Legendary showjumper Ludger Beerbaum has retired from the sport at the age of 59, after an illustrious career spanning four decades. The German maestro is one of the most decorated riders in the world, winning four Olympic gold medals, the World Cup Final, countless grands prix and a further 16 championship medals.
In a surprise announcement at the CHIO Aachen on Sunday (2 July), shortly after jumping his top mare Mila in the Rolex grand prix for four faults, Ludger revealed that he would be stepping back from the sport.
In front of 40,000 spectators on home soil he bid his final farewell and left the international ring for one final time, marking the end of an incredible era for the sport.
“It definitely wasn’t an easy decision but I have been thinking for a while, ‘Should I, should I not?’,” Ludger told H&H.
“Originally I hadn’t planned to ride in Aachen as I’d passed Mila on to Eoin McMahon, who is my colleague here at the stables. But then he broke his arm, so I rode her a bit and I thought why should she not go to Aachen? She’s been there several years, so she knows the place well. I asked if it was possible and fortunately I got a wild card.
“I had quite a good week there, we qualified for the grand prix and she just had a fault at the water, but she jumped good. Then as I was leaving the arena, I thought ‘Well actually maybe this is the right moment’. So it was quite spontaneous!
“Aachen is a special place, especially for us Germans, so I thought that was the right place to do it,” added the Olympian.
“It was not an easy decision and there’s never a right time – it will take a bit of time to adapt to the situation I’m sure – but there is also something in me saying it was the right thing to do. That final lap of honour was very touching.”
Ludger Beerbaum retires: ‘I’ve had so much support over the years, which I really appreciate’
Ludger began riding at the age of eight and began his winning ways in young riders, going on to become core to Germany’s reign in the sport for so many years and he long held the position of world number one. His first appearance for the German Nations Cup team came at Dublin, Ireland in 1985 and he represented his country 133 times and made 24 championship appearances. He has ridden and produced some incredible horses such as Goldfever, Ratina Z, Chaman and Couleur Rubin.
Ludger has won all the top prizes including the Aachen grand prix three times and the CN International at Spruce Meadows. His Olympic team gold medals came in 1996, 2000 and 2008 and he was crowned individual champion in 1992 riding Classic Touch. He won European titles at every championship between 1997 and 2003 and was part of the gold medal-winning German team at the world championships in 1994 and 1998.
Seven years ago, Ludger had taken the first step down from the top rung of the sport when he announced he would no longer ride on national teams, although he made a brief comeback for the Nations Cup at Hickstead last year when the chef d’equipe was short of available riders.
Ludger Beerbaum riding Classic Touch at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, where he won individual gold. Photo by David Madison/Getty Images
He was regularly competing at the top level until in March this year, Ludger broke his leg in a fall while competing in Doha, Qatar, and was out of action for nearly three months. He returned to competition last month, taking in shows on home soil before jumping in the Longines Global Champions Tour five-star shows of Paris and Stockholm before bowing out at the equestrian mecca of Aachen, where he has jumped in the grand prix 35 times.
“If someone had told me when I started out that I would be bowing out at the age of 60, no way would I have believed them!” said Ludger. “Because I wasn’t born to do the sport like Marcus Ehning or John Whitaker. So I’m pleased I’ve had so many opportunities and I’ve had so much support, which I really appreciate.
“There are probably three moments that stand out for me from my career – winning individual gold in Barcelona with Classic Touch, becoming the first German to win the World Cup Final in 1993, and then winning the Aachen grand prix for the first time in 1996.
“I am probably different to many other riders who have one horse who really stands out – I have been very fortunate to have a lot of really nice horses. There was Ratina, Goldfever, Classic Touch and last but not least there’s Mila, who’s 11 years old and probably at the peak of her time. But maybe next year now she can go to the Paris Olympics with Eoin – that would be really good.
“There’s so much going on here with the young horses, which is very motivating and I will continue to ride at home a bit. I will really miss competing – but I will not miss the travelling!”
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