Bent Branderup and Hugin
Bent Branderup
Bent Branderup began riding almost before he could walk. His first words were "Jeg vil ha en hest!" – "I want a horse!". The first hours in the saddle of a Shetland pony brought him a lot of joy – and well, he never really got out of the saddle again....At the age of 12 the first neighbour farmers brought him horses to train and Military and hunting became part of his life as well.
Bent and Hugin in passage
Bent Branderup´s burning interest in the past made him spend many hours in the Danish Museums and interesting work giving new life to old harness and horse driven carts began.
A book about Ring Riding and an exhibition for the local museum were the results of this interest from his early years.
Then a long travel around Europe began – visiting places of historic and hippologic interest. Iceland, Spain, Germany – just to name a few places. Not surprisingly Bent ended up in "Escuela Andalusa del Arte Equestre" in Jerez, Spain, and became acquainted with Don Alvaro Domecq and Don Javier Garcia Romero. The great personalities and equestrian knowledge of these two masters was of great influence to Bent, and in the hands of Don Javier Garcia Romero the Iberian horse and Bent became acquainted....Bent also was a keen student by Nuno Oliveira in Portugal and Egon von Neindorff in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Bent and Hugin in piaff
All this led to the meeting of Hugin in 1986. A Knabstrupper stallion, seriously injured, with three legs broken in 1991and later on in 1995 he went totally blind. Trough Hugin Bent learned to use the Dressage for the Horse instead of using the Horse for the Dressage
Every first Wednesday evening of the month at 18.00, Bent gives the public the possibility to watch his work with his horses and explain the reasons for working the horses this way. Entré 100 Dkk.
Today Bent Branderup spends much thought and consideration on how to preserve the old Danish breed "The Frederiksborger Horse". The aim is to preserve the smaller baroque type – with long neck, baroque head, high movements and easy–to–train temperament.
Bent and Hugin in extensive trot