After an almost one-year break from international competition, Dorothee Schneider returned to the arena with the 12-year old Hanoverian Vainqueur to win the big tour classes at the inaugural CDI in Görlitz on 15 - 17 August 2025.
The "Görlitzer Summer Weeks" take place over two weeks with show jumping and dressage classes hosted at the Rosenhof Riding and Driving Club. The event lifted its dressage schedule from national to international level with a CDI small and big tour and the national Nurnbergber Burgpokal qualifier for Developing PSG Horses.
Vainqueur Returns
Schneider made the show her own as she dominated the 3* Grand Prix on Friday on Vainqueur (by Vivildi x Rubioso N), owned by the sisters Gabriele and Eva-Maria Kippert / Mann. They purchased the horse from Schneider's client, Gut Neuenhof in 2023 and Dorothee debuted the tall chestnut at the 2024 CDI Munich, followed four month later by the CDI Ermelo, where they posted 71.630% in the Grand Prix. The stallion had a long break due to an injury but made his CDI come back in Görlitz.
They dominated a field of 18 riders on a winning score of 71.326%. Carina Harnish and Louisdor Cup winner Sheldon Cooper (by Sezuan x Rubinstein) were second with 69.870%, while Dutch Dominique Filion and Eugene Reesink's 13-year old Rhinelander gelding The Boss (by Bostin x Louis Le Bon) were third with 69.500%
A Boost
For Schneider the double win on Vainqueur was a great boost of morale, particularly as her client Gut Neuenhof recently pulled a set of horses from her barn to re-allocate them to Danica Duen. The change in rider was confirmed, but none of the three parties were willing to comment on the matter or talk about future plans.
"What a comeback weekend for Pepe," Schneider rejoiced on Instagram. "Still not completely faultless and in some places certainly with room for improvement. Nevertheless I'm just happy to dance with him in the arena again. We're going to celebrate this."
Debutants: Navarro and The Boss
"For his young age, I think he did really well," Nilshagen told Ridsport. Navarro was purchased as a foal by Lodbergen and Therese monitored his development from young horse to Grand Prix. "It's fun to be able to do the whole journey – I took him over when he was six years old and then you could start to see his qualities. When he was three, four, five years old I might not have really thought that "this will be my next star". But once I tried him I felt that this could probably be really good. It has grown, then it can always go both ways. But in the end it's a lot about the horse's rideability, what they are capable of doing with their bodies and how easy they are to collect."
After the retirement of Dante Weltino, Nilshagen stepped into the background, which she said was good "to catch your breath". She believes Navarro could be her next Championship horse.
Filion and The Boss went on to win the Kur to Music on Saturday evening with a score of 73.345%. They headed a group of 8 riders with Juliane Brunkhorst and Christina Welding's 12-year old Oldenburg gelding Furst Enno (by Furst Romancier x Sir Donnerhall) as runner-up with 73.295%.
Filion made her international show debut onThe Boss at small tour level at the 2023 CDI Lier, followed by an Inter I win at the Aachen Dressage days (hosted in Hagen). The horse has not been out to an international show in more than two years and Görlitz was their big tour debut.
Related Links
Scores: 2025 CDI Görlitz
Therese Nilshagen's Dante Weltino OLD Retired from Sport
Schneider Wins National Inter II on Hubertus Schmidt's Vainqueur at 2023 CDI Munich
Dorothee Schneider Adds More Gut Neuenhof Stallions to Her String