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<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nJulia and Samourai, Luhm\u00fchlen 2017 (Photo – Eric Knoll)<\/em><\/p>\n The world doesn\u2019t always conspire to help your journalistic endeavours. I interviewed the new star of German eventing, Julia Krajewski, a few months back at the Bundeschampionate. Transcribed, edited, submitted, and photos done, the publish button was basically being pressed when the news that Julia\u2019s European Championship horse Samourai du Thot had tested positive to a controlled substance at Strzegom was made public.<\/p>\n I contacted Julia for a statement and was directed to her Facebook page where she\u2019s keeping the public updated with her side of the story. You can read the whole statement there, but in summary she says, “This will certainly be the most difficult time in my career as a horse rider and athlete, and I am seriously worried about what has happened.”<\/p>\n “I and my team have no explanation about how this substance (Firocoxib) has got into my horse, and believe that it was not administered by any fault of our own. Nevertheless, the positive result would mean disqualification for me, and lead to the subsequent loss of the hard-won silver medal for the German team. I am devastated to be (even unintentionally) the cause of such a bad blow for our great team, which has fought so hard for this success! That I have no idea how, when and why this substance got into Sam\u2019s body, worries me deeply and is a big mystery to all of us.”<\/p>\n “As a member of the German team, which has been one of the favourites, traveling to Strzegom I was very well aware that it was highly probable that my horse would be subject to medication control. I firmly agree with the doping prevention rules and know about my obligations and responsibilities as a rider and the inevitable consequences. I would never, ever put a potential medal at risk by such a grossly negligent act as to administer a drug during a championship (let alone the one with the longest waiting period on the market) and I hope, that everybody else understands the absurdity of the idea that I could have done that on purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n The B sample has also since come back positive so we await the decision as to whether Germany is stripped of its European team silver.<\/p>\n So, do we still publish the interview? I think Julia\u2019s story remains interesting, how she\u2019s worked her way up the German system, to be in her 20s, and teaming with older legends Ingrid Klimke, Michi Jung and Bettina Hoy and I\u2019m sure this won\u2019t be the end of her journey. So, press that publish button.<\/p>\n More below…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n **************************************<\/p>\n \u00a0 Julia Krajewski has been quietly creeping up the German eventing ranks. The 29-year-old has successfully competed right through the levels from Pony competitions, and in more recent years has represented Germany at Nations Cups. It was last year at the Rio Olympics that she was thrust centre stage, being asked at the last minute to go from reserve position to take up a team spot, replacing Andreas Ostholt. Although Julia did not have a wonderful time at Rio, the Germans went on to win team silver and Julia has continued to grow and succeed, enjoying a win at the end of last year at Strzegom on Chipmunk, the horse\u2019s first CCI 3*, as well as her first 4* win this year at Luhm\u00fchlen on her Olympic mount Samourai du Thot, and another team silver at the Europeans in Strzegom.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Where did the whole horse journey begin for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m not from a very horsey background. My Mum used to ride a bit, but we never really had horses before it all started. We used to go on holidays to L\u00fcneburger Heide with my grandparents, and there were Dartmoor ponies, so I always rode them. I really liked it. Then we moved from Hanover to a smaller city, Lingen (Ems) and my Mum decided we needed a hobby so my parents bought an old pig farm and Dad rebuilt it. It was quite normal, but good for us. I think we had a maximum of 25 ponies at one point, but then it was reduced in the end.<\/p>\n For me it started with the ponies. We have national championships for pre novice and then it just kept building up. I was lucky to always have a pony or a horse that could do top level for my age, so I went to Pony Europeans twice and then Junior Europeans, then Young Riders. After I finished school in 2007 the DOKR (German national federation) asked if I wanted to join the Prospective Group. Because I didn\u2019t really know what I wanted to study, I said yeah ok, I will come. That was 10 years ago and I am still here. Now I\u2019m national coach for the Juniors and competing top level. I always said I never wanted to be a professional rider because it\u2019s really hard to earn money, especially as an event rider, in Germany. There are only a very few who can do it and make a living from it, and normally they are not just riding, but also selling and training, so I am quite happy that it is a mix of training and riding and I really enjoy it at the moment, so we\u2019ll just see where it goes.