On
Monday 21st February 2000, Georg Wahl became 80 years
old. One would say that age forces him to take it more
easy, but nothing is more untrue than that. One week
before his birthday Wahl flew to Belgium for his three-monthly
clinic of the Belgian Grand Prix and Prix St. Georges
riders. "My age makes me less energetic, but I'm still
as enthusiastic about training horses as I was 50 years
ago," Wahl commented. Georg Wahl has an impressive career
behind him.
From 1938 to 1944 and after a war imprisonment of a
few years to 1951, Wahl was bereiter and in the end
"oberbereiter" of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.
After his apprentice- and leadership in Vienna, he moved
to Switzerland where he became an independent dressage
trainer.
His best student is undisputedly Christine Stuckelberger
(now 52 years old), who became his life partner later
on. Under Wahl's guidance, Stuckelberger won two European
Championships, one World Championship, Olympic gold
in 1976 (riding Granat) and became World Cup Champion
on Gauguin de Lully in 1987. In September 2000, Christine
Stuckelberger will participate for the 7th time in her
life in the Olympic Games, an achievement only outdone
by American 3-Day eventing rider Mike Plumb who participated
eight times in the Games.
On
Monday 21st February 2000, Georg Wahl became 80 years
old. One would say that age forces him to take it more
easy, but nothing is more untrue than that. One week
before his birthday Wahl flew to Belgium for his three-monthly
clinic of the Belgian Grand Prix and Prix St. Georges
riders. "My age makes me less energetic, but I'm still
as enthusiastic about training horses as I was 50 years
ago," Wahl commented. Georg Wahl has an impressive career
behind him. 
