Swiss Olympian Marcela Krinke-Susmelj Passed Away

Dressage

Switzerland

Marcela Krinke-Susmelj at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
Photo © Astrid Appels

- Text © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed

Swiss Olympic dressage rider Marcela Krinke-Susmelj has passed away on 17 July 2024. She was 58 years old.

Life with Horses

Marcela was born 18 October 1965 in Vlašim, Czechoslovakia. Her parents fled the country in 1968, the year of the Soviet invasion of the country. They relocated to Switzerland.

She first picked up riding when she was twelve after her parents agreed to riding lessons as a birthday present.

She met her husband Ivan Susmelj, a former Yugoslav dressage champion and trainer at the Slovenian state stud farm in Lipica, at the Galms equestrian center in Lausen, where she got lessons from him.

Ivan noticed her passion for her horses and how much time she spent in the barn. She was quickly given the ride on private horses and got her license aboard Doris Niederhauser's Nobletto.

Veterinarian

After high school her parents encouraged her to focus on an academic career and she went to study veterinary medicine in Zurich. She did a one-year internship at Washington State University in Pullman, specialising in small pet surgery supported by the Zurich professor Suter.

Back in Switzerland she became an assistant at the Zurich Veterinary Hospital and wrote her doctoral thesis on cardiology, while at the same time helping Ivan set up a riding business in a leased barn in Uri.

Marcela worked in Zurich as an assistant for three years. In 1992 she and partner Ivan welcomed a son, Igor. She began to run her own small animal practice and worked for Franz Knüsel at the Obergrund Veterinary Clinic in Lucerne, while assisting her husband in the barn.

Doris Niederhauser bought the mare Corvina from Christine Stückelberger and allocated the ride to Marcela.

Rotsee Riding Club

Marcela and Irine Meyer at the 2015 Europeans

In 1996 he couple bought their own stable, Rotsee Riding Centre, in Ebikon, Switzerland, after Marcela sold her vet practice. They brought along horses Corvina and Domino, as well as Skarletto, whom they found at the stallion licensing in Neumünster as a two-year-old.

In October 1996 she married Ivan and in May 1997 they had their second child, Natascha.

Irine Meyer

One of their clients at Rotsee riding club was Irine Meyer, who had asked Marcela to help her with the English bred Grand Prix horse Night and Day. Marcela competed that horse up to Intermediaire I level and was then offered to ride Irene's Hanoverian mare Wienerin, with whom Marcela made her Grand Prix debut.

Meyer enjoyed the competitive journey of her horses under Marcela and bought Laura Conz' Russian warmblood Fibrin exclusively for Marcela to compete. The pair had three seasons together - from from 2003 to 2005 - until Fibrin's retirement. They represented Switzerland at the 2005 European Dressage Championships in Hagen.

In 2005 Meyer bought the Oldenburg gelding Corinth (by Cheenook x Fumiro). Coached by Sivlia Iklé, Marcela and Corinth represented Switzerland at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen (33rd in the GP), at the 2009 European Championships in Windsor (22th in the GPS) and at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington (11th in the Kur). They were 8th at the 2009 World Cup Finals. At the Swiss Dressage Championships they took bronze in 2006 and 2007, silver in 2008, gold in 2009 and 2010 and silver in 2011.

Krinke and Molberg at the 2017 European
Dressage Championships in Gothenburg

In 2010 Meyer acquired the Danish warmblood gelding Atterupgaards Molberg (by Michellino x Rambo). Coached by Ton de Ridder as of 2011, they were one of Switzerland's most successful dressage pairs in history since the great age of Christine Stuckelberger. They represented Switzerland at the European Championships in 2011 (39th in the GP), in 2013 (18th in the GP Special), in 2015 (16th in the GP Special), and in 2017 (26th in GP Special). At the 2014 World Equestrian Games they were 16th in GP Special and went to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio in 2016 (24th in GP Special). They competed at the World Cup Finals in Gothenburg in 2013 (13th) and 2016 (10th), and in Omaha in 2017 (12th). They were Swiss Grand Prix Championships in 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2017.

In the early 2010s Marcela's second iron in the fire was the Danish Warmblood Lazander (by Solos Landtinus x Cat Balou), whom she rode to a 14th place at the 2014 World Cup Finals in Lyon. In the spring of 2015 the chestnut fractured his pastern bone and was retired from sport.

Irene's horses go the prefix "Smeyers" pointing to her asset management and real estate company.

Forced Retirement

Both Krinke and Molberg's last international show was the CDI-W Neumunster in February 2018. She split from her long-time coach Ton de Ridder and started working with Daniel Ramseier. She declined to ride Molberg at the 2018 World Cup Finals in Paris.

Krinke-Susmelj was forced to end her high profile international dressage career shortly afterwards. Marcela was diagnosed with Alzheimer in 2019 at the early age of 54 years.

The horses Meyer still had lined up for her - Carissimo, Sopran, Sonny Star, San d'Or, Bonita Springs - were allocate to different riders for training.

Marcela received the best care as her illness sadly progressed. On 17 July 2024 she passed away.