Moritz Treffinger Wins the 2025 Piaff Forderpreis Finals in Hagen

Shows

2025 Covalliero Dressage Days

Moritz Treffinger and Cadeau Noir finished their strong season with the overall win in the 2025 Piaff Forderpreis Final for Germany's best U25 dressage riders.

From Donaueschingen to Hagen

The final was supposed to take place at the CDI Donaueschingen, but a last minute cancellation of the show by organizer Schafhof Connects saw Hof Kasselmann come to the rescue to stage the Final during their CDI Covalleiro Dressage Days on 24 - 28 September 2025.

The Piaff Forderpreis Finals were traditionally held in Stuttgart, where the winner was crowned no less than 24 times, before Donaueschingen snatched the finals away. It only did one edition of it, in 2024.

What is the Piaff Forderpreis?

The Piaff Förderpreis is a German Under 25 show circuit with four selection trials (Mannheim, Balve, Elmlohe, and Pinneberg) - held in spring and summer. The participants for the qualifiers are decided at a training seminar and selection trial held in Warendorf before the outdoor show season. This year 16 riders were selected at the seminar alongside the U25 squad listed pairs to compete in the qualifiers. Eight are invited to the finals.

The Piaff Förderpreis held its "pilot project" in 2000 with finals staged in Leverkusen and was won by Hubertus von Zedtwitz on Rubicon M. The first "official" Piaff Förderpreis was held in 2001 with the Finals in Stuttgart. The winner was Ellen Schulten-Baumer.

The awards and series are shouldered by the Liselott Schindling Foundation for the Promotion of Dressage.

Treffinger is the 2025 Prize Winner

After already winning the warm-up round (U25 Grand Prix) earlier this weekend, Moritz Treffinger continued his winning streak in the actual final, the classic Grand Prix test on Saturday night 27 September 2025. Aboard the 15-year old Hanoverian stallion Cadeau Noir (by Christ x De Niro) he posted 72.800% for the overall victory.

The Top Three in the 2025 Piaff Forderpreis Final

Second placed went to his German U25 team mate and European U25 Champion Anna Schölermann on Wolfgang Kindler's 11-year old Danish bred Springborgs Guardian (by Hotline x Furst Romancier) with 70.200%, while Elisabeth von Wulffen completed the top three aboard her 13-year old Westfalian bred Triple A (by Totilas x De Niro) on 69.580%.

"Triple A was a bit fiddly at first, but the entire test was very clean, always very correct and accurate," said Monica Theodorescu. "The two showed the best zig zag of the test. Overall, it was a beautiful and worthy finale here in Hagen, with truly good riding."

Overwhelmed

The 22-year-old Treffinger was visibly overwhelmed.

"I am just grateful that we were able to crown the season with a great finish," said Moritz. "I was able to ride the test in a very relaxed manner because I had already had a great year and would have been happy for any of my competitors to win. We all support each other, and the fact that it went so well and that the three of us are at the top is just fantastic. I'm really happy about it.‘

Cadeau Noir is his reliable calming influence, says the native of Baden-Württemberg.

"He just picks me up and never gets hectic," said Moritz. "Especially in the zig zag, he says, 'Honey, hold on tight, steer me through, I've got it under control.' I love him more than anything, he's simply the best."

Conclusion

German Youth team trainer Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen drew a positive conclusion at the series' finals.

German team trainers Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen
and Monica Theodorescu flanking Cornelia Albrecht

"We are very grateful that we were able to hold the final at Kasselmann family's big facility," said the team trainer. "Fortunately, fears that there might be difficulties with the floodlights did not happen. I said it's like a brightly lit indoor arena – everything is fine. Moritz achieved his goal just as he had planned, and the entire team deserves special congratulations for this. Maintaining such stability throughout the entire season is remarkable and testifies to very confident management."

He continued, "we are also extremely satisfied with the other placings, as the horses are already showing a lot of consistency in the required lessons and the young riders are mastering this demanding task so well. This makes me optimistic about the future. The pairs are on a promising path, and we look forward to seeing this continue."