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That Special Bond – with Christian Ahlmann

Thursday, 12 October 2017
That Special Bond

Photo (c) Dirk Caremans / www.hippofoto.be. Christian Ahlmann about Cöster: "He brought me up as a rider and we were successful over so many years together." Photo (c) Dirk Caremans / www.hippofoto.be.

In World of Showjumping’s series ‘That Special Bond’ we talk with some of the top names of the sport, to discuss the horses that have shaped their careers, fulfilled their dreams – and sometimes even broken hearts.

Next out, German super-star Christian Ahlmann illustrates the saying ‘When one door closes, another one opens’…

The Special One

“That one is difficult to choose, but of course Cöster is one of them. He brought me up as a rider and we were successful over so many years together. We won many Grand Prix competitions, and were also very good in Nations Cups and at championships. Cöster always played a big part when there was something of importance, and he was a horse that you could totally trust in that regard. Cöster gave me a lot of confidence over a long time, and he was very consistent in the big sport for many years. He gave me a lot as a rider, and he also made me a good rider. Cöster has definitely been the most important horse for me in my jumping career.

Cöster had an incredible character: Totally calm and with a great overview when in the ring and he always fought for his rider – he always gave his everything. And he was very brave, so in situations where you really needed a great character – at for example championships where you can see that the more difficult horses that go into the teams after fantastic results, can’t really handle the extra pressure that comes with – Cöster was the dream horse. He totally focused on the sport, and he would never let his rider down.

We bought Cöster at the end of the year when he was eight, and he did his last show as a 16-year-old. Unfortunately, he died last year at the age of 24 after some happy years of retirement.”

Photo (c) Jenny Abrahamsson "He has won exceptionally many classes," Christian says about Taloubet Z - here seen at the Olympic Games in Rio. Photo (c) Jenny Abrahamsson.

The Money Maker

“That is Taloubet Z I think. And Taloubet is no less important than Cöster, but money wise Taloubet was in a different league. He has won exceptionally many classes, even though he due to injury had almost three years where he didn’t compete. Taloubet feels at home in any arena, and has won all over the world.

Of course, the day he will have to be retired is coming closer but right now he is in a fantastic form. After the Olympics last year, we decided that he will only do a few selected shows and no championships anymore.”

 

The One That Got Away

“I had one horse, that had a big influence on my career. It was ABC Charlestone. He was my first really good horse that made me dream about the championships. I brought him up in the classes myself, and he was an amazing horse. I had such huge hopes for this horse, and for me to make it to another level with him. I was 26-27 years back then and had won a lot, but was never close to any big shows or championships. In the end, the owner decided to sell Charlestone – which was a bit in conflict with our agreement at the time. With this horse, I could have made it to the top and it was a huge disappointment when he got sold – my hopes were kind of shattered.  

At that time, Mrs. Jauss – a very close friend of my dad – was involved in the trotting sport and didn’t have so much to do with showjumping. But from a distance she noticed how much the loss of Charlestone affected me so she told me that if I could find a horse I really believed in she would buy it for me and let me keep it. Shortly after we found Cöster, that Mrs. Jauss bought for me, and that was the beginning of a fantastic relationship with her that has brought so much success over so many years. At the time Charlestone was sold, it was a bit of a difficult situation and it destroyed all my hopes of making it in the big sport – but what came out of that situation is kind of sensational and I’m very happy it turned out the way it did in the end.”  

 


Text © World of Showjumping by Jenny Abrahamsson // Pictures © Dirk Caremans/www.hippofoto.be and Jenny Abrahamsson/www.worldofshowjumping.com

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