Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour

Roskilde is known far beyond Denmark for its festival. From David Bowie to the Rolling Stones, pop and rock superstars have graced the stage here. Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour was born on January 2, 1992, in Hvalsø, a small town near Copenhagen. Her parents, Mona and Peter Dufour, ran an industrial cleaning company. At first, horses played no role in the family’s life. That changed when a friend took the five-year-old to a riding school. And—bam!—she caught the horse bug.

On Track for the Championship Starting at Age 12

At the age of twelve, Cathrine was already a member of the Danish pony team. Riding Moonlight, she gained her first international experience and achieved her first successes. Rune Willum was her first coach in those early years. At first, he didn’t want to teach a pony rider. But the family persisted.

Aithon, a Swedish horse, was the horse that accompanied her throughout her junior career. The pair won medals at the Danish and European Junior and Young Rider Championships. After high school, Cathrine began studying Leisure and Sports Management at University College Zealand, but she dropped out after a year to focus on her equestrian career.

Cassidy – the once-in-a-lifetime horse

In the spring of 2010, the 17-year-old tried out a seven-year-old Danish Warmblood whose originally planned sale had fallen through: Atterupgaards Cassidy by Caprimond. At the time, hardly anyone believed the gelding was capable of a Grand Prix career. Cathrine proved them wrong. Her journey with Cassidy took her from successes at the European Junior and Young Riders Championships straight to the world’s elite in the senior ranks. And there, she even made it onto the podium—almost like a modern fairy tale.

In 2016, the pair made their Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro, finishing 13th in the individual competition. This was followed by the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg, where Cathrine won bronze in the individual competition with Cassidy and silver with the team, and in 2019 in Rotterdam, where she again won bronze in the individual Grand Prix Special. Cassidy, “the horse of my heart,” is not only the defining horse of her career; he remains the undisputed number one in the Danish rider’s stable even after her retirement from competitive riding.

Bohemian, Vamos Amigos – One Gold, Two Silver Medals at the Home World Championships in Herning

With Bohemian, she continued her run at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics—which had been postponed due to the pandemic—finishing fourth in the individual competition and fourth with the team. The next, decisive leap in her career came with the Westphalian horse Vamos Amigos by Vitalis. Riding him, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour led Denmark to team gold at the 2022 World Championships in Herning, along with two silver medals in the individual competition. At the World Cup Final that same year in Leipzig, the pair finished second.

Freestyle – A Horse with a History

In 2023, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour did not have a suitable championship horse. Bohemian had been sold to the U.S., and Vamos Amigos to the British rider Anabella Pidgley. It was Britain, of all places, that came to the rescue at that moment. A bay Hanoverian with championship experience: Mount St. John Freestyle, who had previously competed under Charlotte Dujardin, including at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon. At the 2019 European Championships in Rotterdam, the pair had been disqualified due to blood on the spur. The Fidermark daughter continued to compete internationally with Dujardin until 2021. Then the two went their separate ways.

Freestyle Moves to Denmark

Together with her long-time sponsors, the Zinglersen family, Cathrine acquired a 50 percent share in the then 14-year-old Hanoverian mare in October 2023. Their first two competition appearances showed: this is a great match! In December 2032 in Kronenberg, the pair made their debut with scores over 80 percent. In Herning in March 2024, they also won twice with scores above 80 percent. And then came Paris—the Olympic Games in front of the Palace of Versailles.

There, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour rode the second-best round of all competitors in the Grand Prix Freestyle and the highest-scoring round in the Grand Prix Special. This performance secured Denmark the team silver medal; it was almost gold. In the freestyle, she “only” managed fifth place—the mare seemed visibly tired that day.

In 2025, the pair continued their success, including at the championship level: At the European Championships in Crozet, Cathrine won bronze with the Danish team, along with two silver medals in the individual competition—in the Grand Prix Special and the free skate.

Few starts, right at the top

Compared to many of her competitors, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour competes in significantly fewer tournaments each year. However, this selective schedule is sufficient for the world rankings, which she has topped repeatedly since 2025. She has been coached for many years by Kyra Kyrklund and Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein.

Family and Public Life

Cathrine’s family is from the Copenhagen area. Today, she lives with her wife, Rasmine Laudrup-Dufour, at a small equestrian center near Fredensborg, north of the capital. Rasmine, an amateur show jumper herself, is the daughter of former professional soccer player Brian Laudrup, who was a superstar in Denmark.

The two met in 2019 at the CDI-W in Herning, married in December 2023 at Kokkedal Castle near Copenhagen, and became parents to a daughter, Palma Laudrup-Dufour, in May 2025. Cathrine is one of the most visible advocates for the LGBTQ+ community in equestrian sports—not least because of her own biography, *Passage*, published in 2023, in which she also writes about her journey to self-discovery.

She works out regularly and loves to show her community that success in dressage isn’t just a sweaty affair in the saddle. And she does it all before breakfast!

Businesswoman

Things are also going well for Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour in her business life: her own workout videos, her own clothing line in collaboration with Rasmine, and an Instagram account that’s become an integral part of her daily routine. Her trademark: her daily “barista moment” with her morning coffee.