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“Going to the World Cup Final with my own horse, that’s been bred and produced by a good friend, was definitely special,” Germany’s Rene Dittmer, 32, tells World of Showjumping about his experience at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2026 in Fort Worth where he finished in fourth place with the 11-year-old gelding Cody 139 (Casall x Quidam de Revel), that is bred by Sören von Rönne. “Despite the time difference, Sören called me every day after each class. Fort Worth was the biggest show of my career, and with Cody still being relatively green at this level, us finishing in fourth place was the most unbelievable experience.”

Rene is based near Hamburg in Germany, while he spends a lot of time in Wellington, USA, in the winter. “I grew up with horses, on our small farm. I started riding when I was about six, since my parents had horses,” he explains. “My dad competed nationally up to 1.50m, mostly in our area, and my mom used to ride as well. I was lucky to have a good horse in my junior and young rider years, and I could go to the German Championships – that was a really big thing for me back then.”

“After I finished school, I went part-time to university, did a little bit of dealing and was riding horses for other people,” Rene explains about his career path. “In 2018, I got in contact with Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Markus Beerbaum, and I rode for them for about three years. It was definitely the best opportunity I could have; I was able to go to international shows and learn a lot.”

Going over to the U.S. was a big risk; now I am glad I took it, and lucky to have made it work on my own

“I started my own business in 2021 and, so far, have been fortunate to find great horses. I did not expect that it would go like this, that I could actually jump at five-star level. I was more thinking about developing young horses and maybe, every once in a while, bringing one up to two-stars. However, somehow it worked out – I was not expecting to reach five-star level, and I am proud to have managed it with horses I have produced myself. I feel lucky to be where I am today.”

“The economical side of the sport is for sure a challenge. I come from a normal family, and we have never bought expensive horses. I still remember how my dad thought I was taking a huge risk when I told him I would take a few horses over to the States, and I hardly broke even at my first show there. It has not been easy. Going over to the U.S. was a big risk; now I am glad I took it, and lucky to have made it work on my own.”

At the moment, Rene’s two best horses are Corsica X (Connor 48 x Corofino II) and Cody 139. “I got Corsica about three years ago,” Rene recalls. “We started with small classes, moving up step by step. She jumped her first ranking classes and 1.50m in Europe. Her big breakthrough came in 2023 when I took her to the World Cup shows in Washington, Kentucky and Toronto, and she was placed at all three venues. From then on, she has been my main Grand Prix horse and has delivered consistent results on top level. She is the horse that took me to Aachen for the first time and helped me get into the higher level. I'm happy to have her.”

“I bought Cody at the end of 2024,” Rene continues. “He was still quite green; he had only jumped up to 1.40m in our area in Germany. It is a nice story, as Sören went to the 1994 World Championship with Cody’s great-grandmother Taggi.”

I was not expecting to reach five-star level, and I am proud to have managed it with horses I have produced myself

“I took Cody to Wellington and by the end of WEF, he jumped his first 1.50m classes. Cody’s first bigger show was the German Championships in 2025, and that same year he was placed in Aachen in Saturday’s feature class. The World Cup Final in Fort Worth was by far his biggest success to date. He jumped good in the World Cup qualifier in Toronto last winter, and that's why I decided to give it a chance and take him to Fort Worth. Every round there, he improved and felt more confident. Cody is super intelligent and always very careful.”

“Going to the World Cup Final for the first time was definitely very exciting. Luckily, we had German riders like Richie Vogel and Daniel Deusser there who have done these kinds of shows before. It is always helpful when you have experienced people on your team, so you can talk about whatever doubts you might have. Since Cody is so green, I didn't want to risk too much; I wanted to give him confidence throughout the week.”

Rene owns Cody himself, and he has just acquired Corsica, who was previously owned by Mark Miness. “Most of the time I ride horses that I own myself, or I have them 50/50 with a breeder with a plan to develop them, bring them up in the sport, and then sell. It's not that I have one big owner; I honestly wish I had a bit more support,” Rene tells.

My biggest dream is winning the Grand Prix of Aachen 

“I have a good team of staff behind me,” Rene continues. “I have five people working with me and we currently have a group of twelve horses. My show groom Caroline Kagelmann has worked with me for a long time. She worked with me already when I was at Markus' and Meredith’s. Also having my parents at home supporting me helps, as it is a big challenge to manage everything between two continents. It is all about finding a balance between running a good business by selling horses and training riders, while also being competitive in the sport.”

“My biggest dream is winning the Grand Prix of Aachen and representing Germany at major championships,” Rene says about the future. “When it comes to the World Championships in Aachen this year, I think there's quite a few people that are before me on the list to go there. I'm going to do my best and see where it takes us.”

19.5.2026 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.