About Verena
| Verena Sonstenes was born in Stuttgart, Germany. She started vaulting when she was 5 years old, on a very gentle palomino who taught her the importance of balance. "I know I wasn't the least bit scared, but I remember seeing my parents standing at the side of the arena, in awe as I stood on his back while he was in canter; how thrilling, I thought"! At age thirteen, Verena moved to Vancouver, BC, where she became a working student for Wendy Christoff. It was there that she sat on a Dutch Warmblood for the first time. Mrs Christoff had purchased them in Holland from Olympic trainer/rider, Bert Rutten. Having ridden Thoroughbreds and Quarterhorses her whole life, Verena felt something unexplainable. During Mr Rutten’s Vancouver symposium in April 2002, Verena asked him about working student opportunities in Europe. As fate would have it, there was an opening at his stable. Two weeks later she had quit her job, sold her horse and relocated to Stal Rutten in the Netherlands. After mastering all operational aspects of the stable and making excellent progress in her riding ability, Mr Rutten asked Verena to be his full-time stall manager and first rider. Verena quickly learned all aspects of the trade, including: |
- Developing marketing plans and strategies to market the stable and sell its services to potential clients
- Marketing the stable to horse owners and to local and international riders
- Breaking and training young horses
- Training horses for clients
- Assisting with breeding stallions
- Competing at national competitions and at stallion selection trials
Verena trained and studied with Mr. Rutten for more than four years, and credits him greatly for developing her feel and natural ability to train. She continues to demonstrate her commitment to and talent in the sport.
"To truly absorbe and learn the classical tecniques, you have to immerse yourself in it everyday. Live it, breath it, and experience it. I had the honour of working for and learning from one of the worlds most renowned dressage riders. I sat in the manege day in and day out, even when I was too exhausted to sit, and absorbed every last morsel of information. You learn a lot from watching! I learned the language so that I could really understand the dialogue between a true master and his pupil. It was incredible! I was given the opportunity of a lifetime by Mr. Rutten because he gave me a chance."
Verena is a gifted clinician who demonstrates her correct background in training classical dressage. "It is vital that young horses be ridden by good riders. The most crucial time, like children, is in the first five years of life. Therefore if a good basic and classical approach is taken and the time is spent on teaching the necessary foundation, the end result is a happy and well-trained athlete. Good communication is the key!"
Verena has a kind and gentle way of teaching, so that you only get the best out of your partner. She relocated to Southern California, where she is training and competing for VS Dressage
Verena can be reached at 909-499-3687.
