The Rolex One to Watch for August 2011 is German rider, Katrin Eckermann. Based at Gut Berl near Münster, Germany, the 21-year-old jumped from number 424 to 245 during August – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 179 places.
The Rolex One to Watch is an initiative which identifies the rider who has made the biggest jump within or into the Top 250 of the Rolex Rankings the previous month.
Born on 8 July 1990, and brought up just 50 metres from the Dutch border on the family farm in Kranenburg, Germany, Eckermann’s first trainer was her father, Otmar, and her subsequent successes undoubtedly stem from this early mentoring. She has also been trained by Holger Hetzel, who has been the official Jumping trainer for junior and young riders in the Rhineland since his appointment by the FN (German Equestrian Federation) in 1998. Eckermann is now trained by the former German national Jumping coach, Kurt Gravemeier, at the Gut Berl training centre.
Eckermann’s most notable victory in 2011 came at the Rolex-sponsored CSI5* San Patrignano (ITA). Eckermann and her Belgian chestnut gelding, Nabab De Revel, comprehensively won the Lamborghini Tractors Prix, completing the tough course over five seconds quicker than second-placed rider, José Larocca. Eckermann rode her bay gelding, Carlson 46 (Casco x Sable Rose) at the FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2011 staged in Comporta (POR), to win the bronze medal in the individual competition. Eckermann won individual gold, riding Carlson 46, at the 2011 Young Rider German Championships in Freudenberg, a title that she also won in München in 2009.
Other career highlights include her performance at the FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2010 staged at Haras de Jardy, France. Riding Carlson 46, she won the silver medal in the individual competition, and won the gold medal as part of the German team.
Eckermann’s most recent impressive result came at the CSI4* Münster, when she rode Carlson 46 double clear to win the Grand Prix of Münster, the BMW Hakvoort Trophy. Eckermann triumphed over the likes of Robert Whitaker and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, and this clearly demonstrates what a promising and talented young rider she is.
