olympic Games in Munich 1972 (eventing riding). Sioux , too , reached the old age of 28 and was available to the apprentices of the Westphalian Riding and Driving School as a healthy teaching horse for a long time.

Life's work

As a result of the courses offered by the Westphalian Riding and Driving School, Paul Stecken was instrumental in riding training in Germany. He led the training of 12,000 course participants, of which 2,000 were trained as riding instructors. The training of 108 horse managers with a focus on riding (apprenticeship) enabled him to spread this riding training based on the riding regulations H.Dv.12 through professional training worldwide. During the creation and revision of the guidelines for riding and driving of the FN-Verlag, this knowledge was incorporated into the newer literature through his collaboration. As one of the three training centers ( German Riding School Warendorf , Olympiareitanlage in Munich-Riem , Westphalian Riding and Driving School) for the final course and examination as a horse management master, Paul Stecken was also able to train professional riders and trainers (2-3 courses per year) have a decisive effect in equestrian sport.

Paul Stecken wrote a variety of articles and essays. In 2015 he published his findings on the development of training and dressage sport in a book entitled “Comments and Connections”.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Farewell to Paul Stecken , St. Georg , September 15, 2016
2. ↑ ^{a b c} The classical riding theory in practice according to the H.Dv.12 ISBN 978-3487084954 , quotation Paul Stecken p. 270
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e} http://www.landwirtschaftskammer.com/presse/archiv/aa-2006-27-06.htm  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Xenophon eV, accessed on June 21, 2015 
5. ↑ Paul Stecken: An instructor legend turns 100 , press release of the German Equestrian Association, June 29, 2016
6. ^ Book Military, Reiner Klimke, Franckh Verlag, 1978, ISBN 3-440-04579-X , foreword Albert Stecken
7. ^ Film about Sioux (owned by the Karsten family) broadcast on WDR
8. ↑ Reiter Revue : The first book by Paul Stecken has been published , accessed on January 25, 2016