Today we sit down with our friend with Melissa Gallagher and Michael Kilmke to talk about equine welfare in competitive equestrian sports. We dig deep into how we should define welfare in the first place and what changes should be made (or perhaps even old traditions that should be revisited) to get back to what matters most: the well being of the horse in these competitive environments.

Michael has been one of Germany’s top dressage riders since the early 90’s, even though he has never been on the team for a World Championship or an Olympic Games. His European Championship titles are long way back and were won in the late 80’s when he was a young rider. Until 2002 Michael was a member of the B-squad. He achieved his greatest success with White Foot, including winning the national championship in 2000.

Michael began riding when he was a little boy. He also played hand ball for a local club in Münster, but at the age of 16 he decided to focus on his riding. He once confessed jokingly, that ‘he didn’t have a choice.’ His most important trainer was his father, Dr Rainer Klimke but he also trained with Ralf Isselhorst, Albert Stecken, Paul Stecken, Siegfried Peilicke, Harry Boldt, Klaus Balkenhol and Herbert Kuckluck

After his father’s death in 1999 Michael joined his law firm, Dr Klimke and Partners, and continues to work there as a senior partner for, specialising in equestrian legal issues.

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This episode was executive-produced by Maija Liisa Luttinger and Allie Watson Bayne. Special thanks to our editor and sound mixer, David Dalton of Driftwork Sound.

This podcast is brought to you by Freely Forward Bodywork. Our mission at Freely Forward Bodywork is to make equine bodywork accessible to any horse, no matter where you are in the world. If you are interested in learning more about my online catalog of courses designed to help you bond with your horse through the art of massage, give me a follow on Instagram @freelyforwardbodywork or click this link to check them out yourself! https://freelyforwardbodywork.mykajabi.com/

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