THE FOUNDER

Angelika Schneider

The story of a passion that became a job

I grew up in the alpine village of "Lech am Alberg" in Austria, here my father rented his stables to a man who owned a huge sleigh pulled by two Noriker draft horses. As a child I was immediately fascinated by these wonderful animals and spent as much time as possible on that sled, just to be close to the horses.

My parents gave me my first pony when I turned 7, it was a very difficult pony and I ended up being terrified of it. At the age of 10, my father finally bought me a mare named Diana with whom I developed a truly unique and special relationship.


Diana had a foal that I named Doria, the result of a cross with the Austrian trotting champion Dorian.

After finishing school in Austria, I decided to move to Italy to study architecture.

This happened in 1987 and obviously I also brought my mares to Italy, specifically to my best friend's farm, where I kept my horses and created an equestrian business until 2011, the year I moved to Alterreno!


Diana lived until the age of 35 on that farm and Doria until the ripe old age of 36 in Alterreno.


Despite being sent to boarding school as a teenager, I spent every free moment I could with my horses and feel very privileged and lucky to have grown up riding in the beautiful Austrian mountains.

In the summer, as well as mountain riding, I spent time at a dressage stable in Salzburg, rode racehorses at a training yard in Yorkshire and rode jumping horses at a family friend's stable.

I approached the world of natural horse riding thanks to a chance meeting with a horse named Mimmi.

Mimmi was a 4-year-old untrained Thoroughbred, and she was the first mare I struggled to communicate with. She was a mare who resented authority and tended towards aggressive behavior when she came into conflict with humans. This was a turning point in my riding.

In 1998 I saw a demonstration by an American horseman named Pat Parelli, and it opened up a new world for me.


I discovered a particular interest in Endurance racing, and competed with Mimmi in the 60km national championships in 1998 as part of the Tuscan team.

In 2000 I traveled to Colorado and took the last level 2 course taught by Pat Parelli.

I continued my training to become a Parelli instructor myself and in 2003 I received the official equestrian guide qualification which allowed me to take clients throughout Tuscany on horseback. From 2004 to 2008 and in 2010, 2012 I spent 6 to 10 weeks at a Parelli center in America studying with Pat, Linda and their top instructors. I became a Parelli instructor in 2006 and a horse development specialist in 2012.


I have always been interested in biomechanics and horse health, as well as hoof care, an area in which I continued my training as a barefoot trimmer by attending various courses with Hildrud Strasser in Germany.

I studied to become a farrier, obtaining the farrier certificate accredited by the Cytek organisation.


I still pursue my personal interest in specializing in classical riding with instructors such as Kate Mably, Vera Munderloh and Anja Beran.

My goals are: to help Alterreno riders learn a sense of discipline, responsibility and empathy, improve their riding skills and foster an understanding of horse psychology and behavior.

I firmly believe that riders must work to achieve a higher level of understanding with their horses in order to establish a deep relationship of trust and respect with them.



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