David Lessnig Wins the 2026 German Championships for Professional Dressage Riders

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2026 Bundeschampionate

In his first appearance at the German Championships for professional dressage riders, the 36-year old David Leßnig secured the title.

For the first time these "Profi Championships" were held at the Bundeschampionate in Warendorf after the format travelled across Germany in the past two decades with hosts in Hagen, Unna-Maasen, and Darmstadt before, amongst other locations.

The Format

The format includes two rounds of which the final is with a horse exchange.

In the qualifying round at S*** level, the participants rode their own horses. The result counted towards the overall standings. In the final, a special S***-level test in the form of a short Grand Prix, the three finalists each rode the horses of their two competitors. Five minutes were allotted for preparation on each unfamiliar horse.

The two final results and the qualifying round result were added together to determine the overall ranking.

Leßnig Prevails Through Preparation

While the field of entries for these Championships in Warendorf was rather underwhelming with just five riders signed up to compete, it left much room for Lessnig to finish at the top of the leaderboard and claim the title. He prevailed in the final with a horse exchange against Pia Hesse-Wischerath and Anja Wilimzig. With 211.49 points, he claimed the title of professional rider champion.

With his own horse, the 13-year-old Hanoverian stallion Movie Star L, Leßnig already achieved 70.30% in the final qualifier. In the final, he also impressed with his competitors' horses: Aboard the Westfalian gelding Flavis (by Flanagan) he scored 71.162%. Riding Pia Hesse's 12-year old Rhinelander gelding Franco Salentino he achieved 70.03%.

Leßnig has been working at the Ramsbrock stable in North Rhine-Westphalia since 2010. There, he completed his apprenticeship as a professional horse trainer and is now a certified master horse trainer with the Stensbeck Award, responsible for the training and competition presentation of dressage horses. His record includes numerous wins and placings from young horse classes to Grand Prix, as well as successes as a handler of stallions and mares at licensing events and shows.

Leßnig had prepared intensively for the challenge of the final with the horse exchange, watching the two unfamiliar horses beforehand on ClipmyHorse.

"You try to adapt to the horses as best as possible and accept them as they are," said the champion. "Generally, riding this task is already a challenge. With an unfamiliar horse, it's even more demanding. But it was really fun. The challenge really appeals to me. And it's very gratifying when others get along well with my horse."

Hesse and Wilimzig on the Podium

Professional horse trainer Pia Hesse-Wischerath from Cologne/Bonn secured the runner-up title for the second time, repeating her success from 2024. The Rhineland champion, who qualified for the Professional Riders' Championship together with Leßnig at the Haftenkamp leg, achieved her highest score with her own horse: 71.42% secured her victory in the final qualifier. With the borrowed horses Flavis and Movie Star L, she followed up with scores of 69.595 and 68.432 percent in the final. With a total of 209.45 points, the 32-year-old grabbed her second silver medal in the Championship. Pia Hesse-Wischerath completed her training with Ronald Roelans in North Rhine-Westphalia and has been running her own facility between Cologne and Bonn for five years.

Anja Wilimzig reached the final of the Profi Championship for the first time and was third with 198.43 points. The certified master horse trainer has worked at the Warendorf State Stud since 2009 and boasts numerous successes with both young and experienced state-owned stallions. The 48-year-old completed her apprenticeship as a horse trainer at the Westphalian Riding and Driving School under Michael Putz, and passed her master's examination with the Stensbeck Award.

Wilimzig also had a special reason to celebrate: her state-owned stallion Flavis was named best horse of the final.

"Flavis is always up for anything and always tries his best. Just two weeks ago, he was competing in the stallion quadrille in Aachen with a guest rider, and now he's here with different riders at this level. That makes me very proud as his trainer," she said.