Biography

German Olympic rider Andreas Dibowski (51) is a professional event rider based in Dohle, near Hamburg in North Germany where he runs his own training yard; Andreas is currently 12^th in the World FEI rider rankings. Last year with Butts Avedon he was 15^th at Badminton.

In 2013 the pair was a member of the German team that won gold at the 2013 European Championships in Malmo. In 2015 the combination completed both Pau (12^th) and Luhmuhlen (11^th) and in 2014 was second at Pau.

Andreas has formerly been successful at Badminton; in 2007 he was second with FRH Serve Well and in 2010 second with Butts Leon, subsequently acquired by Nina Ligon who became Thailand’s first Olympic event rider at the London Olympic Games (later bought back for Andreas when Nina sold her string due to university studies).

Aged 15 Andreas began training as a groom at the National Riding School in Hoya followed by two years in California in a show jumping yard. On returning to Germany he began teaching and became National Champion (1989) with Just Be Fair.

In 1991 he competed in the Bundeschampionat (the national championships for young horses) with three horses in three different disciplines and two years later enjoyed his first international success in eventing when placed second in the CCI2* at Falsterbo with FRH Amadeus. Within seven-years and success with several horses he was selected for the German Olympic team in Sydney 2000 with Andora (team 4th) then Athens 2004 and was a member of the team that won Olympic gold in Beijing (2008)

He is married to rider Susanna and the couple has three children, Alina 16, – now competing in international pony classes and CCI1*– Marvin 13, Kevin 7. As an aside to eventing Andreas enjoys breeding doves and exotic birds.

Butts Avedon owned by Manfred Giensch, Anne-Kathrin Butt and rider, is a 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding. Bred by Friederich Butt, he is by the leading thoroughbred event sire Heraldik (also the sire of Happy Times and dam-sire of La Biosethique Sam as well as Andreas’s former ride Butts Leon. He is also the dam-sire of the stallion Mighty Magic that Andreas rode to win the World Young Horse Championships at Le Lions in 2010). He is out of Karina-Andora (by the thoroughbred Kronenkranich) who was formerly ridden by Andreas and she is a full sister to Kira-Annabell, the dam of Ingrid Klimke’s former team ride Butts Abraxxas.