23. Manfred & Hilde Swarovski Memorial Show
30.06. – 02.07.2017
Welcome to the Schindlhof!
We continue to live in turbulent times marked by war, terror, natural disasters, hunger and flows of refugees; an era of digitalisation and the Internet where communication seems to take place only on Twitter and Facebook. That’s why we are very much looking forward to the personal dialogue between active riders, exerted judges, conscientious stewards, careful stablehands, assiduous trainers, engrossed horse owners, diligent recorders, horse lovers and horse- enthusiastic crowds, the competent team of the registration office and our hard-working Schindlhof team.
My mother, who was the patron of our dressage show since the death of my father Manfred Swarovski sen. in 1995, has left us forever at the age of 101. For this reason, we have renamed our CDI “Manfred & Hilde Swarovski Memorial Show”.
With this international dressage show I want to thank my parents Manfred and Hilde, both extraordinary characters, that they enabled me and my family to realise a life together with our animals at the Schindlhof.
The sporting year of 2016 was marked by the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and it is a special distinction for the show at the Schindlhof that all three medal-winning nations – Germany, Great Britain and USA – have already competed here.
The same holds true for the 2017 World Cup Final in Omaha, USA: eight of the ten best-placed riders have performed at the Schindlhof.
The European Championships will be this year’s sporting highlight, to be held in the disciplines dressage, show-jumping, driving and para-dressage, in Gothenburg on 22nd to 27th August.
The tournament at the Schindlhof is once again a qualifying event for the European Championships in dressage and para-dressage. Many international top riders consider the Manfred & Hilde Swarovski Memorial Show an important preparation and classification for the Europeans in Gothenburg.
Germany will once again be represented by a particularly strong team – headed by Isabell Werth, the six-time Olympic champion and current number one in the world rankings; Dorothee Schneider, the 2016 Olympic team champion currently ranked third in the world, Fabienne Lütkemeier – all members of the German Olympic squad – as well as Jenny Lang-Nobbe, Bianca Kasselmann (runner-up Hamburg Derby), Kathleen Keller and Stefanie Schatz-Weihermüller.
Further top riders come from England, Spain, Ireland, Italy, France, USA, Canada, Russia and Finland.
The Austrians have also entered their best international riders, headed by Victoria Max-Theurer, the four-time overall winner of the Manfred & Hilde Swarovski Memorial Show.
We are particularly pleased that we have been chosen to host the Austrian National Championships in para-dressage for the second successive year during the International CDI4* Schindlhof. Austria’s Pepo Puch is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic champion in para-dressage and the 2016 Athlete of the Year in Austria.
The visitors will enjoy a great show programme on Sunday followed by the traditional Hat Competition held for several years also in the special category “Owner with Hat and Dog”. The popular and well-known TV and theatre presenter Mirjam Weichselbraun is already looking forward to again present the hat competition.
We are also pleased about presenting the artists Klaus Philipp, one of the world’s most important painter of horses who has portrayed all famous horses, and Hubertus Hamm, who will exhibit portraits with Swarovski crystals.
All entrance fees and voluntary donations will go to the charities Therapeutic Riding and Vaulting & Riding for Handicapped People, as well as to the club Tugende Together.
We are wishing you an interesting and exciting dressage weekend at the Schindlhof and are looking forward to your visit!
Yours,
Family Haim-Swarovski
WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING YOU SOON!
30. June – 02. July 2017
PS: All those who cannot come to the Schindlhof, can once again follow our event on the Internet service www.clipmyhorse.de, well-known internationally in equestrian sport. For the seventh consecutive year the CDI4* Schindlhof will be broadcast to 60 countries and followed by two million viewers, an indication that the dressage sport is enjoying growing global interest.