British Dressage News

Dr Bechtolsheimer Steps Down as Director of British Dressage

April 20, 2007

With effect from 6th June 2007 Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer will step down from his position as a director of British Dressage, due to the pressure of work commitments and the time spent traveling and supporting his daughter Laura.

Dr Bechtolsheimer was co-opted on to the Board in June 2006 based on his knowledge and experience in international dressage.

”I was very much looking forward to getting involved to supporting the board on a strategic level. I also wanted to give some input from an international competitor’s point of view;” said Dr Bechtolsheimer.

Talking about his time on the Board he added: “I very much enjoyed working with the board and I was very impressed by the high level of competence and dedication and by the hard work that each individual member puts in.

“After more than two decades of involvement with dressage in Britain, I am convinced that our future has never looked brighter. BD has the structure and the staff to cope very well with the challenges ahead, be it the continuing rapid growth of membership, the European Championships in 2009 or London 2012 to name but a few.

Following the departure of Markus Gribbe, Laura’s in house trainer for the last 4 years, Dr Bechtolsheimer has found it even more difficult to devote the time needed to his BD role: ”I am spending so much time abroad for business reasons and now that Markus has left, I have stepped in to help Laura with her training again and that takes up most of my free time.”

Commenting on the news BD Chief Executive David Holmes said: “We are very grateful for the time and energy which Dr Bechtolsheimer has spent contributing to the Board over the last year. Whilst his presence on the Board will be missed, we understand and support his need to spend more time helping Laura.”

The Board will not make any decisions regarding future additions to the Board until after the AGM on the 6th June 2007 in order to involve the new Chairman in the process

BD press release

Photo copyrighted: Astrid Appels/Eurodressage

Related Links
Bechtolsheimer and Gribbe Part Ways
Bechtolsheimer Declines Wild Card Option for Las Vegas World Cup Finals
Laura Bechtolsheimer Freestyle Diva at CDI Hagen
Depardieu Offspring Crowd Favorites and Price Highlights