Dr.
Reiner Klimke resides in Münster, a charming and
very historical city in north-central Germany. There
he combines his equestrian interests with his full-time
profession as an attorney. A former Olympic three-day
event rider, he has been an international dressage competitor
for more than 35 years, with many National, European,
World Championship and Olympic titles to his credit.
He is the only rider in any discipline to win six Olympic
Gold Medals, including individual and Team Golds at
the 1984 Los Angeles Games and Team Gold at the 1988
Seoul Olympics.
Despite the demands of a busy law practice and actively
serving on many boards and committees -- including the
FEI Dressage Committee -- Dr. Klimke somehow makes time
to ride as many as four horses per day. He has produced
a number of outstanding equine athletes over the years,
but is perhaps best known for the charismatic Ahlerich.
A highly-strung bundle of power in his youth, Ahlerich
could easily have gone wrong under another rider. It
is testimony to Dr. Klimke's tact as a rider and trainer
that the late "Ali" has come to epitomize correct classical
dressage training.
Dr. Klimke's style is very distinctive. A tall, slim
man, he personifies elegance, absolute control and total
precision in the saddle. A deeply thinking and tactical
rider, his approach is an academic one, underscored
with patience. Taking one day at a time, the Klimke
method is slow and painstaking. Once the horse's basic
education is complete he may work him hard, but tries
never to make the mistake of pushing him beyond the
limit, thereby losing the horse's trust and natural
generosity.
Dr.
Klimke's most rewarding achievement in the dressage
arena to date, was surely winning the Individual Gold
at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He describes the occasion
as "the most beautiful moment of my life," since Ahlerich
had given him everything a rider could wish for from
a horse. "I have seldom sensed such an intimate connection
between horse and rider as I did that day."
This is a man who builds the relationship with his
horses to a level of great understanding and shared
intimacy. Discipline is always there, as is a determination
to win, and everything is analyzed with a great deal
of thought; but for all his desire for victory, Dr.
Klimke always displays a psychological understanding
of the horse which is compatible with the classical
principles.
Today, Dr. Klimke and his tremendously supportive wife
Ruth, who helps school the horses on a day-to-day basis,
spend much of their time assisting the next generation
of Klimkes with their horse-related activities.
Oldest son Rolf has chosen the fields of sports agent
and film maker and is charged with the organization
of the family's busy competition schedule. Son Michael,
with his quiet, centaur-like seat, is proving his own
talent as a world class dressage rider. Daughter Ingrid
has inherited her father's love of eventing and is very
successful on both the national and international levels.
Dr.
Reiner Klimke resides in Münster, a charming and
very historical city in north-central Germany. There
he combines his equestrian interests with his full-time
profession as an attorney. A former Olympic three-day
event rider, he has been an international dressage competitor
for more than 35 years, with many National, European,
World Championship and Olympic titles to his credit.
He is the only rider in any discipline to win six Olympic
Gold Medals, including individual and Team Golds at
the 1984 Los Angeles Games and Team Gold at the 1988
Seoul Olympics.
Dr.
Klimke's most rewarding achievement in the dressage
arena to date, was surely winning the Individual Gold
at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He describes the occasion
as "the most beautiful moment of my life," since Ahlerich
had given him everything a rider could wish for from
a horse. "I have seldom sensed such an intimate connection
between horse and rider as I did that day."
