Westfalia customer magazine 01 2017

An interview with Herbert Seiberl:
“The new Westfalia trailers are very elegant”
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Da haben Reiter und Pferd gut Lachen!
In diesem Fall Herbert Seiberl
und der Oldenburger Wallach Dr. No.
Westfalia: Westfalia has long been synonymous
with horse trailers. What do you think
now that the brand is in Austrian hands with
the Gottschalk family?
Herbert Seiberl: Seiberl: I think it’s wonderful.
And that’s not just because I’ve been involved
with the Gottschalk family for a long time.
The Gottschalks will help make this brand
more present in the equestrian world, which
makes me happy.
W: What does your professional relationship
with the family look like?
HS: Well, I train several of Marion Gottschalk’s
horses and also teach them personally. We’ve
been working together for quite a while.
W: How often do you travel with horses?
HS: It varies and depends on the competition
calendar. There are months where we are
travelling with horses every other weekend.
At other times, things are calmer. Apart from
this, we also travel with the Spanish Riding
School. It adds up.
W: What do you find most important when
transporting horses?
HS: It’s important that the horses travel
comfortably, that the journey is quiet and
stress-free. There shouldn’t be any rattling
and shaking.
W: How relaxed are you on such trips? How
much do you think about the horses when
you are on the road?
HS: We have a great routine for travelling
and are quite relaxed now. You also know
your horses and know which ones you have
to look after.
W: What are the most stressful moments for
your horses during a trip?
HS: I think the most stressful thing for the
animals is getting in and out, i.e. loading and
unloading. That’s also the most dangerous part.
W: What positive effect can you have on
their stress?
HS: You have to give the horses time and
interact very calmly with them. This also means
getting to know the trailer and trusting it.
W: What is the role of the transporter in all
of this?
HS: The most important thing is that the horses
do not feel frightened when getting in. This
means, for example, that the ramp has to be
stable and have anti-slip features, and the
horse shouldn’t get stuck anywhere.
W: What about Westfalia trailers?
HS: They do a superb job.
W: Does a horse notice a difference between
transporters?
HS: There are horses that have difficulty getting
in and out. The can get in and out of Westfalia
trailers the best. You can tell.
W: Why?
HS: Because they are very spacious.
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