Horsemanship, achievements and training
The award – a memorial silver plate and 25.000,- DKK – was presented by HRH Princess Benedikte, Lis Hartels grandchild Nicole Siesbye Surh and Vice President Carsten Lorentzen from The Danish Friends of Dressage Association Carsten Lorentzen said about Nathalie:
The Danish Friends of Dressage Association has the great pleasure of presenting the ‘2022 Lis Hartel Memorial Award’ to Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, in honour of her achievements in and promotion of dressage riding and good horsemanship.
Nathalie has attained worldwide respect for her achievements and sportsmanship. With many years of experience as international dressage rider, Nathalie won several Danish Championships and helped secure the team bronze medal at the Olympics Games in Hong Kong in 2008, Denmark’s first Olympic team medal. She also achieved great success in training her homebred horses up to international Grand Prix level.
As a board member of the International Dressage Riders Club, Nathalie has always actively supported riders and advocated for the welfare of horses. While training the Danish dressage team, she combined her in-depth knowledge and experience in dressage, and devoted her energy in providing reliable and trustworthy support to the riders.
A sincere advocate for well-educated horses, she stays true to her principle of “getting there, slowly”. Founded on a well-thought-out plan she always gives young and upcoming horses time to develop and mature, thus laying the foundation for a “happy athlete”.
It is fair to say that Nathalie has had a very positive influence on the success of Danish Dressage and has earned respect world-wide, as well as in Denmark. Many congratulations with this year’s 2022 Lis Hartels Memorial Award.
About The Danish Friends of Dressage Association
The association was founded in 2007 by HRH Princess Benedikte and aims to support Danish dressage at all levels. Every year, the Lis Hartels Memorial Award is given to a person who has made an extraordinary contribution to Danish dressage.
