Heiner Schiergen has been on repeat at the 2024 German Professional Dressage Riders Championships, claiming his 8th title in his career, recapturing the top spot on the podium after being reserve champion in 2023.
30th Anniversary
The German Professional Dressage Riders Championships took place for the 30th time, this year again in Darmstadt-Kranichstein.
The Championship 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.
The championship has been struggling to attract riders in recent years. In 2022 there were seven participants, in 2023 there were six and this year seven showed up. For instance in 2017 no less than 16 combinations participated, in 2005 there were 24 riders contesting.
Schiergen on Repeat
The 55-year old Heiner Schiergen brought along Salome Schuler's 11-year old Oldenburg stallion J-Son STG (by Johnson x Rubin Cortes) and won the Grand Prix with 70.140% and in the Special he was second with 68.608%, beaten by Pia Hesse-Wischerath aboard Louise Farina's 12-year old Rhinelander gelding Franco Salentino (by Feedback x Johnson) on 71.314% The third rider making it to the finals with horse change was Ines Fleischmann on Hans Baumberger's 13-year old Hanoverian gelding High Noon (by Heinrich Heine x Compliment). She was fourth in the Grand Prix (68.160%) and third in the Special (68.225%).
The 30-year old Hesse-Wischerath landed second place overall with 3790,5 points. She scored the high score in the finals aboard her own Franco Salentino (73.750%) and got 67.722% on J-Son and 69.111% on High Noon.
The 34-year old Fleischmann got the bronze medal with 3642.5 points after posting 68.194% on High Noon, 66.361% on Franco Salentino and 67.805% on J-Son
Complete results here: Grand Prix - GP Special - Horse Change Finals
Related Links
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