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07|2020 DER HANNOVERANER No. 07 | July 2020 | Sport Strong personalities Auction By click to the dream horse Schiller and rider Hergen Forkert Photo: Stroscher Sport Family Forkert: Marten and Inga with their children Henriette and Edda, Paul sen., Paul jun., Hergen and Esther with Theo. Photo: Stroscher Strong personalities Hergen Forkert is one of Germany’s best jumper riders. The 47-year old celebrated his biggest successes aboard the Hannoveraner gelding Elton John and many other successes aboard a great number of homebred riding horses. By Jürgen Stroscher 2 Der Hannoveraner 07|2020 Sport aul Forkert is the founder of the performance, relearn doing everything. “The speech proficiency Pbreed and training facility called Rosenbusch was completely gone; my brain was often unable in Bremen-Oberneuland. “The sport of riding to make connections. After about six weeks, I fi- brought me to Bremen,” the native Hessian re- nally realized that I had an accident,” the 39-year members. “I like the area. Because of my professi- old describes her difficult situation. Today she is on as a riding instructor, I had the opportunity to again able to ride her trustworthy horse, the eight- purchase a plot of land between two dikes, the year old Stanford by Stanley Condor M (breeder: Wümme-dike and the Weser-dike. I spontaneously Ulrike Bergmann, Bremen), in the arena. She even borrowed a large amount of money from the bank started riding him over small fences. “Riding is al- and built today’s facility,” the seventy-nine year most therapeutic for me,” Esther Forkert shares. old remembers. Still today Paul Fokert regularly ri- Because of the corona restrictions, she missed out des the family-owned horses. He looks back onto a on important physical and psychological therapy. more than fifty year long horse show-career. Paul She was, however, able to count on the support Forkert obtained the golden badge of riding in from everyone. Giving up clearly is not part of the dressage as well as in jumping. The many S-level vocabulary of the families Forkert and Stürke. victories in both disciplines are countless. The seni- or chef knows all renowned riders from back then; It again was Hergen Forkert, who kept his cool af- some of them he even beat in competition. “At ter an accident with two riding horses in 2006. He that time, the group of successful competitors was was able to save Gem Twist by Graf Grannus/Don not as big as it is today. We traveled through Ger- Carlos (breeder: Mara Cassens, Buchholz-Holm) many almost like a family.” The riding legends in- and Elton John by Acorado/Grannus (breeder: cluded Hans-Günter Winkler, Hermann Schridde, Frank-Christian Amend, Hannover) from certain Hartwig Steenken, Herbert Meyer, Gerd Witfang as deaths. During the return-trip from a horse show in well as Alwin and Paul Schockemöhle. “My child- Elmlohe, a fire broke out in the lorry, in which Her- ren are my biggest fortune though.” Paul Forkert is gen Forkert transported both horses. “When I was proud of his three sons, which he raised together finally able to stop the rig on the autobahn, it was with his wife Irmtraut (75). Both seniors still work burning fiercely. Gem Twist was able to free hard on the farm, when help is needed. The two himself, but Elton John was tied with his head to sons, Hergen (47) and Marten (36) manage the the front,” the jumper rider remembers. There was facility Rosenbusch today. While their big brother no other way than to pull him by his tail out of the Jörn (52) still co-organizes the horse show as the back of the rig. “Elton’s entire head was in the fire, Hergen Forkert celebrated his president of the riding club Rosenbusch, he devo- but he somehow managed to free himself.” The biggest successes with Elton John. tes most of his time to being a medical doctor. heads of both horses were terribly swollen, and In 2011, the pair won the Grand Prix on the Dobrock. Photo: Stroscher almost the entire skin on the head of seven-year Family Forkert already spent many happy hours to- old Elton John was charred to the bone. This condi- gether, for instance when Esther Stürke and Her- tion hardly allowed Elton John to breathe, let alone gen Forkert got married in 2009 in the church of eat food on his own. The veterinarians helped him Oberneuland. Eleven years later, husband Hergen start the road of recovery with a tracheal cut. “We together with many others is glad that “his” Esther drove to the veterinary clinic daily. For the first ten is still alive. After a serious riding accident in Au- days, Elton was unable to see anything. We talked gust of 2019, the 39-year old now is on the best to him a lot, so