A German riding pony, “Nino the Champ” became an important four-legged Partner for me. With Nino, I started to discover the world of Dressage. He lived up to his name. In 1998 and 1999 we qualified for the finals at the German “Bundeschampionat” in Warendorf. That was the first time I felt what it meant to ride in a big championship and it made me want more…

After I transitioned to riding big horses, when I was 15, I qualified for the top three straightaway with Nokturn at the “Preis der Besten” in Warendorf. Then I was so nervous at the second qualification for the European Championships, that I promptly rode the wrong way twice. In the twelfth (and last place), I obviously didn’t get the nomination for the Europeans. At that time I realized how important it is to have good nerves. Since then, mental training, breathing and concentration practice have been a regular part of my schedule.

In 2002, just one year later, my dream to go the Europeans came true. By 2005 Bonito and Duchess helped me to earn six gold and two silver medals at the European Championships. During that time, we also managed to win three German national titles.

In 2006, Duchess and I worked our way up into the Grand Prix level. My brother Benni had his first Grand Prix experience with Duke and Sam.

It was our goal to establish ourselves in the Grand Prix level with young horses that we had trained ourselves… A very long journey. We were very lucky that Isabell Werth worked with us for five years and gave us essential tips along the way. Isabell , the most successful dressage rider ever, also brought us together with Jonny Hilberath. My brother and I have been working with him since 2011. We’ve also had the advantage of ongoing training sessions with Andreas Hausberger, one of the head riders of the Spanish riding school in Vienna. Motivating young horses and supporting them in their development brings me a lot of joy. It’s even nicer when the horses give something back and we find success together.

In 2012, Unee, a handsome black stallion, owned by Beatrice Bürchler-Keller, came into my life. Weve become a team and have developed a lot since our first successes in regional tournaments. In the meantime we made our way into the International scene and have begun to be noticed. It feels like there is still always room for improvement, and I am excited to see how far we can push ourselves.

The most amazing part of it all, is that I am able to do, everyday, what I love the most: to live with horses, to learn from them and to have fun together.