iJump Feature
EMANUEL SCHROETER
B by Kathy Hobstetter
eing born in Dresden, Germany, when the wall was still up, played a major role in forging the future of young people with dreams, it could stifle those dreams. “There was no way to get past it or
around it,” says Emanuel Schroeter, a thirty year old rider-trainer now living in Southern California. “Living with it every day as I grew up was a constant reminder that we were different than the rest of the world, our choices were different since we basically had none. We were aware of what was on the other side of the wall, it was not for us. It was a very trapped way of life.” “I grew up on a horse farm at a breeding facility owned by the East Germany government who controlled everything. When the
wall came down the German government then sold it all. You could buy a nice Grand Prix horse for $2,000; they just wanted to get rid of them.” “We moved to a house with two stalls in a small old German
style barn that was originally used for pigs, we converted it. The village, Seewald near Heidleberg in the Black Forest area, had an indoor that I could use so I started to ride a lot. Dad (Dirk) was a professional rider before the wall came down, but is now a farrier all over Germany. My mom, Evelin, is a Doctor of Physics and math teacher at a University. There are two sisters, Marie rode but does not compete, Elisa has other interests….it’s not her world”. “My dad helped when he could with my training and we would
travel to different trainers whenever possible. I bought the first horse myself at 15, ‘Flanett’, a chestnut mare. She had foundered and had some rotations so dad has his work cut out for him, she became his shoeing project and my riding horse, it was what we had. She was older and we didn’t do very good but at least I got to have a horse, she was OK for me.” “I didn’t ride much in my late teens, I was not sure what I would
do with life. But a friend of my dad’s, Jens Mosch, was a rider for Lars Neiberg. Lars said I should come by and work with some of his horses…when I got out of school I called him and that was the start. To be sure, I was there as a working student… cleaning stalls, grooming, and only sometimes I got to ride, but I didn’t care. Lars wife, Gitta, had a jumper and would give me lessons at times. I had never had any experience like that….the feeling of being in a new family with new people who wanted to help me along.” “From there, Jens organized an apprenticeship with Gestuet
Prinzenberg, a barn that breeds and develops young Grand Prix horses while selecting young riders to sponsor….the next generation! My mentors there were Daniel Kircher, Axel Michel and Thomas Graf. Half way through my apprenticeship, Dietmar Gugler leased
Opposite Page: Emanuel saluting. This Page, Top to Bottom: Emanuel; A young Emanuel(on left) and friend in Germany.
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