Morricone Wins Freestyle Competition in Neustadt-Dosse; First S-Level Appearance for For Kingdom with Moritz Treffinger

No, it wasn’t music by his namesake that Morricone used today for his freestyle debut at the Neustadt Horse Summer. For his first international dance to music with the 14-year-old Oldenburg stallion, Moritz Treffinger opted for the tried-and-true Backstreet Boys freestyle routine with which he had won the 2025 U25 European Championship on Cadeau Noir. They delivered a performance without any technical errors and with a very good walk-around. Overall, one might have wished for a slightly more open angle at the hocks and greater extension of the frame in the extensions. The stallion remained very upright and tightly collected for much of the test. In the end, the judges awarded 75.265 percent. That was enough for victory in the field of eleven competitors, although the two side judges ranked the pair second in the E and B categories.

Jennifer Buda and Daily Fun took first place with 73.565 percent, followed by Dominique Filion of the Netherlands riding The Boss (73.125).

Tournament Debut with For Kingdom

While he was preparing with Morricone for their first freestyle performance, another stallion from Moritz Treffinger’s stable had long since returned to the stable, well cared for, and had already devoured his reward carrots. Saturday in Neustadt/Dosse had begun with an S*-level dressage competition, where Treffinger presented the eight-year-old Oldenburg stallion For Kingdom for the first time—the son of For Emotion out of the dam of two-time Young Horse World Champion Woodlander Farouche. Treffinger had recently taken over the stallion.

For Kingdom had received his basic training at the Kandziora stable and had passed his stallion exams with top marks. He later went on to be trained by the Spaniard Severo Jurado López, then spent a brief period under the Danish Kasselmann rider Valentin Munkedal, and has now joined the Treffinger stable.

The pair finished their S-level debut in second place with a score of 70.855 percent—behind a son of Morricone, namely the nine-year-old Westphalian stallion Macchiato, whom Tessa Frank presented for the Pape Stallion Station. They received a score of 72.564 percent.

Considering that Treffinger and For Kingdom have only recently become a pair, they’ve already gelled well and completed the test—the stallion’s third competition test—with a solid command of the dressage movements and highlights such as the half-passes and pirouettes. In the long run, it would be desirable for the rider to relax even more and allow the movements to flow more freely through the body via the back.

U.S. Sweeps the Top Two Spots in the Small Tour

Due to the World Championships in Aachen, a number of U.S. dressage riders are currently in Germany. Some are competing this weekend in Neustadt/Dosse, including Olympic and World Championship silver medalist Adrienne Lyle. Yesterday, she won the Grand Prix (71.391) with her Olympic partner and World Cup finalist Helix, ahead of Treffinger and Morricone (70.304). Helix had the day off today. He is scheduled to compete in the Grand Prix Special tomorrow.

For the short tour, she has brought along the 10-year-old Danish son of Totilas, Hussmann’s Topgun, on whom her hopes for the future rest. He is competing in his first international season and has so far turned all four of his starts in the Prix St. Georges and Intermédiaire I in the U.S. into victories. In Neustadt/Dosse, he finished second twice—first with 71.765 percent, then with 72.795 percent.

The only horse to perform better was the eight-year-old Swedish Revolution son Rosebank VH, ridden by Lyle’s compatriot Katie Duerrhammer. The pair dominated the Prix St. Georges with 73.775 percent and today’s Inter I with 74.559 percent. Only Peter Holler, riding C, saw the Lyle/Topgun duo in the lead.

Tessa Frank came up short in both classes (71.765 and 71.618 percent, respectively) with the only Bundeschampion, Damaschino FRH by Danone, who once competed at Klosterhof Medingen but is now set to pursue a career as a gelding.

You can find all the results from Neustadt/Dosse here.