#97 Show jumping legend Franke Sloothaak: His life, his horses, his successes

Show notes

Franke Sloothaak is a true legend of show jumping: During his active career, he became World Champion and Olympic gold medalist, winning numerous major prizes. He trained and competed in top-level competition with more horses than almost anyone else. Today, he works behind the scenes, coaching students all over the world.

In conversation with Christian Kroeber, he looks back on his career, recounting how he began teaching at the age of 15, how his time at Alwin Schockemöhle's stable shaped him, and his first appearances for the German team. What unites all the stages of his equestrian career is a keen eye for a horse's strengths and weaknesses. He discusses how seemingly minor details can be crucial and always returns to one key principle: His focus is on training horses in a way that promotes their health, improves their movement, and motivates them for long-term work with humans.

An inspiring conversation full of horsemanship, about Franke's personal journey, his will to win, and current challenges in the sport.

*Important to note: This podcast episode was originally recorded in German for the wehorse podcast. We used translation software to dub the episode for our English podcast, The Equestrian Connection.