Lisa-Maria Klössinger On Point at 2018 CDI Wiener Neustadt

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2018 CDI Wiener Neustadt

The 2017 European Under 25 Champion Lisa-Maria Klössinger and her top mount FBW Daktari have made a seamless transition to the senior ranks scoring a double victory at the 2018 CDI Wiener Neustadt in Austria on 29 - 31 March 2018.

Klössinger brought her two Grand Prix horses to Austria. The 13-year old Baden Wurttemberger bred Daktari (by Donautanz x Carpaccio) she entered in the Grand Prix freestyle tour and with the 11-year old Oldenburg bred Quam Libet (by Quaterback x Lauries Crusador xx) she rode in the Under 25 division. Daktari dominated the small group of 8 combinations in the Grand Prix with 70.652% and won the Kur with 76.775%.

"Daktari felt very secure in the test," Klössinger told Eurodressage. "In the Grand Prix I just wanted to ride a safe test and in the freestyle we could risk more. It was a lot of fun. He is in good shape at the moment."

Ten riders contested the Under 25 classes in which Lisa Maria and Quam Libet finished 6th in the Intermediaire II (66.559%), third in the Short Grand Prix (66.487%) and seventh in the freestyle 62.900%). Wiener Neustadt was only their third CDI together in two months time. They won it all at the CDI Nice and Ornago.

"Quam Libet does not have that much routine and he was very impressed with the indoor," she explained. "We had many careless mistakes but I think we are on the right way with him. He has a lot of quality and always wants to do everything right."

Klössinger's first claim to fame came as a young rider when she won team gold and double silver at the 2014 European Young Riders Championships. At the time she was trained by Ulla Salzgeber. The rider then experienced a competition burn-out and decided to sell her Daktari through Rudolf Zeilinger. The Spanish team trainer, however, convinced her to keep Daktari and in 2017 the pair rose from the ashes as a phoenix, winning the 2017 European Under 25 Championships as well as the 2017 Piaff Forderpreis Finals.

2018 has brought a fresh wind and a new direction for Klössinger who has made further changes in her life over the winter. She is now steadily working with Italian based Irish Grand Prix rider Anna Merveldt and recently spent a 6-week training session with her in Italy. Lisa Maria fell in love with Merveldt's training style during a clinic in Munich and decided to commit to her as a coach.

"Anna is in Munich several times a month, which is very convenient and the training with her is a lot of fun," said Lisa Maria. "Spontaneously she asked me to come to her yard in Italy for several weeks for training and for some national and international shows."

With a Bachelor in sport and event management from university in Munich, she has decided to relocate from Sara Marburg's yard to a new facility, Gestut Fichtenhof, more conveniently located near Munich. She and partner Philipp Mücke are now slowly deciding on their professional future.

"Gestüt Fichtenhof offers me more capacity of boxes and is very close to my apartment in Munich," Klössinger explained. "The horses and I feel very well (there). Currently I have different job offers and different opportunities for my future career. I can not confirm that I start my self-employment with Philipp Mücke. We are friends and a very good team, but Philipp is still in his master's degree. We are planning different things together..We will see what the future will bring. At the moment I give training lessons."