<\/p>\n \u00a0Was it always going to be eventing?<\/strong><\/p>\n Well the first pony I got was Cyrano. He was supposed to be a dressage pony. He was a four-year-old stallion when I got him because we didn\u2019t have too much money to buy expensive ponies, but he was gelded quite soon! However he didn\u2019t really like dressage. He was always quite hot, but it turned out that he liked cross country and we had a really nice regional coach who\u00a0somewhat pushed me in the direction of eventing. I actually like to ride dressage. I think I would definitely like to be a dressage rider if I would have to switch, maybe it comes a little bit more naturally to me than showjumping. \u00a0But I really like eventing people. You\u2019re really happy if someone does well, and you wish everyone well, and I really like the atmosphere. You have BBQs and you don\u2019t need to stay in fancy hotels, but the riding itself, I would probably rather do dressage.<\/p>\n To jump a 4* cross country course, you have to be a tiny bit crazy, so how do you get over that fear, especially if dressage is your preferred discipline!<\/strong><\/p>\n I do tend to get quite nervous, and I tell my friends, especially in the build up to the big events or before cross country, actually I only really want to do 1*! But you kind of grow with it, and really I haven\u2019t done that many 4*s yet. I only do what I feel the horse and I are ready to do. I\u2019ve got good jumping horses and they look after me. Luckily, touch wood, I haven\u2019t had any nasty falls and I am not a rider who likes to take risks. I like to be safe and I like to feel ready.<\/p>\n \u00a0A couple of years ago I said I never wanted to do Badminton or Burghley but I\u2019ve got Chipmunk and he\u2019s a bold horse and he likes big things to jump, so I think he might be a horse who I feel comfortable doing it with, but we will see at Blenheim in two weeks (the pair finished in third place). I think you grow with the task and maybe once you\u2019ve done it, it\u2019s not so bad! Obviously you really love the feeling once you\u2019ve finished, but sometimes I do think, why am I doing it?!<\/p>\n Do you have any routines or rituals before a cross country to prepare yourself or do you just get nervous and deal with it?! <\/strong><\/p>\n I like to go around the course by bike. I really don\u2019t like that some TDs or course builders try to forbid that as it\u2019s really good for the riders, because you\u2019re quicker than if you go by foot and you get a better feeling for the course, and how the lines come up, and sometimes if you go by bike maybe you see, OK, this turn I need to take more time because the fence is coming quicker. That\u2019s what I like to do in the morning. Then I like to prepare my horse myself for the really big events, put the studs in, put the boots on, put the saddle on. It gives you something to do and you know it\u2019s done right. Then I would sit there and probably listen to some music and ride through the course in my mind and get in the right mood. Once you get on the horse it\u2019s better. You just go for it.<\/p>\n more follows…<\/p>\n Tell us a little bit about the horses.<\/strong><\/p>\n Samourai du Thot is the oldest one. He\u2019s 11 and I\u2019ve had him since he was five. He\u2019s a very funny little horse. He\u2019s not very tall, 1.6m, quite short so he feels like a pony sometimes. He\u2019s a really good jumper and at the same time he\u2019s quite careful so it took some time to build him up to the level he\u2019s at now. I wouldn\u2019t be so sure he\u2019s the horse for the really big events like Badminton or Burghley, because he might get a bit frightened. He\u2019s done Luhm\u00fchlen twice, and maybe we can take him to Kentucky or Pau, which would probably suit him. What\u2019s special about him is that he\u2019s super smart. Really, really smart. I think he knows what\u2019s going on. He thinks he\u2019s very important. Obviously he is! But he\u2019s absolutely not a horse who likes to cuddle or anything. He likes it if you stand there and admire him and give him attention from afar, but he has his own ideas also. When he\u2019s at a competition and he does very well like at Luhm\u00fchlen this year, he was standing there with his garland and rosette thinking, \u201cThis is what I deserve!\u201d. And the weeks afterwards, he gets a bit annoying, but always in a nice, cheeky way, not nasty.<\/p>\n I think he really learned the business. He\u2019s not a very big mover, he\u2019s not a naturally fast galloper, but he learned over the years, to move, and to do good dressage, and keep himself together. Cross country he\u2019s really quick on his feet and locks onto a fence and because he\u2019s not so big, I don\u2019t have to set him up really early. Sometimes from the outside it might look like, oh, she\u2019s going quick, but he\u2019s so quick on his feet and he\u2019s such a good jumper, he\u2019d never push into a fence. He keeps himself back a little bit and always keeps the rhythm so he\u2019s really fun. Showjumping is obviously really cool on him. So far he\u2019s never been really tired on the last day. He keeps jumping and it\u2019s great fun.