2021, a Year of Olympic Opportunity for Birgit Wientzek-Pläge

Dressage

Switzerland

2021 will be a year of Olympic opportunity for Swiss team rider Birgit Wientzek-Pläge, as well as other Swiss Grand Prix riders, with an individual slot up for grabs for the delayed 2021 Olympics.

Championship Rider

A year ago, Wientzek-Pläge secured an individual starting place for Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Her excellent results achieved aboard Theodora Livanos' Oldenburg gelding Robinvale (by Rubinero x Wittinger) ranked her high enough on the FEI World Dressage Ranking to obtain a berth in Tokyo.

Birgit is an experienced Championship rider, first representing Switzerland at the 2003 European Dressage Championships in Hickstead on Sappalot (by Silvano N).

Twelve years later she returned to the European Championships in Aachen 2015 with Livanos' For Compliment (by Fidermark x Compliment), while in the meantime she had already trained and competed two other horses up to Grand Prix level (Ragazzo G, Alvarado CH).

As of 2016 Robinvale and Hot Secret (by Hotline x Sandro Hit) were her Grand Prix tickets through 2019. Birgit rode Robivale at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon and to a 26th place in the Grand Prix Special at the 2019 European Championships in Rotterdam. Aboard Hot Secret she finished the season with a second place in the Grand Prix Special at the CDI Le Mans in October 2019.

Corona Changes

With Robinvale at the 2019 European Championships

2020 not only brought corona to world, but also some changes to Wientzek's barn "Green + Gold" in Balm bei Günsberg, Switzerland.

Theo Livanos moved to the United Kingdom and took her horses along, while Hot Secret had some time off.

In addition COVID-19 upended the entire 2020 FEI show calendar and the Olympics were postponed to the summer of 2021.

"It's a really difficult situation at the moment," Birgit told Eurodressage. "With the departure of Robinvale, I will have to re-qualify a new horse for the Olympics and the past year there was no real opportunity to get MER scores. It is amazing to have a chance to go to the Olympics though, so I will do what I can and do my best."

Horse Power

Originally a school teacher by profession, Birgit made a career switch to riding in 1998. Her husband, German born Christian Pläge, represented Switzerland at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and 2021 could be Birgit's year.

With a barn full of talented horses, Birgit can be optimistic about the new year, although some luck and good health will need to come into play to fulfil that Olympic dream. She has her hopes on her number one in the stable, Hot Secret, which is owned by loyal client Edwin Nussbaumer.

Birgit coaches Nussbaumer on his own Hot Dance (by Hotline x Don Frederico) as well as with on new addition Freiburg. The latter is an 8-year old Oldenburg licensed stallion (by Fidertanz x Romanov) which sold as a foal named Finalsatz for 51,000 euro to Stephanie Kötter-Gribbe at the 2012 Oldenburg Autumn Elite Auction. Birgit also recently welcomed the 10-year old Westfalian stallion Like a Diamond (by Laureus x Lord Sinclair x Coriander) to her barn.

Wientzek is a highly acclaimed trainer of Grand Prix horses, but stays modest. She is reserved about taking credit for her achievements over the past two decades and will not make any predictions about the future.

"I work on it and just bring out more horses. I don't have six to seven Grand Prix horses in my stable like other riders. If I have one injured, I begin back at zero," she admitted. "We'll have to see what the future brings."

The Swiss Grand Prix squad riders will have a first training session with brand new team trainer Olivier Oelrich in January. "If corona will give us permission," she added frankly.