End of the Year Questions and Answers 2013

Interviews

End of the Year Questions

Between Christmas and New Year, Eurodressage features its popular "End of the Year Questions" series. We have asked some stand-out dressage figures of 2013 to review their year and share their personal enterprises, observations, endeavours and opinions on life and equestrian sport.

Check out the third series of answers we gathered.

Stephen Clarke
Great Britain
FEI Judge General

Most important event in your equestrian life in 2013?

Compared to some years 2013 was, for me, actually fairly normal! I had a wonderful start to the year judging some lovely shows in the Florida sunshine and seem to have travelled non-stop ever since!
I feel extremely privileged to have the opportunities to be involved with the sport world wide. To witness the development of the sport globally and to be able to spend time with people who are passionate in its development is very special.

Most important happening, evolution or trend in the world in 2013?

In our sport, the realisation that harmonious riding will win the day! This, I truly believe, continues to be the most important legacy of the London Olympic Games. Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part, but I also feel a sense of togetherness developing within all the different factions of the sport.

Best and worst tv and radio show

Best TV: Downton Abbey: Brilliant without question! Maggie Smith is outstanding!
Worst TV: As for the bad stuff, life is too short to waste time watching it!

Best book, play, concert, movie and CD

Best Book: "1421, The Year China Discovered the World," quite fascinating!
Best Movie: Les Miserables I found very impressive, then I saw the stage version (for about the twelfth time) in Toronto this summer and loved it yet again. I do know just about every word to every song though, sad or what!
Best Concert: If ever there is a possibility to see Andrea Bocelli or Michael Bublé in
concert I jump at the chance. Hmm, I’m not sure what that says about
my personality either

What would you like to see changed in the dressage world in 2014?

To be honest, I think we’ve seen enough ‘changes’ over the last few years, some of them good, some of them not. I think it’s about time to concentrate on consistency and development, whilst obviously keeping our minds open to possible improvements.

What do you wish for in 2014?

That people would stop killing one another (literally and metaphorically)!

Fabienne Lutkemeier
Germany
German team gold medalist at the 2013 European Championships

Most important event in your equestrian life in 2013?

The European championships in Herning: it was an amazing event and it was a pleasure for me to be a part of it

Most important happening, evolution or trend in the world in 2013?

The death of Nelson Mandela

Best and worst tv and radio show

Best TV: TV: navi cis

Best book, play, concert, movie and CD

Best Musical: The Lion King
Best Movie: The Ugly Truth, Kokowääh 2.

What would you like to see changed in the dressage world in 2014?

Dressage sport is such a great sport which should get more attention in media because it shows the harmony between rider and horse. With the help of more media attention, competitions and their organisers can survive.

What do you wish for in 2014?

I hope that all my family, friends and animals stay healthy and happy. Hope to have as great a year as 2013.

Jessica Michel
France
French Olympic dressage rider

Most important event in your equestrian life in 2013?

The World Young Horse Championships in Verden. For the first time I rode two young horses in the same division and both finished in the top 8 of the 5-year olds.

Most important happening, evolution or trend in the world in 2013?

More competitions, stallion licensings and auctions are streamed on the internet for free. It saves time not having to travel all the time.

Best and worst tv and radio show

Best TV: by far Equidia, a specialized tv-station which has been broadcasting dressage more and more the past two years.
Worst TV: television is not my favourite hobby.

Best book, play, concert, movie and CD

Best movie: Taken
The past few years I don't have much time to read or go out. My favourite time off I spent on holidat in the Maldives at Hotel Maafushivaru.

What would you like to see changed in the dressage world in 2014?

In 2014 the World Equestrian Games will be in France. It's an opportunity for the equestrian sport and dressage to get more media attention. I hope the French will improve in dressage. Even though we are still a work in progress, I hope we can show it off.

What do you wish for in 2014?

Continue the training of my fantastic horses with the same passion at Haras de Hus. It's always a very gratifying job to train the horses from novice to grand Prix. Socrate de Hus and Soliman de Hus are my upcoming Grand Prix horses and I aim to compete them at CDI Grand Prix level in two years, ready for the Rio Games of 2016.

