Personal
Dorothee
I was born into a horse family. My father Hans Eberhard Schneider rode up to advanced level himself, judged up to Grand Prix level and was a horse (Trakehner) breeder with body and soul.
Until the end of the 1980s he ran an agricultural business as the tenant of the 180 hectare Mechthildshausen domain near Wiesbaden - and here I also learned to ride, but even if it sounds crazy now, I had to fight hard for my father's lessons because he almost never had time. So I started teaching myself things early on and being very critical of my own riding.
After graduating from high school, I had envisaged studying veterinary medicine, but first I had to move. The lease of the domain expired and we moved to Framersheim, where we bought the riding facility, which was much smaller than Mechthildshausen.
This also gave me a new perspective and instead of studying I decided to stay with the company and do an apprenticeship as a bank clerk. I wanted to learn the economic know-how for later self-employment, the contact with customers, but of course I also wanted to support my parents.
After completing my apprenticeship as a bank clerk, I did an apprenticeship as a horse manager with a focus on breeding and keeping and in 1994 I took the horse management exam. As a lateral entrant, I then passed the rider examination and also here in 1996 the master’s examination. And in order to be able to look after the insemination station at our stud, I also trained as an insemination attendant.
In 2000 I took over our St. Stephan stud and riding facility.
As was almost the norm in the past, I also vaulted at first. But my heart has always been more attached to riding. My first horse was the Gondola II, which my father raised himself - a twin foal by Ibikus from the family of the trek mare Gondel, who stayed a little too small. I still remember exactly how I always sat on her in my red street boots and would have loved to never have dismounted ... Incidentally, the extremely rideable Gondola II, which was decorated with the elite mare title, later made breeding history, as she brought the star sire Gribaldi as well as Goldino, who was also licensed and successful up to Inter I, the three medium level dressage horses Ganymed, Godin and Golan and the 1995 state champion mare in Hessen, Georgina.
Protegé followed the black-brown mare's dream Gondola II - and I also associate a very special story with him. The Trakehner gray gelding was seriously injured and was nursed back to health by my father. With him, I competed in my first competitions from the first youth equestrian test to medium level dressage ... and also competed successfully in jumping competitions.
My next four-legged friend was called the catapult. A son of the Trakehner Kastilio, raised by my father, whom I trained up to S level myself, won the Hessian junior championship with him and was accepted into the national squad. I actually taught myself most of it - on the principle of 'learning by doing'. But I also learned a lot from watching other riders.
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As was almost the norm in the past, I also vaulted at first. But my heart has always been more attached to riding. My first horse was the Gondola II, which my father raised himself - a twin foal by Ibikus from the family of the trek mare Gondel, who stayed a little too small. I still remember exactly how I always sat on her in my red street boots and would have loved to never have dismounted ... Incidentally, the extremely rideable Gondola II, which was decorated with the elite mare title, later made breeding history, as she brought the star sire Gribaldi as well as Goldino, who was also licensed and successful up to Inter I, the three medium level dressage horses Ganymed, Godin and Golan and the 1995 state champion mare in Hessen, Georgina.
Protegé followed the black-brown mare's dream Gondola II - and I also associate a very special story with him. The Trakehner gray gelding was seriously injured and was nursed back to health by my father. With him, I competed in my first competitions from the first youth equestrian test to medium level dressage ... and also competed successfully in jumping competitions.
My next four-legged friend was called the catapult. A son of the Trakehner Kastilio, raised by my father, whom I trained up to S level myself, won the Hessian junior championship with him and was accepted into the national squad. I actually taught myself most of it - on the principle of 'learning by doing'. But I also learned a lot from watching other riders.
I made it into the Grand Prix class with the Trakehner Van Deyk. The dark chestnut-colored son of the thoroughbred Patricius xx, bred by my father, was reverently called "the boss" by us because he was so clever and talented and because he always managed to assert himself, to go his own way and to win people over. I really had a special relationship with my Trakehner elite stallion and stallion of the year 2005, who died in 2018 at the proud age of 34. After a stable fire and serious injuries, he leaned against me and fought his way back to life and Grand Prix racing. .. not many can do that. All in all, we recorded over 60 victories and placements in advanced dressage up to Grand Prix.
With Van Deyk's son Kaiserkult, I won the Bundeschampionat for dressage horses for the first time, took second place in the prestigious final for the Burg Pokal and recorded victories up to World Cup freestyle. And it is to him that I owe my first appointment to the German national squad. I managed to do this with Forward Looking, which I myself promoted into Grand Prix racing.
But that's not all: in 2012 my long-cherished Olympic dream came true. With the black mare Diva Royal provided by the Roth family, I was part of the German team for London / GBR and contributed significantly to winning the team silver. We finished the final freestyle in the individual ranking in seventh place.
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The highlights are of course my championship successes: starting with the already mentioned team silver at the 2012 Olympic Games in London / GBR, to DM individual gold in 2016 in Balve, to team gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio / BRA, the 2017 European Championship in Gothenburg / SWE and the WEG 2018 in Tryon / USA.In 2019, I won my first international individual medals - and EC team gold - with the EC double silver in the special and the freestyle in Rotterdam. Then there was the DM title in the special and I was given a special honor, I was appointed riding master. At the DM 2020 and '21 in Balve, my medal collection expanded by double bronze in each case.
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I count my father, Holger Schmezer and of course the two national coaches Monica Theodorescu and Jonny Hilberath as my most important teachers.
But I've also taught myself a lot - less by looking in the mirror and more by feeling. It has to feel easy and natural, then horse and rider become one. I am fascinated by the cooperation with the horse, the constant challenge of solving problems and working every day anew to ensure that the horses feel comfortable and can give their best.
To do this, as in any profession, you always have to question yourself and consider new solutions. The best reward is a happy horse that competes.
Many helping hands are needed to run a company like mine. I am accordingly grateful to my family and team for their commitment. And last but not least, I owe my horse owners and sponsors that I am allowed to do what I consider to be the most beautiful job in the world!
Moving pictures from the first 50 years of my life ...
