From the square back into the course

Saturday was the final day for Bavarian show jumper Helmut Schönstetter, who also impressed in his second appearance in the dressage arena at Achleiten Castle – this time under difficult conditions in pouring rain. Riding the five-year-old Papillon, the 40-year-old scored 77.2 percent in the final test for five-year-old horses, thus upping the ante.

Helmut Schönstetter dances with Papillon through the rain.

“I was generally very satisfied,” said Schönstetter after the test. “We were able to repeat yesterday's performance solidly. My biggest concern was the task – it's much more difficult. But we didn't get lost. That was the main goal.”

While Papillon remained calm even in the rain, Schönstetter remained realistic about his own dressage skills: "To be honest, I can't ride out Papillon's quality. The flaws that the judges see are absolutely justified. He has three outstanding basic gaits and a great character – but as a show jumper, I can't exploit his potential in collection. I can't sit that anymore."

Nevertheless, Papillon has long since become more than just a sporting asset for Schönstetter. “He has simply become my favorite horse. I then traveled to his breeder in Holland and bought three more full siblings from his dam. One, two, and three years old. Now I hope that a new dressage talent will come along every year.”

No sooner had the award ceremony in Achleiten ended than Schönstetter was already changing saddles and heading for Bavaria. “This afternoon, I'm going straight to a national show jumping tournament near us – Cardi MT from Mrs. Max-Theurer will also be there. A small 1.30 m show jumping competition for training, and next week the international tournament in Donaueschingen is coming up.”

His main role remains that of trainer for the horses of Austria's number one, Max Kühner: “The horses I ride internationally are all Max's. I have a lot of great seven-year-olds at the moment – Cardi MT is one of them – and they have a bright future ahead of them.”

Will Schönstetter ever step into the dressage arena again? The answer remains open. One thing is certain: with Papillon, he provided one of the most charming stories of the weekend at the four-star tournament in Achleiten – a show jumper dancing through the rain in the dressage arena with his black stallion Papillon.

Helmut Schönstetter lobt seinen Papillon.

FEI Young Horses 5yo Final Test Result here