(mps) “We’ve seen top class equestrian sport in the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle over the past five days,” said Andreas Kroll, CEO of the in.Stuttgart Veranstaltungsgesellschaft, in his positive review prior to the final competition and highlight of the 24th International STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS Horse Show, the ROLEX FEI World Cup JumpingTM Grand Prix of Stuttgart – presented by Mercedes-Benz and the BW-Bank. “We’ve sold over 62,000 tickets and we’re very, very satisfied.” Sales were very good on Wednesday but Friday would have been much better had it not been for the “forecasted onset of heavy snow”. Once again, “we the organisers are very pleased with the way everything has gone and we’ll now quietly go about the job of organising our anniversary horse show next year.”
A large part of the success of the STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS is down, without a doubt, to its partners and sponsors, without whom a top event of this size would not be possible. Confirmation that they both were very pleased with the 24th horse show came from Michael Huber, the managing director of the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Stuttgart: When praising the organisers and riders he said, “The STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS is our horse show, we feel at home here. We’ve seen excellent sport of the highest class over the past few days.” He will personally plead for a continuation of Mercedes-Benz’s sponsorship next year. Manfred Rube, spokesman of the Baden-Württembergische Bank, was also satisfied: “We’ve been a part of the show right from its very beginnings. It’s like a marriage now.” In as early as the second year, his bank launched the BW-Bank Cup to give up-and-coming Baden Württemberg riders a platform. “We’ll be continuing the series next year. A continued partnership with the STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS is also in the pipeline.”
The city of Stuttgart’s representative saw things in the same way. “The horse show is a jewel in the city’s event calendar,“ stressed Michael Föll, the Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of in.Stuttgart. “We can once again look back positively. The thrilled spectators have seen some outstanding equestrian sport.” The capital city of the State of Baden Württemberg is very proud of the event and will “take good care of it”. Föll thanked the sponsors and Gotthilf Riexinger, the show director.
Riexinger thanked in turn his staff without whom an event of this size could not be run smoothly. “Each and every competition has begun on time, everything was spot on and it’s fun when everything functions properly,” said the highly appreciative show director. “Great sport was on view every day in the arena.” He also dealt with doping in his summary. “The spectators flocked into the hall and they want to see doping free sport. We did everything we possibly could in the lead up to the horse show. And now we’re looking forward to our anniversary horse show in 2009.”
