In Memoriam: Uwe Mechlem (1935

Dressage

Germany

On 14 September 2026 the highly respected German 5*-judge Uwe Mechlem passed away at the age of 91. He had not only judged two Olympic Games and numerous other championships in the 1990s, but had likewise left a lasting mark on the sport of dressage in other ways.

With Deep Respect for Horses

Born on 26 June 1935 Mechlem belonged to a generation that got to know horses not just at riding schools, but as part of everyday life. As the son of a horse-drawn carriage operator from Murnau in Upper Bavaria, Mechlem was already riding one of his father’s teams at the age of just ten and therefore, like many horse people of his generation, learned to handle horses quite naturally and from early age on.

Aware of the vital role these animals still played in the livelihoods of numerous people at that post-war time, Uwe developed not only a love for horses, but also a deep respect for them- both stamped his entire life.

uwe Mechlem as a young boy in competition

At the age of 13 he had the opportunity to regularly watch some of the best riders of the U.S. team train in preparation of the 1948 Olympic Games in London. The Americans had come over to Europe early with a team over over 20 horses and some officers were also stationed in Murnau and held training shows in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Young Uwe helped out in the stables there, saddled the horses and had the unique opportunity to hone his eye by observing some of the best cavalry riders of the North American continent.

At home in his father’s stable, where occasionally horses were traded, there were often skittish show jumpers that the boy was tasked bringing back on track. These early experiences taught him patience and showed him that one must understand horses and respond to their individuality if one wants to achieve anything.

“That is exactly what shaped Uwe’s fundamental attitude toward horses, both as a rider and as a judge,” his close friend, German 5*-judge Katrina Wüst, summed up. Mechlem’s great-niece Anna Magdalena Scheßl confirmed this by saying, "he knew how to understand each horse as an individual, respond to its needs and find different ideas to motivate it in its work“.

A Heart for Horses

On Flak at the 1956 German Collegiate Championships
in Münster

Horses were an indispensable part of Uwe Mechlem’s life from an early age.

In the mid-1950s, Uwe Mechlem’s father opened a riding school in Villingen-Schwenningen in the Black Forest and his son not only earned his high school diploma there, but also ran the riding school at the same time.

However, after graduating from high school in Villingen-Schwenningen, he studied business administration in Munich and then joined his wife Wanda von Zychlinski-Mechlem’s company in Mittenwald as an authorized signatory.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Uwe Mechlem made a name for himself as a successful show jumper and dressage rider, particularly in his native Bavaria and beyond, riding horses such as Irish Coffee, Donnergott, Anette d’Estrees, Attila and Velden.

Mechlem (on foot) at University Contest at
EMPFA with teams from Berne and Munich

According to his fellow judge Katrina Wüst, he was largely self-taught: “A stylist who never bought expensive horses, but made them all better.”

Despite being an amateur he won several Bavarian championship titles in both show jumping and dressage as well as an international victory in an sb jumping class which he shared with 1960 Olympic jumping champion Raimondo d’Inzeo from Italy. These successes spoke volumes about Mechlem’s talent as a rider who later also reached Grand Prix level in dressage.

“At that time Uwe was highly regarded as a rider in Bavaria. He competed in show jumping and dressage at the highest level, all the way up to Grand Prix, and did so with a wide variety of horses who had not been expensive. That was what made him special; that’s what Uwe did really well, with great sensitivity,” said Dr. Dieter Schüle, a former 5-star judge from Bavaria.

Jessica Ransehousen and Uwe as German chef
d'Equipe at the 2002 WEG in Jerez

Likewise impressive is the fact that, at just 18 years old, he already received the golden riding badge for his achievements in both disciplines, a feat that is still very rarely accomplished even today at such juvenile age.

Mechlem’s equestrian career also reflected the era in which he grew up as a rider, a time when an early focus on a specific equestrian discipline was the exception rather than the rule, something which is totally turned upside-down today.

As a student Uwe Mechlem very soon became active in the German student equestrian community, which was beginning to reform after World War II. As early as the 1955 German Collegiate Championships in Göttingen, he won medals in all three disciplines (dressage, show jumping and the combined event with cross-country) and demonstrated his versatility. In 1957 in Munich and in 1958 in Göttingen, Uwe even managed to become the German collegiate champion.

