Helen Langehanenberg & Damon Hill, Germany’s Top Partnership, Split
10 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Helen Langehanenberg & Damon Hill, Germany’s Top Partnership, Split
Nov. 10, 2014
Helen Langehanenberg will no longer be riding Damon Hill NRW, the German equestrian federation announced Monday after negotiations failed to keep together the country’s top partnership and No. 2 in the world.
In a news release Monday, the lawyers for Christian Becks, owner of the liver chestnut stallion, said: “The negotiations over an extension of the ride up to the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 have definitively failed.”
Christian Beck was quoted as saying, “The vision of the conditions were too far apart.”
Damon Hill will not be sold, the lawyer said, but stay with the family.
Dr. Dennis Peiler, Managing Director of the German Olympic Committee for equestrian (DOKR), said he was surprised and disappointed.
“Including as late as today, we were in negotiations with the lawyer of the horse owner, up to the Olympic Games 2016 to back up Damon Hill for Helen Langehanenberg. But new facts have been created by the release of the Beck family.
“We very much regret losing a good pair.”
Helen Langehanenberg said: “I would very much liked to continue riding Damon Hill. It was a fantastic time with him.”
She was grateful for the efforts to resolve the differences, even though they were not successful.
The 32-year-old rider and the Westfalen stallion won team gold and two silver medals in the individual competition at the World Equestrian Games this year, finished first and second in the World Cup finals in 2013 and 2014, secured the team gold medal at the European Championships in 2013 and was the silver medal team at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
