That intense passion may eventually fade. Most parents of teenage girls sense this coming when their daughters don’t want to leave the riding stable at all. Knowing full well that interests can change over time, they still encourage their young riders.

Beate Schridde, riding instructor and trainer at the Steinmühle Riding School, was born into the world of horses. No one needed to inspire her—her passion for horses had already been alive and well on the Schridde family farm seven years before she was born. Schridde Leistungszucht—a name synonymous with show jumping!

Beate Schridde’s childhood home was located on the estate in Vöhrum, Lower Saxony, between Braunschweig and Hanover. She used to wake up in the morning to the sound of horses neighing and the smell of the stables.

If there’s anyone who has equestrian sports in her blood, it’s Beate Schridde. Having later trained as a horse manager and riding instructor with an A-level coaching license, she didn’t just make it her mission to pass on her passion for equestrian sports. She also developed her own enthusiasm and qualified to compete in dressage, cross-country, and show jumping—both nationally and internationally. In show jumping, she even competed up to the S-class, the highest level. To this day, her heart still beats for the show jumping course.

Anyone who knows exactly what a good horse must offer and be capable of, and who knows from personal experience what a rider’s role should entail, is in high demand as a riding instructor and trainer. Beate Schridde has been associated with Steinmühle, where she works today, for over 15 years. The up-and-coming rider Nicola Pohl, based at Hofgut Dagobertshausen, also learned to ride here. Beate Schridde played a pivotal role in the young rider’s equestrian career for several crucial years as a salaried riding instructor and FN-certified trainer for the Pohl family. Today, Nicola Pohl successfully competes in world-renowned tournaments.

Beate Schridde wouldn’t be Beate Schridde if she lacked the ambition to prepare not only riders but also horses to perform at their best in the dressage arena, on the show jumping course, or even on cross-country trails. While her brother Claus successfully continues the Schridde family’s performance breeding program in northern Germany—with six show-jumping-oriented foals expected in 2019 alone—Beate Schridde devotes herself to training and riding young horses alongside her regular work. She also offers additional services such as presenting horses at mare performance tests and preparing them for stallion licensing. Training courses for beginners, those returning to the sport, or ambitious competition riders are also part of her repertoire.

You can almost sense that behind all these activities, even before a regular workday begins, lies a deep passion. The joy she finds in what she does puts into perspective the time and physical effort invested by this dedicated 49-year-old, who handles maneuvering the horse trailer and trailer with such ease that it looks as if they were wheelbarrows. “It has to be that way,” she remarks casually, “after all, there’s valuable cargo in there.”

That’s right. Beate Schridde has driven not only four-legged competition winners but also quite a few neighing prize winners from equestrian performance tests. “Living sports equipment”—each with its own personality and different needs. “That’s what,” says the passionate rider, “sets it apart from other sports.” The dachshund breed is also known for having a “personality of its own.” She has two young ladies of this breed who are part of her life.

Nothing stays the same—not even at Steinmühle. So the school administration and Steffen Ullwer, a member of the teaching staff, took the opportunity of the end-of-school-year barbecue to announce some personnel changes at the school.

When colleagues leave, there’s always a touch of sadness. Anja Zelle, for example, will no longer be teaching students at Steinmühle but will instead be teaching in Thuringia. Thomas Korte’s move isn’t quite as far—he’s heading to the neighboring district of Frankenberg.

Steinmühle wishes them both all the best!

With Fido Wagler’s departure, Steinmühle is losing a true institution. “A void we cannot fill,” said Principal Bernd Holly. Friedhelm Wagler, the English and dance teacher with a passion for movement and good food, has carved out a strong reputation among his colleagues through his inspiring dance activities and his deep commitment to the party catering business. That’s why we really don’t want to let him go into his well-deserved—yet far too early—retirement.

“We’d like to thank you for your work in the sports department,” said Bernd Holly, and he was relieved to announce, “that Fido will be staying with us a little longer to work in the catering service.”

The English Department, led by Nicole Hohm, paid tribute to their colleague with an elaborate, heartfelt, and enthusiastic performance. Wearing “Fido wigs,” the members performed several skits under the theme “International Fido Day” and were rewarded with enthusiastic applause. Of course, later on, all the colleagues had to rise from their seats and, following Fido’s instructions, join him in a lively performance in a circle—which, naturally, they did willingly.

 

New Teachers for the start of the school year

As sad as the Steinmühle faculty was to see their departing colleagues leave, there was still cause for celebration. That’s because, in turn, René Schulenberg and Michael Schmidt will be joining the teaching staff starting next school year. While René Schulenberg has come from just a short distance away at another high school in Marburg, Michael Schmidt is transferring to the “Mühle” from Frankenberg.

An experienced teacher will be joining the boarding school team. Heidi Kesting will be supporting the team at the Bremerhaus.

The contributions of Oleg Koch, the Steinmühle caretaker, should not be underestimated; following his colleague’s departure, he has recently been handling all the work entirely on his own. Starting in August, he will have some help: Viktor Kreuz is the new addition to the team, and he will be responsible for maintenance work and much more.

We wish all our new employees a wonderful time at Steinmühlen!

The goal has been achieved; the high school diplomas are being handed out. Great joy dominates this day, but there’s always a touch of wistfulness as well. This year was no exception: A total of 74 high school graduates earned their general university entrance qualification at Steinmühle in 2018. During the graduation ceremony on June 16, the speakers paid tribute to this high-achieving class, which produced the highest average Abitur score in Steinmühle’s history. Furthermore, not a single student failed to pass the Abitur this school year.

Nevertheless, in his speech, Principal Björn Gemmer spoke of the “second chance as an important virtue.” No one should be stigmatized because of their failures: “Failure doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”

During the morning, which was hosted by Principal Bernd Holly at the microphone, Manfred Schwarz spoke as a parent representative. For him, that day marked the end of a 51-year history with Steinmühlen—including his parents’ time at the school, his own, and that of his five children. So it was no surprise that the themes of “gratitude” and “pride” were given special emphasis in his speech. Rosie Boebel and Gisela Opper represented the teaching staff with a vivid joint presentation. The event was accompanied by music from the upper school choir.

The photos show the entire graduating class as well as the individual tutorial groups and provide a glimpse of the numerous tributes and award ceremonies.

He did a great job again: At the German U17 Youth Championships in Cologne this weekend, Steinmühlen’s up-and-coming talent Dustin Brömer took second place in the B final! RuS coach Martin “Stromi” Strohmenger commented: “He skated great, and it could have gone even better—if it weren’t for the very strange qualification format with three semifinals.”

Thursday got off to a strong start with a solid performance by the 16-year-old. Dustin won his heat and advanced directly to Saturday’s semifinals. “A very good race,” said RuS Chairman Dietrich Mägerlein, and the entire board was eager to see how things would unfold. In the semifinals, the rower finished in third place. This automatically qualified him to compete in the B final on Sunday, where he confidently secured second place on the podium.

“Dustin had another great race, with an amazing time,” Stromi said happily, adding, “He can be proud of himself.” The Steinmühlen rowing instructor and RuS coach also praised Joshua Benkow from the RuS coaching staff for his good work.

According to Stromi, Dustin will now take a well-deserved vacation. After the break, they’ll see how to proceed from there. He expressed his hope that Lasse Jacob would rejoin the team then. The RuS athlete, who had taken a break for health reasons, can also bring considerable strength to the rowing team.