<\/p>\n The new star, Chipmunk, winning at the Bundeschampionate<\/em><\/p>\n Then I\u2019ve got Chipmunk FRH who won the Bundeschampionate of the five-years-old event horse four years ago. He\u2019s the complete opposite. He\u2019s quite tall and has long legs and it really took him time to grow into his frame. I got him when he was four and he was 1.65m and now he\u2019s 1.76m so he kept growing and growing. Everything went into the bones and it took so long to get him muscles. But he\u2019s a very genuine horse. He would jump off the house and do it twice! He\u2019s also a very scopey jumper but maybe not quite as smart as Samourai. I have to look after him a bit more, but he really goes for it. He had to get more used to the bigger atmosphere like in the showjumping on the last day when there\u2019s big crowds he gets a little bit insecure like, \u201cOh Mummy, what are we doing here?!\u201d He loves to cuddle and have attention and he really loves to have a routine, like now I have breakfast, now I go out in the field, always with the same horse. If you leave him alone he thinks he\u2019s been abandoned and no one is ever coming back for him. He needs his people, and you really have to look after him. I think over the years he will get more secure and if he gets everything together, I think it will be hard to beat him because he\u2019s a really, really good horse but he\u2019s still a bit inexperienced.<\/p>\n My third horse is a seven year old French mare who I think is a really, really cool horse but she\u2019s not so experienced yet. She should do her first long 2* soon. Her name is Amande de B\u2019Neville and is related to Piaf de B\u2019Neville.<\/p>\n more below<\/p>\n At the moment I only have these three horses. Normally I have four, sometimes five where I\u2019m based here at the DOKR, one of the students helps me, which I need because being a trainer for the Juniors, it\u2019s probably 50\/50 between my own riding and competing. If I\u2019m not riding myself or if I\u2019m competing 1* or 2*, I have to train the Juniors or walk the course with them. So far it\u2019s going well. There\u2019s always a competition you can go to either to ride or train. I prefer to have not so many horses so I have the time to put into each one. If I had eight horses or something like that, I don\u2019t think I could do each horse justice and I don\u2019t think it would be fair to the owners also; if I had to say no to a comp because I have to train somewhere, that\u2019s hard to explain. It\u2019s easier when it\u2019s your own horses. Samourai is owned by the Federation. Chipmunk is half my horse and the mare one third so I am involved in all of them. I would also like one or two young horses to produce, maybe to sell or keep.<\/p>\n How do you prepare them for a big show?<\/strong><\/p>\n It depends on the horse. Last year, to be honest, the Olympics came a little bit too quick for Samourai du Thot after his first 4* at Luhm\u00fchlen, but sometimes it just happens. He was in good form and some people had injured horses then suddenly you\u2019re there!<\/p>\n For him he needs enough competitions into the lead up because after he does something big, I like to do something small again. It\u2019s best if he does something every three or four weeks, not so big, something to give him confidence and get his nerves settled. Like after he\u2019s been to Luhm\u00fchlen with lots of atmosphere, the next event he goes to he\u2019s quite excited and then he has to realise well OK, it\u2019s not always so big. I can relax again.<\/p>\n Before a competition, I like to have the last gallop the weekend before, maybe the Saturday or Friday so they\u2019ve got a full week without fast work. Normally I jump on Monday or Tuesday. Samourai likes lots of lunging just in a head collar so he trots and canters around until he\u2019s settled. It\u2019s easier than riding him because once he\u2019s a bit excited, he doesn\u2019t really loosen up.<\/p>\n With Chipmunk it\u2019s better to ride because he doesn\u2019t really loosen on the lunge. But I try to get them as relaxed and happy as possible. At a show on the day of the dressage, normally the routine would be for Sam, to ride him once then lunge and do the test. Chipmunk would probably only be ridden once. But I like to ride them in the morning to get the feeling how they are, and how much I need to do in the afternoon.<\/p>\n Chipmunk in action<\/em><\/p>\n In the off season, they get their normal work in winter, lots of jumping and dressage in February and March.<\/p>\n What has been your experience training the young riders?<\/strong><\/p>\n It has developed over the last seven years. The first time I was the co-trainer for the Junior and Young Riders was in 2010 when we had the Europeans in Germany, and you\u2019re allowed to send both coaches, and the former coach R\u00fcdiger Schwarz asked if I could come and help him. Since then I\u2019ve been to Pony, Junior, Young Rider Championships about 10 times, so I know what is expected and what is different between the younger people compared to the older ones. It\u2019s a totally different thing. The seniors, everyone is professional, they know the routine, have been to championships a couple of times, know their horse, have their own plan.