Eurodressage started a popular series "Where Are They Now?" which investigates horses that were highly successful as youngsters but then disappeared from the scene.
We covered horses such as Bon Bravour, Floricello, Astrix, Cayenne W, Donna Unique, Dramatic, Furst Khevenhuller, Samira, Silberaster,
The same can be done about riders that rode to stardom as pony, junior or young rider rider but then disappeared. We attempted the series "Child Stars" but very few of the riders we contacted were willing to talk and disclose the reason why they quit horses or at least an active competition career.
As the readers are still very interested in finding out where certain riders are now, we've decided to do this shortened version.
Let's have a look at some junior and young riders who were successful in the late 1990s..
Tina Wehlmann
Based at Hermann Gossmeier's barn in Marl. Still riding
Nicola Giesen
German team member on Slow Fox V. Horse to the Luttgen family in 2006. Since then she has competed nationally with Rubin (by Rohdiamant x Corlando), Pianissimo (by Prinz Pablo x Rubinstein) and Espania (by Ehrentusch x Pilot). She did her last show in 2011.
Barbara Koot (NED)
Veronique de Baecker (BEL)
Highly successful with FEI pony Fuego and junior/young riders horse Herrzas. Then disappeared from the scene entirely, also in Belgium. Now mom to two children.
Kate Atlee (GBR)
Team bronze at the 2001 European JR/YR Championships in Hartpury on Westwell Gem. Married and now named Kate Cowell. Made her international GP debut on Teutone in 2007, but disappeared from the CDI scene as of 2009. Returned in 2014 with Rockefeller. Now a professional dressage rider in the U.K., she showed Samba Dancer and C Dahling internationally in 2017
Arnaud Reper (BEL)
Desiree Schurf (GER)
Astrid Buer (GER)
Team gold at the 1994/1995 European Pony Championships (Dressman) and 1997 European JR/YR Championships (What Joy). Married in 2012 and now named Astrid Schmitt-Buer. Became mom to a daughter Kim in 2012, who is also a beginning pony rider. Competed West Virginia nationally until 2015. Still competing locally on Daisy (by Danone I x Laudabilis).
Nadine Maiwurm (GER)
Team gold at 1995, 1996, 1997 European JR/YR Championships on Don Fredde Robinson. Married and now named Nadine Maiwurm-Großheimann. Gave birth to son Ole in 2012. They have a family owned riding stable. Last recorded national competition results date back to 2013 on Florina M.
Julia-Katharina von Platen (GER)
Top horse Mocca V.
Jan Andreas Viebrock (GER)
Successful as a young rider on Muchacho (by Maurice x Wenzel I). Won the 2002 Euro Future Cup in Frankfurt, which competition which became the World Cup Final for Young Riders. He also competed Astolfi, Fiona Kildebo and Directeur at the time. Last recorded show results date back to 2009 with Welfenprinz (by Welt Hit II x Prinz Oldenburg). Family owns a riding school construction company for which he works.
Nicolas Kröncke (GER)
1997 European Pony Champion on Konrad. Briefly successful as a YR on Larso
Kira Kröncke (GER)
Nicole Ahlefeldt Laurvig Lehn (DEN)
Nicole told Eurodressage herself what happened after her Danish horse Esprit took her from five European Junior/Young Riders Championships to Grand Prix level and to the 2004 World Cup Finals in Dusseldorf. The horse retired from sport in 2005. After that "I studied to become a dentist and after that made a Master for orthodontics. And then I got my daughter. So for quite some years I had to put my main focus on something else. I do ride and train every day again. All my horses I train from the very beginning so producing a GP horse takes time and a bit of luck. Hopefully I’m going back to do some competitions in the future. However the daily training and progression is just as fun. I still collaborate with my trainer since the very beginning with Esprit, Hans Joergen Norgaard."