Tag Archives: CHIO Aachen

Humble Riders with Humble beginnings….

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Michael Whitaker

Interview with Your Stable UK….

Whats the family background?

We were a farming family and there were always horses and ponies about.

What made you want to start riding?

My brother John is five years older than me and I suppose I followed his lead. He was already doing very well in competitions when I was about 10. Call it sibling rivalry but I wanted to do that too and I wanted to beat him.

Was there a lot of pressure on you to ride professionally or would you have been encouraged to take up another career?

There was no pressure at all for me to ride, I just wanted to do it. And if I’d wanted to do something else I would have been encouraged to take up another career.

What was your earliest riding experience and how old were you?

I can’t really remember starting – I was probably around three years old. From eight or nine onwards I probably rode every day.

Where did you learn to ride?

Just at home on the farm. We didn’t go to any riding centers or anything like that.

Who was your first riding teacher?

Mum – Enid Whitaker.

First professional trainer?

Lars Sederholm when I was about 16 – down at Waterstock in Oxfordshire.

When did you get your first pony / horse and what was its name?

The Shetland pony Hercules, when I was three.

Did you have a hero when you were growing up and if so who was it?

“Harvey Smith – he was the really big name at the time.”

What was your first competition experience?

“I really can’t remember because I started that young. I was going to shows from five onwards.”

What was the first one you can remember and why was it important to you.

The first time I remember jumping in competition was when I was about seven. It was great because I jumped clear but I’m not sure exactly where it was; probably a Yorkshire pony club show. That was when I got bitten by the bug that made me want to do a lot more competing.

Who was your greatest inspiration / influence as a young rider?

It has to be John because I saw more of him than anyone else and he was good. Harvey Smith’s got to be another one. I wasn’t trained by him but he was always there and happy to give you a bit of advice if you needed it; always good with the young riders. David Broome as well; he and Harvey were the ones winning most things at the time. I used to watch all the better riders and draw inspiration from them.

Was there a point when you knew you wanted to be a top rider? How old were you?

I never thought I’d do anything else – never had any doubts; I knew I could do it and just got on with it. Every day is different and I still really enjoy it.

What has been your greatest moment?

It’s got to be in 1991 – Rotterdam European Championships. John was first, I was second and we won team gold as well. That was great.

What has been your lowest point?

It has to be the last Olympics (2008) when my horse was lame and then John’s horse went lame as well – that was a pretty low point.

Was there ever a point at which you considered giving up?

Not really, no. You obviously get down sometimes when things don’t go right but no, I’ve never thought about giving up.

What do you like most about this sport?

Every day’s different, you never know what’s round the corner. I’m still very competitive – I love the competition. There’s a lot of satisfaction in finding a young horse you think is going to be very good and it turns out to be – that’s very rewarding.

If you were not a rider what would you have been?

Probably a farmer – sheep and cattle. It’s too cold to grow anything up here in Yorkshire.

What advice would you give an aspiring riders?

You can’t buy success – well you can to a certain extent but it’s really down to hard work. There’s no point in having a good horse if you can’t ride it. So be prepared to put in the hours and the hard work and take the knocks. You really have to like horses as well – it’s not just sport and they’re not machines.

Biography….

Michael Whitaker was born on 17 March 1960 and is the younger brother of John Whitaker.

Part of the highly successful Whitaker family, Michael is one of Britain’s leading show jumpers of all time.

He has competed in five Olympic Games, four World Championships and 12 European Championships, taking home three gold, seven silver and four bronze medals. He has also won the Hickstead Derby four times (1980; 1991; 1992; 1993) and the King George V Cup four times (1982; 1989; 1992; 1994).

Michael was taught to ride by his mother on the family farm in Yorkshire and soon began competing on his own and friends’ ponies, winning a gold and a bronze medal at the Junior Championships in 1976 and 1978.

He quickly progressed to horses where his talent and determination really shone.

Major achievements throughout his career include becoming the youngest ever winner of the Hickstead Derby in 1980, aged 20, and taking over from his brother John as the world’s number one show jumper for the first time in September 1993. He has also been a British team member for the Nations Cup from 1982 to the present time, representing his country 170 times and taking home 34 wins.

Other notable achievements include his record of being the highest placed British rider in the World Cup final in 1999, finishing 5th with Virtual Village, which he beat in 2001 by finishing 3rd with Handell II and again in 2005 with a second place on Portofino.

Michael is ranked 30th in the world

He is currently based in Nottinghamshire.

What a great Week in Germany…..

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Ladies and Gentleman, I give you AACHEN!!!

Michael Whitaker and Gig Ami win the 2012 Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen

A place of show jumping history…

It was the first time I had ever been to Aachen and man is it everything I imagined. As a Canadian, when I think about International show jumping, when I think about a show where great riders from all over the world come to compete for a title that will be recognized across the world… of course I think about Spruce Meadows.

