Spotlight – September 2019

37

Foto: Birte Ostwald

THE US IN GERMANY 9/2019 Spotlight

A

bsorbed in his work,

Christian Laukemper

hoses down the stable

floor and washes it

clean. The horses have

to come first and I re-

spect that. I look around at the modern ar-

chitecture, shining in the sunlight, while

I wait for him to finish. Laukemper previ-

ously trained as an architect and designed

his own stables near Lake Simssee in the

foothills of the Bavarian Alps.

Laukemper has a list of riding acco-

lades as long as your arm: for example, he

was in the top ten of the German work-

ing equitation championships in 2016

and 2017, and is valued as a trainer of the

German youth working equitation team.

Today, he wants to teach me a bit about

Western riding. First, he’s going to ride,

then it’s my turn.

The Western way

Western riding is quintessentially Amer-

ican. After all, the riding style comes from

cowboys’ work on ranches and their rid-

ing over rough terrain.

While its traditions still live on in the

US today, Europe has achieved world-

class status in the sport, including in

Germany. Western riding stables and

ranches can be found throughout Ger-

many, although it’s particularly popular

THE US IN GERMANY

Ride on, cowboy

Westernreiten ist eine Cowboykunst. Die erfahrene Reiterin LOIS HOYAL probiert

es mit einem wahren Profi aus – im bayerischen Voralpenland.

MEDIUM US

in the south, says Anne-Marie Grabowski,

spokeswoman for the Erste Western

rei ter Union Deutschland (EWU), Eu-

rope’s largest Western riding association,

with around 11,000 members, mostly in

Germany.

The sport’s popularity has grown

continually during the EWU’s 40-year

history and is now booming, Grabowski

explains: “Many Western riders connect

the sport with freedom and adventure.

European riding styles are still based on

military riding, but Western riding is

more about achieving a harmonious part-

nership with the horse.”

Moreover, she adds, those who switch

over to Western riding like the way that

horses are trained and ridden without ex-

cessive reliance on the reins and rather via

the rider’s seat and leg aids.

Dancing with horses

We go over to the riding arena. Relaxed

and confident, Laukemper swings on to

the back of Mimi, one of ten horses in

the German national working equitation

squad.

“What do you like best, Western or

English riding?” I ask.

“Correct riding,” he replies.

Laukemper is keen to dispel preju-

dices about Western riding or any other

riding style and to stress that, ultimately,

accolade [(ÄkEleId]

, Auszeichnung

dispel [dI(spel]

, zerstreuen, auflösen

foothills [(fUthIlz]

, Vorgebirge, Alpen-

vorland

hose down [hoUz (daUn]

, mit einem Schlauch

abspritzen

keen: be ~ to do sth.

[ki:n] UK

, großes Interesse daran

haben, etw. zu tun

prejudice [(predZEdEs]

, Vorurteil

quintessentially

[)kwIntE(senS&li]

, durch und durch

reins [reInz]

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spokeswoman

[(spoUks)wUmEn]

, Sprecherin

squad [skwA:d]

, hier: Team, Rennstall

stable [(steIb&l]

, Stall-

ultimately [(VltImEtli]

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working equitation

[(w§:kIN ekwI)teIS&n]

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