Ludger Beerbaum (, ; born 26 August 1963 in

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

) is an internationally successful

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

equestrian who competes in

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

and has been ranked the No. 1 Show Jumper in the world by the FEI on multiple occasions. He is also a four-time Olympic Gold medalist team and individual.

Early life and competitive career

Beerbaum was born in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. In school, he took Business Studies, but eventually gave it up for a career in show jumping. Beerbaum began riding on a

Highland Pony The Highland Pony is a native Scotland, Scottish pony, and is one of the largest of the mountain and moorland pony breeds of the British Isles. Its Pedigree chart, pedigree dates back to the 1880s. It was once a workhorse in the Scotland, Sc ...

at the age of 8. He had a very successful career as a young Rider which continued into his adulthood. His most notable accomplishments include winning 4 Olympic Golds (his first at age 25) and numerous European and World Championship medals. On Sunday 21 September 2008, at the Samsung Super League Final in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Beerbaum was a member of the winning German Nations Cup team. He was awarded Leading Rider of the 2008 Super League, along with 50,000 CHF ( $46,000). In the Final, he rode the nine-year-old Westphalian

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

, ''All Inclusive NRW'' to a double clear round, and was one of only two riders to do so, his teammate Marco Kutscher being the other.

Family

Ludger Beerbaum is the oldest of 4 children, his siblings being Ruth, Monika, and show jumper Markus Beerbaum. He is married to Arundell Davison, with whom he has two daughters (Cecilia Sophie and Mathilde). From his previous marriage, he has a son (Alexander). He is also brother-in-law to Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.

Top horses

2008 Olympic Games Equestrian Game Day Racing Round 2 01

* Goldfever: 1991 chestnut

Hanoverian The adjective Hanoverian is used to describe: * British monarchs or supporters of the House of Hanover, the dynasty which ruled the United Kingdom from 1714 to 1901 * things relating to; ** Electorate of Hanover ** Kingdom of Hanover ** Province of ...

stallion (by Grosso Z) * Classic Touch 1984 Bay (Holstein) Mare by Caletto II (GOLD Barcelona olympics 1992) * Ratina Z: 1982 bay Hanoverian mare (Ramiro Z x Almé Z) * Gladdys S: 1992 chestnut Westphalian mare (Grandeur x Apart) * PS Priamos: 1982 chestnut Westphalian gelding (Pilot x Direx) * Enorm: 1997 bay Hanoverian gelding (Escudo I x Calypso II) * Couleur Rubin: 1996 chestnut

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places * Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony * Ol ...

stallion (by Cordalme Z) * L'Espoir: 1996 chestnut Zangersheide gelding (by Landwind II) * All Inclusive: 1999 bay Westphalian gelding (Arpeggio x Phantom)

Doping offense

At the 2004 Olympic Games, Beerbaum and his mount, Goldfever, managed to finish with only 4 penalty points, helping Germany earn the team gold medal. However, following the competition, Goldfever tested positive for the prohibited substance betamethasone. The

International Equestrian Federation The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (, FEI) is the international governing body of equestrian sports. The FEI came into being following the Olympic Congress in Lausanne (SUI) in 1921 from May 28 to May 30. It's headquarters are ...

found Beerbaum guilty of breaking the rules, stripping both him and his German team of their gold medals, dropping Germany down to bronze. Beerbaum believed the substance to have been present in an ointment administered to the horse due to a skin irritation, and the FEI agreed that the substance provided no competitive advantage. However, in accordance with the rule, Beerbaum was disqualified. He then appealed the decision to the CAS. After the hearing took place, they ruled that Germany's stripped gold medal was then given to the Americans and the silver to the Swedish show jumping team. The Germans, however, were still able to take the bronze medal, even without Goldfever's results.

Major achievements

Olympic Games

* Team gold medal - 1988

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

: 17.25 penalties (The Freak) * Individual gold medal - 1992 Olympic Games

: 0 penalties (Classic Touch) * Team gold medal - 1996 Olympic Games

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

: 1.75 penalties (Ratina Z) * Team gold medal - 2000 Olympic Games

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

: 15 penalties (Goldfever 3) * Disqualified, losing team gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

—''See "Doping Offense" above'' (Goldfever 3) * Team bronze medal - 2016 Summer Olympics

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...

: Casello

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

* Team silver medal & 73rd Individually - 1990 World Equestrian Games,

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

(Gazelle) * Team gold medal & 4th Individually - 1994 World Equestrian Games in

The Hague, Netherlands The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

(Ratina Z) *Team gold medal & 5th Individually - 1998 World Equestrian Games in

Rome, Italy Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(P.S. Priamos) * 4th place & 22nd Individually - 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain (Gladdys S) *Team bronze medal & 5th Individually - 2006

World Equestrian Games The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and are administered by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive S ...

