Weidemann at the festival hall Riding Tournament in Frankfurt

The equestrian scene celebrates the end of the year at the Frankfurt Festhalle.

The venue, which usually hosts large concerts, shows and galas, is the traditional end-of-year meeting point for the crème de la crème of the German and international equestrian scene. The Frankfurt Festhalle is part of the Frankfurt Messe (exhibition centre) and is used for a wide variety of events throughout the year. The historic Festhalle, which dates back over 100 years, has played host to the Festhalle Riding Tournament since the 1970s. In 2012, Paul Schockemöhle Marketing GmbH took over the event’s organisation. In addition to a top-class field of participants, the event also boasts an exhibition by around 100 exhibitors in an 8,000-m² exhibition area. The event’s patrons are the Hessian Prime Minister, Volker Bouffier, and the Mayor of Frankfurt, Peter Feldmann.

Before the riders arrive with their horses just before Christmas, the Frankfurt Festhalle must naturally be adapted to the requirements of this traditional event. The organisers have just three days to accomplish this, and thus require mechanical assistance to build the horse stalls, spread the sand across three riding arenas and decorate the event hall in a festive manner. In 2015, Weidemann provided this support for the first time. “We are so glad that we have Weidemann machines available,” explains Alexander Durban from Paul Schockemöhle Marketing GmbH. The four loaders ranging from a 1880 to a 5080T were able to lighten the assistants’ workload considerably. In particular, their ease of operation proved to be a real hit. “During preparations for the Festhalle Riding Tournament in Frankfurt, we need the whole team to help out,” says Alexander Durban. “All of our colleagues feel confident driving the big Weidemanns, as their easy, self-explanatory operation makes them fun to use.” In addition to unloading lorries, the wheel loaders were also used to transport a wide range of equipment, including moving obstacles, the dressage ring and transporting extensive amounts of the riders’ and horses’ equipment to the stalls. “And at the end, everything has to be dismantled again,” says the organiser. Many tasks require a high lift height – whether hanging advertising boards on the first tier in the festival hall or loading sand from the riding arenas into the skips, a large Weidemann with a telescopic arm managed these challenges with ease. Of course, the Weidemanns were also used repeatedly during the event. “In particular, the agile 1880 was on the move a lot during the event. Its narrow dimensions meant it could fit through the stall entrances to transport hay, straw and manure.”