Liselott Marie Linsenhoff, A Love for Horses and a Passion for Fashion

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F.O.C.U.S.

German Young Rider Liselott Marie Linsenhoff has been on a two year break from international competition and is venturing out on a new path in life, still savouring her love for horses but combining it with a passion for fashion.

The 20-year old Liselott Marie Linsenhoff was cradled in horse love. Her mom is Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff, a 1988 German Olympic team gold medal winner, her father is dressage trainer Klaus-Martin Rath, and her step brother is Matthias Rath, who competed Totilas on the German team. Born and raised at Gestut Schafhof, an equestrian yard steeped in German dressage history, Liselott Marie Linsenhoff had very big shoes to fill, but she did let the pressure not get to her.

From Ponies to Young Riders

Marie Linsenhoff got all the opportunities and privileges to jumpstart a flourishing career in dressage sport.

For her pony time she had five FEI ponies to ride, beginning with Febe van Zwambagt's first Dutch team pony Prince Z (by Make my Day x Frisian Forest Marco Polo) and Lena-Charlott Walterscheidt's Don Davidoff (by Don Joshi x Nightstar), after which Dr. Doolittle and Massimiliano followed. The pony she truly clicked with was former European Champion Golden Girl (by FS Don't Worry x Dancer), which she took over from Semmieke Rothenberger in 2015 and competed internationally through 2016.

In her last year on ponies in 2016 Maria already got her feet wet on horses as a junior rider and campaigned the Oldenburg bred Danönchen OLD (by Danone x Rohdiamant). She made her debut with him at the CDI Jerez de la Frontera and attempted team selection by riding in the qualifier at the CDI-J Hagen after placing seventh at the Preis der Besten that year. She was selected as first reserve for the 2016 Europeans.

Marie competed her heart horse Danönchen through 2019. She finished 6th at the 2018 Preis der Besten, 8th at the 2018 German Junior Riders Championships and 7th at the 2019 Preis der Besten. Although she had a barn full of horses to pick from, Danönchen was only choice to compete internationally. Her last CDI start was in September 2019 when she moved up to Young Riders' level and placed third twice at the CDI Fot.

Passion for Fashion

The 20-year old always had a passion for fashion and was allowed to experiment with her creativity in her teenage years. She established her own start-up label "LML Designs" when she was 15 and released a first capsule collection of graffitied riding boots, that were on display at 2017 Horses & Dreams at Hof Kasselmann, where the dressage crowd got a taste of her style for the first time.

The graffiti boots which were the core of Marie's start-up
LML Designs

Linsenhoff went the European School Rhein-Main, which she studied philosophy, French and art. This high school education paved the way to the world capital of fashion: Paris. In 2018 the first contacts with the fashion scene were already made and Marie did an internship in the flagship store of Dior in Paris. She is also mentored by Detlef Braun, a friend of the family who used to run the German fashion label Joop!. He took her to Fashion Week Berlin.

Since 2018 her start-up brand LML Designs has produced a collection of handbags, jackets, T-shirts - easily recognizeble by its graffiti style - which is offered for sale at the Hagen and Frankfurt horse show as well as online and in a shop in Frankfurt.

Beyond Schafhof

Unfortunately an injury kept Danönchen grounded since then and the break from sport gave Marie to chance and time to look beyond Schafhof and horses.

"I always said I have two big passions in my life, I couldn’t live without my animals and my sport, but for me there was always more in the world I wanted to experience," Marie told Eurodressage. "So I applied at ESMOD, which is a very renowned fashion university and I got accepted. So at the moment I’m studying and training my horses and I’ll see what life has to offer and where my path goes to."

With Trendsetter and Sant Jordi at the Etrier de Paris

In the summer of 2021, Marie moved to Paris. She did not put her riding on the back burner and brought two horses with her two Paris, which are stabled at the Etrier de Paris in the Bois de Boulogne. She is producing the 5-year old Oldenburg Trendsetter (by Totilas x Foundation) and the 7-year old Hanoverian gelding Sant Jordi (by Scuderia x Rotspon).

"Both horses I have here are good future stars to compete on an international level, but at this time they are still a bit young," Marie explained. "Currently I am focusing on educating them, so that I can hopefully compete in U25 with one of them."