In the second episode of the CHIO Aachen Podcast, the two successful riders talk about their experiences and take the listeners into the very special atmosphere at “bush shows”, to an Olympic start on the first day of school and into their home - where rabbits, not horses, can be found in the garden.

Multi-talented – this is the word that best describes Ingrid Klimke and her daughter, Greta Busacker. In her exemplary career, Klimke has celebrated so many victories, especially in the eventing discipline, that she can no longer count them all. She admitted this during the CHIO Aachen Podcast, but she also emphasised: “I have all of the moments in my heart and that is the best and most important thing. It is the special experiences that makes all the hard work worthwhile. And particularly in sport one has to really enjoy those great moments of joy, because the world can look totally different the very next day.”

In the second episode of the CHIO Aachen Podcast, the two successful riders chatted with us and swept the listeners off into the very special atmosphere of “eventing shows”, to a participation at the Olympics on the first day of school and to their home – where the garden is filled with rabbits, not horses. “There is some madness back home that I don’t quite understand,” commented Greta Busacker with a grin.

The centre of attention ultimately always lie on horses though, even if both women have tried their hand at other sports and originally chose a different career path. For example, Ingrid Klimke almost became a teacher, if the riding shows hadn’t led to her missing too many lessons at school during her training… Her daughter Greta is also familiar with this setting of priorities: “I was a successful quadrathlon, I played tennis, did gymnastics. I enjoy doing all these things, but at the end of the day my love for horses always outweighs everything else. Simply nothing can beat that.”

The two women talked openly about the fact that training together as a mother and daughter team is not always easy and about the blow of fate in 1999, when Klimke’s father suddenly passed away. “That completely bowled our family over.” However, Ingrid Klimke emerged from this crisis stronger than before. She has since won among others three Olympic medals and has notched up three victories in the SAP-Cup at the Aachen Soers, which means she is already eternalised several times on the coveted winners’ board next the Judges Tower.

That is not the only reason why the CHIO Aachen is of special significance for the 56-year-old: “One is cheered on by the crowd at each obstacle on the cross course and that makes you gallop as fast as one can to the next fence. And when you ride into the stadium at the end, you are already on cloud nine,” she raved.

Ingrid Klimke and Greta Busacker reveal further exciting insights into their life as athletes and as a family in the second episode of the CHIO Aachen Podcast. This can be found here and anywhere else podcasts are available.

This episode was recorded amid a very special atmosphere, namely in the Main Stadium at the beginning of the show weekend at the CHIO Aachen 2024. At the time, Ingrid Klimke was still dreaming about competing in the dressage at the Olympic Games. It has since been announced that the meanwhile nominated reserve rider unfortunately can’t travel to Paris with the team, because her stallion, Franziskus FRH, is injured.