Pakjira Thongpakdi Setting Milestones for Thailand in Grand Prix Ring

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2026 CDI Camarma de Esteruelas

Asian dressage rider Pakjira Thongpakdi is setting new milestones for her country Thailand as the third Thai international Grand Prix rider able to score the first of two that are part of the FEI's Minimum Eligibility Requirement to make it to the 2026 World Championships in Aachen.

For the 2026 FEI Dressage World Championships, combinations must achieve the Minimum Eligibility Requirements in the Grand Prix at specified CDI3* or higher events between Jan 1, 2025, and the nominated entry deadline. The MER is two times an overall of 66% or more, but ach overall 66%+ score needs to include two 66% from 5* judges in the breakdown.

Thai Pushing Through at Grand Prix Level

Thongpakdi's moment to shine in the Grand Prix arena follows in the wake of the Thai trail-blazing sister duo Suphajit and Suphakamol Vuntanadit who became the country's first international Grand Prix riders.

Suphajit "Patty" Vuntanadit's personal best score in the Grand Prix is 67.304% achieved at the 2025 CDI Mariakalnok aboard her long-time equine partner Wall Street, the now 19-yer old Hanoverian by Wie Weltmeyer x Starway. Sister Suphakamol, also known as Pammy, has competed three horses at Grand Prix level: Quadroneur, Farao da Raia, and Dreamboat. Pammy recently scored a GP personal best score on Dreamboat of 66.217% at the 2026 CDI St. Margarethen

Pakjira Thongpakdi has now thrown herself in the Thai mix. Last weekend she posted a personal best of 67.283% in the Grand Prix at the CDI Camarma de Esteruelas.

Move to Europe for Expertise

Thongpaki began riding as a 7-year old at the The Royal Horse Guard Riding Club in Bangkok after a friend persuaded her to try it. She hooked from the start.

"At that time there were not many riding stables in Bangkok," Pakjira sold Eurodressage. "At The Royal Horse Guard there were only horses and no ponies, so my mum later brought me to Garden City Polo Club where I could ride horses that were more suitable for my tiny size at the time. My family has supported me from the very beginning, and I have to say I feel very lucky and thankful to have such loving and supportive people around me throughout my riding career. I was fortunate to meet the right people at the right time along the way."

She began her international show career as a show jumper in 2010 before switching to dressage in 2013 representing Thailand at the South East Asian Games on Bundaruka Camego.

She studied Tourism and Hospitality and graduated in 2014 from Mahidol University International College in Thailand but knew inside she wanted to be a full-time rider. She moved to Coesfeld, Germany to train with Kirsten Heek until 2022. Heek had already begun coaching her in 2011 but the collaboration intensified when Pajkira settled down in Germany.

Her parents acquired Michaela Jordan's Hanoverian mare Hispania (by Hofrath x Wie Weltmeyer) through Margot Noffke at Ernst Kemper's barn.

She debuted the mare at the CDI Hagen in April 2015 and competed her through 2019 with starts at the 2017 South East Asian Games in Kuang Rawang (MAS) for a 5th place in the Inter I kur and team silver, at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta (INA) for a 5th place in the Kur and at the inaugural FEI Championships in Pattaya in 2019, where she scored double silver, narrowly missing the individual gold by less than half a percentage point.

Hispania was the horse that built my career," Pakjira said. "Kirsten was with me throughout those championships."

New Trainer, New Horse

In April 2022 Pakjira began working with Ivan Nieto. and her career as an equestrian professional deepened.

"I moved to train with Ivan after hearing that he had gone independent," she said. "I travel back and forth between Germany and Thailand — and I still do — because I have students in Thailand ranging from pony riders to adult amateurs competing nationally. During school holidays, some of them come to Germany to train with me and my boyfriend, Win Supasin Kongpun, in Recke where he has his own breeding mares and produces youngster for sale and sport."

