Life Is Right On Track For Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum

There is an air of unconfined joy in the small village of Thedinghausen in northern Germany, where its celebrity residents Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Markus Beerbaum have announced they are expecting their first child.

While the show jumping community adjusts to the possibility of a winter season without the challenge of the reigning Rolex FEI World Cup champion, the lady herself is well settled in a new home regime. All being well, she will return to the saddle in time to attempt a record fourth World Cup title at Geneva, Switzerland, in April.

Meredith said they had always intended to have a family, it was just a matter of when.

“I have spoken about it with other female riders and did not want to be one of those who worried they were missing out—say a [World Equestrian Games] or the Olympic Games—by having a baby. Markus felt that while Shutterfly and Checkmate were at the top of their game I should keep riding if I wanted to,” said Meredith.

The baby, a girl, is due on Feb. 20.

“We could not be happier with the way things have turned out,” said Meredith. “Because of my age [she will be 40 in December], I have stopped showing already. It’s not so much the physical thing at this stage but trying to keep down the stress levels. Markus and my doctor agreed it was the right thing to stop before the start of the Western European League in Oslo [(Norway) Oct. 9-11]. Judging from some of the e-mails I’ve had, a lot of riders think it’s a good thing too!

“But it is still very important to me to have a goal and a reason to keep in shape, so the 2010 Rolex Final is just right.”

Like every other aspect of the Beerbaum operation, you get the feeling that the baby-horse balance has been meticulously planned. Meredith will ride daily in the manege and jump Shutterfly once a week over small fences to keep his muscles and ligaments toned “for as long as I can,” after which Markus may be allowed to exercise the stable star. Otherwise, her top horses Shutterfly and Checkmate—two years younger and better at keeping himself in condition—will rest over the winter.

“As Shutterfly is coming up to 17, I am keeping aware of what both his mind and body are telling me,” said Meredith. “We hope and believe that both of them will be refreshed by their time out, but you have to be prepared for the possibility they could come back rusty.

“Rustiness may be an issue for me too, but I have had other spells on the ground through injury without being affected. I am looking forward to the change, though, for I have been competing for 18 years more or less without a break,” she added.

U.S. fans will be sorry to learn that Meredith has already ruled out Shutterfly—her flamboyant World Games, Olympic and World Cup partner—from the WEG. She tries to limit the number of rounds he is asked to jump in any contest and said he is not suited to the rider-swapping format of the individual final, which he had to do in 2006 when Meredith made the top four (and finished with the bronze medal).

“It’s a difficult decision when the WEG is in the U.S., but I made a promise to him that he would not have to go through that again, and I will not break it,” she said.

“At the moment, I would expect that either Shutterfly or Checkmate will take me to Geneva, and as Le Mans is coming back into work after his injury, he will take the pressure off them in grand prix classes next year.”

The Homestead