Mareike Harm is the first woman ever in the history of Driving World Cup. As a woman in the men’s world – where is the special feature for you? Or is it not at all?
“Yes! Of course. It’s something special. I never thought I would be in the top ten of the best in the world, and I never thought I would actually go to the World Cup. Because it’s such an unbelievably high speed that the others are driving there. And I still have the special challenge that I don’t have a special indoor team, but I start with my dressage horses. So the others have very small, very fast, very agile Lipizzaner, who only take them for the hall, and yes, I have my dressage horses with me.” And Mareike laughs a lot.
In 2010, Mareike became German Champion and Team World Champion in one-horse carriage. Then she made a plan:
„I just decided to put all the single-horse horses together into a four-in-hand and together I went straight from one-horse carriage to the four-in-hand sport. Everyone thought I was crazy, and smiled, because I did not have any experience and then as a woman. But that worked well, because the horses were all well-trained and in good shape, so we had a pretty good time in the four-in-hand sport in dressage. But with the marathon, that’s just a long way. And then as a woman – that’s not so easy.”
Why isn’t it so easy as a woman?
“Yes, it has a little bit to do with strength. If you drive with four horses full speed into the obstacle and then have to bring them back before the first turn, then you sometimes have something in your hand! I can only drive in so fast, [laughs] how I can get them back and get them round the corner [laughs].”