In 2025 the family acquired the now 11-year old Oldenburg mare Samira O (by Franizkus x De Niro), who is bred by Andrea Oldehus and was previously competed by Spanish Olympian Borja Carrascosa. Pakjira premiered her at the CDI Hagen in April 2025 and competed in Aachen and Neustadt/Dosse before heading to the 2025 FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya where they claimed team gold and individual and kur bronze.

Definitely

After a long career at small tour level, she made the leap to big tour level.

Samiro O moved on with a new rider, Brunei's Aneesa Ghaleb Mahmood Almahmood, while Pakjira continued with the 14-year old Westfalian gelding Definitely (by De Kooning x San Schufro), which the Thongpakdi family bought as a youngster.

With Definitely at the 2026 CDI Alter do Chao

"I bought Definitely in 2015 as a 3-year old stallion just broken in for eight weeks," she said. "I knew right away that he is definitely the one and that is why I named him "Definitely"."

Definitely was first shown in Germany in 2015 by Vera Nienkötter. In 2016 Claudia Langehegermann took over, followed by Kerstin Magdans and Kirsten Heek in 2017. Pakjira first showed Definitely in Germany in July 2017 at A-level, alternating the ride with Heek until 2021.

In 2022 Ivan Nieto debuted the horse at small tour level, again swapping rides with the owner at regular intervals. He produced the gelding to Grand Prix level ,competing him in his first Inter II test in May 2023 and his first long Grand Prix in May 2024.

With the help of my trainers, I rode him from Dressurpferde A through all the levels up to where he is today, and we were fortunate to have several wins and placings along the way," said Pakjira. "Ivan put Definitely to Grand Prix and competed him nationally to help make him more secure and experienced at the level. At the same time, I was competing him in the national Small Tour classes in Germany.

Setting Milestones

With trainer Nieto moving to Spain at the start of 2026, Pakjira followed in his trail and relocated to Bilbao, Spain.

With Definitely at the 2026 CDI Las Cadenas

"What impresses me most about Ivan Nieto and Daniel Duarte is their genuine love for horses and animals," she said. "They are very fair to the horses and do not overwork them. The horses in their stable are show horses in the arena, but outside the arena they are just happy ponies. In northern Spain we are very lucky to have huge green fields available almost all year round, as well as kilometres of hacking trails through the woods. As we all know, it is incredibly important for sport horses to still live their lives like horses."

Pakjira added "Ivan and Dani pay detailed attention to the individual needs of each horse, I can fully trust them to have any of my horses in their hands when I'm away. Beyond being trainers, Ivan and Dani are like friends and brothers to me. We do have a lot of fun!"

She and Definitely debuted at international Grand Prix level at the CDI Murcia in April 2026 to a 65.739% score. In the consolation Grand Prix they bumped that score to 66.956%. Three weeks later they went to the CDI Alter do Chao in Portugal, where they were fifth with 65.457%.

One month later at Las Cadenas CDI in Spain they hit that milestone of 67.283% in the Grand Prix for an impressive second place in a competitive field of 21 riders.

Dreaming Big

Pakjira with her biggest supporters, her parents
Dul and Subhanandh Thongpakdi

"My goal is Aachen and LA," she admitted. "The Asian Games would probably be Plan B if things do not work out the way I hope, but you never say never). Looking back to when I bought Definitely in 2015 as a young horse, my goal was to grow together with a horse. When you develop a horse yourself (with the help of my trainers), you also grow and gain experiences together along the way, even though it takes time and patience. For me, it was also a way to pursue big championships without needing to spend an enormous amount of money on a ready Grand Prix horse."

When asked what her long-term goal in her career is, Pakjira replied, " I am not sure if this can really be called a goal, but it is more a principle that I hold onto throughout my riding career. I want to become not only a good rider, but also a true horseman and a correct professional, while giving my horses the best quality of life possible."

She added, "I also believe strongly in respecting others and earning respect in return. Especially as an Asian rider in the European horse community, it is not always the easiest path, but I believe hard work, professionalism, and kindness always speak for themselves in the end."