CHRISTIAN AHLMANN: GERMANY’S MASTER HORSEMAN
The sport of show jumping is no stranger to the Germans as the currently top ranked equestrian Christian Ahlmann, hails from Deutschland. With plenty of skills in his arsenal, the 38 year old rider paired with a bay Hanoverian stallion, Codex One has proven time and time again that the duo is unparalleled in the show jumping sport. Luckily, for those aspiring to be like the successful rider, there is always time to start practicing your horsemanship. You see, Ahlmann’s love for the sport started at an early age. And with his eager mentality to learn and constant practice, he quickly transcended ranks and is now one of the most renowned riders in history.
The German rider’s humble beginnings
The German rider is not exactly new to the young sport. In fact, at the early age of 11, Ahlmann has already been taking riding lessons. Pretty soon, his skills were made known to Europe as the young equestrian notched the individual and team gold at the European Championships held in Donaueschingen, Germany in 2003. In fact, the celebrated rider was also a huge part of Germany’s bronze medal winning team in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Not only that, he also played a big role in helping the team earn bronze at the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2006. Just recently too, Ahlmann and Codex One placed first in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Hamburg. These are just some of his achievements in the equestrian field. Today, the veteran rider ranks first in the world in the show jumping sport.
Keys to dominating show jumping: strategy, focus, chemistry
Show jumping involves more than just skills from both rider and stallion. Without practice, strategy, and focus, the equestrian together with the horse will definitely have a hard time galloping cleanly over the course and time limit. Much like a game of poker, you must know the strengths and weaknesses of your hand and in this case your horse. Also similar to the strategic card game, keeping your cool is equally important. An expert equestrian knows how to keep his poker-faced character so that the horse would not panic. With a composed and resolute mindset, you will be able to control the situation and hopefully with practice, you will be able to traverse the course neatly. A certain kind of chemistry is also needed to avoid knockdowns and faults. But of course, nothing beats regular practice to improve rapport. If you’d like to improve your mental endurance too, there are always poker and horseracing sites like William Hill horseracing betting if cards are absent. A round of poker is also a good way to unwind. Additionally, chemistry is something that constantly wavers, so if you want to be the next dynamic duo like Ahlmann and Codex one, make sure to spend a lot of time with your stallion.”
