“Aachen is special for Wolle and I. It sounds strange, but when we arrive in Aachen, I always have the feeling that he knows exactly where he is. Then he looks at me as if to say: This is the CHIO, we are going to have fun here,” is how Sandra Auffarth explains her special relationship to Aachen. This has particularly been the case for the 31-year-old who runs a livery, training and sales yard in Bergedorf near Ganderkesee in Niedersachsen, since she claimed the individual title in the DHL Prize in 2014. “Seeing my name on the legendary winners’ board in Aachen, is always a fantastic feeling,” she said. And there is also a bit of “Wolle” in Aachen too: A horseshoe of her top horse is eternalised on the “Walk of Fame” in front of the Turkish Airlines stand. “If this place isn’t special for us, which one would be,” commented Sandra Auffarth: “Aachen is the highlight of the season for me.”

Sandra recently decided that Wolle is not going to compete at Championships anymore. Whereby her collection of international titles is just as impressive as her record in Aachen: She would be the defending champion at the World Championships in Tryon in the USA in September – in both the individual and team classifications. On top of that she won individual silver and team gold in Luhmühlen in 2011, the Olympic bronze medal in the individuals in 2012 in London as well as gold with the team, individual silver and team gold in 2015 at the European Championships at Blair Castle and team silver at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. For the national coach, Hans Melzer, the duo are a dead cert when it comes down to major events. “They are a top pair in all disciplines and always hot contenders for a medal.” And perhaps now all the more so candidates to seize their second victory in the individual classification at the CHIO Aachen.

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