ACOG - News - IBM

(3 August 1996; Day 15)

ROTHENBERGER's "Army" Paves Way to Equestrian Individual Dressage Bronze

Most horse-and-rider combinations competing successfully at the international level have been together for years, but that is not the case with the individual dressage bronze medalist Sven ROTHENBERGER and Weyden of the Netherlands.

"We bought the horse on 19 December," said ROTHENBERGER. "You must have a horse by the first of the year in order to compete in that year's Olympics, so we just made it under the deadline."

What was to come next for Weyden could be considered a "boot camp" for horses. "For Weyden, coming to my stables was like a young boy going into the army," said ROTHENBERGER. "He had never been clipped before. We cut his hair. He had never worn shoes before. We put heavy shoes on his feet. He traveled long distances. And then, we used him for breeding, so it was like a young boy in the army going to different women."

Part of Weyden's regimen came from ROTHENBERGER's extremely practical father. "If you know my father," explained ROTHENBERGER, "you know that he would have a cow because you can milk it, eat it, and maybe use its skin for clothes. That's part of why we used Weyden for breeding."

Once breeding season concluded in May, it was time to get down to the business of training for the Olympic Games. "In the end, it worked," said ROTHENBERGER. "That's why I am so proud of this horse. I have not had him that long, this was just my second international freestyle, and he had never performed to that music before."

It's not the usual route that one takes to earn an Olympic bronze medal, but it seems to have worked for ROTHENBERGER and Weyden. Their score of 76.78 in the freestyle, or Kur, was fourth-best on the day and was enough to move them up from fourth to third place with a total of 224.94 points.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Amy H. Symons.


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Olympic Factoid
The Mother Nature was kind to Olympic athletes and spectators. The average high temperature during the Games was 89 degrees with an average low of 72 degrees. Highest temperature registered (20 July) - 99 degrees. Lowest high temperature registered is 79 degrees (28 July).