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Winners in focus: Hans-Dieter Dreher and Vestmalle des Cotis

Tuesday, 21 January 2025
Interview

Photo © Jenny Abrahamsson/WoSJ. At the end of last year, Vestmalle des Cotis and Hans-Dieter Dreher went on a winning streak that started with the CSI5*-W 1.50m speed and handiness competition in Stuttgart. All photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.

 

Text © World of Showjumping

 


 

“He has always been a winner, but the last three to four months have been unbelievable,” Hans-Dieter Dreher tells World of Showjumping about Vestmalle des Cotis (Baloubet du Rouet x Landor S, bred by Rudy and Christine Cock). The 16-year-old gelding is proving that age is just a number; at the end of last year he went on a winning streak that started with the CSI5*-W 1.50m speed and handiness competition in Stuttgart (GER), before continuing on to Madrid (ESP) where he topped a CSI5*-W 1.50m, then moving on to La Coruńa (ESP) where he recorded two victories which included the CSI5*-W 1.60m Longines Grand Prix, and then capped off the year with a win in the CSI5*-W 1.60m Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ in Mechelen (BEL).

“About four and a half years ago, I was looking for a horse that could jump the 1.60m classes and I called Gian-Battista Lutta who is a friend of mine and a big horse dealer in Switzerland,” Dreher tells when asked how he discovered the chestnut gelding. “He told me he had a horse I should come and try, so I went. I got on Vestmalle and he was really special; not easy to ride at all. I made some small jumps and asked Gian-Battista if he had understood what I was looking for; a horse for big classes, not one like Vestmalle. Gian-Battista insisted that he was the right horse, and asked me to work a little bit with him and jump a bit bigger. I rode him for about one hour – and I was sweating. After some time, I jumped a bit higher and eventually had a really good feeling so we agreed that I would continue working with him at home.” 

Photo © Jenny Abrahamsson/WoSJ. "Considering how Vestmalle has been going, I think I have two horses that lead my string at the moment,” Dreher says.

“After one show with some smaller classes I took Vestmalle to a two-star in Italy, and he jumped very good,” Dreher tells about what followed. “He was really special to ride though, and extremely sensitive. Nevertheless, he placed third in our first Grand Prix so it started to go well relatively quickly. When showing, he changes a lot – when he goes in the ring, he is really focused, and he has a lot of scope. He has scope you can only feel in the ring, not at home or in the warm-up.”

“I have really good horse owners, Simone and Peter Aregger – all the horses that I ride are from them,” Dreher, who was born to an equestrian family and started to ride at the age of six, tells about his support team. “I wanted to be a professional rider all my life, even though my father wanted me to become a vet. I left to France when I was twenty and worked there for three years for Pierre Baldeck, before moving to Hans Brändlin’s Gestüt Grenzland where I am still based. For the past five years, I have been riding exclusively for Simone and Peter. They have become very close friends; we have a great connection.”

“I always have around eight to ten horses and it’s like for everyone; we have to always be on the lookout for the next super-star,” Dreher tells. “At the moment, I have two very promising young horses, one that is seven and one that eight-years old.”

Photo © Jenny Abrahamsson/WoSJ. "He has always been a winner, but the last three to four months have been unbelievable,” Dreher says.

Dreher – currently ranked 41st on the Longines Rankings – has been based in Germany, only 10 minutes from Basel, Switzerland, for the past 30 years and the fact that this year’s FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final is held so close to home has added another layer of excitement for the German. Currently second on Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Western European League overall standings, Dreher has picked up points in six legs and is well on his way towards what would be his fourth FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final. Last year, Dreher and Elysium finished fifth – the German rider's personal best at the finals – and this time around, the 52-year-old has his eyes set on a podium finish.

“My first horse is normally Elysium, he is a bit easier to ride, but considering how Vestmalle has been going I think I have two horses that lead my string at the moment,” Dreher explains. “So, while my first choice for the final was Elysium, I'm not really sure anymore. However, we still have some time so we will see what happens over the next months. Last year, I had very good finals and Elysium jumped great. However, I didn't ride so well and had two down in the last round, and I would like to do better this time around. My goal is to be on the podium. For sure it is an extra motivation that the finals are so close to home. I am very motivated; I want to do my best.”

 

 

21.1.2025 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. 



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