Dorothee Schneider Announces Retirement of Showtime

Dressage

Germany

In the evening of 11 December 2023, Dorothee Schneider officially announced the retirement of her career making Grand Prix horse, Showtime.

Showtime is a 17-year old Hanoverian by Sandro Hit out of Rosaria Alpina (by Rotspon). He is owned by Dorothee's long-time sponsor Gabriele Kippert.

From Novice to Olympic Grand Prix

Showtime arrived in Dorothee Schneider's barn as a 3.5 year old.

As a 5-year old he finished 6th at the 2011 World Championships for young dressage horses in Verden and 11th at the 2011 Bundeschampionate in Warendorf.

He was reselected on the German team for the 2012 World YH Championships in Verden, but ended up not competing there. At the 2012 Bundeschampionate he was 6th in the 6-year old dressage horse finals.

At the 2013 Nurnberger Burgpokal finals he was fifth in the finals after winning the warm-up round.

A Rollercoaster Grand Prix Career

At the 2011 World Young Horse Championships

Showtime became Schneider's career defining Grand Prix horse. In 2015 he won the Otto Lorke prize as one of Germany's best upcoming Grand Prix horses.

They were members on the German team for the first time at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where they won team gold, but injury interrupted the gelding's presence on the team since then.

They returned at the 2019 European Championships in Rotterdam, where they experienced their career highlight, winning two individual silver medals and team gold. They scored 80.233% in the Grand Prix, 85.456% int he Special and 90.561% in the freestyle.

After Rotterdam another 1.5 year break from internationally showing followed. They competed at the 2021 CDI's in Munich and Kronberg to secure a spot on the German Olympic team for Tokyo.

At the 2021 Olympic Games they had hoped to achieve the same level as in Rotterdam. Even though they won team gold, they were 15th in the individual Kur to Music which seemingly came as a disappointment.

Peak Fitness

After Tokyo the horse could not maintain peak fitness and did not make it back on the German team.

They returned to competition at the 2022 German Dressage Championships in Balve in June 2022 and won the Grand Prix and Special but withdrew from the Kur. They aimed for a team spot for the 2022 World Championships and therefore had to compete at the CDIO Aachen, but withdrew before the Grand Prix. The horse made yet another "come back" at the 2023 CDI-W Basel, scoring 74.283% to finish 7th in the Grand Prix but withdrew from the World Cup qualifying freestyle. Five months later they showed at the CDI Wiesbaden and clocked a double international victory with 76.826% in the Grand Prix and 76.723% in the Special.

They pulled from 2023 European Championship team contention in June right before the 2023 German Championships in Balve. The double win in Wiesbaden was a fine conclusion of their illustrious competition career.

Retirement

Schneider announced Showtime's retirement today.

"For a long time he was the narrow, inconspicuous Showtime who initially often hid his light under a bushe," Dorothee reminisced. "I always felt the need to tell everyone how great they are. Because he simply deserves to be seen. Not everyone initially shared this belief. A bit shy and introverted, he often hid behind me, even though I tend to have these traits myself. We fit together perfectly and have become a great team over the years - not just in sport, but also in our private lives."

She continued, "today, Showtime is no longer shy, but a radiant prince whose confidence and self-confidence have grown impressively in the arena and at home. He realized what he was capable of and how special he was – and not just to me. With his unique style, he makes many hearts beat faster - especially mine!

"One Showtime in Your Life"

"In my opinion, you only get a “showtime” like that once in your life – if you are that lucky," Schneider stated. "And his place in my heart is infinitely large.
When we say goodnight to each other in the evening and good morning in the morning, the joy is written on both of our faces. I can hardly put this feeling into words, and the time after the sport will also be marked by moving moments. We have 14 unforgettable years behind us and I sincerely hope that we have many more years to come together. No matter where the road takes us or where we both grow older, as long as we live, we will travel together - that is without question!"

Where the retirement ceremony will be held, Dorothee will announce tomorrow (although Frankfurt seems an option).