In riding - as in life - a lot depends on the right moment. Anyone who has ridden and, above all, trained as many different horses as I have knows that it always comes down to this. Doing the right thing at the right moment - even if it sometimes, like now, almost tears your heart apart.
My much-loved "Showi", to whom I owe successes in sport that I would never have dared to dream of, is to say a cheerful "goodbye". Now 17 years old, his sporting career will come to a worthy conclusion. Once again I would like to say thank you: thank you to his breeder family Wecke, thank you to his owners and my friends Gaby Kippert and Eva Maria Mann, thank you to my family and my team and of course thank you to Showtime FRH himself.
I can hardly put into words what this initially very introverted model pupil, who learnt to shine so brightly in the arena, means to me. I consider it a great gift that I was able to train him and take him all the way to two Olympic team gold medals, one European Championship team gold and two individual European Championship silver medals, to name just the biggest highlights, always supported by my family, my team and of course his owners.
But it's not the medals, the ribbons, the rounds of honour that make me so happy - it's the feeling of being at his side and on his back. If as a rider you always work towards merging harmoniously with your horse, becoming one and making the most difficult movements look completely effortless by working together, then Showi has shown me this way.
And now it's up to me to choose the right moment to close our sporting chapter together. He will of course stay with me, continue to be looked after royally, like all our horses - and enjoy his bananas delivered personally and with endless love ... Showi!!!
