Meike Weber - a riding professional with a thirst for research and a doctorate

Meike Weber is an eventing rider and trains horses in Hohenleiten.

The 43-year-old also has a doctorate in archeology and exciting research trips.

District - The low but warming winter sun provides a golden shimmering light.

The view sweeps over the large stable and riding arena towards the south, where the snow-capped mountains shine.

On the horizon in the west, bathed in a matt light blue, rises the Hohe Peißenberg with its striking radio antenna.

The scenery around Hohenleiten (between Penzberg and Beuerberg) is fantastic.

A nice environment also for Meike Weber, who is responsible as a trainer at the riding facility there.

But there is one small flaw in paradise.

And that has to do not with the local conditions, but with the mentality of the Germans.

“In Germany, as a horse professional, you are often looked at crookedly,” says Weber.

The reputation of professional riders in England is quite different.

There she worked in professional stables for several years.

Weber also has numerous other stays abroad - as an archaeologist.

Born and raised in Munich, the 43-year-old “has been on horseback from an early age”, as she says.

It was "the usual career" of a horse-loving girl.

Well, the whole thing didn't go quite as usual after all.

Because their club, the RC Steinsee in Ebersberg, always had a sporting claim.

Weber completed her first A eventing at the age of about ten.

As a “bush rider”, she is mainly on duty today, completing national and international competitions as a member of the “Horse Friends Fischen” (the Sirch family's association).

Weber is also a regular guest at the eventing tournaments in the region such as Schwaiganger and Unterbeuern.

Already from a distance she is easily recognizable when riding the terrain thanks to her blue and black outfit with helmet and jacket.

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Confident in the field: Meike Weber (horse friends Fischen) with "Phoenix", one of her own horses, on the cross course in Unterbeuern in the A ** - eventing test.

The photo is from August 2019.

© Paul Hopp

In his teenage years Weber concentrated on dressage for several years, making it up to Grand Prix level.

But in the end she remained - also because of a suitably talented horse - "arrested by versatility".

This discipline combines all aspects of equestrian sport.

“You have to do everything.

That's the nice thing about it. ”And unlike mere dressage, in which judges play a decisive role, there is“ an objective note ”in the versatility of jumping and the terrain.

An additional plus point: "The scene is much more relaxed," says Weber with a smile.

Meike Weber worked in professional stables in England

During her time in England, Weber worked in the stables of Polly Jackson-Griffin and Niall Griffin, both top riders in eventing.

The latter has participated in the Olympics in 2004 (Athens) and 2008 (Beijing).

She currently has three horses herself.

The goal is to bring them to a higher level.

With the nine-year-old mare "Kiaora" (nickname "Guz") Weber took fifth place in a long three-star test in Palmanova, Italy.

“Really great,” is Weber's conclusion.

"Kiaora" had not yet completed an off-road stretch of 4.5 kilometers.

Riding your own horses is only a small part of Weber's work.

Her main focus in Hohenleiten is on the riding of horses by "adjusters" (people whose animals are housed at the stables) and the training of riders.

Around 30 animals are housed in the stable in Hohenleiten.

On an average day, Weber rides five to six horses in the morning, and then there are around eight teaching units in the afternoon to evening.

One of her students is Lena Setzwein (16) from Polling, who qualified this year for the Pony DM in eventing.

Weber offers courses for external riders on weekends, and an off-road course has now also been set up in Hohenleiten.

Weber has been working on Bettina Burgmann's system for over a year.

There is a farm manager and stable staff - “a good team,” Weber emphasizes.

Meike Weber was on research trips to Syria and Africa

Weber already wanted to pursue the profession of rider as a teenager.

The parents, both academics, convinced the teenager to do the Abitur first.

Her friends advised against studying veterinary medicine, which is obvious for a horse fan: working hours that are too inconvenient for a horse riding career.

Weber chose archeology - and followed in the footsteps of the ancient Romans in their earlier provinces during excavations in the Middle East and North Africa.

Shortly after the start of a project in Syria near the Iraqi border, the Iraq war broke out.

The departure from the area including accommodation in Damascus, accompanied emphatically by German embassy staff, definitely falls into the "adventure" category.

In North Africa, Weber was in Egypt when the “Arab Spring” picked up speed.

And Weber was present in Libya when the ruler Gaddafi was overthrown.

Somehow, you always had special times, Weber said ironically.

Due to the political upheavals, excavations like they used to be nowadays are no longer possible in the areas.

After completing his master's degree, Weber and her partner lived in England for a few years - “there with horses too”.

When she was offered a PhD scholarship, she took it.

At Cambridge University she took part in an excavation project in Kenya.

Six years ago she returned to Germany with a PhD.

Since positions in the field of archeology, especially in Bavaria, are few and far between, Weber shifted to her second mainstay, riding.

On top of that, a job at the desk, which would have come down to it at university, is “not my world”.

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Meike Weber, head of training in Hohenleiten.

© Paul Hopp

The consequences of the current Corona restrictions for riders are severe.

Riding lessons are currently not allowed, even if clearances could be maintained both outdoors and in the hall.

Weber lost considerable income as a result.

By riding, she can absorb a lot, currently about 70 percent of the usual amount.

Others, such as pure riding schools, "are hit a lot worse".

"Individual solutions are needed, otherwise a lot of companies will break down".

The horses are also affected.

Because they are not allowed to be used for training from a sporting point of view - this only applies to squad riders.

“But they need movement,” says the trainer.

The digestion alone is geared towards this;

If a horse stands around in the box for too long, there is a risk of colic.

Even paddocks of a few thousand square meters are too small for the animals to move around.

Weber and her team can fall back on a horse walker and lunging hall in Hohenleiten, but have come up with other special features.

There is a “free jumping day” on which the horses complete an obstacle course without a rider.

“We'll see how to keep the horses happy.” Creativity is also part of a professional horse.