Spruce Meadows is and was the first show for Canadian riders like myself to attend and compete amongst the best in the world. I remember the first time I went to the Summer series at Spruce. We were stabled in the same aisle as Eric Lamaze, who I had just only recently met for the first time. Michael Whitaker was down the other end of the same stable with his niece, Ellen, in Barn D, while Richard Spooner was across in Barn E. It was the first time I was amongst so many greats, in one place. I saw them every day, every night and I even managed to establish some friendships with a few. It was a cross-over for me and it changed the way I saw our sport, forever. Seeing so many great riders, from all over the world and getting to know some was such a treat for me; a local Canadian girl from Vancouver.

Naturally, Europe; the epicenter of show jumping, has its own Spruce Meadows, that is older and more established.

That is Aachen.

Aachen is the most famous show jumping competition in the world. I mean this place, this show ground, has been established for more then a century (that is a 100 years you realize….). It was founded in 1898 and the first “Riding and Driving” event was in 1924. In 1927, Aachen held its first International “Riding, Jumping and Driving” event with 8 participating nations.

I mean, Aachen is as old as the sport itself.

When you walk to the entrance of the main jumping stadium, you see the wall that displays all the winners of the ‘Grand Prix of Aachen” dating back to 1927, when Major Lotz (GER) won riding Olnad.

The list runs through with the world’s greats…

(1954) H.G. Winkler (FRG) with Orient

(1960) George Morris (USA) with Night Owl

(1962) Alwin Schockemohle (FRG) with Freiherr

(1964) Nelson Pessoa (BRA) with Gran Geste

(1974) Paul Schockemohle (FRG) with Talisman

(1977) Harvey Smith (GBR) with Graffiti

(1978) Eddie Macken (IRL) with Boomerang

(1982) Nick Skelton (GBR) with Everest if Ever

(1992) Jos Lansink (NED) with Opibeurs Egano

(1994) Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) with Special Envoy

(1997) John Whitaker (GBR) with Welham

(2002) Ludgar Beerbaum (GER) with Goldfever 3

(2004) Markus Fuchs (SUI) with Tinka’s Boy

(2005) Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER) with Shutterfly

(2006) Marcus Ehning (GER) Nolte’s Kuchengirl

(2007) Beezie Madden (USA) with Authentic

(2008) Albert Zoer (NED) with Sam

(2009) Denis Lynch (IRL) with Lantinus

(2010) Eric Lamaze (CAN) with Hickstead

(2011) Janne Friederike Mayer (GER) with Cellagon Lambrasco

The energy of this place was amazing. The sound of the crowd when Marcus Ehning went clear in the first round of the Nations Cup was unbelievable. The sound of 40,000 spectators cheering is really uplifting and for the sport of show jumping it is terrific.

As a Canadian, I have only ever seen large crowd’s for a show jumping competition at Spruce Meadows. But I have never seen anything like I have seen in Aachen. In 2011, there was a total of 363,000 spectators in attendance through out the week. Seeing such a large attendance, day in and day out, made me realize how central I am to the sport and how much the Western-European populace is aware of our sport. The crowd was incredible on Sunday for the Rolex Grand Prix. There was not one empty seat in the main stadium. It was so truly incredible to be part of such passion and excitement. Standing in the Rider’s tribune, next to Rodrigo Pessoa and Ludgar Beerbaum on the steps, as they cheered Michael on for the win, I felt a real part of history and a real part of this sport.

I will never forget that feeling.

 

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Michael Whitaker wins the 2012 Rolex Grand Prix in Aachen…..

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“It only took me 30 years”

said Michael after I congratulated him on his win this afternoon. Michael is one of my absolute favorite people on the circuit. One of the coolest, most down-to-earth guys you have ever met. As I was standing in the Rider’s tribune cheering Michael on in the jump off, along with all the other riders, grooms, owners and associates, I realized that I was not the only one who felt this way about the infamous Whitaker.

“No one deserves it more” said Ramzy Al Duhami (KSA)

Michael was defiantly the favorite to win. Rodrigo was yelling “Michael, Michael, go Michael” as he raced through the last two fences. The whole Rider’s Tribune was on the edge of their seats, cheering him on through every fence and every turn.

“He rode the jump off so well” said Trevor Coyle (IRL)

Michael was quite emotional during the ceremony and so he should be. The Rolex Grand Prix in Aachen has been a goal of his for over 30 years. It is especially timely, as Michael, was rather surprisingly not given a placing on the British Team for the London Olympics next month and so this win must mean a lot.

Michael will join his older brother John on the famous plaque at the Aachen judging tower. John Whitaker won the Rolex Grand Prix aboard Welham in 1997. Now Michael can rest easy, as both brothers are on the famous winners wall.

 

More details on my Weekend Review so stay tuned….

 

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Photo of the Day….

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Location: CHIO Aachen

Subject: Penelope Leprevost (FRA) and Mylord Carthago HN, after their second clean round of the Nations Cup

Leprevost was the best score of the French Team and 1 of only 5 double clears (Ehning (GER), Ahlmann(GER), Estermann(SWI), Fredricson(SUI))

Penelope was the only female rider double clean in the Nations Cup and 1 of only 4 Female riders of 28 total riders in the Nations Cup competition