Edited press release from Riesenbeck International

Christian Ahlmann's Dominator 2000 Z (Diamant de Semilly x Cassini I) has returned to the show ring at Riesenbeck International during the CSI3* classes which run parallel to the Longines FEI European Championships. 

In June, Ahlmann announced that the 11-year-old stallion was not fit to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo – which would have been the fifth Olympics for Ahlmann, who has been a part of the German team in Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. "I had already gotten my hopes up for Tokyo. If he had been in his normal form, we certainly could have delivered a good result," Ahlmann said.

Now, the stallion is back in good form and has done his first international start after the competition break. "Competitions are something else than the work at home. The horses lose strength when they haven't competed for a while," Ahlmann commented. 

Rebuilding Dominator's strength and fitness is now Ahlmann's priority – after all, the stallion can do everything else. "He is incredibly capable and careful. But above all, he has something that you can't teach horses: Intelligence and will," Ahlmann said.