09/18/2026
In the United States, it’s not unusual for a child to walk into their first riding lesson and be labeled a “hunter rider” by the end of the week. Trainer David Reichert believes this early specialization is one of the biggest flaws in our system.
“What unfortunately happens a lot in America is early specialization,” he explained. “You go to a riding school, and that typically happens to be a hunter riding school. After day two of being in that school, you’re considered a hunter. And then you stay in that hunter path forever. You don’t get proper dressage education, and you may not even touch [the jumpers] until way later.”
The result? Riders develop in a silo. They may be polished enough to compete in the short term, but they lack the cross-discipline foundation that makes truly competent horsemen.
Reichert grew up in Germany, where every rider learns dressage and jumping before choosing a specialty. To even enter a recognized show, young riders must first pass two “riding badges.”
Badge I: A training-level dressage test, a 75 cm jumping round judged on style, and a theory exam.
Badge II: A first-level dressage test, a 95 cm style-jumping class, and a more advanced theory exam.
Only after proving competence across disciplines are riders allowed to compete. By then, most young Germans have schooled second-level dressage and jumped 1.10–1.20m, regardless of whether they later pursue hunters, jumpers, or dressage.
“For us, it’s completely normal to grow up in both dressage and jumping,” Reichert said. “It doesn’t matter which discipline you end up choosing. If you can ride the horse, you can ride the horse.”
📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/09/22/why-early-specializing-in-one-discipline-early-fails-young-riders/
