Born in Bremervörde in 1966 and raised in Sandbostel, both in the Northern region of Germany, Hartwig has his family's horse farm firmly embedded in his heart. He started riding long before he could count and his resulting comfort around horses is apparent. Hartwig enjoyed a successful competitive career as a young man, quickly capturing the attention of the German dressage community. When his father died suddenly at the early age of 54, Hartwig then interrupted his show career to take over his family's horse business. This he has done with obvious success as it is thriving today with clients traveling to him from all over the world.

Hartwig trained with dressage legends such as Willi Schultheis andHerbert Rehbein followed more recently by Harry Boldt, Holger

Schmezer and Jean Bemelmans. He has, over the years, taken the best from each of these individuals and adapted the knowledge to fit his own riding style. He continues to seek help from time to time to sort through training issues and continue his own learning. For the most part, however, he can be found training and showing horses from his home base in Sandbostel, Germany.