Days After Announcing Retirement, Olympic Equestrian Pens Heartfelt Note For Beloved Equine Companion

Equestrian sports have an unusual allure with their heart-stopping and tear-jerking propensities. Every event recorded on the annals of the sport bears proof of this, with countless historic moments that have kept fans in raptures. Even in times of grief, the emotions brewing within the community are uncanny and profound. Recently, one great loss induced the community once more to feel these pangs of sorrow.

The name Dorothee Schneider will always come up whenever dressage is mentioned. This athlete made history in 2021 by picking Germany’s fourteenth team dressage gold at the Olympics. However, in recent days, the stampede of time brought her to a poignant crossroads and compelled her to make a heart-wrenching decision.

Equestrian Dorothee Schneider pens “indescribable emotions”

The evening of December 11 will forever remain a sore memory in Dorothee Schneider’s mind. The equestrian had to bid a tearful farewell to her career-defining Grand Prix champion horse, Showtime. The 17-year-old Sandro Hit gelding’s last competition appearance was at the Internationales Festhallen Reitturnier Frankfurt on December 16. Choked from the overbearing swell of emotions, Schneider could not utter too many words after the competition. Only after a few days’ interval, she found the courage to address her feelings of loss and desolation. In a heartfelt tribute shared on the FEI’s Instagram story, she bared her soul to the world. She wrote a long note with the caption, “Time to say Goodbye Showtime FRH”.

In the penultimate moments of their final ride together, Schneider reflected on her grief and said, “The moment has come, it’s Showtime. A very special horse, especially for me, leaves the tournament stage. What indescribable emotions”. These emotions were more akin to a mother’s heartache when her youngling leaves the nest rather than a rider bidding farewell to her equine partner.

Dorothee Schneider’s motherly attachment with Showtime

The equestrian fraternity is full of many heart-warming tales of partnership and companionship. However, what Dorothee Schneider shared with Showtime was quite rare. She met the gentle creature when he was just three years old through her friend Gabriele Kippert. She described the meeting as “It was love at first feeling”.

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Dorothee Schneider further said, “He was a bit shy, and introverted and he often hid behind me, even though I tend to have these traits myself. We fitted together perfectly and became a great team over the years – not just in sport, but also in our private lives”. Their similar traits formed a strong bond between them, which was reflected in the equestrian competitions over the years.

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