Lilly Kasselmann Banking Miles and Experience on Nasdaq at 2026 Global Dressage Festival

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F.O.C.U.S.

German children team rider Lilly Kasselmann has been banking miles and experience on her renowned FEI pony, Nasdaq FH, at the 2026 Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida.

In the Footsteps

Lilly is the youngest heir in the renowned Kasselmann family dynasty to make her mark in the competition arena. While her elder sister Emma has chosen show jumping as her flavour of horse sport, the 12-year old Lily likes dressage and proven her aptitude for the sport at a young age.

Under the wings of her grand parents Ulli and Bianca Kasselmann and supporting parents Francois and Diana, Lily was grew up around horses at the prestigious horse dealing yard in Hagen, Germany. Never shy of a supply of horses to ride, Lily began her international career in 2025 on schoolmaster Charly Brown, a German team pony at the 2015 European Championships. The pair did its first CDI's in Wellington, Florida in the winter and early spring of 2025, where she also rode the tall chestnut Vodka Soda (by Vitalis x Dimaggio) in the Children division.

Via the German team selection trial at the CDIO Hagen in her own garden at Hof Kasselmann, Lilly ended up riding her horse on the German team and making it to the 2025 European Children Championships in Le Mans, where team gold and individual bronze awaited her. In september that year she rode Charly Brown at the 2025 German Pony Championships with withdrew from round 2.

Banking on Nasdaq

Bronze at the 2025 European Children Championshi^s

At the start of 2024 the 2020 European Pony champion Nasdaq sold to Hof Kasselmann as a future ride for Lilly, who was only 10 at the time and not yet ready for this pocket size Ferrari.

The pony was leased for two years to Maya Wächter, who won team and individual gold as well as Kur bronze at the 2025 European Pony Championships with him. With one year of international experience down her belt, Lilly was ready to take over the reins on Nasdaq in the autumn of 2025 when she was 12.

"I've been ride him since the end of October, and I'm really enjoying it," Lilly told Eurodressage. "He has a very strong character and sometimes you feel like you're sitting on a ticking time bomb," she laughed. "But I gladly accept this challenge; I love working with him and constantly improving."

Winters in Wellington

Lilly and ferrari Nasdaq in the lap of honour

Lilly is in the fortunate position that she can spend winters in Wellington, Florida, to compete her horses and gain mileage in a lower pressure environment. As her family has a U.S. branch of Hof Kasselmann in Loxahatchee, Florida, she and her mom spend the entire winter season in balmy Wellington, where she goes to school while riding her horses as well.

When asked why she prefers to go to Wellington over staying home and preparing for the winter season in Ankum, she smiled and replied, "the weather in Florida is simply better. We have our own stable in Florida, and I'm very grateful to my parents for giving me and my sister the opportunity to gain experience there. Ankum is also nice, but the time in Florida is always very intense, and I'd like to make the most of it as long as possible."

Forming a Partnership

Lilly and Nasdaq made their show debut first in a national Test of Choice class before jumping into the deep end and competing at CDI level. Their first CDI was on 24 - 26 January in the international stadium at Global and they booked a double victory.

With dressage pony sport failing to launch in the U.S.A. the pony classes are small with one or just two riders entered the entire season, but Lilly's goal of competing in Wellington were miles and experience and that is what Kasselmann gained on Nasdaq. The pair ended up competing in five CDI's and won every single class with scores going from 68.086% to 74.108%. Their Kur top score was even a whopping 80.150%.

Aiming for Second Championships

With a healthy dose of ambition and motivation fuelling her pursuits in the saddle, Lilly is aiming for a second, consecutive European Championships this summer, either on ponies or in the Children division, whichever she gets selected for.

"Nasdaq FH and Vodka Soda are doing really well right now and we're growing closer every day," said Lilly. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about the European Championship. I'm working very hard for it."

This winter Vodka Soda stayed home in Hagen while Lily focused in Florida on Nasdaq. She also get her feet wet in the national junior division on Wolfgang Stamp's Westfalian gelding Don Basti (by Don Frederic x Lauries Crusador xx).

Having returned to Germany, Lilly is back in the saddle of Vodka Soda to prepare him and Nasdaq for the Preis der Besten and German team trail in Hagen.

Riding her first junior test on Don Basti

"Vodka Soda is in great shape and I ride him every day," she said. "While I was in Florida Insa Hansen continued working with him here in Hagen. Don Basti is fantastic. I rode him quite often in training, and then we simply came up with the idea of riding a junior class. However, I will be focusing on ponies and children's classes again here."

When asked if she preferred horses to ponies, Lilly replied, "I love them all. I'm a real horse girl."