The Hanoverian 08|2012 - the American Hanoverian Society!

The worries and concerns that the host of the
1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo would not measure
up to the demands of the equestrian sport
prove unfounded. Course designer Shunzo Kido
builds a jumping course at the highest international
level. The jumper riders from Germany, Hermann
Schridde with Dozent by Deputant/Schuss II,
Kurt Jarasinski with Torro and Hans Günter Winkler
with Fidelitas by Doemnitz I, could be satisfied
with almost 40 penalty points after the first round.
They add numerous penalty points during the second
round. The German team finishes in first
place winning the third team gold medal after the
war in the end. The French team earns silver and
Italy bronze. Hermann Schridde is one of two riders
to complete the second round of the Nation Prize
without any faults. Schridde could have become
the Olympic champion with a little bit of luck but
his toughest competition, the Olympic champion
from 1952, Pierre Jonqueres d’Oriola from France,
risks everything in the second round and finishes in
front of the German opponent with only nine penalty
points. The dressage competitions take a
rather satisfactory course. All three German competitors
are able to secure a spot in the final. Harry
Boldt and his grey mount Remus become the best
German dressage competitor placing second behind
the Suisse champion Henry Chammartin on
Woermann. Josef Neckermann rides his Holstein
mare Antoinette into fifth position, Reiner Klimke
his Dux by Duellant/Staatsanwalt into sixth place.
These good individual results earn the German
team the gold medal ahead of the Suisse team and
the team from the United States. The German
event riders deliver more than respectable performances
in Tokyo. Before the Games the prognoses
of winning a medal was less than slim. Winning
the bronze medal in the team as well as in the individual
competition comes to a great surprise. In
accordance with the agreement between both
German sporthorse associations Fritz Ligges and
Horst Karsten compete representing the Federal
Republic and Karl-Heinz Fuhrmann and Gerhard
Schulz compete for the German Democratic Republic.
Germany earns the bronze medal behind Italy
and the United States. 26-year old Fritz Ligges and
Donkosak by Dreikampf xx/Joho surprisingly bring
home a well-deserved individual bronze medal. It
is the last time that riders from East and West form
a combined team.
Mexico 1968: High altitude and downpour
The expeditions to the Olympic Games in Tokyo
1964 as well as numerous jumper competitions in
the US and Canada showed that horses can handle
long airplane trips quite well. Therefore the journey
to the next Games in Mexico in 1968 is no
reason for concern but the unusual climatic condi-
tions at an altitude of 2,000 meters for the competitions
is. The team finishes in third place in dressage
behind the Soviet Union and the German
Democratic Republic whose team members rode
very well. The German team finds itself in fifth position
after the final jumping class. The British team
takes home team gold, the United States win silver
and Australia bronze. Horst Karsten is Germany’s
best competitor on eleventh place in the individual
competition. The Olympic Games have a very sad
ending For Jochen Mehrdorf and his mount. Lapislazuli
has a severe panic attack on the return flight
and has to be shot. Germany’s dressage riders successfully
defend their team gold medal in front of
the USSR and Switzerland. Josef Neckermann and
Mariano win the individual silver medal behind
gold medal winner Ivan Kizimow. Dr. Reiner Klimke
and Dux bring home the individual bronze medal.
It is in the nature of the Mexican spectators to
show the greatest enthusiasm for the jumping
competitions. After all their riders have belonged
to the best of the World for many years. Olympic
champion William Steinkraus from the USA leads
the field of 42 competitors on this day which happens
to be his birthday followed by Marion Cakes
from Great Britain. Four riders fight for the bronze
medal including Günter Winkler with Enigk by
Endsport xx. Winkler finishes in fifth position; the
bronze medal goes to David Broome. Team Canada
is the surprising gold medal winning team followed
by France. Germany wins bronze. Hermann
Schridde’s rides are the sole reason why Germany
looses the gold medal. He finishes both rounds
with a total of 70,25 penalty points on his mount
Dozent II. Alwin Schockmöhle and Donald Rex by
Durban/Franz complete both courses with 18,75
penalty points; the best result. Hans Günter Winkler
and Enigk finish both courses with the sixth
best result.
Joy and mourning at the games in Munich in
1972
The games in Munich 1972 were to become the
most beautiful and joyous games of the post-war
period. However a black shadow fell over this
worldly event on the eleventh Olympic day. Eight
Arabic terrorists break into the Olympic village during
the early morning hours of September 5th,
shoot two athletes and hold nine athletes hostage.
The perpetrators from Palestine demand the release
of 200 Arabic prisoners who are held in Israel
and a plane for their escape. Snipers try to overcome
the hijackers at the airport in Fürstenfeldbruck.
They kill three terrorists. All nine hostages, three
additional hijackers and one German police officer
are killed in the following gunfight. The competitions
are stopped for 34 hours. At the time of the
terrorist attack the Olympic three-day event had
Sport
1964: Donkosak and Fritz Ligges (in
this photo in Luhmühlen) are the
surprising but well deserved bronze
medal winners in Tokyo..
Text from “100 Years of Horse Breeding
and Horse Sport in Germany.”
Copy with kind authorization of the
FN-Publishing House, Warendorf.
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