Riders — Henrik Von Eckermann (84) · Hong Kong · English

Henrik von Eckermann grew up in Nyköping near Stockholm with two older brothers. Here, he gained his love for horses through his mother. After visiting the international jumping show in Götenburg his wish to one day become a jumping rider grew. At the age of 14 he began training to jump with his pony. The breakthrough for him was a riding clinic with the Swedish Olympic rider Peder Fredricson, he was the first to see and promote his talents. He even helped in acquiring Henrik’s first horse. Chess, a Swedish bred gelding, who accompanied him through three years of his time as a junior and young rider. His greatest success in Sweden was in his last year as a young rider, where he rod, with the team, to win the silver medal at the European Championships. Henrik von Eckerman finished his education in business, as equine sports would become his profession. Together with his parents he started Söderköping, his own business with around 15 horses and became self-employed. The 22 year old was offered a spot at Ludger Beerbaum's stables in Riesenbeck for an internship, where he decided to stay and has become since then an integral part of the team. His largest success has been in training the young horses, and he has been well reworded for his hard work. At the “Bundeschampionat” in 2011 he won the six year old jumping horse class with Toulouse and in the five year old’s he came in second with Forchello. He has proven that he not only rides with good equitation, as well as quickly, but also that he can be in the front of the pack in the top competitions. Whether riding in the championships with his Swedish team, or at international shows, Henrik has established himself as a world leader.