Aachen, Germany Aachen is the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is located at the northern foothills of the High Fens and the Eifel Mountains. It sits on the Wurm Riv ...

(L'Espoir)

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

* Team bronze & Individual bronze - 1984 CH-EU-Y in

Cervia Cervia () is a seaside resort town in the province of Ravenna, located in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Cervia is a major seaside resort in Emilia-Romagna, North Italy. Its population was 28,983 at the 2023 census. It is mainly ...

, Italy (Wittersfernde) * Team 5th & Individually 23rd - 1987 CH-EU in St. Gallen, Switzerland (Wiener Domspatz) * Team 5th & Individually 21st - 1991 CH-EU in

La Baule La Baule-Escoublac (; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Écoubiâ'', , ), commonly referred to as La Baule, is a communes of France, commune in Loire-Atlantique, a departments of France, department in Pays de la Loire, western France. History Seaside re ...

, France (Grand Plaisir) * Team 4th & Individually 29th - 1993 CH-EU in Gijon, Spain (Rush On) * Team gold & Individual gold - 1997 CH-EU in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

, Germany (Ratina Z) * Team gold & Individually 26th - 1999 CH-EU in

Hickstead Hickstead may refer to: * All England Jumping Course at Hickstead, a show jumping venue in England * Hickstead (horse), an Olympic gold medal-winning show jumping horse * Hickstead, a hamlet in Twineham civil parish, in the Mid Sussex Distri ...

, Great Britain (Champion du Lys) * Team bronze & Individual gold - 2001 CH-EU in

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

, Netherlands (Gladdys S) * Team gold & Individual silver - 2003 CH-EU in

Donaueschingen Donaueschingen (; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Eschinge'') is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the States of Germany, federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar ''Districts of Germany, Kreis''. It ...

, Germany (Goldfever 3) * Team silver & Individual bronze - 2007 CH-EU in

, Germany (Goldfever 3) * Team gold & Individually 8th - 2011 CH-EU in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Spain (Gotha FRH) * Team silver & Individually 6th - 2013 CH-EU in

Herning Herning () is a Denmark, Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 51,782 (1 January 2025)

, Denmark ( Chiara 222) * Team silver & Individually 12th - 2015 CH-EU in

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

, Germany ( Chiara 222)FEI European Championships (August 11th to 23rd
European Championship Jumping Individuals
Aachen 2015

World Cup Final

* 1st - 1993 World Cup Final in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Sweden (Ratina Z) * 4th - 1995 World Cup Final in

, Sweden (Gaylord & Ratina Z) * 6th - 1996 World Cup Final in Geneve, Switzerland (Gaylord & Rush On) * 3rd - 1998 World Cup Final in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, Finland (P.S. Priamos) * 6th - 1999 World Cup Final in

, Sweden (Ratina Z & P.S. Priamos) * 4th - 2000 World Cup Final in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, USA (Goldfever 3) * 2nd - 2002 World Cup Final in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, Germany (Gladdys S) * 8th - 2003 World Cup Final in

, USA (Goldfever 3) * 12th - 2005 World Cup Final in

, USA (Couleur Rubin) * 4th - 2008 World Cup Final in

, Sweden (All Inclusive NRW) * 6th - 2009 World Cup Final in

, USA (Coupe de Coeur) * Joint 2nd - 2010 World Cup Final in

Le Grand-Saconnex Le Grand-Saconnex () is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. Several international organizations and permanent missions to the United Nations are located in Grand Saconnex. Consequently, the population of Grand Saconnex is quite ...

near Geneve, Switzerland (Gotha FRH) * 2nd - 2014 World Cup Final in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, France (Chaman & Chiara 222)

Other major achievements

* Multiple World No. 1 Show Jumper ranking by the FEI * 8-time winner of the German masters (1988, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004) * 3-time Rider of the Year (2001, 2002, 2003) * 3-time winner of the

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

(1996 Ratina Z; 2002 and 2003 Goldfever 3) * Winner of the Bambi prize in 1992 * Winner of the 2002 CN International at the Spruce Meadows Masters on the stallion, Goldfever 3.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beerbaum, Ludger 1963 births Living people People from Detmold Sportspeople from Detmold (region) Equestrians at the 1988 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1992 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 1996 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2000 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2004 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2008 Summer Olympics Equestrians at the 2016 Summer Olympics German male equestrians German sportspeople in doping cases Olympic equestrians for Germany Olympic equestrians for West Germany Olympic gold medalists for Germany Olympic bronze medalists for Germany Olympic gold medalists for West Germany German show jumping riders Olympic medalists in equestrian Competitors stripped of Summer Olympics medals Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Horse trader Doping cases in equestrian sports 20th-century German sportsmen