Description:
This is an account of the late Reiner Klimke's partnership with his most famous partner, Ahlerich. Klimke was thinking about retiring with his partner Mehmed when the directors of the Westphalian Breeding Association decided to set him up with a top horse bred in his home state of Westphalia. Klimke agreed to look as a courtesy to Dr. Dohmen at a group of youngsters being prepared for the upcoming auction. Ahlerich (by a Thoroughbred sire) was among those, and Klimke was immediately taken with him. A sponsorship was arranged to buy the horse who ended up going for the highest price at the 1975 auction.

The money was clearly well spent, since the young Ahlerich not only became the 1982 World Champion and 1984 Olympic Champion, he also helped usher in a new era of German dominance in dressage. It is hard to remember that back in the '70s the big player (rather literally) was Christine Stuckelberger's Granat, who rode for Switzerland. How amazing it is to read a passage (quoted from the press) like, "The dressage in Dortmund is a sign that the title is within the grasp of a German rider..."

The book will be enjoyed by any dressage enthusiast. However, as a narrative it is mediocre. It reads in most places rather like a training diary than a compelling story. Non-dressage readers, even horse people, will probably not enjoy it. However, for a dressage reader the day-to-day insights are very worthwhile. It is impressive to read how Klimke plotted the horse's career, and how much attention he paid to impressing the right judges at the right time so that not only the horse, but also the opinions, would peak for a major championship. It is humbling to read that even Klimke, worshipped by many, had off days where he made mistakes. And, as an American, it is facinating to read the press accounts of even lesser championships, where they criticize weakness in the half-passes or flying changes as they sum up the day's events and set up the next day's competition.

Accuracy:   How would you rate the accuracy of the horse content in this book? painfully inaccurate   [login to vote]   detailed and exquisitely accurate 5.00 Rating, 1 Vote Quantity:   How extensive is the horse content in this book? minimal or background   [login to vote]   horsey 5.00 Rating, 1 Vote Quality:   Rate the overall quality of this book. waste of time   [login to vote]   worth a worldwide search 3.00 Rating, 1 Vote

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