28 STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS: top equestrianism and attractive displays
Stuttgart – Steve Guerdat, the Olympic jumping champion, is coming and double Olympic eventing champion Michael Jung and his teammates, Ingrid Klimke and Dirk Schrade, who won team gold in London, will all be appearing. They will be joined by Germany’s “silver girls” – Helen Langehanenberg, Kristina Sprehe and Dorothee Schneider – in the dressage and four-in-hand World Champion, Boyd Exell (Australia). And there are many, many more top notch horsemen and women in the line-up. The 28th edition of the International STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS Horse Show in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle from 14 to 18 November 2012 will also present almost all the top names in the five disciplines of jumping, dressage, driving, eventing and vaulting. “About 170 competitors from 27 nations and over 330 horses are on the entry list,” said a delighted Andreas Kroll, the CEO of the organising in.Stuttgart Veranstaltungsgesellschaft mbH. The immense interest shown by the world’s best horsemen and women is proof of the world class horse show’s renown. Staged in the “hall duo” in Stuttgart’s NeckarPark complex, the event will once again be the meeting place for the top equestrian stars. “The fans’ enormous interest is reflected in the pre-event ticket sales as 42,000 have already been sold up to now.”
A FEI World CupTM Driving venue for four-in-hand drivers since 2002 and a stop on the ROLEX FEI World CupTM Jumping circuit since 2005, Stuttgart will this year play host to the Reem Acra FEI World CupTM Dressage. “It means we are worldwide the only show with three world cup competitions in the three most important disciplines,” stressed Horse Show Director Gotthilf Riexinger. “The dressage World Cup is now the icing on the cake and naturally has a positive impact on the horse show’s image,” commented Andreas Kroll.
“Even though the show combines sport and entertainment, the special event’s main emphasis is obviously on the competitive side of equestrianism. The mixture is spot on.”
In view of the top class schedule, Andreas Kroll recommends everybody wanting to come along to the hall-duo and watch the “star parade” to book their tickets as soon as possible. Ticket prices have not been increased over last year, a measure that also recognises the fan’s loyalty to the horse show over the years. “The 60,000 visitors that come through the gates every year are a very knowledgeable audience and simply know what they can expect in Stuttgart.”
Jessica Springsteen saddling up in Stuttgart – will “The Boss” come along too?
The jumping entry list is headed by European Champion and world No. 1 Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (Sweden) and World Champion Philippe Le Jeune (Belgium) as well as virtually every member of Germany’s Team World and European Championship winning squads. Technical Director Hauke Schmidt, who is responsible for signing up the show jumpers, underlined the quality of the entrants: “Eight of the current Top 10 will be in action here in Stuttgart.” Presently world ranked No. 3, the Swiss Steve Guerdat will also be appearing as will his compatriot Pius Schwizer (4). They will be joined by Germany’s Christian Ahlmann (5), the 2009 European Champion, Frenchman Kevin Staut (6), Germans Markus Ehning (7) and Ludger Beerbaum (9) plus the world’s best woman rider Edwina Tops-Alexander (10). The Australian has been married to the former top rider Jan Tops since last year.
Other big names are Alvaro de Miranda and Rodrigo Pessoa (both Brazil), Patrice Delaveau and Penélope Leprevost (both France) and the two British Team Olympic Champions in London Scott Brash and Ben Maher. One could almost call Athina Onassis de Miranda a STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS regular. Show jumping lovers can also look forward to Ramzy Al Duhami from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who won team bronze medal in London. In addition to the already mentioned, other Germans scheduled to ride in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle are Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, European Championships silver medal winner Carsten-Otto Nagel, Philipp Weishaupt and Marco Kutscher. Three riders from the local state of Baden-Württemberg Timo Beck, Michael Jung and Hans-Dieter Dreher have also been given a licence to compete in International Tour classes. And then there’s a young lady from USA: Jessica Springsteen, the daughter of “The Boss”, Bruce Springsteen. “Perhaps her father will come by to watch her compete. He sometimes does,” remarked Gotthilf Riexinger.
Dressage World Cup as the “absolute icing on the cake at our show”
As for the dressage, the Reem Acra FEI World CupTM Dressage has attracted six of the world’s Top 10 to the state capital: Germans Helen Langehanenberg (3), Kristina Sprehe (5), Isabell Werth (6), Italian Valentina Truppa (7), Victoria Max-Theurer (8) from Austria and Dorothee Schneider (Germany - 10). Reem Acra is incidentally a New York designer whose customers include Madonna, Angelina Jolie and Eva Longoria. She explains the reasons behind her World Cup sponsorship as being simply: “I love the sport and I love horses.”
From a German point of view, all eyes will be on the “silver girls” (Riexinger) namely Langehanenberg, Sprehe and Schneider, who in coming second to hosts Great Britain in fended off the Netherlands’ attempt to grab the silver medal London in August. “Dressage Queen” Isabell Werth, five-time Olympic Champion, six-time World Champion, 13-time European Champion, World Cup winner on two occasions and German Champion on eleven will also be in the saddle in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle. Others Germans competing are Nadine Capellmann – she has won two Olympic gold medals and four World Championship titles – Hubertus Schmidt, who won two team golds apiece at Olympic Games, World and European Championships and Anabel Balkenhol, the fourth team member in London and team bronze medallist at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Local riders in the line-up will be Isabelle Hermann and Stephan Köberle after being given a permit to take part in the international dressage competitions. They have proved themselves this year internationally and have earned their right to compete.
