Reiner Klimke

Reiner Klimke is the most successful dressage rider of all time. Although he began his career in dressage, he switched to eventing and in 1959, helped the FRG win the European team three-day title. He also competed at the 1960 Olympic in the three-day event before he turned back to dressage. Klimke won six Olympic gold medals and eight medals overall at dressage. Both marks are Olympic records for equestrian sport.

At World Championships, Klimke has been almost as successful, winning the individual title in 1974 and 1982 and helping West Germany to the team dressage World Championship in 1966, 1974, 1982, and 1986. At the European Championships, Klimke earned seven team and three individual gold medals (1967, 1973, and 1985). Klimke won his Olympic individual gold in 1984 and his world individual gold in 1982 with his favorite horse, Ahlerich. In 1988, Ahlerich, by then a 17-year-old, also helped Klimke to his team gold medal at Seoul. The same year Klimke was awarded the Olympic Order in Silver and he was named flagbearer of his country at the opening ceremony in Seoul. Klimke’s career was as a lawyer and a notary. His daughter Ingrid participated as a three-day event rider since 2000.