<\/p>\n With the younger riders, for some of them it\u2019s the first time they\u2019ve travelled more than six hours, and you have to look after everything. Some of them haven\u2019t thought about spare shoes or studs or things like that. You really have to think for them and plan a lot. Then you\u2019re not always the trainer, some of them have their own coaches, but you try to work together with them during the year, and in the lead up. I try to visit everyone at home in the winter, to see where they\u2019re based, and how they train, talk to everyone and make a plan. During the season, for the people who are not so far away from Warendorf, they normally come for cross country training. Some even come every week. Then you have lots of competitions and you try to be there and help. But at a competition, especially when you get to the German Championships, there will always be two people too close together, and you can\u2019t help all of them. But I think just being there, and helping plan, and having a word is very important. The most difficult part is nomination, and telling people you\u2019re in the team, and you\u2019re not. But it\u2019s fun to work together with the kids, and feel who will become someone, because they really want to do it. Others are happy with what they\u2019re doing now, but they won\u2019t go on.<\/p>\n more below<\/p>\n What are the main characteristics you see in young riders who will go on?<\/strong><\/p>\n They really, really must want it. If you\u2019re really willing to work hard, everybody can make it. My parents, they were not wealthy, we didn\u2019t have a horsey background, but it happened. You must be willing to work for lots of different people, and grab the chance, and not be asking, how much money will I earn, can I go on holidays? First you have to learn the job, and if it\u2019s two years of hard work, just do it. It\u2019s only two years. It\u2019s not the rest of your life. You see quickly who has this attitude and who has not. If you have training days about three or four times a year on fixed dates, and people don\u2019t come because of this or that, and it happens a couple of times, they don\u2019t want it bad enough. The kids who really want it bad enough, they get on their parents nerves so much that someone will make it happen. If you\u2019re a good rider and you want to learn, the top riders and the professional riders are really thankful if you ask them if you can help them. If I have a really good junior or young rider, I would always let them ride my horses.<\/p>\n Then you need to realise that it\u2019s not always nice and easy. There are bad experiences or injured horses and things. That starts to happen when you start competing as a Young Rider because that\u2019s the proper sport starts. Either you make it through that, or you don\u2019t. Then they get the first boyfriend, some keep going and some don\u2019t, and you are left with a handful who want to do it. Because in the end if you look who makes it to the top, especially in eventing, it\u2019s not the people who got nice, fancy horses when they were 12, it\u2019s the ones who stay in the sport long enough, and try long enough, and keep working, most will make it. It\u2019s not always the Championships but Nations Cups or the A or B Squad. It\u2019s a bit about talent, but it\u2019s really about hard work and determination.<\/p>\n Who has helped you most over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n That would probably have to be R\u00fcdiger Schwarz. He built the course at Strzegom this year and he was the Junior and Young Rider trainer for about 20 years, and he trained the Prospective Group which is a programme that helps younger riders to make their way into professional sport. You are based here at the DOKR, you can get the stables a bit cheaper, help with the training and looking for owners and horses. He was the one who, with the other officials, asked me to come here, and he\u2019s trained me for about 10 years. He\u2019s very critical and really gets you back to earth very quickly with one sentence, \u201cWell, this horse won\u2019t make it anyway\u201d!<\/p>\n Do you then just say, OK and agree with him or do you really want to prove him wrong?<\/strong><\/p>\n Both things. If you really want something, you work harder, but sometimes if you\u2019re not so sure and someone says don\u2019t do it, it sort of backs your thoughts and decisions. He\u2019s really a strict trainer especially in cross country and showjumping and he\u2019s a really good course builder I think. He taught us here by asking really big questions cross country. He builds every kind of technical question. Then he\u2019s very good at planning for the horses, where to ride and compete, and he\u2019s very, very strict on not doing it too quick, give the horse time, even if you have to wait a season to make the next step up.<\/p>\n This is especially important when you don\u2019t have too many good horses, because I think if we have a problem in Germany, it\u2019s that we don\u2019t have too many top class event horses. Many are sold when they are young, because people from abroad tend to pay a lot more money, so we really have to look after our horses. We can\u2019t just take another one. For me, I have three horses and if they don\u2019t stay sound then I have a problem, so we tend to be very careful, and would rather save the horse for the championships than go to a big event. But that\u2019s something we learn from the beginning. For example in England, the first thing they want to do is Badminton, but for us it\u2019s a championship first, then once they prove themselves and they\u2019re tough enough and they can do it, then you can look at the big things.