In Memoriam: FEI pays tribute to Olympic silver medallist Margit Otto-Crépin

Four-time Olympian Margit Otto-Crépin, an iconic figure in the world of Dressage, has passed away at her home in Hamburg (GER) after a short illness. She was 75.

Born on 9 February 1945 in Saarbrücken (GER), Margit Otto-Crépin studied in Michigan (USA) and then at the Sorbonne University in Paris (FRA), but a life with horses always beckoned. She changed nationality following her marriage to Frenchman Daniel Crépin and started competing under the French flag in 1971. During her illustrious career, she trained with some of the sport’s best-known coaches, including Fritz Tempelmann, Patrick Le Rolland, Dr Uwe Schulten-Baumer, Colonel de Ladoucette and Colonel Christian Carde.

In a life filled with competitive highlights, her greatest successes came with Corlandus, the horse that took her to individual silver at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul (KOR) and victory in the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in Gothenburg (SWE) the following year. She is still the only French Dressage athlete to have won the annual title. The partnership also took individual gold at the FEI European Dressage Championships 1987 in Goodwood (GBR), claimed individual silver at Mondorf les Bains (LUX) two years later and bronze in Donaueschingen (GER) in 1991.

Margit Otto-Crépin was a four-time Olympian, also competing in Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, rode at two FEI World Equestrian Games™ (1990 and 1998), including coming agonisingly close to an individual medal at the inaugural WEG in Stockholm (SWE) where she finished fourth with Corlandus. She also competed at the 1986 FEI World Championships, the last version before the WEG concept was born, and flew the French flag at a total of six European Championships.

She was crowned French national champion four times, in 1988 and 1989 with Corlandus, and in 1980 and 1981 with Caprici.

Speaking of Corlandus in a 1987 interview with The Horse Magazine, she said: “He is the horse of an era. To own such a horse is the most wonderful thing. He is like riding nothing else. I feel so dissatisfied when I am on other horses. Yet the feeling he gives me helps me to make the others better. He is an inspiration.”

After her competition career, Margit Otto-Crépin lent her depth of experience and understanding of the discipline to the administrative side of the sport. She was a member of the FEI Dressage Committee from 2009 to 2011, as well as the athlete representative on the FEI Medical Committee from 2007 to 2009, contributing the athletes’ perspective to the committee debate and decisions.

She also headed the Dressage Commission at the Fédération française d’équitation (FFE) and was president of the International Dressage Riders' Club from 1998 to 2010.

She was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite by French President François Mitterrand and awarded the Écuyer d’Honneur by the Cadre Noir in Saumur (FRA) to celebrate a career that made her the most successful French Dressage athlete in history.

“The entire Dressage community is in mourning following the news of Margit’s passing,” FEI Dressage Committee Chairman Frank Kemperman said. “We have lost a good friend, a tremendous athlete and champion for our discipline.

“On behalf of the FEI and the equestrian community, we send our sincere condolences to Margit’s family and friends. We will always fondly remember her talent, class and dedication to our sport.”

The FFE tribute can be read here.