At the moment, the equestrian discipline that is most talked about in Spain is classical dressage. It is logical after the two World Cup events (San Patrignano and Mechelen) won by Beatriz Ferrer Salat, the results of our team in Aachen, in the 2001 European Championship and in Sydney 2000 .
Nicole Uphoff
What is also clear is that the Amazons dominate: Beatriz Ferer Salat, Isabell Werth, Ulla Salzgeber, Anky van Grunsven... But remembering Amazons, we thought it important to refer to Nicole Uphoff who was, without a doubt, the great diva of world dressage from 1987 to 1996, a time in which she knew no rivals.
Nicole would later be replaced by her compatriot Isabell Werth, later by Anky van Grunsven and currently the throne is held by Ulla Salzgeber.
Early and spectacular beginnings that indicated a lot
In 1987 she was European champion of Young Riders (Cervia) individually and in teams with Rembrandt, her great Westphalian son of Romadour, with whom she achieved her most important triumphs. But already this year he indicated what his sporting career would be as he also won the Grand Prix and the Special Grand Prix in Rotterdam and Lausanne.
At that time the young Nicole trained with Dr. Uwe Schulten although later she would do so with Klaus Blakenhol and Schulten Baumer, without forgetting how much she learned from the great Harry Boldt who was the head of the German team at the time of the great triumphs for Uphoff.
Nicole and Rembrandt
Nicole's sporting career must be linked to the great Rembrandt because with him he achieved his most important triumphs and which made him the best dressage horse of the last era.
Rembrandt was dark brown and of a great class that he demonstrated in the quadrilong with his elegance, ease, grace and elegance; nothing to do with the idea of powerful and powerful German horses, although their excessive class, which marked the differences, sometimes gave Nicole a hard time, when the horse was distracted or looked for excuses, getting scared, perhaps to let go. his great energy and sporting power.
The unmatched curriculum with Rembrandt
As we have said, Rembrandt was the one with the great triumphs, and although at the end we will detail the complete resume we will say that he won 4 Olympic gold medals in Seoul and Barcelona (team and individual), the JEM Stockholm 1990 (teams and individuals), the JEM of The Hague 1994 for teams and individual silver, the European championships of 1989, 91 and 93 (teams and individual) and 95 (teams), several times Aachen,... you could ask for more.
During all these years Nicole and her horse were always the favorites in the big competitions and team gold was always guaranteed because being, and she always was, within the German team allowed it.
In Barcelona 92 they set a chair
In Barcelona 92 her "coequipier" Isabell Werth in the Individual Final made a score of 1,626 with Gigoló and many believed she was going to win because her performance was exceptional but Nicole Uphoff in one of the best performances of all time added 1,626 points and won very deservedly the gold medal, counting on Rembrandt who seemed to know that he was competing in the Olympic Games and did not want me to The powerful but less graceful Gigolo will snatch the throne. It was already clear Nicole and Rembrandt were the best.
Rembrandt's problems begin
The first problem arose when the horse was injured at the closing ceremony of Aachen 1993, the year in which the classifications were achieved by Nicole with Grand Gilbert. Later he would recover and win the team gold and individual silver at the JEM in The Hague 94 but this same year, after winning the Special Grand Prix in Steinhagen, he became lame again due to a more important injury.
As is logical, the veterinary care with which Rembrandt is rewarded is the best and in 1995 he won the Bad Saluflen Special Grand Prix, the Aachen Grand Prix, the German Masters Grand Prix and Special Grand Prix in Stuttgart and the championship of Europe by teams in Borbet Mondorf.
In 1996 there was a lot of talk that the animal was in bad shape. This year Nicole competes more with Sir Lennox but with Rembrandt she takes part in the German national championship and comes 3rd, in Aachen she wins in teams where she is 4th in the Grand Prix and Special Grand Prix and 5th in the Kur and manages to be selected for Atlanta 96 greatly helped by Otto Becker, then her husband.
Nicole's selection of Rembrandt for Atlanta raises many comments. It is said that the horse is not well. Many claim that he is injured, but those responsible trust the best of recent times and competes in the American Olympics.
In the Grand Prix they are ninth with 70.04% and in the Special Grand Prix they are eighth with 73.02%. It is clear Rembrandt is not well. Nicole's face when left the quadrilong was clearly expressive of his discontent. Then the horse fails the veterinary exam for the Final. How many people witnessed it! What a lot of comments there were! What a lot of pressure!
But the jury was fair and although their ruling was harsh and painful, it was very clear that they did justice. In any case, Rembrandt's injury meant, there is no doubt, that he did not work well the previous two days and even if he had been in the Final he would never have beaten the Hanoverian Gigoló who demonstrated his strength, power, exceptional movements and health. Four years later in Sydney, Anky's Bonfire took revenge on Gigolo and beat him, once again imposing grace over strength.
In 1997 the triumphs were achieved by Uphoff with Sir Lennox and Plaisir d'Amour. It was clear that Rembrandt was injured. A year later he will retire from the world of competition.
Nicole leaves high competition
In 1998 Nicole left Varendorf for Vorwek and then moved to Vechta with her boyfriend, the New Zealand showjumping rider Trevor Morgen, where she dedicated herself to riding River Bleu, Ephedra, Friedenfurt and Futurus, but already in high-level competition times. of the great German diva is over. Nicole knows that finding another Rembrandt is impossible. He has already won everything. She is only comfortable with triumph. Yes, he has retired but he has created history that made all lovers of good horse riding enjoy.
And may this discreet biography also serve to praise Rembrandt, the indisputable piece of Nicole Uphohh's great career, which also gave a lot of enjoyment to lovers of good horses, in which class is their main, of course, quality.