that he would realize that we were way to a full recovery to everyone’s delight. The not giving up on him.” The intense care connected active jumper rider experienced a blessing in dis- rider and horse even more than before. The healing guise. After spending a whole week in an artifi- process of Elton John signified the beginning of a cially induced coma, she spent six weeks in a more unique success story. From that moment on, the or less disoriented state followed by several mask of Elton John, which he wore while jumping months of rehabilitation. Because of it, the priori- fences, was his trademark. ties in the lives of Esther and Hergen Forkert have changed. “Horse show successes and material The irony of the story was that Elton John was ac- things become of secondary importance,” all fami- tually sold at the time of the accident. Because of ly members agree. Nothing was like it was before. the burns, the contract was cancelled. The dark bay As a two-time mother and a show rider, Esther finally sold to Ulrike Bergmann. Since decades, fa- played a significant role in the riding facility. Her ther Paul had worked together with the female sons Theo (2) and Paul (7) had to do without their sponsor, who lived in close proximity. “We almost mother, Hergen without his wife and all others wi- maintain a family-like relationship with Ulrike thout their familiar co-worker. The healing is not Bergmann. We are very grateful for her loyal sup- fully completed as of yet. Because of the induced port and owe her a lot,” Hergen Forkert shares. coma over several days, the female rider had to Nothing stood in the way of Eton John’s athletic Der Hannoveraner 07|2020 3 Sport career any longer. “The time with Elton John was school, he first chose to leave home to pursue a very exciting; our good performances opened career in riding and training horses. “I was always many doors for me.” Hergen Forkert realizes all too employed by my father, which gave me the oppor- well to whom he owes his international jumping tunity to further my riding skills at several riding career. facilities.” The jumper rider learned a lot from Paul Schockemöhle, Karsten Huck and Klaus-Martin Elton John’s series of victories Rath. When father Paul went almost blind, Hergen On paper, winning the Grand Prix on the Dobrock was forced to return home and take on the respon- in 2011 was the victory that paid the most prize- sibility for managing the family’s facility. In 1994, money. “We competed on all the renowned show he came home to Bremen with a degree in riding grounds in Germany. We did not always make it to and breeding horses. In Münster, he obtained his the top of the podium though.” The pair did quite master’s degree. Together with his father, he trai- well in several Grand Prix-competitions like in the ned numerous apprentices, which later on establis- Grand Prix of Nörten-Hardenberg, of Dortmund, of hed themselves in the equestrian world, like Hart- Munich and Wiesbaden. They also did well in wig Burfeind, Greta Funke, Jasmin Meyer, Josef Hamburg’s Derby, where the jumper rider obtained Freese, Sophie Hinners and Lennert Hauschild. high placements seven times with four different horses. To the rider’s delight, the owner of Elton Together with his father Paul, Hergen Forkert al- John declared him not for sale. In 2016, Elton John ways tried to further improve the structure of his was retired at the age of seventeen. Today the gel- riding facility trying to meet the demands of the ding frolics on the fields in Bremen-Oberneuland equestrian scene. He more and more included his amidst the herd of broodmares. brother Marten and Marten’s wife Inga (40) in the process. Since 2010, the siblings jointly manage After a serious accident, Esther The athletic performance of Hergen Forkert is even the family business. “We continuously reinvested Forkert again spends time with more impressive, if you consider that his fellow income from horse sales in the business,” Paul For- her beloved horses – like Stanford. competitors were riders like Ludger Beerbaum, kert shares. In the beginning, he based the busi- Photo: Stroscher Marcus Ehning, Otto Becker and Lars Nieberg. In ness on farming and on boarding horses. He added other words, they are Germany’s top jumper riders, a breeding program, which focused on bloodlines which today participate in the Global Champions for dressage. Originally the land included four hec- Tour. “We still went to horse shows pulling a sim- tares; today there are 30 hectares with several ho- ple trailer; the others came in big lorries.” In addi- mes, modern stables for up to 50 horses, an indoor tion, Hergen Forkert mostly competed rather inex- riding arena and outdoor rings.