It’s been a few years now that most of you know about MOVIE, a fantastic invention for the Vaulting World. We were curious to have feedback from the team behind this valiant and docile horse, so we talked to Gero Meyer who gave us some insights about the team and the development of the MOVIE.

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The team is composed of some famous names as you can see:

Peter Höppner – CEO / Design & Product Development

Daniel Kaiser – Consultation / Marketing / Sponsoring

Gero Meyer – Service / Events & Trade Shows / Innovation

Christine Höppner – Administration

Service Team: Jannis Drewell, Viktor Brüsewitz, Devon Maitozo, Lukas Heppler, Moritz Wolf, Simon Wächter, Jannika Zindath and Gero Meyer

If you have never heard about it, MOVIE is a horse-shaped training apparatus for vaulters that imitates a horse’s canter. It closes the gap between a usual barrel without movements and a horse. It is not meant to replace a horse, but rather to reduce their workload, such that they stay refreshed and healthy even longer.

MOVIE enables vaulters to prepare for the muscular demands of exercising in canter.

How did the story begin?

Early 2010 Peter Höppner, a master in joinery, observed that his daughter only spent 3 minutes on a cantering horse during one training session. He is a passionate joiner and engineering buff, so he began to develop a prototype of MOVIE. Later that year, the first prototype was made but it was far from replicating a horse’s canter… Daniel Kaiser, a very successful vaulter himself, saw the potential of the training device and started helping Peter with his input regarding the movement of the horse’s canter. Slow-motion videos of cantering horses were analyzed and the results were introduced in the new model.

Between 2010 and 2015, inquiries for this device steadily increased, but only a very limited number of MOVIES were delivered. MOVIE was getting tested by a few hand-picked clubs. During this time, many improvements were made and Daniel did a great job putting MOVIE on the market. Some more help was needed, prompting Gero Meyer, another ambitious vaulter, joiner and building engineer, joined the team at the end of 2015 to support innovative ideas and to manage sales and service. He pushed the idea to open the market and make MOVIE available for everyone. It was time to get more professional. And in 2017, our company got a new face and a webpage: www.equestrian.movie.  

By now, we have a service team including some of the greatest vaulters in the world. The service team members are spread around Germany and beyond. We try to stay close to our customers so that we can react to service requests as quickly as possible. The journey continues; all of us put a lot of heart and effort into the development of new ideas.

How many MOVIES have you sold already and where will you sell more?

80 MOVIES are out there so far, most of them in Germany. Since beginning of 2017 everyone is able to purchase a MOVIE, so that we got a lot of requests from abroad as well. It looks like, we soon will go across the Atlantic.

How and where do you build the MOVIES?

The MOVIE is developed and produced in the certified joiners workshop “Dopheide OHG” in Düsseldorf, Germany. The timber parts are manufactured with a computer-controlled machine. This way, we are able to guarantee the highest standards. The assembling of the units takes place in the same workshop. This often happens with the power and presence of our MOVIE service team on weekends well into the night.

Are you thinking about some innovations for the future?

Yes, of course! We are constantly working on both small and larger improvements to make MOVIE even better. If you would like to stay informed about our projects, you may follow us on Facebook oder Instagram, where we will publish our improvements and up-to-date news. We are currently working on a horse-shaped exterior for the MOVIE as well as a cart that is able to carry the MOVIE in a circle.

What is your personal goal being involved into this project?

Everyone involved is fascinated by the possibilities MOVIE offers for training. It drives us that we are able to improve the safety during training for vaulters and protect the horses. The vaulter is able to prepare for the stresses put on the body due to the movement during the horse’s canter and muscles are being trained in safe and secure surroundings. The trainer is able to offer immediate coaching during new acrobatic exercises since he is able to stand right next to it. And mattresses around the MOVIE will provide further security in case of a fall. The MOVIE creates totally new possibilities for the tough and enduring training of a vaulter and helps to prevent injuries!

But as I said, the horses benefit tremendously from MOVIE as well. Every vaulter, no matter what level, needs to try new moves and exercises to improve the quality of their vaulting. This causes some hard landings in the progress of learning the movements. With MOVIE, the horse no longer has to bear this burden. The vaulter is far better prepared for the new exercises by the time they’re ready to proceed to the real horse.

It makes me really proud to be able to say that we are helping our dearest friends – our horses.

According to you, what needs to be improved/developed to make our discipline more professional?

The training conditions vary a lot from club to club and even more from country to country. Bad training conditions and lack of knowledge often result in serious injuries. In general, I would wish for more activities or a campaign for trainers and vaulters that explains the risks and shows how to prevent injuries.

If I want to get a MOVIE, how much is it and how can I get one?

You may contact us via our homepage or write an email to info@equestrian.movie. Another possibility is to talk to us in person at competitions. We would be proud to lift your training conditions to new standards. The current model MOVIE S2 costs 12.800 €. ​​