<\/p>\n Also for the media and the support you get, championships are worth more than big events somewhere else. Whereas as a rider, you want to ride there also but I think like Ingrid or Michi, it took years before either took their best horses to Badminton.<\/p>\n The system must work because as a country you<\/strong>\u2019re so successful without that big pool of horses.<\/strong><\/p>\n I think first we try to build them up really slowly, and not rush them into something big or frightening and focus on the championships first. Sometimes we have a couple of top horses and a few reserve horses and that\u2019s it. We try to look after them. It might change in the future, we don\u2019t know. I think we\u2019ve had a really, really good group of riders and horses at the top for the last couple of years, and it\u2019s about building up younger riders to make it. You always have to be lucky to have super horses like Opgun Louvo and Sam and you don\u2019t find them too often, especially horses that stay at the top for so long.<\/p>\n What<\/strong>\u2019s it like to be in a team with the likes of Ingrid and Michael?<\/strong><\/p>\n I rode at Strzegom with Ingrid, Michi and Bettina who are all legends of the sport. We are used to competing with them, because we do the first competition of the season in 2* at Luhm\u00fchlen and they are there, and then you go to the next normal 2* and they are there, and then if you go to the Bundeschampionate they are also here. I think it pushes you to do better; you want to make it, you want to be in the top, and not just behind three horses of Michi\u2019s, three of Ingrid\u2019s and two of Bettina\u2019s so you really want to get better. On the other hand, they are very helpful and normal people if you talk to them.<\/p>\n It changes a bit though. Twenty years ago they were just idols. They\u2019d walk past and you\u2019d think, Wow, but OK, they are also probably having the same problems that you are. It\u2019s nice to talk to them. It\u2019s a good team and you can always ask for advice. It\u2019s a mixture of riding with legends and also friends.<\/p>\n You<\/strong>\u2019re all here this weekend (in Warendorf)<\/strong>\u2026.you, Ingrid and Bettina and only Michi is in Burghley. Is that just a case of looking after the horses or is the Bundeschampionate just too important for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Bettina is based in Warendorf anyway, but of course, you look at the other young horses. Why not? You might find a good one. We also compete the young ones, like Ingrid too, not this year, often she also has dressage horses here as well. The Bundeschampionate, if you have a good young horse, it really is where you want to be. Even if you don\u2019t, it\u2019s like a big get together!<\/p>\n Do you do anything else to support your riding?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, I started to do fitness work about three years ago, but only in winter. This year, together with a friend, I really tried to make it happen twice a week when I\u2019m at home. We\u2019re doing weightlifting, and I also did interval running. It\u2019s only half an hour and I really like that because it\u2019s more like cross country riding compared to running for an hour. It sounds weird, but I prefer to run on a treadmill because it sets the pace; so, five minutes slow, five minutes fast again.<\/p>\n I also did work on core stability, and flexibility and I really felt that it benefitted my cross country riding. It\u2019s not that it was bad before, but you\u2019re a lot more aware of your body position and well, I\u2019m just sitting better. Obviously you feel better if you do it also. I\u2019m much fitter than the last years, and once the jumps get higher, it really helps. I would advise every young rider if they had the time, just try to do it. Say, for the next six weeks, try to do it twice or three times a week, once is probably not enough. Try something with weights and try to get more muscles and then see if it benefits you. If you ride ten horses a day and compete every weekend then maybe you don\u2019t need it, but with three horses, it\u2019s not enough. I think that really made a difference.<\/p>\n What<\/strong>\u2019s next for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Next year the World Equestrian Games in America is exciting. I\u2019m thinking, maybe it would make sense to go to Kentucky, but then I would think about which horse and who pays for it and would you get your horse fit enough that early. When the winter is nice, it\u2019s possible, but sometimes we get snow in March and then if you have two weeks of snow, it\u2019s not possible.<\/p>\n Then we have the Europeans in 2019. So the aim would be to be on the team for the next few years, but it is never easy. You have to really work for it and your horses have to be fit and stay in form.<\/p>\n more below<\/p>\nRebecca Ashton profiles the German Eventing Star…<\/h1>\n
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