Guenter Seidel

Home: Del Mar, CA
Born: September 23, 1960

In 2003, two-time Olympic medalist Guenter Seidel won the U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle Dressage Championship/U.S. League Final with an impressive score of 77.650% in the freestyle. Seidel's win on Nikolaus 7 gave him the right to represent the U.S. at the 2003 Dressage World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden where he finished fourth. The two also were part of the US Team that won the Silver Medal in the Nation's Cup at CDIO Aachen.

Seidel and Nikolaus 7 were part of the U.S. dressage squad that made history at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, by winning the team Silver Medal. The finish marked the best finish ever for a United States dressage team in any World Championship or Olympic Games.

In 2002, the United States Equestrian Team (USET) honored Seidel with the Whitney Stone Cup, the award for an individual who has achieved a distinguished record in international competition while also serving as an ambassador for the USET and equestrian sports. Seidel, originally from Germany, came to the United States in 1985.

Seidel had a successful tour of Europe in 2001, winning two Grand Prix and winning the Best Horse and Rider award at CDI Fritzens (Austria) with Nikolaus 7. The combination also placed third in the Grand Prix and the Special at Rotterdam.

Seidel qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games by placing second on Foltaire in the State Line Tack/USET Dressage Championship, in Loxahatchee, FL. Despite Foltaire's bout with colic shortly before the Olympic Games, Seidel and Foltaire gave an impressive performance at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, to help the U.S. win its third consecutive Olympic team Bronze Medal.

Seidel rode Graf George to a team Bronze Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He also placed eighth individually, finishing seventh in the Grand Prix Freestyle and tenth in the Grand Prix Special.

Seidel won the 1998 USET Dressage Championship for his performance at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions. Later in the year at the World Equestrian Games, Seidel was a member of the fourth place USET squad and he finished ninth individually in the World Dressage Championships.

In 1997, Seidel won the Grand Prix and Special at the German National Horse Show in Germany. He also placed eighth overall at that year's World Cup Final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.

Seidel, riding three horses, produced great results in his quest for a spot on the 1996 Olympic Team. He rode Graf George and Numir into the top 12 during the Olympic Trials, and Tanzen finished 17th. Seidel won the USET Intermediaire I Championship aboard D'Artagnon, and finished third with Foltaire. He also won the U.S. League Final for the Dressage World Cup, and Los Angeles' Mid-Winter CDI-W Grand Prix and Special.

In 1995, Seidel won a team Silver Medal at the Pan American Games and a team Gold Medal at the Can-Am Dressage Challenge. He was a Bronze Medalist at the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival and won the 1992 USET Intermediaire I Championship aboard Numir.

Prior to coming to the United States, Seidel received his Berelter degree in Germany. Today he rides full-time and teaches and trains dressage riders and horses.

Horse: Nikolaus 7 – Bay, Gelding, 17.1 hands, 14-year-old, Westphalian
Owner: Dick and Jane Brown

Career Highlights