Simoncic wins ahead of Jöbstl in the Intermediate II

Daniel Winkler
6 days ago
2 min read

The first competition of the international dressage tournament at Schloss Achleiten was eagerly anticipated on Saturday morning. The Intermediate II was the first of two mandatory events for Austria's U25 riders in preparation for the upcoming European Championships. Felicita Simoncic was visibly relieved after her winning ride with Four Legends, scoring 72.324 percent. "He was super focused, totally with me. Even the parts that sometimes tend to be a bit shaky worked out perfectly today," she said with a smile. "He didn’t lose energy and stayed attentive right until the final line. That feeling—being able to deliver exactly when it counts—gives you an incredible mental boost."

Paul Jöbstl was also pleased with his performance, taking second place with Die Baroness (68.824 percent), despite a small “oops,” as he called it, during the extended canter. “That was clearly my mistake, but overall, the mare was very rideable and really with me. From my perspective, the second piaffe was really good.” He added: “Of course, you feel the pressure—it's a mandatory event, and everyone knows what’s at stake. But I try to see that more as motivation. You want to show what you can do, especially when all eyes are on you. I think the horse senses that too—the tension, the focus. And when you still manage to ride a solid round despite minor mistakes, that’s a really good feeling.”

Third place went to Spain's Adrian Muonz Jurado, who scored 67.853 percent with Pramwaldhof’s Scubido. Among the other Austrians: Jonas Frick placed fifth with Juno (64.735), Felicita Simoncic came in sixth with Immowert’s Ivar (64.677), and Eva-Maria Trauner secured seventh place with Stalina S (62.441).