"Only an open mind can discover new boundaries," were Richard Davison's closing words at last year's Global Dressage Forum. During my six days at this year's Equitana, the world's largest horse fair in Essen, Germany, I often thought of those words.
In 1972, about ten years after horses threatened to go extinct in Germany because tractors replaced them in the fields, Wolf Kröber sent a shock wave through the established equestrian world by presenting the first edition of Equitana. The FN wasn't even represented at the premiere, but it was a revelation of how many horse lovers there were, and how diverse their interests.
It was Wolf Kröber who brought exotic breeds like Friesians or Gaited Horses to Germany (and was accused of killing German tradition for it), it was Wolf Kröber who introduced us to people like Linda Tellington-Jones, who has been a part of Equitana ever since. It was Wolf Kröber who created a platform for worlds to meet, and I'm sure he would have loved this year's Equitana. As it is, the FN Verlag introduced a new book to celebrate forty years of Equitana, and fourteen years after his tragic death, Wolf Kröber was very present in Essen during the past nine days..
Now, as always, you could buy anything in Essen, from hoofpick to horse, from bridle to barn, from lasso to lorry. You could just be there and see horses -- and I think for those of us who work with horses every day it's easy to forget what a miracle it can be to meet a horse up close and just touch its nose through stable bars. You could meet old acquaintances and make fabulous new ones. And you could watch and learn.
"I don't want Equitana to end," Linda Tellington-Jones said as the fair was drawing to a close. I couldn't agree more. But then again, if it didn't end, you wouldn't have time to go home and try some of the new things Equitana inspired you to explore ... and doing that, find new questions that you can ask and maybe find answers to at Equitana 2015!
Text and Photos © Barbara Schnell
Related Links
2011 Equitana, the World's Biggest Equestrian Educational Seminar
Photo Report: 2009 Equitana Golden Kids Cup and Expert Platforms
Photo Report: Impressions from 2009 Equitana
Britta Schoeffmann, Renaissane Woman at 2009 Equitana
Mind Blowing Equitana 2007
Nero, the White Mystery Friesian at Equitana 2007
25th March 2007 - Equitana 1993