Hendrik Lochthowe Wins 2023 German Professional Dressage Riders Championships

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2023 German Professional Dressage Riders Championships

Hendrik Lochthowe won the 2023 German Professional Dressage Riders Championships held during the national dressage show in Darmstadt on 15 - 17 September 2023 and held off Heiner Schiergen from winning his 8th career title.

The event ran its 29th edition, but sadly the Championships have lost much appeal with the German pro's. In 2022 there were seven participants, this year only six showed up.

The German Professional Dressage Riders Championships consists of three rounds: the Grand Prix on Thursday and the Special on Friday after which the three best scoring riders move to a Finals with horse change and ride a short Grand Prix test on each other's horses on Sunday.

Hendrik Lochthowe brought Ralp Uwe Westfhoff's 14-year old Hanoverian gelding Bricco Barone (by Bertoli W x Cavan) to Darmstadt and claimed highest honour. In the Grand Prix the pair was second with 68.800% and third in the Special with 70.137% but it secured Lochthowe a place in the horse change finals. In those he gathered the highest overall points after scoring 70.111% on his own horse and 69.944% on Bordeaux' Barolo and 72.500% on Royal Flash. He totalled a winning 212.555 points.

The silver medal went to Heiner Schiergen with 211.500 points. He initially won the Grand Prix with 69.733% and was second in the Special with 70.353% aboard Alida Abrar's 13-year old Westfalian stallion Bordeaux' Barolo (by Bordeaux x Munchhausen). In the horse change finals he scored 69.278% on his own horse and 72.222% on Royal Flash and 70.000% on Bricco Barone.

The bronze went to Jürgen Höfler who can take pride in the fact that his horse Royal Flash R, a 12-year old Rhinelander gelding by Riccio x Donnerschlag, was the best scoring horse with all three riders. Höfler and Horses Limited edition's Royal Flash R were third in the Grand Prix with 68.600% and won the Special with 70.804%. In the horse change finals Höfler scored 72.444% on his own horse and got 66.139% on Bordeaux Barolo and 67.861% on Bricco Barone.

Horse change finals results here. Results GP - GPS