Specialising in Young horse starting and coaching.
 The first time that I met Steve and Irena Halfpenny was in November 2001 in Braidwood Australia. Steve rode his horse with the same patience that he had, when he was answering my questions later on. Deeply impressed by Australian horsemanship and also by Australian hospitality, a few more years had to pass by before our paths crossed again, so I will start a little earlier: With some experience in performing exercises, pony riding and some riding lessons, I grew into adulthood. It was then when I discovered my passion for western riding at the”Eisbeck Ranch” and it was there where I found my long standing friend and partner Nafees. We spent a lot of time in the woods so I decided to go for a childhood dream and go on a long distance ride. His Arabian high spirited will to run brought us from trail rides in the beginning to finally leaving our homelands in Osnabrück heading south towards France in 1998. In November that same year we finally reached the Mediterranean Sea at St. Marie de la Mer at the Camargue, France, after nine months. Originally on the way home, I stopped at the Chateau de la Beaume, which was the French Parelli-Agency at that time. They gave me the opportunity to be a working student for Silvia Furrer and learn from her. Besides the horsemanship education, I was able to learn a lot about breeding horses, farming an how to manage a guest ranch. Due to my activities for PNH France I had the possibility to be part of some special events, for example to be with Pat and Linda Parelli in Saumur at Cadre Noirand also classes and workshops with other instructors and coaches. With instructing guidance I was allowed to participate in all parts of horse education which was a good preparation to work and educate by myself.They had a special attention in a positive attitude towards the horses at daily work tasks. Inspired from the Australian horsemen Steve Halfpenny, Ken Faulkner and Phil Nye, whom I met during my stay in Australia, I am back in Germany and work here now since 2002. For almost one and a half years I participated in the horse-communication-centre “ArhönA e.V. That gave me the possibility to teach riders with different background knowledge. I am very thankful for the wonderful experience that I had with disabled people and all the astonished happy kids. Steve is coming to Germany on a regular basis and therefore I was able to get back in track with him. Meanwhile deeply impressed by the classical art of riding, I am educating a lot of ambitioned free time riders in natural horsemanship an I have a perfect guideline for my work in Steve’s Silversand System. It is a special motivation for me to teach for Silversand, because since July 2004 I am starting up a business on my own. My girlfriend Anja and I are opening a NHS-school with the possibility of horseback tours. It is located at the Edersee / bordering the Nationalpark Kellerwald, with lots of trails to be discovered. Steve’s individual procedure for humans and horses inspires my work deeply. Markus Schönhoff Schönhoff-Horsemanship Akazienweg 5a D-34516 Vöhl-Kirchlotheim Tel. (0) 171 / 6380389 www.schoenhoff-horsemanship.de | 
Silversand Horsemanship
Since my childhood on my parent's farm I've had contact to animals. This was widened in the riding stables across the road where I spent many afternoons. There I had the chance to ride a lot of horses.
