German Big Tour Sweep by Hendricks and Klimke on Week Three at the 2025 CDI-W Wellington

-- GDF press release, edited by Eurodressage

It was a German sweep on the first day of competition on week three of the 2025 Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida. Felicitas Hendricks and Michael Klimke captured the blue ribbon in the two Grand Prix classes on 23 January 2025. 

Horses who traveled to Florida for the winter season did not have to acclimate to the weather as the opening day of week three brought unusually low temperatures in the mid 50s and a chilly wind. Riders and spectators were all duffled up in winter coats, a strange sight with the palm trees in the backdrop.

Klimke Makes Winning Debut on Dante's Peak

In the 3* Grand Prix, another German rider topped the bill. Michael Klimke rode Dante’s Peak (by Dante Weltino x Desperados x Rubin Royal) to 68.087%. It was the nine-year-old gelding’s CDI debut, and the experienced rider really rates his talent. 

Owned by Harmony Sporthorses, the Oldenburg registered Dante's Peak is bred by Werner Bertke and should not be mistaken for the Hanoverian Dante's Peak (by 

Dimaggio x Wolkentanz I) who was once a rising hope for Jessica and Benjamin Werndl. Harmony's Dante's Peak was presented at the 2019 Oldenburg saddle licensing but not accepted. He sold at auction for 35,000 euro to U.S. based Mexican duo Patrick and Marisol Burssens for their daughter Monica to ride. The horse stayed in Germany though and between 2019 and 2022 

 he was competed by Antonia Wollrath.

Monica Burssens then took over the ride and last summer trained with Klimke in Germany.  Michael spotted the horse's qualities and pitched him to his long-time sponsor, American Leslie Malone of Harmony Sporthorses in Colorado. She bought the horse and Klimke got the ride. The new pair debuted in the Intermediaire II at the CDN Ankum on 8 November 2024 before heading to Florida. 

Erin Nichols (USA) was runner-up with a 67.63% ride on Premiere Sport Horses’ 16-year-old Johnson gelding, Elian Royale. Australia’s Jemma Heran slotted into third by the tightest of margins with 67.609% on her own 13-year-old Total Recall (by Totilas). Just half a percentage point separated the competitors who finished between second and fourth in this qualifying grand prix, so Saturday’s CDI3* Grand Prix Special should prove an exciting tussle

Hendricks Takes Three

The cold weather did not faze 23-year-old German rider Felicitas Hendricks as she and Drombusch OLD (by Destano x Dimaggio) produced a 72.457% test to top the World Cup  Grand Prix. This was her third consecutive victory at the 2025 Global Dressage Festival and it was the identical score that the pair put on the scoreboard exactly a year ago, a personal best, to top the same World Cup™ Grand Prix in 2024.

“Drombusch is a good boy all through the test and showed some great work,” said Hendricks, who tweaked her warm-up plan to fit the weather. “He did great canter half-passes, but I made a little mistake where I was a bit quick and he had a small trip, but I was very happy with him overall. I knew I’d have very good competition here in Wellington so I would never come here and take a win for granted—you have to work for every single one of those. I get equally excited about every good test.

“We kept Drombusch nice and warm before I got on and I wanted to give him his time to really warm up in this cold, to get his muscles to loosen up a bit. I already knew getting on that he might need a couple of minutes longer than he usually does.

“I’m lucky enough to have a horse that’s consistent in everything; in the way he thinks and in his way of going,” she added of the 14-year-old gelding she has ridden for the past three years after taking him over from her uncle and trainer Christoph Koschel. “He proves over and over again how consistent he is, and he knows exactly when it’s showtime because then he’s extra good and says, ‘Let’s go!’” 

Second and third places in the 15-strong class were filled by US riders: Ocala-based Anna Marek notched up 71.239% riding her 2023 Pan American Games team gold medal mount, Janet Simile’s 15-year-old gelding Fire Fly (by Briar Junior x OO Seven), while local rider Kevin Kohmann guided Diamante Farms’ Dancier 16-year-old, Dünensee, to 70.37% and third place.  

Stepping Up to Seniors

Since stepping up from juniors and riding her first senior CDI grand prix at AGDF in 2023 Hendricks has boasted a sparkling set of results, including winning team and individual golds at the 2023 European Under-25 Championships and picking up seven wins from eight senior starts on Drombusch at the 2024 AGDF. She has found strategies to turn her competition nerves into excitement, including not dwelling on the big names she might be up against in the senior division. 

“I used to get very nervous in a negative way,” she explained. “I’ve been working with a great mental coach that has helped me get out of this way of thinking and be very positive and excited about competing. I don’t look up the other competitors days ahead of the show because I don’t want to get in my head about it too much. I just know I have to do my best with my horse, and I know he’s going to do his best for me, and that’s all that matters.”  

Hendricks hopes to contest two further shows with Drombusch this season, including eyeing a spot on the German Nations Cup team in AGDF 7 and the CDI5*.  

Photos © Sue Stickle

Related Links
Scores: 2025 CDI-W Wellington
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2025 World Cup Finals and Qualifiers