Ludger Beerbaum (8/26/1963, Detmold -RFA-) did not come to the horse from an early or idealized vocation. As a child he received a pony and a bad experience took him away from horse riding for a while and towards football. His interest in horses returned, driven by his environment and an experience that would shape his future. At the age of 14 he impressed the legendary Hermann Schriddewho invited him to spend six weeks on his block. I rode from morning to night and that stage was decisive. In 1984, Paul Schockemöhle He noticed him in a competition in Hannover and offered him to join his structure in Mühlen. Beerbaum left agricultural studies and spent four years training comprehensively. He rode horses, learned daily stable work and immersed himself in the management of a professional structure.
Beerbaum made his international debut in 1985 and his retirement from the elite came in 2023, although he continues to compete in lower level competitions to prepare horses. His Olympic career summarizes the solidity of his figure. Participated in seven Games between 1988 and 2016. He won the team gold in Seoul 1988, individual gold in Barcelona 1992, team gold in Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, and he closed his record with a team bronze in Rio 2016. In Athens 2004 he was the flag bearer of Germany and lived the most controversial episode of his career, the disqualification after the positive test of his horse “Goldfever”, which deprived the team of gold.
Beerbaum was also a protagonist in the World Championships, European Championships and in the major events on the calendar. He won the Grand Prix of the CHIO of Aachen three times and, riding “Goldfever”, he formed the last pair capable of winning two consecutive editions of this event, in 2003 and 2004. “Goldfever” was retired from competition in 2009, at the age of 18, and spent his old age as a stallion, leaving offspring that have competed at the highest international level, his daughter having been another great track partner. of the German rider.
Beerbaum’s value goes beyond his achievements. In Riesenbeck created a high performance center conceived as a complete training, coaching and management structure. From there he has trained riders who have set the pace for European Show Jumping, where he excels. Christian Cuckoocurrent Olympic champion. It has also played a relevant role in the organization of competitions.
His personal life has been closely linked to the same environment in which he built his career. Paul Schockemöhle’s former wife ended up divorcing him and began a relationship with Beerbaum. As time went by, Schockemöhle hired him again and publicly summed up his professional assessment with a phrase widely cited in the sector: “There are more women, but there are only one riders like Ludger.”
Outside of competition he maintains a close friendship with Cayetano Martínez de Irujogodfather of his daughter. A methodical and effective man, with a way of working based on discipline and planning, his career was also marked by significant physical problems in his youth.
