Born in Göttingen, Germany, Bürkner started riding at the age of twelve. He later attended the military riding academy in Hanover where he enjoyed hunting and racing. Over the next two years, he won six imperial prizes including an award for a form of eventing for German army officers.

In 2012, he competed at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, finishing seventh. He then worked as a riding instructor at the Hanover military academy. After WWI, he established a stable in Berlin and the Germany Riding School in Düppel. He was one of the most influential equestrian instructors of the twenties and thirties. In 1950 he was the first German rider to win an international competition after the Second World War, and he led the revival of German equestrianism worldwide. His motto: Life is too short to ride in walk and to smoke bad cigars.

REF: The Classical Tradition – How old are our principles by Chris Hector