Also appearing are foreign riders like Imke Schellekens-Bartels (Netherlands), 2008 team silver medallist in Hong Kong und 2010 Team World Champion plus the Swedes Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven and Patrick Kittel who have both competed several times at Olympic Games and World and European Championships.
Five driving World Champions in action
Reigning World Champion Boyd Exell, the World Cup winner for the past four seasons and two-time Stuttgart winner (2009, 2010) and runner-up in 2011, will face Dutchman Ijsbrand Chardon, five-time individual and six-time team World Champion, two-time World Cup winner and 2007 victor in Stuttgart, in the FEI World CupTM Driving to be held in the spacious Schleyer-Halle ring. His countryman Theo Timmerman has won two team World Championship gold medals, the Hungarian Jozsef Dobrovitz was team World Champion in 2004, individual runner-up in 2011 and third in the team event in 2008. He was also victorious in Stuttgart in 2008. Christoph Sandmann was team World Champion in 2006, World Cup winner in 2007 and German Champion on six occasions. A team silver at the 2012 World Championships and team World Championship bronze medals in both 2010 and 2011 have been won by the 2011 German Champion, Georg von Stein. “Stuttgart is basically the cradle of indoor four-in-hand driving as the drivers celebrated their debut under a roof here back in 1993,” said horse show director Gotthilf Riexinger when looking back on the beginnings of the thrilling sport of four horse power driving. “We then became a FEI World CupTM Driving venue for the first time in 2002.”
Eventing: will double Olympic Champion notch up his sixth win?
Eventing is currently being totally dominated by Germany’s “Gold Michi”. “Equestrian fans want to watch Michael Jung and there’ll be a lot of Michael Jung to watch at the STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS.” Andreas Kroll knows what he has treat the audiences to. “In addition to the Indoor Derby, he’ll also be appearing in all the smaller jumping classes,” said Gotthilf Riexinger. In his opinion Michael Jung is “the world’s most versatile and best rider.” The qualified stable manager from nearby Horb is the reigning World and European Champion and double Olympic Champion – the ultimate. Jung has been a regular in Stuttgart ever since the Indoor Derby was first held in 2002. He has won the spectacular competition held on the opening Wednesday five times and has also excited the crowds in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle with his rides in dressage and jumping classes. In 2010 he secured the win in the final of the iWEST Dressage Cup, which is also seen as being the unofficial state championship. Two years ago, he overcame the then recently crowned World Champion Philipp Le Jeune (Belgium) and all the other top class specialist jumpers in the speed jumping class.
However his rivals will be looking to make things difficult for him in Stuttgart – especially Germans Ingrid Klimke and Dirk Schrade, who, together with Jung won team gold in London. A team bronze medal was won on the Thames by the New Zealander Jonathan Padget who recently placed second ahead of Michael Jung in third at the CCI**** in Pau (France). He was only beaten by the world No. 1 Andrew Nicholson who won team bronze with him in London.
On Thursday: BW Bank “Hallenchampionat” and iWEST Cup Final
On Thursday, traditionally the day for riders from the state of Baden Württemberg in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, two popular series will each come to an end when the finals are held. In summer, local horsemen and women battled for one of the ten places in the final of the iWEST Dressage Cup. Later in the evening the state’s top 25 jumpers will contest the BW Bank “Hallenchampionat”. Both finals are counted as the unofficial state indoor championships and a place in the class is much coveted.
Südwestrundfunk to broadcast twice from the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
The regional Südwestrundfunk Stuttgart channel will televise the most important action taking place at the STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS in two 75-minute programmes on Saturday, 17 November, (4.00 – 5.15 pm local time) and on Sunday, 18 November, (3.30 – 4.45 pm). Each and every ride in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle can also be viewed in the internet at www.clipmyhorse.tv.
Attractive horse displays will not only thrill the audience on the big show evening on Wednesday 14 November but provide lots of entertainment for horse lovers on all the other days of the horse show. ”An eight-in-hand team, the Hungarian iWEST-Post, 24 Bavarian draught horses, the Arabians from the nearby Marbach stud, or Stuttgart’s police horses are on the programme as is Pettra Engeländer, an archer on horseback,” said Gotthilf Riexinger when whetting people’s appetite. He continued: “And there’s also the popular Jump and Drive.”
Tickets for the 28th International STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS Horse Show cost between six and 40 Euro, all-day tickets are between 21 and 70 euro. Five-day tickets are available for 139, 169 and 199 euro. All prices include a pre-sales fee plus postage and packing. Prices for tickets on the day cost 2.50 euro more than ones booked before the event via the EASY TICKET SERVICE, telephone +49 711 25555-55, fax +49 711 25555-66, or at all Stuttgart and the region’s major ticket offices and via the internet at www.easyticket.de.
The jumping highlights at the five-day horse show are the MERCEDES GERMAN MASTER late on Friday evening and the Grand Prix of Stuttgart presented by Mercedes-Benz, WALTER solar and BW-Bank. As for driving, by far the most important class is the DB SCHENKER GERMAN MASTER on Saturday. A further highlight is, alongside the World Cup Grand Prix freestyle dressage on Saturday, the Grand Prix Special for the GERMAN DRESSAGE MASTER title on Sunday morning. There’s a total of 25 classes with over 560,000 euro prize money including two Mercedes cars.
Further horse show information can be found at www.stuttgart-german-masters.de
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