RTwo days before Christmas, Dorothee Schneider has not yet returned. Some of the staff of the 52-year-old stud manager called in sick; the horses still have to be looked after and moved. But the boss at St. Stephan, the facility in Framersheim in Rhineland-Palatinate, with which the dressage rider set up her own business years ago, is used to not being able to put her feet up on the holidays. She always gives her employees free time around Christmas Eve.
The year of sport came to an end for the hard-working instructor last weekend. Instead of the traditional, large festival hall tournament in Frankfurt, only its light version was on the Kronberg Schafhof with the finals of three newcomer series on the Advent program. Dorothee Schneider presented two horses there: In addition to the eight-year-old mare Salvina in the Burg-Pokal, who was allowed to end the test prematurely after a few problems with the light conditions in the unknown hall, and the one year older stable colleague Sisters Act, who “Still very green” in the Grand Prix lessons such as piaffe and pirouettes, but “always want to do everything right”. Together, the couple took sixth place in the victory of the Norwegian Isabel Freese on Total Hope (77.54) in the Louisdor Prize with 71.6 percent, and the young horse lady made her rider very happy because she presented herself at the level of performance on which it is currently located. As a reward there was a quick carrot and Dorothee Schneider was gone.
In Baden-Baden, the team gold medalist from the Tokyo Olympic Games was honored with the athlete of the year award, in which she and the German team took second place in the team category. An undreamt-of and rare success for those who rely on animal movement talents for their passion to find themselves so high in the ranking of the national journalists’ choice. The equestrian sportswoman starting for the Frankfurt tournament stable black and yellow then lost the fact that she took second place behind the Frankfurt swimmer and Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Köhler in the vote on the title in Hesse for women.
When confronted with the news, she was nevertheless very happy. In a year like this, in which there were also very difficult moments for Dorothee Schneider, such awards once again highlight the more beautiful moments. “I would like to start the next year with this positive atmosphere,” says the rider.
Mo. – Fr. at 4 p.m.; Sa. – So. at 6 p.m.
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What she had to experience in 2021, she had taken a lot mentally and physically and left deep marks. In April the mare Rock’n’Rose collapsed under her at an award ceremony at the tournament in Pforzheim and died of an aortic tear.
To this day, a shadow casts itself over Dorothees Schneider’s eyes when she speaks of this shocking experience and the wound that it must have torn in her heart forever. She herself suffered a broken collarbone in the fall and could not sit in the saddle for weeks. Nevertheless, she managed to qualify for the season highlight in Japan together with the 15-year-old Showtime after a short attempt. But after the team triumph and two very good laps, the loyal gelding suddenly seemed to run out of energy during the freestyle. The specialist does not have a real explanation for this incident. Maybe it was overtraining, also due to the intensive quarantine period before departure, maybe too much heat, maybe the overall exertion that lay behind them. “I definitely have to make this a priority myself,” she says self-critically. In those moments when she realized that nothing was possible for the horse and that it was at the end of its strength, it hurt her heart incredibly. “Not because of the medal,” emphasizes Dorothee Schneider. But for the animal with which she is so emotionally connected.
At the European Championships in autumn in Hagen, where the German team was also unbeatable, the veteran was represented by his younger stable mate Faustus. In March Showtime is supposed to trot in front of the judges again. After a minor injury, he is currently in advanced training, says Dorothee Schneider. She is in good spirits that she can set off on the qualification path for the World Championships in Herning in 2022 with both Grand Prix horses. The usual stations are planned for this, including the Whitsun tournament in Wiesbaden, the German championships in Balve and the CHIO in Aachen. Provided that the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t put the tournament planners in a row. This also applies to the first start that Dorothee Schneider is aiming for in January. Then the 13-year-old Faustus should succeed in Basel. So far, the organizers are sticking to the event. If it stays that way, there will probably be no rest for the dressage specialist in the foreseeable future.
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