Gotthilf Riexinger Retires as 5* Dressage Judge

Dressage

Germany

German 5* dressage judge Gotthilf Riexinger has retired from judging after officiating at his last show in his career, the CDI Sao Paulo at Rocas do Vouga in Brazil.

"I have now judged my last show in Sao Paulo and I have to say that it was a great event and the organiser gave me a great stage for which I would like to say a big thanks," Riexinger told Eurodressage.

The 76-year old Gotthilf will not say goodbye to the dressage world completely as he'll continue as an FEI Technical Delegate.

Gotthilf Riexinger

Born in 1947, Riexinger grew up on a small farm and have been involved with horses since he was a little boy. His ancestors were carriage drivers in Stuttgart and his father Adolf Riexinger ran a farm part-near Böblingen. Young Gotthilf got his first horse at the age of 6 and rode his first competition in show jumping at the age of 9, winning an M-level class.

With Angelika Fromming and Dieter Schule in the 1980s

He became a professional show jumper at the start of his equestrian career and competed at the major events in Germany including Hamburg, Dortmund, Berlin, and Wiesbaden, as well as abroad. He also took part in dressage and cross country competitions.

He lives in Reutlingen and also worked in the furniture industry.

Judging Career

His career as a dressage judge started when a national judge piqued his interest in judging to which he said yes. The German equestrian federation then invited him to became an international judge.

"I was interested because I followed international sport and had competed in international show jumping competitions myself and then I became an international judge in 1991," Riexinger told Eurodressage.

By 2003 he had climbed up to O-status, which the FEI then changed to 5* status and recently changed to "Level 4" to add to the confusion.

Looking Back on a Lengthy Career

"I have been able to attend and judge many great events all over the world," Gotthilf reminisced. "I don’t want to highlight any of the tournaments in particular, because all the organisers went to great lengths. Of course, there were also tournaments that weren’t quite as good. Of course, all judges dream of judging a championship one day. I was allowed to judge many. The highlight was of course the 2008 Olympic Games."

He added, "I have had many great experiences, met great people around the world and worked with some great colleagues."

Riexinger did not restrict his functions to just judging. He has been a Technical Delegate since 2002 and was also very well known as the show director and the driving force behind the Stuttgart German Masters . In 1985 he joined the Stuttgart organising committee and under his direction transformed the event into one of the most celebrated indoor equestrian shows in the world. He resigned as director in 2016.

He was also chair of the Baden Wurttemberger state commission for 17 years, a member of the DOKR dressage committee for eight years and of the FEI dressage committee from 2002 to 2005.

How the Judging System Has Changed?

When asked what has changed over the years, Riexinger replied, "the sport and also the judging of exams have developed enormously."

For the future of the sport he hopes that riders will listen more to the trend judges are setting.

"I would like to ask the riders to simply listen to what the judges want to see," said Gotthilf. "Rider and judge must work together. Then we are on the right track."