German Dressage Derby in Hamburg

Show director Matthias Alexander Rath has announced that there will no longer be a change of horses at the German Dressage Derby in Hamburg in future. Instead, the addition of the results from the Grand Prix and Freestyle in the five-star tour will determine the winner of the Derby.

Three reasons

“There are three reasons why we decided to take this step,” says Rath, listing: “The feedback from the riders, the spectators and the observations of previous years.”

There are still riders who like to ride tests with horse changes, but they are clearly in the minority these days. At the same time, the response from the riders last year, when the dressage was held at five-star level for the first time, was “enormous”, Rath continues. “Isabell Werth was there, Ingrid Klimke was there – to name just two outstanding names – and both have already announced that they want to include Hamburg in their plans again in 2026, both presumably with their top horses Wendy and Vayron.”

There was also clear feedback from the spectators: The hearts of Hamburg’s dressage fans beat even more for the top-class five-star dressage sport than for the horse changes.

Continued wide range of examinations

In addition to the five-star tour, the three-star tour with Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special will continue to exist.

Also exciting: Hamburg is once again the qualifying venue for the Louisdor Prize, so the Grand Prix riders can also bring their young horses with them. If they are not yet at S*** level, they can also compete in the Small Tour with Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I. Rath: “This means we have a very broad range of tests on offer for riders. Riders can now bring two Grand Prix horses and those who have previously ridden in the Derby Tour still have the chance to ride in Hamburg’s three-star tour.”

What also remains is the German Pony Derby. And there will still be a final with a change of pony.

Breaking with tradition

In 1955, the German Dressage Derby with horse changes was held for the first time in Hamburg Klein-Flottbek. The winner at the time was Willi Schultheis, a student of Otto Lörke. Now the derby tradition is coming to an end. Rath emphasizes: “We are well aware that this change marks a turning point in the history of the German Dressage Derby. We did not take the decision lightly at all. But after weighing up all the aspects, we came to the conclusion that the Derby with a change of horses perhaps no longer fits in perfectly with the times. I still think the horse change is an extremely exciting and interesting form of competition, but as part of the dressage derby, it will now be held in the five-star combined classification.”

Procedure

As usual, the Derby decision will be made on Sunday, when the Grand Prix Freestyle is on the program. The riders in the five-star tour can still decide after the Grand Prix on Friday whether to choose the Grand Prix Special on Saturday or the Grand Prix Freestyle on Sunday as their second test. However, if you want to win the Blue Ribbon of the Derby Winner, you have to ride the Freestyle.