The Hanoverian 09|2012 - the American Hanoverian Society!

team gold medal ahead of the favored American
team. The German eventing team lays the foundation
for an overall victory in the dressage ring.
Claus Erhorn/Justyn Thyme, Mathias Baumann/
Shamrock, Thies Kaspareit/Sherry and Ralf Ehrenbrink/Uncle
Todd master the cross-country course
without eliminations or jumping faults. They only
add a few time penalty points to their dressage
score which keeps them in the lead. Lots would
have to go wrong for Germany to loose its gold
medal position and nothing did! Great Britain wins
silver and New Zealand bronze. Mark Todd NZ’s
top rider once again wins the individual gold medal.
The Olympic dressage competitions are not
only noteworthy because Germany’s series of victories
continues but also because dressage gets a
new face: Three young riders prove with impressive
rides that they can break into the well-established
and older generation of dressage competitors. 21year
old Nicole Uphoff from Duisburg and her eleven-year
old bay Westphalian Rembrandt quickly
become the crowd’s favorites. The other representatives
of the young dressage guard are Monica
Theodorescu on Ganimedes and Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff
on Courage. The German team wins gold
with Dr. Reiner Klimke and Ahlerich; Switzerland
gets silver and Canada bronze.
A flood of medals at the turn of the
millennium
The Olympic Games in Barcelona in1992 are the
beginning of an exemplary success series for German
riders during the medal-rich nineties. Germany
is certainly not considered to be in the contention
for a medal after the first round of the Nation
Prize because of the sale of the horse Pamina and
several injured Olympic hopefuls beforehand. In
the second round all hopes are on the last rider
who is Ludger Beerbaum on his Holstein mare
Classic Touch. The noseband of the hackamore
breaks at the third fence. Very unfortunate! Eleventh
place is the sobering team result! The team
from the Netherlands becomes Olympic champion.
The individual competition is decided in a most
dramatic finish. Beerbaum is the only rider to complete
two double clear rounds. Piet Raymakers
from the Netherlands is his toughest opponent.
The Dutch rider also has two faultless rounds on
Ratina Z. The horse becomes Beerbaum’s future
partner. He however lost his chance to win gold
because of 0,25 time penalties. The Games in Barcelona
become a total triumph for Germany’s dressage
riders. One nation wins team gold and all individual
medals for the first time in the history of
the equestrian games. Nicole Uphoff and the Westphalian
Rembrandt once again impress with brilliant
performances winning the Grand Prix as well
as the Special. The results are very close in the
Grand Prix. The difference between the title defendant
and Olympic newcomer Isabell Werth on the
powerful Hanoverian Gigolo by Graditz is only 6
points. Klaus Balkenhol on the Westphalian Goldstern
by Weinberg finishes both tests in third place.
Monica Theodorescu completes the German success
story with taking forth place in the Grand Prix
on her eleven-year old Hanoverian Grunox by Grunewald.
In the Special she has to sit out as only the
top three competitors of each nation are allowed
to participate. 49-year old Herbert Blöcker achieves
a glorious highlight in his long-standing career
as an event rider. He impresses not only with a
flawless ride on the difficult cross-country course
but also with a double clear round on the stadium
course with his 16-year old partner Feine Dame
who is a Holstein mare by Diplomat xx. He is awarded
a well-deserved silver medal in the individual
competition and the bronze medal with his team
that consists of Matthias Baumann/Alabaster, Rolf
Ehrenbrink/Kildare, Cord Mysegaes/Ricardo and
Blöcker. The riders from Australia win the individual
as well as the team gold medals in this division.
1996 - Gold in Atlanta
The worry about tremendous heat and high humidity
that is typical for the region around Atlanta
during the time of the Olympic Games is on
everyone’s mind in 1996. In eventing the riders
participate in two different competitions (individual
and team) for the first time. The Olympic competition
ends in a disappointment for the German
team. The equip places ninth; only two team members
being Bettina Overesch and Bodo Battenberg
actually finish. Hendrik von Paepcke being the
youngest team member at 22 saves the German
honor placing seventh on the Hanoverian Amadeus
by Afrikaner/Servus in the individual competition.
The riders from Australia, New Zealand and the
United States once again prove their dominance in
eventing in Atlanta. A subscription to Olympic gold
for Germany’s dressage riders though: Isabell
Werth/Gigolo, Klaus Balkenhol/Godstern, Monica
Theodorescu/Grunox and Martin Schaudt/Durgo
take gold ahead of the Dutch team that takes silver.
In the individual competition a duel takes
place between Isabell Werth and Anky van Grunsven.
While Isabell Werth wins the Grand Prix on
Gigolo, Anky van Grunsven wins the Special on
Bonfire. Isabell Werth proves to have the stronger
set of nerves in a very exciting freestyle-final. She
performs an incredibly difficult freestyle to the
tune of “Just a Gigolo”. Anky van Grunsven wins
silver after mistakes in the one- and two-tempi
changes in front of her teammate Sven Rothenberger
on the Hanoverian Weyden. Just as in dressage
the Olympic Games end for Germany’s jumper riders
with two gold medals, too. There are dramatic
Sport
At the height of their career; Isabell
Werth and Gigolo FRH by Graditz/
Busoni xx win two gold medals in
Atlanta. Photo: Ernst
Not even 0,5 points are missing:
Monica Theodorescu and the Hanoverian
Grunox by Grunewald/Absatz
finish forth. Photo: Ernst
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