About Sabine

Born and trained in Krefeld, Germany, Sabine Schut-Kery began riding at age 10, starting a lifelong journey with horses that would eventually take her to the highest levels of international dressage. As a teenager, she competed in both dressage and jumping, developing a broad foundation in riding and horsemanship.

At 18, Sabine began a three-year apprenticeship with renowned trainer Jean Bemelmans in Krefeld, earning her German Bereiter certification through the German Equestrian Federation. Her early career took her beyond the traditional dressage arena, working with Friesian and Andalusian horses and traveling throughout Europe for demonstrations. Two Friesian stallions she trained, Tinus and Jorrit, ultimately reached Grand Prix and each earned a Golden Horse Award from the German Friesian registry for their achievements in dressage.

CALIFORNIA, AND THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING SPECIAL

In 2005, Sabine moved to California, where she began building a training program of her own. She created a more personal approach to developing horses, working closely with each horse and owner and allowing the training to unfold according to the individual.

Among those who became an important part of this chapter were Alice Womble-Heitman and Dr. Mike Heitman, who encouraged Sabine to take on a young horse and develop him from the beginning. While shopping for prospects in Europe, Sabine found a three-year-old Hanoverian stallion named Sanceo.

What began as the development of a young horse grew into one of the defining partnerships of Sabine's career. Together, they won three California Dressage Society Futurity titles, represented the United States at the 2012 World Breeding Championships in Verden, Germany, and won the 2014 Developing Horse Prix St. Georges National Championship.

For Sabine, however, the journey with Sanceo was never about rushing toward the next milestone. Her philosophy was simple: develop the horse in front of you, give him time to mature, and let the partnership tell you when it is ready for the next step.

Olympic Silver

In 2021, the journey Sabine and Sanceo had begun more than a decade earlier reached the Olympic stage. At the Tokyo 2020 Games, Sabine made her Olympic debut at 52, riding Sanceo as the final combination for Team USA in the Grand Prix Special. They entered the arena knowing their score would determine the team's final result.

Sanceo delivered a personal-best 81.596%, moving the United States into the silver-medal position behind Germany. It was the first Olympic dressage team medal for the United States in 73 years, matching the silver won at the 1948 London Games. Earlier in the competition, Sabine and Sanceo had opened the team Grand Prix with a 78.416%.

For Sabine, the result was less about the numbers than the horse beside her. After the ride, she credited Sanceo for his focus and partnership, saying, “He was so with me.” The pair went on to finish fifth individually in the Grand Prix Freestyle with a score of 84.300%.

Tokyo was a significant moment not only for Sabine and Sanceo, but for the people who had been part of their journey. Longtime mentor Christine Traurig was there with her, as was Sanceo's longtime groom and friend Christie Erickson. Sabine has also spoken about the camaraderie within the U.S. team and the support she shared with teammates Steffen Peters, Adrienne Lyle, and reserve rider Nick Wagman.

The Olympic medal marked the highest point of an extraordinary partnership, but for Sabine, the experience remained grounded in the same relationship with the horse that had shaped their journey from the beginning.