Harry Boldt

Harry Boldt twice won an Olympic silver medal in individual dressage: 1964 in Tokyo with the mixed German team with Remus and 12 years later, then representing West Germany aboard Woycek. On both occasions he also won a team gold, in 1964 together with Reiner Klimke on Dux and Josef Neckermann on Antoinette. Twelve years later his teammates were again Klimke, by then riding Mehmed and Gabriela Grillo on Ultimo. Boldt retired in 1980 after the American-led boycott.

In 1978 Boldt also won a silver medal at the World Championships and again won gold with the team, having the same result in 1966 and 1970. At the Europeans he won five team golds (1965, 1967, 1975, 1977, 1979) and four individual silvers (1963, 1965, 1975, 1977). In 1973, 1977 and 1996 he also won (West) German Championships. In 1964 Boldt was awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, the highest German sports award.

Boldt wrote the textbook Das Dressurpferd (The Dressage Horse) in 1978, which became one of the world’s most respected textbooks on dressage riding. From 1981-96 he was chief coach of the (West) German dressage team, with his pupils winning more than 50 international medals. He then immigrated to Australia with his wife Margo and coached the Australian three-day event riders. The couple lived half of the year in Australia and the other half in Mallorca, Spain.