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“One of the highlights in 2024 was to grow together in the team, because we all didn't know each other so well to begin with,” Germany’s Katrin Eckermann tells World of Showjumping as she looks back at her 2024-season which included winning the Global Champions League with Deborah Mayer’s team Cannes Stars powered by Iron Dames.

Through the Iron Dames-project, Mayer is committed to promoting and supporting women in sports where they compete on equal terms with men. The project was launched in motorsport, and was this year extended to showjumping with an all-female team in the Global Champions League.

“My first GCL win in St Tropez was special; Kim Emmen and I were the only ones there for the team,” Katrin recalls. “To win in Riesenbeck in front of a home crowd was another great moment, and probably one of the biggest highlights of the 2024-season for me. I want to extend a huge thank you to Deborah for her support, as well to the team I have behind me at home as well; Christian Glanemann, my groom Ifat Givre, and last but not least my father Otmar. Without their support none of this would have been possible.”

“The most special thing about working with young horses is seeing them develop and grow, and this year a few of mine stepped up a level and could start doing the bigger classes,” Katrin – who is known for producing young horses towards top levels – says. “I also got a few new horses through Iron Dames, like Dialou Blue PS, so I'm really looking forward to the next season.”

“Teaming up with Iron Dames has exceeded my expectations,” Katrin continues. “During the season, we grew close as a team, and we have also met with the Iron Dames motor sport team a few times. We really have a feeling of being a family within the team, which is nice. I really did not think that this would happen so quickly. In the end, we won the overall GCL-season after an eventful year. For me, it's the first time that I have this type of support. It makes a huge difference that Iron Dames does more than just own a GCL-team; they provide us with horses as well, also young ones, and give us the time to really grow with them.”

At the 2024 FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Lanaken, Katrin claimed both gold and bronze in the final for six-year-old horses, taking the win with Sascinora NRW – bred by her father Otmar Eckermann – and bronze with Iron Dames Earl of Alice. “This meant a lot for me,” she recalls about the show in Lanaken, where she is a familiar face on the podium. “It was a special feeling to win with Sascinora, because my dad is her breeder and I rode her mother as well.”

Looking towards 2025, Katrin is in an unfamiliar position, with more experienced horses for higher levels than she is used to. “For next year, I have a few seasoned horses who can do bigger shows, but I also have the younger ones that need to be produced at the lower levels,” she explains. “It is a bit of a new situation for me, as in my career so far Dialou Blue is the first horse ever that I have not produced myself all the way. She did the Europeans last year, she has multiple Grand Prix wins and placings, so she has all the experience. I'm really looking forward to getting to know her.”

“Hopefully next year, when I now have horses that are ready for the bigger classes, I will get an opportunity to do more five-star shows,” Katrin concludes. “I think women in general are climbing up the rankings again, and with riders like Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann and Sophie Hinners, I would not be surprised to see a woman within the Top 10 in 2025.”

30.12.2024 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.