Daniel Deußer

Wiesbaden, August 13, 1981: the day Daniel Deußer was born. No one could have guessed at the time that a future show jumper was born here—one who, as of the summer of 2026, would top the world rankings three times.

Daniel Deußer grew up in Hesse and completed an apprenticeship as a horse manager at the Herröder Stables in Büttelborn. It was there that Franke Sloothaak took notice of the tall, lanky young man’s talent. The 1994 World Champion and two-time Olympic team gold medalist didn’t hesitate for long. At the end of 2021, he hired Deußer as a rider-trainer. In 2022, Deußer competed in the European Young Riders Championships and finished fourth with the German team. It was Deußer’s first major international success.

In 2002, he moved to the Netherlands to work with Jan Tops. At the time, Tops was building one of Europe’s most modern show jumping stables in Valkenswaard and would later go on to launch the Global Champions Tour, one of the world’s most prestigious show jumping series. For Deußer, this move marked the beginning of his international career: He wasn’t quite on par with the big names in the sport just yet, but he was damn close.

Setback After the First World Cup Final

In 2007, Daniel Deußer qualified for the World Cup Final for the first time. His athletic success was overshadowed by a doping case—his horse, Air Jordan Z, subsequently tested positive for a banned substance. Deußer denied intentional use and claimed it was an accidental ingestion. This was followed by a suspension and a protracted dispute with the German Equestrian Federation (FN), which strained their relationship for years. In 2019, Deußer seriously considered changing his nationality to Belgian, though this ultimately did not happen. By that point, Deußer had long since reached the very top in the sport.

The Breakthrough with *Cornet d’Amour*

The horse that finally propelled Daniel Deußer into the international elite was the gray Cornet d’Amour by Conte Obolensky. In 2014, the pair won the World Cup Final in Lyon. That same year, Deußer and Cornet d’Amour were part of the German team that won team bronze at the World Equestrian Games in Caen and placed sixth in the individual standings. They also competed at European Championships and in numerous Nations Cups. Cornet d’Amour was not only extremely careful, but also capable, fast, and… beautiful! The Westphalian gray is one of the most important horses in Deußer’s career. He retired in 2019.

Stephex Stables as a Home for Equestrian Sports

Daniel Deußer has been riding for the Belgian Stephex Stables since 2015. The training and breeding stable, founded by Stephan Conter, is one of the most successful in the world and has since regularly provided Deußer with several top-class horses at the same time—a key prerequisite for consistent success at the highest level. Stephex became his sporting home and, as it turned out, his family home as well. In April 2015, Deußer topped the world show jumping rankings for the first time. In January 2017 and June 2021, shortly before the Tokyo Olympics, he had climbed back to the number one spot in the world rankings.

German champion

Even though Daniel Deußer spent more time traveling around the world than riding on German highways, he won the German Championship twice—once riding Cornet d’Amour and once riding First Class van Eeckelghem, with whom he also competed at the Olympic Games in Rio. The tall, large chestnut horse died in 2017 as a result of severe colic.

Tobago Z – the next superstar

After Cornet d’Amour, the small Zangersheider stallion Tobago Z took center stage. A bundle of energy. Riding him, Deußer won numerous Grand Prix events as well as stages of the Global Champions Tour and achieved top placings over the years at European Championships, World Cup Finals, and five-star tournaments around the globe. Among other achievements, the pair placed second in the 2019 Aachen Grand Prix. His World Championship horse for Aachen, Otello de Guldenboom, is a son of Tobago Z.

Championships and the Olympic Games

Daniel Deußer has represented Germany at numerous championships. As early as 2016, he won a bronze medal with the team in Rio de Janeiro on First Class van Eeckelghem and placed ninth in the individual competition. He was part of the German squad at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen and at several European Championships; in 2020–2021, he competed at the Olympic Games in Tokyo with Killer Queen VDM and was considered one of the favorites. However, things didn’t go quite as well at the Cortona Games in Japan: ninth place with the team, 18th place in the individual competition.

The Victory in Aachen

One of the greatest achievements of his career was his victory in the 2021 Aachen Grand Prix. Riding Killer Queen VDM, Daniel Deußer won Germany’s most prestigious show jumping competition for the first time—after previously finishing second twice and fourth twice. This victory held special significance for him, as Aachen had been one of his major competitive goals for many years, as he once said: “Winning the Aachen Grand Prix had been my goal for many years—actually, ever since I was a child.” Since then, he has achieved numerous other victories at the highest level with Killer Queen, including winning the Rolex Grand Prix at the 2022 Dutch Masters.

A well-coordinated team

For nearly a decade, groom Sean Lynch was also a key part of that success. The Irishman started out in 2014 as a freelancer at a tournament in Verona; after two days, he asked Deußer if he could use an extra pair of hands—and ended up staying for nine years. Sean Lynch was responsible for the positive atmosphere among the grooms and groomswomen. But that wasn’t all. Daniel Deußer once said that his successes wouldn’t have been possible without Lynch.

In 2023, Lynch left the team after nine years with them. At first, he remained tight-lipped about his professional future. He is now in charge of the horses owned by Frenchwoman Nina Mallevay, the rising star of the 2025 season.

A Family Between Hesse and Belgium

In his personal life, Daniel Deußer has been living in Belgium since 2012, first in Wolvertem and now in Rijmenam near Mechelen—from there, it’s only a few kilometers to Stephex Stables in Meise.

In September 2015, he married Caroline Wauters, the daughter of former Belgian Nations Cup rider and three-time Olympian Eric Wauters, who won a team bronze medal in Montreal in 1976 and died in 1999 at the age of 48. Their daughter, Stella, had already been born in February 2015. Caroline is one of the organizers of the Vlaanderens Kerstjumping indoor show jumping tournament in Mechelen.