Sad News from the German Federation:

Debbie Winkler, wife of five-time Olympic champion Hans Günter Winkler, has passed away, the result of serious injury during a riding accident. Debby Winkler fell from her 10-year-old Westphalian mare Angelina on Friday while cooling down her mount after a training session last Friday. The American was immediately taken to the University Hospital Münster for medical care, where her life could not be saved. Debby Winkler was 51 years old.

In 1976, Debby, the daughter of a horse breeding family from NewYork and grand daughter of the Goodman family of New York's Bergdorf-Goodman department stores, became a student of Nelson Pessoa (Brazil) moving for the first time to Europe. Still using her maiden name Debby Malloy, she found her way to Warendorf in 1986 to train with Hans Günter Winkler. From a training relationship developed more, and her wedding with HGW followed in 1994. Debby Winkler was successful in a number of high class competitions on the road. Her greatest achievement, second place was one with her horse Sakrus HG the Grand Prix of Frankfurt in 1998.