Silke Rottermann
Germany
Eurodressage freelance writer and Greatest Oldies' guru

Most important event in your equestrian life in 2013?

Unfortunately two losses. The one of my beloved Rhinelander gelding whom I only owned for 11 months, but who had shown me what an incredibly close connection a horse and a rider can share. The other having been the death of Georg Wahl who unselfishly supported my passion to learn throughout the past 16 years in his own way and who taught me what classical dressage is all about and to look into details.

Most important happening, evolution or trend in the world in 2013?

The civil war in Syria and the helplessness of the world to stop the suffering. t's heart-breaking to see all these refugees, children in particular, and there seems no end in sight. Within Europe the economic crisis in a few EU countries and the debate on the Euro as our currency which took place here in Germany earlier the year and affected the public opinion on the EU even more.

Best and worst tv and radio show

Worst TV: undoubtedly, apart from all these reality shows, the cooking contests on German TV and the numerous daily soaps.
Best TV: hard to pinpoint, but I fancy history documentations, political debates and I like
watching the "Tatort" from Münster as the two main actors are always funny. I also found a series called "Chor auf Bewährung" on Swiss TV: very impressive in which teenage criminals prepared a choir concert together with 13 high school girls from Berne under the guidance of a well-known conductor.
Best Radio: SWR 3, SWR 2, or SWR Leute" in which interesting contemporaries are interviewed

Best book, play, concert, movie and CD

Best book: Frank Westerman's "Das Schicksal der weißen Pferde", a retrospect on the history of the 20th century from the viewpoint of the Lipizzans, one of my favored breeds.
Best play: the opera "Freischütz" by Carl Maria von Weber at the Castle Festival in Zwingenberg. It's not quite Bayreuth, but right behind the castle is the famous "Wolfsschlucht" where part of the opera takes place in the original. As I know this place quite well it's always a special atmosphere to see the opera at this annual event.
Best CD: 1812 Ouverture, by the Berlin Philharmony, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. Though it's absolutely not new on the market, I love this piece to calm down after a busy day.

What would you like to see changed in the dressage world in 2014?

More riders becoming aware that the sport they are doing has a long rich tradition and that it once evolved with the aim of conserving traded and proven riding principles which also should be kept alive in our times, no matter how commercial dressage now is. That the tremendously improved breeding still shouldn't be carte blanche for short-cuts in a young horse's training and that judges punish such short-cuts accordingly.

What do you wish for in 2014?

Health and happiness for everyone, two-and four-legged likewise.

Terhi Stegars
Finland
Finnish Team Rider

Most important event in your equestrian life in 2013?

London CDI-W. It was a great way to end a pretty rough year. Riding my personal best in front of more than 100 FEI-judges (IDOC General Assembly) and witnessing another World Record being broken by Charlotte. Another highlight this year was riding into the arena in Aachen: an amazing and overwhelming feeling!

Most important happening, evolution or trend in the world in 2013?

Despite the growing worries around online security triggered by Edward Snowden it is encouraging to see an increase in the number of people who turn to online forums to solve equestrian issues. For example this year I have seen many more foster mothers found for orphaned foals through Facebook.

Best and worst tv and radio show

Best TV: Downton Abbey was definitely the most interesting historical drama on tv
Worst TV: It would be unfair to name a bad tv show because I do not spend time watching them.

Best book, play, concert, movie and CD

Best book: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
Best Concert: 30 Seconds to Mars in Berlin
Best Movie: Rush - It so much more than a film about F1. It provided an insight into the psychological aspects of these sportsmen’s careers.
Best CD: Fire Within, by Birdy

What would you like to see changed in the dressage world in 2014?

I would like to create a safer environment for horses at competition. For example by increasing entrance control to stable areas; by providing safer unloading areas and larger tack storage areas (the corridors get filled with competition trunks and it can become dangerous).

What do you wish for in 2014?

Good health for my family and horses. Great and honest sports, less politics.