Farewell to silver medal-winning showjumper, top trainer and chef d’équipe
Obituary
German showjumper, trainer and former chef d’équipe of the Ukrainian team, Heinrich-Wilhelm Johannsmann, died on 19 May aged 71.
Mr Johannsmann, known as “Kaiser”, grew up on his parents’ stud farm in Gütersloh-Ebbesloh, Germany, with his three brothers. He started riding as a teenager, and took up an apprenticeship as a saddler.
He then completed an apprenticeship with Olympic showjumper Lutz Gössing, and in 1978 moved to the Römersee Stud, Heiden, where he was given the opportunity to ride Gerhard Brenningmeyer’s horses Sarto and Chico.
Mr Johannsmann rode at the 1978 World Championships in Aachen, where the German showjumping team came fifth. The following year he was part of the silver medal-winning team with Sarto at the European Championships in Rotterdam.
In 1981 he returned to the Gössing stable, and continued his competition career with North Rhine-Westphalia State Stud stallions Prosario, Potsdam, and Gralshüter. From 1998 to 2004 he was an honorary trainer at the German Olympic training centre in Warendorf.
Mr Johannsmann rode in 22 Nations Cups before his retirement from the saddle in 2005. He continued as a trainer, and was a regular guest at Beerbaum Stables in Riesenbeck. One of his most successful students was German European medal-winning rider and trainer of the German junior showjumping team, Karl Brocks.
From 2011 to 2013 Mr Johannsmann was chef d’équipe of the Ukrainian showjumping team. In 2017 he contributed to the DVD Springausbildung, which followed showjumpers in their day-to-day lives, in training, and preparing for championships.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.