The dream couple of German equestrian sport is going their separate ways at the start of the home World Cup year. European champion Richard Vogel rides for many weeks in a million-dollar series in the USA, and his girlfriend Sophie Hinners competes in no less lucrative tournaments in the Middle East. The two show jumpers will rarely be seen in Germany in the coming months – and that also applies to the other candidates for the World Championships in Aachen.
“If you want to progress, you have to travel,” says Otto Becker, national show jumping coach. “The tournaments are worldwide. There are a lot of offers, which is good.” When it comes to missions abroad, it is even more important to plan sensibly.
Like Olympic champion Christian Kukuk, Vogel rides in sunny Florida for several months and jets back and forth between Europe and the USA. A series of tournaments in Wellington offers record prize money of $16 million. And both riders also make a trip to Ocala, about 400 kilometers away, where there is a total of eleven million dollars to be earned. There is nothing like that in Germany.
Vogel’s partner Hinners has been running in the United Arab Emirates since Boxing Day. Like the World Championship candidates Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann, last year’s European Championship rider is also planning to compete in Qatar. In Doha alone, the calendar of the world association FEI notes nine tournaments at the highest prize money level with five stars in the first three months of the new year. For comparison: In the whole of 2026 there will only be five such five-star tournaments in Germany – fewer than ever before.
“Unfortunately there are fewer and fewer tournaments in Germany”
The death of tournaments has continued mercilessly in this country. Highly endowed events such as those in Bremen, Hanover, Kiel, Munich or Berlin have long been history. The strong middle division with Braunschweig, Offenburg, Oldenburg, Spangenberg and Donaueschingen no longer exists either.
“Unfortunately there are fewer and fewer tournaments in Germany,” says the national coach. “The riders used to come here to take part in the Riders Tour.” But the series, once created by Paul Schockemöhle, was discontinued two years ago for economic reasons.
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This year, the German Equestrian Association is also experiencing the embarrassment of not having a Nations Cup at five-star level. Because of the World Championships in Aachen, the traditional competition for national teams, which is normally part of the CHIO program, is canceled this year. The replacement location was the Mannheim tournament – but that gave the contract back for financial reasons and only offers a smaller three-star Nations Cup.
“Due to the short preparation time and the current economically challenging conditions,” it was not possible to find a suitable tournament, says Dennis Peiler, chairman of the association’s board. “A five-star Nations Cup usually requires long-term, stable partnerships between organizers and sponsors.”
“The top riders go where there is the most prize money”
The decline in tournaments that has been observed for years has accelerated due to the Corona phase, says Volker Wulff, Germany’s largest tournament organizer for many years. “Covid has hit us hard.” The basic rule is: “Events in Germany are very expensive”, and the cost increases since 2020 have been up to one hundred percent in some areas. And due to the economic situation there are fewer sponsors.
“The top riders go where there is the most prize money,” says tournament organizer Wulff, “that’s what they have to do, that’s their job, that’s how they live.” In addition, horse trading, which is an important source of business for many riders, is more lucrative in the USA and the Middle East.
The death of the tournament in this country also has consequences for the national coach. “I have never been on the move as much as I have in the last two years,” says Becker. If he wants to see the top riders with their top horses live and not just in the video, he also has to fly far.
