Lisa and Sofie talk about anticipation, ambition and camaraderie
They have been colleagues and good friends for a good eight years. They travel around the world with valuable cargo and have the full trust of their employers. Their working day usually starts at 6 a.m. and their working week often has seven days. Their protégés are called Mumbai, Checker, Just Be Gentle, Zineday or Coby. We are talking about Lisa Fundis and Sofie Karlsson - show grooms for Philipp Weishaupt and Christian Kukuk, both riders at the Beerbaum Stables and members of the German Olympic Team.
Lisa Fundis is 31 years old and originally comes from southern Germany; her family has a boarding business with associated breeding. “My path to doing something with horses was more or less predetermined,” she explains. Fundis completed an apprenticeship as a horse farmer specializing in riding. One day she received a call from Philipp Weishaupt, eight days later she packed her bags and started her new position. Swedish-born Sofie Karlsson also grew up with horses and helped out at various stables from an early age in return for riding lessons. “Later on, I wanted to work abroad and that's how I ended up here,” laughs the 29-year-old. For her employers, it is a big plus that her grooms - as the important horse handlers around the world are called - are also good riders. “This enables them to arrive at the show as late as possible,” explains Fundis, adding: ”Riding the good horses is fun!”
You can tell how prominent a horse is by how closely other riders look when you ride past them, the pair say. When Fundis and Karlsson sit in the saddle of valuable top horses and Olympic candidates such as Zineday or Checker, does the rider's heart rate also rise? Karlsson waves it off: “You can't even think about how much it all costs! Then you can't get into the truck either, because there are a few million on it... The horses don't know how much they're worth either. They are horses and they want to be served their food on time!”
In the coming days, when temperatures can reach 30 degrees, mash, a kind of porridge for horses, and apple spritzer will also be on the menu to keep the athletes sufficiently hydrated. The Riesenbeck International facility makes it easier for the grooms to do their job. Lisa Fundis and Sofie Karlsson were involved in the development of the stables themselves. On their recommendation, for example, no fixed drinking troughs were installed in the stalls. In Riesenbeck, water is given by hand from buckets. This is not only more hygienic and less in need of repair, but also helps the keepers to check whether their charges are drinking enough.
Riesenbeck International is a home game for Fundis and Karlsson, as the journey from the stables to the showgrounds is only two kilometers. “They always say that competitions at home are the most difficult, but there is also a lot of anticipation involved,” says Fundis. “It's great that the whole team is there and we're happy when we have guests. The Riesenbeck location is great for many participants and by far the nicest thing is simply our stables. That's also what Ludger Beerbaum wants to present: he doesn't want any 'chichi', it's all about horse welfare here!”
The camaraderie among the grooms is great, the concern for the horses' welfare welds them together. It goes without saying that they help each other if a horse gets colic at night or a truck breaks down on the highway. There is no hesitation, but rather a hands-on approach. Being a groom is not just a job, it's a passion. Even at the exclusive, exotic locations of the Global Champions Tour, no red carpet is laid out in the stables - the tasks and responsibilities are the same as at any normal, national tournament.
The next planned trip for the grooms and their horses after the Global Champions Tour leg in Riesenbeck is to the Olympic Games. Are they looking forward to going to Paris together? “It would be nice if we could experience it together, but we'll keep our feet still until we get there...” comes the modest answer from both of them. Despite their down-to-earth attitude, they have already developed relatively high standards, the friends admit with a wink: “We sometimes tell the boys that we could have done better...”
You can also follow the sporting highlights of the LGCT Riesenbeck live on TV:
All competitions of the LGCT (5*): https://gctv.gcglobalchampions.com/
All competitions of the CSI2* / CSI3* / DMU25 / CSIYH Tour: https://www.clipmyhorse.tv/de_DE/events/12807/longines-global-champions-tour-of-riesenbeck
WDR will be broadcasting the action at the weekend in the program “Sport im Westen”: from 3:45 pm on Saturday and from 3:15 pm on Sunday.
Tickets at: https://tickets.riesenbeck-international.com/de/
Program: https://download.riesenbeck-international.com/Zeiteinteilung.pdf
