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Top Athletes
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Marion Koch
Marion Koch has been an active rider since early childhood. She went blind in 2001 due to a horse kick. Before that she performed successfully in the dressage up to class M and participated in class S examinations. She herself had trained her horse Skandor (whom she had acquired as a two year old) up to class S. Since 2003 she has been actively participating in handicapped sports. She is triple Bronze medal winner and Team Gold winner at the Parapanamerican Championships in Argentina 2003. She won Bonze at the German Championships 2004 in Lingen. In 2004 she participated successfully at the Munich Pferd International and at an international dressage tournament for handicapped riders in Madrid/Spain. She tells us her story.
F.D. (Franziska Delius): When did you go blind?
M.K. (Marion Koch): I could see everything up to the 29. August 2001. Then there was the day of my accident which turned my whole life upside down. A hoof beat of my young horse Goldstück hit me in the middle of my face and from this second on there was complete darkness.
F.D.: How come that you are still horseback riding?
It was misfortune. The horse didn't attack me with an evil intention. And after a car accident you will go by car again, for sure or don't you?
F.D.: How was it directly after the accident?
It was cruel and without my family - my husband Harald my sons Christopher (18), Alexander (17) and Benedikt (15) I never would have made it. Now I can't image anymore that in the beginning I got lost in my own living-room since I didn't have any orientation. I couldn't stand sitting in the dark inactively. I tried to learn everything that occurred in my mind: braille, computer, playing cards, riding tandem, golf, playing the piano, Spanish and mobility training so that I would get a guide dog. Through riding and my dog Bernie whom I got in December 2002 my orientation developed in huge steps.
F.D.: What about riding?
Our friend Michael thought that I should start riding again as soon as possible. Back to the normal way of life as closely as possible. I am riding since I was a child. He helped and helps us incredibly. In tiny steps I have approached again what I think is riding. My horse Skandor is 14 years old and I have been riding him from the first moment since he was three. We have learned together and I know him very well. And the nicest of it is he can see and I feel free.
F.D.: How can a blind person ride at all?
The arena that we are riding in measures 20 by 40 meters. Around the arena there 8 points which are marked by different letters. At one or several of these points so called callers may stand and may call this very letter in coordination with the rider as often as necessary. So one has by hearing an orientation which helps riding the required tests or the self created free style with music in all three paces as exactly as possible. With one caller the coordination is very easy and the orientation is difficult. The more caller the easier the orientation and the coordination is more difficult accordance. During training I am working my own horses with one caller or with a source of noises like radio or metronome as an orientating aid. For a competition at the moment I am supported by 4 to 5 callers. In the future I would like to be able to compete with only one caller. Exercise, exercise, exercise...With this system you even could show jump.
F.D.: When did you start again to ride competition?
In November 2002 I first heard of the existence of the "Kuratorium für therapeutisches Reiten" the head organisation of handicapped riders in Germany. I contacted them and was invited to a clinic at Warendorf. I met people with different handicaps which all had to cope with their fate like me and I was met with warm reception. In April 2003 Harald , my friend Elisabeth, Skandor and I went to Bavaria for my first show since my accident - 700 kilometres away from home. I was overjoyed when I won. The feeling that riding gives me and the power that I gain to go ahead and not to give in to my fate is indescribable. I have goals in life, a never ending source of power for my life in darkness.
F.D.: How did your sport go ahead?
2003 I was longlisted for the World Championship in Belgium. In December 2003 I took part at the Parapanamerican Games in Argentina with 3 other German riders. That was an incredible experience. So many disabled sportsmen. This international start on a horse on loan was a requirement to be listable at all for the Paralympics at Athens. Thanks to the wonderful support of my friend Sabine, the horse Azafran and my team members. I was 3 times third and we could win gold for the team. 2004 I am longlisted again and I am hoped for a teeny weeny little miracle that I perhaps could start at Athen. Three wins at the show in Munich and three wins in Madrid as well as team gold of our Portuguese-German team give me much self-confidence. Madrid has been an experience of an incredible meaning. Not only the success in the Sport and but also the opportunity to meet and to get to know so many new people. I don't want to have missed out this days. Whenever I will be sad in future I only have to think back to those days. Thanks to all and also to my horse on loan Archibald.
With this boosted self-confidence I participated in the German Championships in Lingen, and made twice a 3. placement and once a second placement, and thus I accomplished Bronze in the Team evaluation. My dream of Athens had almost become true: I received the message on September 8th that I should be included in the team from my backup position. As a consequence I had to organize and pack everything in one day, because the journey to Athens was scheduled for the following day. Everything was figured out, the suitcases were virtually packed when I received the sad information that the deadline for the registration of supplementing backup riders had already been exceeded by one day. The Deutscher Behinderten Sportverband had unsuccessfully attempted to reach a special agreement. This was indeed an up and down of emotions: At first a shock, then tremendous joy and thereafter infinite mourning. I hope not to experience those days too often, still my motto: "eyes closed and marching through". Even those days will not stop me to pursue my goals as a rider. There are worse things in life.
F.D.: What do you wish for your future as a rider? What goals to you strive for?
M.K.: To improve to such a degree that I can take part more often in regular and handicapped sport events. And it would be a wonderful to find support which would alleviate my family from this heavy burden resulting from those long journeys to the growing amount of events. That would be an incredible ray of hope in my darkness. And of course I hope for a participation in the next Championship, not only as a backup rider.
F.D.: What about chances to ride at regular tournaments as a blind rider?
M.K.: The same aids are allowed there as at handicapped competitions. Chances are the same, a good orientation provided. Much more difficult is the ABREITEN (?). I do not have the courage to face the competitors with unaltered vision and display my handicap. But with every little step I become braver and more self-confident. At my first start at a regular riding tournament (L-Dressage) I directly acquired position 4 of 25 riders.
F.D.: How is your relation to the Kuratorium, what kind of support do you receive from there?
M.K.: I estimate the tutorials of the Kuratorium as very helpful. Especially the tutorials of the Olympic team were super! You receive valuable suggestions and further feedback whether the path that you pursue is the right one from the State- or Federal Trainers (in my case this is identical). Furthermore you are being informed about possible participations abroad and about financial support. The mutual exchange and contact to other riders is very positive. A community of confidence is being created that does me very good. Thanks to my family, all the dear and committed callers and of course to Skandor and the other horses that give me such a tremendous support!
F.D.: Dear Ms Koch, we wish you all the best and good success in your carreer as a rider with your horse Skandor. Thank you for this interesting and open-hearted interview.
Fictitious Interview for IBSA from Marion Koch and supplemented by Franziska Delius for the "Zeitschrift des deutschen Kuratoriums für therapeutisches Reiten".
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