ride with pride.
Eventing and dressage rider Ingrid Klimke
2 Gold Medals, 2008, 2012 Olympics. Team Silver, 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Two-time Olympic Team Gold. Three-time European Team Champion. European Gold and Silver Medallist. Multiple German Champion. World Championships Bronze. Most recently, Team Silver in Rio. Ingrid Klimke is one of the world’s most successful eventing riders and competes at the highest level in dressage. The welfare of the horse is paramount. For many riders Ingrid Klimke is already an icon. The master rider from Münster, Germany combines the best horse handling techniques with high performance. She is always clear that her horses are her equal partners.
Success on a horse is
twice as nice.
Your horse – your partner
After tennis or skiing you can put your equipment away in a corner. With a horse it is different. The animal needs your care, attention and trust. So, horse riding is a classic team sport. “You need to know your horse extremely well,” says Ingrid Klimke,“and have a deep and sincere attachment to him.” Selecting and training a horse are fundamental for success. On one side it needs a proud personality while on the other you need obediance, because the horse must do what the rider and course require.
Ingrid Klimke sums it up as, “Every horse has its own character. This needs to be uncovered and won for itself. In equestrian sport, performance is when you work as a team, to give your best. Both horse and rider have to be on top form on the day of competition, to show what they are capable of.”
In equestrian sport you rely on your horse as your partner.
Safety in equestrian sport
The rider is responsible, not only for his horse, but also for himself. It is important to always wear a helmet when riding. Ingrid Klimke wears uvex perfexxion for open country and jumping and uvex suxxeed for dressage. She says, “Anyone who spends hours in the saddle knows just how important optimum fit and ventilation are, in order to feel really comfortable.”
The double Olympic Champion values the uvex brand for its high quality standards. “Safety comes first and is combined with a chic look,” says Ingrid Klimke. She has become so used to it she always puts her gloves in her helmet. “That way my protective equipment is always in one place. Their soft, extremely hard wearing gloves ensure I have everything under control.”
Ingrid Klimke on living equestrian sport
How did your love of riding begin?
I grew up in an equestrian family. Our life revolved around horses. My love for this sport comes from my father, Reiner, a successful dressage rider who won six Olympic Gold Medals. So, I grew up around competition arenas. We never went on family holidays. Instead, we went to competition arenas every weekend.
Family holidays were spent at competition arenas.
What is your daily routine?
After breakfast, once the children are ready, I go to the stables and ride from 8am to 2pm. In the afternoon I combine looking after my children with more horse training. Sometimes we go on a trip or go to see a new horse. In the evening, administrative work. I am very glad to have a great team of ten people who help me.
Which horses have been your most important partners so far?
Patriot was the first horse I broke-in on my own. I won two consecutive Olympic Gold Medals with Abraxxas and rode him on my first 4-star test, the hardest test in the world. Then came Escada and Hale Bob, two very special horses in my life. Both horses have exceptional quality, as well as being strong willed. It was wonderful to see how we developed over the years.