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erhaps no Arabian halter trainer in recent history has enjoyed the success that Frank Spönle has had in Europe and the Middle East. In a career spanning 20 years he has led countless international champions and had the pleasure of handling some of the greatest horses of the breed. Early this year, Frank’s training center moved to a new state-of-the-art facility in Geldern, Germany, a small town that lies in the plains of the lower-northern Rhineland, west of the Rhine. There we caught up with Frank, who in this candid interview reflects on his career and on his own Arabian breeding program, shares the secrets of his training philosophy, and ponders the future of the breed he loves.
… from an Arabian horse industry point of view, Elisa and our daughter Virginia have let people see a little bit of the real me, the part that maybe I have a hard time expressing to the public during several high-pressure events each year. 2 6 ARABIAN HORSE WORLD 6 NOVEMBER 2009