Austrian Equestrian Federation Drafts Long List for 2024 Paris Olympics, Announces Squads for 2024

Dressage

Austria

The Austrian equestrian federation has drafted its long list of riders which are in the running for Austrian team selection for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Austria achieved a team slot for Paris by finishing seventh in the team ranking at the 2023 European Dressage Championships in Riesenbeck as one of the highest ranked not yet qualified nations.

Although not yet officially posted on the OEPS website, the existence of an Austrian Olympic longlist has been circulating for weeks. Cornelia Schupfer, sports coordinator of the Austrian Equestrian Federation (OEPS), confirmed the long listed names to Eurodressage.

The long listed riders are

Florian Bacher
Stefan Lehfellner
Victoria Max-Theurer
Diana Porsche
Christian Schumach
Renate Voglsang

New Comer Diana Porsche

Porsch's Dutch trainer Diederik Wigmans
was in Wellington, FL, last week

The long list of riders contains little surprises as the usual circle of Austrian high performance riders and team members have been officially declared.

The group has only very recently opened up to one new member, the 27-year old Diana Porsche, who has ridden herself in the picture aboard the 10-year old Hanoverian Dahoud (by Desiderio x Weltmeyer) and 16-year old KWPN gelding Douglas (by Johnson x Lancet).

Her presence as one of Austria's front-runners in senior Grand Prix dressage sport could no longer be denied by the federation even though she only received confirmation of acceptance to the long list last week. Coached by the Dutch trainer and horse dealer Diederik Wigmans, Porsche has proven consistency on both horses, performing particularly well on the World Cup circuit in Basel and Amsterdam most recently as well as on home turf at the CDI Salzburg last December.

Porsche is scheduled to ride next at the World Cup qualifier in 's Hertogenbosch as she is currently standing 8th as the highest ranked Austrian on the Western European League World Cup ranking and likely to earn a ticket to the 2024 World Cup Finals in Riyadh (KSA).

Dressage Squads for 2024

On 4 January 2024 OEPS announced the dressage squads for 2024 which interestingly has only four riders in its "Olympic squad" yet seven in the A-squad. Of those three not in the Olympic squad, two are long-listed for Paris (Porsche, Voglsang).

The squads for 2024 include:

Olympic squad

Florian Bacher - Fidertaum
Stefan Lehfellner - Roberto Carlos MT
Victoria Max-Theurer - Abegglen and Topas
Christian Schumach - Te Quiero

Voglsang on Furst Ferdinand zur Fasanenhöhe
(Photo © Petra Kerschbaum)

A-squad

Florian Bacher - Fidertaum
Stefan Lehfellner - Roberto Carlos MT
Victoria Max-Theurer - Abegglen and Topas
Christian Schumach - Te Quiero
Diana Porsche - Dahoyd
Renate Voglsang - Furst Ferdinand zur Fasanenhöhe
Lisa Wernitznig - Quintus

B-squad

Florian Bacher - Amonitas
Katharina Haas - Let it Be
Bettina Kendlbacher - Don Alfredo
Astrid Neumayer - Zap Zap and Sir Simon
Diana Porsche - Douglas
Christian Reisch - Quattani Frh
Christian Schumach - Amplemento
Timna Valenta-zach - Farant
Isabella Willibald - Richterhof’s Farbenfroh

C-squad

Katharina Haas. - Damon’s Dejaron
Stefan Lehfellner - Deliza
Anna Kleindienst-jilly - El Ganador
Jacqueline Toniutti - Stradivari

Kick Off Event

The Austrian Equestrian Federation celebrated the road to Paris with a kick-off event and two-day workshop in Hotel Elixhauser Wirt in Salzburg on 6 - 7 February.

Three dressage riders were invited to it: the Austrian Olympic team from Tokyo 2021 including Victoria Max-Theurer, Stefan Lehfellner and Christian Schumach. They were joined by team captain Diana Wunschek.

“The Olympic flame burns even brighter for me now. The anticipation of Paris has come to life here,” said four-time Olympian Victoria Max-Theurer in an official OEPS press release. “I will never forget the final line in London, the reaction of the audience, the atmosphere in London 2012. I can imagine that it will be just as impressive in Paris, being able to ride in front of this historical backdrop of the Palace of Versailles will certainly be unique!”