Lehfellner: “It felt incredible”

A light drizzle accompanied the start of the international dressage weekend at Schloss Achleiten arena on Friday afternoon. In the opening CDI3* competition, Olympian Stefan Lehfellner and L’Espoir claimed victory in the Grand Prix, marking a successful international debut as a combination. Florian Bacher, who also represented Austria at the Paris Olympic Games and has competed at numerous championships, delivered a strong performance with FBW Sunfire to finish second.

L’Espoir Remains Unbeaten in Achleiten

The CDI3* Grand Prix was all about the first international appearance of Stefan Lehfellner and L’Espoir as a partnership. The Upper Austrian duo won the class with a score of 69.913 percent, ahead of Florian Bacher and FBW Sunfire (67.695 percent), while Australia’s Alanna Richards and Mist of Titanium OLD finished third on 66.022 percent.

Remarkably, L’Espoir remains unbeaten at Schloss Achleiten. The horse had already won the Grand Prix here last year, then under Lehfellner’s partner, Victoria Max-Theurer. Now “Leo” also claimed victory with his new rider.

For Lehfellner, it was his first Grand Prix start with L’Espoir. Despite a few mistakes in the canter tour, the 43-year-old was highly satisfied with the debut performance.

“I’m actually very pleased. We decided rather spontaneously to compete here, and the horse showed many highlights. The mistakes in the canter tour are simply a matter of experience and routine. But you can clearly see that Leo has arrived at Grand Prix level,” Lehfellner said after his winning ride.

The Upper Austrian was particularly impressed by the potential of his new partner: “The first part of the test up to the walk felt incredible. I even found myself smiling during the Grand Prix – that has never happened to me before. This horse has truly exceptional quality.”

Florian Bacher was also delighted with his first CDI3* Grand Prix appearance aboard FBW Sunfire. The experienced championship rider has only been working with the horse for around two months but immediately delivered a convincing performance. “For a first start with this horse, I’m very happy. Of course, there are still things we can improve, but it felt really good and is great fun. I’m looking forward to the next steps together,” said Bacher.

The next destination for Bacher and his horses will be Hagen: “First, we want to finish the competitions here successfully and then compete with both horses in Hagen. After that, we’ll see how things develop.”

RESLULTS N°18 FEI Grand Prix (CDI3*) 1. Stefan Lehfellner (AUT), L‘Espoir, 69,913 Percent 2. Florian Bacher (AUT), FBW Sunfire, 67,695 3. Alanna Richards (AUS), Mist of Titanium OLD, 66,022 Detailed results HERE