“Andrea Timpe Wins 63rd Dressage Derby with Horse Change”

Andrea Timpe won the 63rd dressage derby in Hamburg. The 37-year-old from Hattingen won the final with horse change on Sunday. Timpe also had to ride the horses of her competitors Mathilde Merethe Klaesson from Norway and Felix Kneese from Appen.

In her three appearances with her own 13-year-old gelding Don Carismo, Klaesson’s Sandbaeks Rio El and Kneese’s San Simeon, she collected 209.234 percentage points. World Championship rider Klaesson came second with 207.699 points ahead of Kneese (205.333). Sandbaeks Rio El won the horse classification ahead of San Simeon and Don Carismo.

This year, the field of participants for the dressage derby had shrunk considerably. Only nine couples had registered. Last year there were 18 starters. According to tournament manager Volker Wulff, the stricter entry regulations of the international federation (FEI) and the German Equestrian Federation (FN) were responsible for the drastic decline.

Wulff wants to stick to the dressage and also to the finals with changing horses and feels confirmed by this year’s course. “I’m thrilled how many people have come to dressage,” he said. “We won’t let the change of horses take us. Next year we’ll have more competitors again.” One possibility is to advertise dressage nationally and no longer internationally. Even then, it would be possible for foreign participants to start.