Video du Jour: The Famous Hamburg Derby

One of my friends posted this video on Facebook as a “must watch.” Thinking it was going to be a typical show-jumping course, I clicked play wondering what all the fuss was about.

HOLY SHOW JUMPING. How many of you have heard of the famous Hamburg Derby? A spring tradition in Hamburg, Germany, for the past 80 years, the best show jumping riders in the world flock here to attempt to tackle the course.

I say “attempt” because this course is HUGE. We’re talking 17 jumping efforts, including multiple water complexes and a nearly vertical bank that horses must slide down. The video is in German (I couldn’t find any footage in English), so the only words I could make out were “monster oxer” — my sentiments exactly.

While this next video is also in German, it shows some fantastic historic video footage from past Hamburg Derbies. Can you pick out the clips of show jumping greats Hans-Günter Winkler, Frtiz Thiedemann, Nelson Pessoa and Marion Coakes?

Go show jumping!