In Memoriam: Jonny Hilberath (1955 - 2025)

On 5 March 2025, the renowned German dressage rider, trainer and German assistant team trainer Jonny Hilberath passed away after a short illness. He was 69 years old.

Horses From the Start

Born on 26 June 1955, Jonny Hilberath grew up around horses on a working farm in Kellinghusen in Schleswig-Holstein. 

His life with horses began by grooming, mucking out and cooling down horses and in his teenage years he rode in all three Olympic disciplines - dressage, show jumping and eventing - as was standard and encouraged by the local and regional riding club system, which fostered all-round horsemanship.

Rosemarie Springer

The turning point in his career came after he met German equestrian legend Rosemarie Springer, who took him under her wings.

As a teenager he initially rode once a week in a lesson with Springer but then decided to go professional after he was asked to ride a few horses for another rider at Springer's yard who had gone on holiday. This rider never returned home as he met a woman on vacation and Jonny got the job instead.  He did his four-year 'Bereiter'  internship with Springer in the 1970s.

Through Springer he also met Willi Schultheis with whom he rode a few times. Jonny then further honed his skills with Herbert Rehbein.

Professional

His first professional job was riding for Bremerhaven based horse dealer Detlef Saul. Jonny then moved to the barn of his student Anke Dieckell (née Bergmann).

He married the Swedish rider Annika in 1993 and as of 1995 the couple set up its independent business in Elmlohe. Later on they found their own permanent home and stable in Scheessel-Abbendorf, where they run a thriving business. The couple separated but remained business partners.

Hilberath slowly established himself as a coach with great successes achieved by some of his first students, particularly German youth team riders Nikolas and Kira Kröncke in the 1990s and early 2000s. He competed Larso for the Kröncke family in 2005.

Competition Rider

Jonny's first Grand Prix horse was the Russian bred Olympus, his first "successful" horse was the Russian bred Delicatesse with whom he won the 1992 German Professional Dressage Riders Championships.

He showed horses such as Elegance, Widuri, Edelmann, Rosa Rot, De Nada, Montaigne, Pepper, Antares, Don Diadora, Wirbelwind, Werner WT, Don Bubano, Falsterbo, amongst many others.

His career-making Grand Prix horse was Fariano, a 1990 born Hanoverian by Wanderbusch I x Wienerwald x Wohlklang. Owned and bought as a jumper prospect by Japanese Yoko Shinohara, the bay made his Grand Prix debut at age 13 under Hilberath. The pair competed successfully on the international scene between 2003 and 2009 and won bronze at the 2007 German Dressage Championships for male riders in Gera. They were German B-team listed.

His last international Grand Prix horse was Antja Kreuzkamp's Oldenburg Amusant (by Alabaster x Absatz) which Jonny rode for new owner Victoria Max-Theurer in  2010.

His last CDI as a rider was on Amusant in Verden in August 2010. A year later he rode Mike Tyson at a local show. In 2013 he returned to the arena one more time for one final national show in Heroldsberg aboard the Russian owned Tonik (by Kvartz) which Monica Theodorescu had in her barn for a while.

Trainer

His first major break through as a Grand Prix trainer came with the success of his Mexican student Bernadette Pujals aboard the Hanoverian stallion Vincent (by Weltmeyer). The pair was one of the sensations of the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, where they finished 10th in the freestyle. It was history for Mexico, but also for Jonny.

Hilberath had many foreign students under his wings. He led South African Natalie Hobday to the 1998 World Equestrian Games on Edelmann and to the 2006 WEG on Wenckstern, a horse he scouted for her and which he also competed internationally in 2007. In 2008 he trained Japanese rider Yuko Kitai and Australian Hayley Beresford at the Olympics in Hong Kong. He taught a group of Scandinavian students i cluding Klara Martinsson, Susanna Steinberg and Anna von Wendt. He was also instrumental to the career of German Grand Prix rider Sabine Becker.

German Team Trainer

Hilberath's first major appointment by the German equestrian federation was when he was named "discipline trainer" and served as assistant to team trainer to Holger Schmezer, the German team trainer since 2000. Jonny's first major championships in this role were the 2009 Europeans in Windsor.

However, after the sudden passing of Schmezer at the CDI-W 's Hertogenbosch in 2011, he became "interim" team trainer in April 2012 with Jurgen Koschel as discipline trainer/assistant. Jonny led the German team to silver at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. 

After London he announced that he wanted to devote more time to his own riding, but his plans changed when the idea was suggested for Monica Theodorescu to become team trainer and he in the role as assistant team trainer. The duo developed a highly successful collaboration which led to Germany winning a total of 40 medals at major FEI championships, including Olympic team gold and individual silver most recently in Paris, which Hilberath was still fit and active in his role. 

During his time as co-team trainer, he also privately coached riders such as Kristina Bröring-Sprehe and Benjamin and Jessica Werndl more closely, amongst others.

Greatly Missed

The news of Jonny's rather sudden passing hit the international dressage community hard as few were aware that Jonny had been ill. He was seen as a treasured colleague and expert, who always carried himself with dignity and a smile.

Monica Theodorescu stated, "the news of Jonny Hilberath's death hit me hard. I'm not only losing a great colleague, but also a good friend. We had the same philosophy when it came to dressage riding and training, and that always connected us. I will miss him very much."

Dennis Peiler, sport director of the German equestrian federation, stated, "Jonny Hilberath was a trainer and instructor with all his heart. His sudden death has left us all very sad and stunned. We will miss him very much.

Hilberath was a recipient of the FN Honorary Medal in Gold in 2013.

Horses shaped Jonny's life.  "They have taught me discipline and humility. They have given me a lot of joy. And I am sure that horses bring out many of the qualities that are considered the good things in people."

Jonny succumbed to leukemia after a short but brave battle.

Related Links
Eurodressage Photo Database: Jonny Hilberath
Jonny Hilberath Passed Away
Words of Wisdom - Jonny Hilberath
Theodorescu and Hilberath Re-Signed as German Team Trainers Until 2024 Olympics
Meet Jonny Hilberath
Jonny Hilberath's Fariano Euthanized
Hilberath to Step Down as German Team Trainer
Koschel to Assist Hilberath as German Team Trainer until 2012 Olympics
Jonny Hilberath Appointed Interim German Dressage Team Trainer