Ulla Salzgeber's come back to the show ring with Herzruf's Erbe at the 2012 CDI Perl was only very short lived. The 13-year old Rhinelander gelding re-injured himself and Salzgeber has now decided to give her horse a one-year break in the field.
Salzgeber and Herzruf's Erbe returned to competition after a six month break last weekend at the 4* star show at Gestut Peterhof. She was supposed to compete again this weekend at the 2012 CDI Donaueschingen. Salzgeber pulled herself out of Olympic contention right before the 2012 German Championships and quoted training commitments to her students as principle reason for her decision.
In 2009 Herzruf's Erbe injured himself at the CDIO Aachen and was out for a long time, but the combination returned with a vengeance to finish third at the 2011 World Cup Finals in Leipzig.
"Since he he hurt himself at the CHIO Aachen in 2009, he has been having health problems," Salzgeber told German equestrian magazine St. Georg. "It was nothing dramatical and it was always something different. It seems as if Herzi can't be a sport horse in his mind and body, even though to me he is one of the best horses in the world."
Salzgeber, therefore, made the drastic decision to offer her super athletic gelding one year of the green medicin: a break in the field. The horse will go to Hungary, where he will join the retired Rusty.
"There Herzi can stabilize himself for a year. Who knows what self healing powers can do? We'll see after that how he feels. He's only 13," Salzgeber added.
Source: ST.GEORG
Photo © Astrid Appels - Video © Rui Pedro Gondinho
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