Manuel Bammel Declares for Switzerland

Dressage

Germany

German professional dressage rider Manuel Bammel has declared for Switzerland. At the start of 2026 he been competing under the Swiss flag but his declaration was officialized with the FEI in May 2025.

Manuel Bammel

The 43-year old Bammel is a certified dressage rider with the golden rider badge. He honed his skills under the tutelage of the late Jonny Hilberath. Bammel runs a training and sales business in Stoetze near Hamburg.

His first major claim to success was when he won the 2015 Bundeschampionate aboard the 5-year old Smirnoff (by Sir Donnerhall x Florencio). The same year he piloted Hayden HR (by Hofrat x De Niro) to a 9th place in the Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals in Frankfurt.

So far, Bammel never competed at international CDI level, but has a massive list of national starts across the levels, from young horses to Grand Prix. He did show at the 2009 Swedish Young Horse Championships.

Switzerland

In the spring of 2025 Bammel declared for Switzerland.

"My mother is from Switzerland and i would like to compete internationally for the Swiss," Bammel told Eurodressage. "I would also like to represent Switzerland in the World Championship for Young Horses."

Bammel's top horse at the moment is Inge Strodthoff's 9-year old Oldenburg mare Donna Farah (by For Dance x Antango x Don Gregory) which he rode in the Nurnberger Burgpokal qualifiers in 2025. In November 2025 the mare did her first Inter A and II tests.

"The plan is to start with Donna Farah in some national shows, and then I would like to compete internationally," Bammel stated.

Bammel has also been competing Kathleen Kroncke's 8-year old small tour horse Fabulous KK (by Furstenball x Danone) and Emma Kanerva's former international Grand Prix horse Mist of Titanium (by Millennium x Diamonit). Owner Gerd Saborowski put the horse with Manuel after he ended the collaboration with Kanerva in the autumn of 2024. Mist of Titanium has been sold to U.S. based Australian Alanna Richards.