Achleiten II: Final European Championship test for Austria's dressage elite

Daniel Winkler
Jul 22
3 min read

International Dressage Tournament Achleiten, the second. Following the successful four-star tournament in mid-June, Austria's dressage elite will once again be appearing at the Schlossparkviereck from July 25 to 27, 2025. For Victoria Max-Theurer's Olympic team, this will be the last chance to assess their form before the European Championships in Crozet, France (August 26 to 31). With Isabell Werth, Lisa Müller, the Polish European Championship team, and the US team, the event also boasts a top international line-up.

Olympic champion Elisabeth Max-Theurer is looking forward to hosting the second CDI4* in 2025: "For Austria's dressage team, it's all about preparing as well as possible for the European Championships. We can also look forward to exciting international pairs, for whom there is a lot at stake here. The Polish dressage team is using Achleiten as preparation for the European Championships, and our guests from the USA want to get a taste of Europe a year before the World Championships. The international panel of judges is very well staffed with Olympic, five-star, and four-star judges – so from an organizational point of view, everything is perfectly prepared for a high-quality sporting tournament!"

Victoria Max-Theurer with Abegglen FH NRW

The Paris Olympic eighth-place finishers in the Schlossparkviereck

As at the first tournament in June, Austria's successful Olympic team from Paris 2024 will be represented in full. For their eighth-place finish, Victoria Max-Theurer, Florian Bacher, and Stefan Lehfellner received a so-called Olympic diploma, which the International Olympic Committee issues exclusively to the top eight. Now, exactly one month before the European Championships, the trio and their horses Abegglen FH NRW, Fidertraum OLD, and Roberto Carlos MT are ready for one last form check. "We are preparing for the compulsory tournament and are looking forward to it. The recent results make us confident about the European Championships in Crozet. We are also looking forward to a great starting field with Isabell Werth, Lisa Müller, and many other international riders," says Victoria Max-Theurer ahead of her home tournament.

Austria's team manager and dressage consultant Dr. Ursula Barth is particularly hopeful for good performances: "It's not yet 100% certain whether we'll be able to put together a team of four for the European Championships. That's why I really hope that the tournament in Achleiten will decide that. Our confirmed starters are Victoria Max-Theurer with Abegglen and Florian Bacher with Fidertraum. On my list are Stefan Lehfellner with Roberto Carlos and Bettina Kendlbacher with Don Alfredo. These are the four pairs that meet the criteria for the European Championship team. I really hope that the horses are motivated, well prepared, and fit so that we can say: we have a competitive team of four. Other Austrian pairs also have the chance to recommend themselves for future tasks. So it will be an exciting tournament."

In addition to the red-white-red Olympic trio and Bettina Kendlbacher with Broadmoars Don Alfredo AWO, Austria's dressage national champion Peter Gmoser with Dante's Daiquiri and Lisa Wernitznig with Quintus are also on the entry list.

Stefan Lehfellner is very relaxed ahead of his performance with Roberto Carlos MT: “Roberto has continued to improve and stabilize, as he always does over the course of a season. So I'm hoping for a good test in Achleiten so we can show how well we've worked over the last few weeks and days. He's rarely been in such good shape physically and mentally as he has been this year. My gut feeling is that he's ready.”

Florian Bacher will be showing his experienced horse Fidertraum OLD in the freestyle tour and promising youngster Depeche Mode in the special tour in Achleiten. "Fidi is in good shape. We want to show another round that is as flawless as possible – it's mainly about the riding feel and the right timing between warm-up and competition. I'm already really looking forward to Achleiten,“ says Bacher, who has high hopes for his 13-year-old gelding Depeche Mode. ”Depeche competed in Stadl Paura and Mannheim, where he performed very well and has matured significantly. I really hope that this will be reflected even more consistently and naturally in competition – just as it already works in training."