Dressage Judge

At the 2011 European JR/YR Championships

Despite his successful riding career, as early as the beginning of the 1960s, as a young adult, Mechlem embarked on a career in this field of dressage judging, which he would go on to help shaping in the decades to come.

Some judges were successful riders first and became judges in their later years. Uwe Mechlem was not yet 30 when he became a national judge in Germany.

The legendary General Niemack, an absolutely defining figure in German dressage and equitation in general from the post-war years well into the 1960s and president of the German Judges’ Association for an incredible period of 30 years, held a judging exam at the farm of Uwe's father, then near Munich, and Uwe was allowed to participate.

“And because he was so good at everything, Niemack let him pass the basic judging exam,” reported Katrina Wüst.

Just how much of a natural talent Mechlem was, not only in the saddle, but evidently also at the judges’ table, is also shown by the fact that he was appointed an I-judge (now 4*) by the legendary Swedish general Gustaf Nyblaeus, Olympic judge on incredible six occasions and inventor of international judges’ education programme, after he stepped in judging.

"At the international show in Munich during the Munich Beer Festival, they needed an additional judge and asked Uwe Mechlem if he could step in. He passed this spontaneous baptism by fire,” said Wüst.

O-Judge and FEI Dressage Committee Member

Having already served as an international judge since the mid 1970s, Mechlem joined the elite circle in 1989, then known as the “O-judges” (now 5* or Level 4 judges), who are authorized to decide on medals and placings at senior championships.

Among the highlights of his long judging career were undoubtedly the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. In addition Uwe served as a judge at three European Championships and four World Cup Finals.

"Uwe’s reputation as a judge was well-established; he argued well and had a wealth of experience. Wherever you went, Uwe was a household name. He was also incredibly well-regarded worldwide, and that’s a status not everyone has. What we judges really appreciated was that we could always discuss a problem with him; he was always friendly, objective and helpful," Dr. Schüle told Eurodressage.

From 1994 to 1998, Mechlem was also a member of the FEI Dressage Committee and played an important role during that time in developing the then-new championship formula, which now included the freestyle.
For more than two decades, he was also a member of the German Dressage Committee (1981–2002).

After Mechlem stopped judging internationally in the late 1990s, it was certainly due to his high standing and his vast experience that he became one of the first members of the Judging Supervisory Panel (JSP) which was newly established in 2010. He was subsequently re-elected to the JSP on 1 January 2015.

Decorated

In recognition of his countless contributions to equestrian sports in Germany, the German Equestrian Federation awarded Uwe Mechlem its highest honour, the Equestrian Cross in Gold in 2000.

What particularly set Mechlem apart was his personality, as contemporaries told Eurodressage.

“He was not only admired as an outstanding horseman, but above all for the person he was. He never sought the spotlight. He won people over through his knowledge, integrity and quiet authority, but above all through his warm, modest and approachable nature, his kindness and subtle sense of humor, all of which he will be remembered for,” his friend of 50 years and fellow 5*-judge Katrina Wüst told us.

Dr. Schüle emphasized Mechlem's consistently friendly, modest and helpful nature.

Spreading the Love for Horses

Horses have always played a role in Uwe Mechlem’s family. Of his two children, his daughter Anja competed up to the Grand Prix level and was a very successful Young Rider.

More recently, Mechlem’s great-niece Anna Magdalena Scheßl made a name for herself; riding the mare Dubary, she even garnered international attention during the 2025 season.

The young biochemist researcher recalls Use with deep gratitude. "To me he was much more like a grandfather than a great-uncle. I owe him a great deal," said Scheßl. "Through his teaching and immense expertise, he taught me what it means to ride with sensitivity and correctness. Even when things did not go as planned, uncle Uwe was always there for me, finding encouraging words when I needed them. Uncle Uwe truly had a positive presence and the rare ability to fill the room with his quiet, warm-hearted, kind and joyful spirit.
I am deeply grateful for everything he taught me and above all for the many special moments we shared.“

With Uwe Mechlem the world of dressage has lost one of its longest serving members and one who, to say it in the words of Katrina Wüst „set standards, both professionally and as he treated others. What he gave dressage over so many decades will remain, as will the memory of a truly exceptional man.“

We thank Katrina Wüst for her help in writing this tribute.