An unfortunate injury will prevent Ingrid Klimke and Franziskus FRH from competing as the reserve combination at the Paris Olympic Games.
This could have been a first appearance in dressage for Klimke, a five-time Olympic eventer in her own right with two gold medals and one silver in her trophy case. Currently ranked 23rd in the FEI World Dressage rankings, Klimke and “Franz,” a 16-year-old Hanoverian, have competed internationally together since the stallion’s 6-year-old year—and they’ve clearly established a special bond.
“I’m incredibly sad and I can’t even believe it myself,” Klimke wrote on Instagram, describing how she had given Franz a well-deserved break after their promising performance at CHIO Aachen in early July. In their next training ride together in the lead-up to Paris, however, the stallion was not himself.
“We immediately examined Franz and identified an injury that [needed] to be treated immediately. Unfortunately, this makes us lose out for Paris.”
The pair were previously part of the bronze medal-winning German team at the 2022 FEI World Dressage Championships in Herning, Demark, and finished fourth at FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha, Nebraska in 2023. At CHIO Aachen earlier this month, Klimke & Franz earned top placings, including a 2nd in the Grand Prix—to teammate Isabell Werth & Wendy de Fontaine—on a score of 76.043% .
In 2023, Franziskus FRH underwent surgery for a hairline fracture, but returned to competition the following winter in Aachen. He and Klimke went on to compete successfully this season at German competitions in Hagen a T.W. in April and München-Riem in May.
Klimke, as reserve, will be replaced by Sönke Rothenberger and Fendi. The rest of the German team includes world no. 1s Jessica von Bredow Werndl & Dalera BB, Frederic Wandres & Bluetooth OLD, and Isabell Werth & Wendy de Fontaine.
Olympic dressage coverage will take place July 30-August 4. Here’s how to watch.