By the time of his sensational victory in the Rolex Grand Prix at the Aachen Soers, this name should be familiar to every horse lover: Gerrit Nieberg. As the last rider in the jump-off, our Gerrit rode himself from underdog to favorite in the Rolex Grand Slam.
But horses were not always the center of his life; until the age of 13, Gerrit wanted very little to do with riding…
Visiting Gut Berl
'I'm really so happy that you are here.' Polite and modest, as you know him, Gerrit greets us on a beautiful summer day at the farm in the heart of Münsterland. Besides a show jumping arena that offers excellent training conditions and two indoor riding halls, Gut Berl has several stable buildings that provide space for more than 30 sport horses. Of course, there are also numerous paddocks and pastures where the sport horses can relax daily.
With a broad smile on his face, Gerrit shows us where he spends his days and introduces us to his horses. 'Besides the riding horses, we also have our breeding next door. Of course, we hope to breed the next big star there!'
Here, the broodmares and young horses spend their time in the herd on huge green pastures, a true horse paradise.
Gerrit, tell us…
After our farm tour, we were able to sit on the Nieberg family’s terrace to ask him a few personal questions. There, we discovered some interesting #FACTS about Gerrit.
‘Gerrit, how old were you when you started riding and what was your first horse’s name?’
‘I started riding at the age of 13. My first horse was named Lightning; I took him over from my brother Max. Max started riding a bit earlier than I did.’
Until the age of 13, Gerrit was an enthusiastic footballer. As a child, he wanted very little to do with horses and equestrian sports and had other interests. But after just one week in the saddle, it was clear to the now 29-year-old: he wanted to become a professional rider later on.
‘Have there been difficult times when you questioned everything?’
‘Certainly, there were times when I questioned everything. I’m quite ambitious and always want everything to be perfect. When things don’t go as planned, doubts naturally arise. But I always stayed focused, and I think that’s a good thing.’
Like in every career, there have been ups and downs for Gerrit Nieberg. But through his ambition and the support his family gives him daily, he always manages to turn lows into highs and continue with joy and passion for the sport.
‘What do you do to balance riding and your daily work with the horses?’
‘My balance is that on my days off, I really enjoy doing things with my girlfriend and, of course, with my friends. Also, I actually play poker quite regularly with my guys; on such an evening, I can really clear my head.’
Hobbies and #QUALITYTIME with his loved ones are at the top of Gerrit’s list when he has a day off. This balance to equestrian sport is very important to him.
‘Gerrit, which moment in equestrian sport will you remember for the rest of your life?’
‘Yes, that was undoubtedly the victory in Aachen. When we crossed the finish line and I looked up at the scoreboard and saw the number one there. The 40,000 spectators went wild; I will definitely never forget that moment.’
The CHIO Aachen was a very special event for Gerrit. With the win in the Grand Prix, Gerrit fulfilled a dream—a dream that probably every show jumper in Germany and worldwide has. The year before, Gerrit and Ben had already placed in the Grand Prix, which gave them a very good feeling going into the tournament week this year.
‘Of course, I didn’t expect to win.’ says the 29-year-old laughing. ‘But I was all the more thrilled, of course.’
‘You and your family work very closely together in your family business every day. Are you always in agreement?’
‘Sure, we work very closely together every day. I think it’s normal not to always agree. But if there’s something to discuss, we do it, and I believe that in the end, we get along very, very well. We always come to the same conclusion in the end.’
The Nieberg family is very close-knit. From a young age, Gerrit trained with his father Lars Nieberg, who himself has achieved huge successes in equestrian sport. In 1998, he became team world champion with the German team. With his experience and routine, Lars is an enormous help to his son.
We are incredibly happy to see Gerrit as part of our #KAVALIOFAMILY and look forward with excitement to everything the future holds for him and for us as a team.
#RECAP of a successful year for the Nieberg family
Gerrit and his loved ones look back on a year full of great successes that one can only dream of. Another reason for the young man from Sendenhorst to now focus on his future #GOALS. But what does a typical day in Gerrit’s life actually look like, what are his goals, and what would he do professionally if he hadn’t fallen for equestrian sport? You can find all these #INSIGHTS now in our new YouTube video ‘KAVALIO MEETS: Gerrit Nieberg’! :-)
