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Ulla Salzgeber - Five years ago, Ulla Salzgeber wanted to retire from active riding. How lucky for German dressage that the studied lawyer from the Bavarian Bad Wörrishofen did not actually realise her plans. Since the European Championships in Arnheim 1999, Ulla, the current German Champion, who had already been team European Champion as a junior rider, has belonged to the most successful German dressage riders: She won the gold-medal with the team and was second in the individual ranking. At the World Equestrian Games in Rome 1998 she won team-gold and the individual bronze medal. Originally from Rhineland, she owes this success to a horse she did not like very much at the beginning: Rusty. Rusty, now 12, is a Lettland gelding, whose blood is, however, three quarters Hannoverian. As a trainer in Bavaria, she was looking for a horse for one of her students. She met with Alexander Moksel from Buchloe, for whom Luger Beerbaum (36) was riding, and who had trade connections to the former Soviet Union. He asked her if she would like to train several of his horses. Rusty came to the Salzgeber stable. "Rusty came from Lettland and was far too thin and did not have much muscles so that I asked myself: Why do you want him?" But when she saw him trot, she was absolutely fascinated. And riding him was also fairly uncomplicated", she remembers. Two weeks later, they won their first Prix St. Georges. She and her husband Sebastian (41), who was former Schwäbischer Champion in jumping and dressage, decided to buy Rusty. And that began her second career in dressage as an international competitor. "I am really sorry that I had to give up my job as trainer, it was great fun for me to support young riders in their fascination for the dressage sport. But unfortunately, I could not manage to have enough time for both the training and the professional riding."
Nevertheless, she teaches young riders every afternoon. Someone not interested in riding at all is her 9-year-old daughter Kim. She prefers playing the guitar and practices judo. But her husband Sebastian fully supports her sport. "Beside Klaus Balkenhol, my husband is my best, but also my most critical coach", says Salzgeber who can be very sure to receive an Olympic ticket, especially after having won the German Championships in Balve. Her career started more than three decades ago, when she started vaulting at the age of ten in her hometown Oberhausen. In 1976, she was Rhineland Champion in dressage, a year later she was European Champion with the junior-team in Leverkusen and was fourth in the individual competition. 17 years ago, she married Sebastian Salzgeber whose parents owned a small stable near Bad Wörrishofen, which she turned into a professional stable. "Before I met Rusty, I only had horses which presented themselves well in national competitions, but did not have more potential. That was the reason why she decided to retired from the professional sport in the nineties. But that’s how life goes sometimes: Then Rusty turned up... She really owed her first start at the European Championship in Verden three years ago to Martin Schaudt, Atlanta Team Gold Medalist, whose horse was ill. Ulla Salzgeber was asked to complete the German team. And this decision proved extremely successful. Personal details: Ulla Salzgeber was born on August 5th, 1958 in Oberhausen; studied law; is married to Sebastian and has a 9-year-old daughter. In 1979, she was presented with the German Riding Insignia in gold for her successes in the dressage ring. Since 1997, she has been permanent member of the official team of Germany at all championships. Hobbies: "I like cooking, preferably simple homemaker meals". Furthermore, she is a model, among other things for a mail-order house and the riding-clothes-producer Euro-Star, which is her sponsor beside the Munich company Kieffer.
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