Day 8: DOKR

Yesterday, we drove to the DOKR (Deutches Olympiade-Komitee fuer Reiterei) to get a tour of the German riding facility where German team members meet to train together for large competitions such as the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games. Juniors, young riders, and pony riders also meet there to train for large championships. In addition, the DOKR is the grounds where the Bundeschampionate (the German National Championships) for ponies and horses takes place.

The front entrance to the DOKR

When our tour guide first met us, she gave us a little history about the facility and what it was used for. In 1913 the DOKR was established, and in 1950 the buildings that became home to the DOKR were built. In the entry way of the main building was a large award case that encompassed many national medals. When a German team wins a trophy or medal from a major championship, the award is encased at the DOKR facility because the award belongs to the nation. When we looked into the case you could find many awards from major championships like the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games. In total, the German equestrian teams (including jumping, dressage, and eventing in both team and individual competitions) have won 39 gold medals, 20 silver medals, and 24 bronze medals since they first began competing in the Olympic games.

 The award case

Next, we got a tour of the facility that expands across 80 acres of land. The facility includes three indoor riding arenas: one for jumping, one for dressage, and one multi-purpose arena; as well as an indoor lunging arena. There are also several outdoor rings: two for dressage, one for jumping, two for driving, and one for eventing. One of the outdoor rings is even equipped with a high-tech watering system where water for the arena comes up form the ground and is automatically regulated so that no one has to monitor how dry the footing becomes. In addition to riding rings, the DOKR property has an event course, and a 600 meter track that goes around the perimeter of a corn field. 

 The indoor dressage arena at the DOKR

The race track around the corn field

The barns consist of several aisles of stalls, a hot walker, several paddocks, and apartments for grooms and apprentices. Some of the stalls are used for year-round boarders who rent out the stalls. Other stalls are reserved for when team members gather for training sessions together, such as when the German Olympic teams have team training sessions. The facility’s main purpose is to provide a meeting headquarters for team members to meet in preparation for large international shows. In addition, the facility is used to host the German National Championship, called the Bundeschampionate, for both ponies and horses. Lastly, the facility is sometimes used for scientific projects with horses, as well as being used as a place to study training techniques. 

 A water jump on the eventing course

The DOKR is financed by three different parties: 40% is financed by the Ministry of International Affairs, 30% is paid for by the Olympic panel, and 30% is paid for by the riders and boarders who use the facility. 

 The large outdoor jump ring

It was really neat to see such a massive facility built for servicing the top levels of the equestrian sports in Germany. We do not have a single training center like this in the United States, so it was very interesting to learn about how Germany prepares and trains their teams for international competitions.