Austria's dressage team is taking shape
- Daniel Winkler
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
The final day of the international dressage tournament in Achleiten saw a victory for dressage legend Isabell Werth in the three-star tour and an exciting European Championship qualification in the four-star tour.
The CDI4* Achleiten came to an end on Sunday with the most difficult dressage competition in the world. Laura Strobel (GER) secured victory in the Grand Prix Special in the saddle of Sister Act MT OLD with 69.489 percent. Second place went to Bettina Kendlbacher (AUT) with Broadmoars Don Alfredo AWÖ (68.702%) – a result that should also secure the Styrian rider a ticket to the European Championships. Third place went to Peter Gmoser (AUT) with Dante's Daiquiri (67.851%).
For Kendlbacher, it was more than just a sporting success – it was a breakthrough. “I think I need to let it sink in first,” said the 36-year-old from Graz shortly after the competition. “I'm just incredibly proud because so many people don't manage to achieve this within their capabilities. The fact that we've now succeeded is just ultra-cool.”
Kendlbacher looked back on an intense season: “The last season and the start of the World Cup series were decisive. That's when I realized that I can confidently keep up with strong competition.” The performance in Achleiten was the next step in her development: “I have the feeling that we somehow surpassed ourselves a little bit that weekend. There was just more confidence.”
For winner Laura Strobel, it was her first Grand Prix Special victory with Sister Act MT OLD – and it didn't go entirely without incident: “I was just about to do a piaffe and she was like, ‘Wait a minute, I need to go.’ But I was really happy with her overall. She's such a lovely horse.” The rider at Elisabeth Max-Theurer's stable praised her development in particular: “We haven't known each other for very long, but today everything just clicked – especially the flying changes!”
European Championship squad not yet finalized
In her role as president of the Austrian Equestrian Federation, host Elisabeth Max-Theurer analyzed the performances of the potential red-white-red European Championship pairs: "After the great success in Paris for our dressage team, which came in eighth place, our team is now in a typical rebuilding phase in a post-Olympic year. Our dressage representative Uschi Barth has until August 19 to finalize our European Championship team. Until then, a decision will be made to the best of our knowledge and belief and submitted to the board for confirmation. Victoria (note: Max-Theurer) and Florian (note: Bacher) have met the criteria, Bettina Kendlbacher and her Don Alfredo performed very well here, which was fine riding that you want to see at a championship. Stefan Lehfellner was unfortunately the unlucky one of the tournament, as he was unable to present Roberto Carlos flawlessly this time. Although there were also many beautiful moments and lessons."
The Olympic champion is confident about the 2026 World Championships and the road to the 2028 Olympics: "Next year, Diana Porsche will return from her maternity leave and hopefully strengthen our team. National champion Peter Gmoser and his Dante's Daiquiri also performed well here in Achleiten. They are on the right track and, with further careful training, could be ready for the championships next year. And Victoria has L'Espoir, a young Grand Prix horse that has already attracted attention with two high-quality results. L'Espoir is a very successful mix. His sire is the Grand Prix-successful Rubin Royal from the Rubinstein dynasty, who passed on his excellent basic gaits. From his Lusitano dam, he inherited an outstanding predisposition for piaffe-passage and pirouettes. We can look forward to the further development of L'Espoir, who is truly unique in terms of breeding."
N°4 FEI Grand Prix Special (CDI4*)
1. Laura Strobel (GER) Sister Act MT OLD 69,489
2. Bettina Kendlbacher (AUT) Broadmoars Don Alfredo AWÖ 68,702
3. Peter Gmoser (AUT) Dante’s Daiquiri 67,851
4. Lisa Wernitznig (AUT) Quintus 65,958
5. Kristin Biermann (GER) My Dream 63,808
6. Stefan Lehfellner (AUT) Roberto Carlos MT 63,234
Result in detail