Jürgen Hoffmann

Reitlehrer FN and Licensed Judge

Jürgen gives Jennifer last minute instructions before a test.

Jürgen Hoffmann brings considerable knowledge and expertise to the American dressage scene. He is a Reitlehrer FN (Pferdewirtschaftsmeister) and licensed judge in Germany, and has brought many horses from the lower levels up to Grand Prix, both as a coach and as a rider. In addition, both he and his wife Jennifer , whom he also coaches, have been very successful in the show arena. Jürgen was named "Most Successful Foreign Rider" at the July 2000 Luxembourg International Horse Show on his Hanoverian gelding Endor (now owned and shown successfully by his student Susan Walker in the Young Rider division). Jürgen and Endor continued their successful successful partnership in the United States, and were virtually undefeated in 2001 at I-1, I-2 and Grand Prix, qualifying Jürgen for a USDF Gold Medal and for the State Championships, where he finished 5th. (As a foreign citizen, Jürgen was not eligible for USDF/ABIC competition). Jennifer took over the ride on Endor for the 2002 season, since she had come to the United States without an FEI horse and her new horses weren't quite yet ready, enabling her to show at I-2 and Grand Prix. He has since busied himself coaching Jennifer and their students, teaching clinics, working with other professionals, and riding the horses they have in training.

Successful Coach and Rider Through Grand Prix, Including International Competition

Jürgen's students have also done well in the show ring. He and Jennifer have coached their most successful student, 16 year-old Susan Walker, since she was an 11 year-old training level rider. Under their tutelage, Susan has won accolades at every level: First Level Reserve Champion at the CDS Junior Championships and 3rd in the CDS Adult Amateur Division at the State Championships with Kalibre, Second Level Champion at the CDS Junior Championships and USDF Jr/YR Horse-of-the-Year and NAWPN Open Division Horse-of-the-Year honors at Second Level with Kalibre, 4th USDF Jr/YR Horse-of-the-Year at Third Level with Facet, Gold Medal Team and 3rd Individually at USEF FEI Junior Dressage Team Championships with Facet in 2004, Selected for USEF FEI Junior Dressage Team Championships and to represent USDF Region 7 at the North American Junior Championships with Kalibre in 2006; First Alternate for USDF Region 7 for the North American Young Rider's with Prix St. George scores consistently 65%+ on Endor. Susan has also had High Point Awards and is currently leading the Jr/YR standings with the USDF at Third Level on her newest horse, Farinelli.

Susan is not, however, their only successful student. At a recent show, students Juliana Newell, Gay Walker, Larry Campbell, Jan Dickieson, Sara Hunt and Emma Rose Ransom swept the ribbons at the lower levels, as well as the High Point Awards, and many of Jürgen's students and clients are enjoying show ring success on horses that Jürgen has found for them. See Satisfied Clients for a partial list of horses/riders. Jürgen also provides coaching assistance to clients that come in for weeks to months before important shows, and is proud to list professionals Jennifer Schrader and Allison Dechant amongst his clients.

Trained with the Masters: Jean Bemelmans, Norbert Koof, Georg Prause, Robert Schmidke

Jürgen himself learned from the very best. After training with Reitmeister Jean Bemelmans, former German Champion and now trainer of the Spanish Dressage Team, Jürgen passed his Bereiter test at Warendorf in February 1982, and was #2 in his class. Subsequently, he was employed as a Bereiter by Norbert Koof, World-Champion Show Jumping Rider at Dublin in 1982. Under Mr. Koof, Jürgen showed horses in jumping at S level, and dressage from First Level to Prix St. Georges

Jürgen competes with Endor

From there, he moved to Eberwein Stable in Frankfurt where he worked with Reitlehrer Georg Prause, former trainer of the Japanese Dressage Team, and then on to Siebenlinden Dressage Stable in Krefeld, where he was Bereiter and Manager for the facility with duties including riding, teaching, breeding and marketing. In the 6 years he spent at Siebenlinden, Jürgen trained with Reitmeister Robert Schmidke, who also trained Olympic and Grand Prix riders Margit Otto-Crepin and Josef Neckermann. In 1987, he became one of the youngest to successfully pass 12 weeks of Reitlehrer testing at the German Riding Schools in Münster and Warendorf.

Successful Breeder

He opened his own dressage stable in 1991, which he ran until moving to the United States in January 2001. There, he and Jennifer prepared young stallions for 100-Day Testing and keuring, trained, showed and managed stallions for other studfarms, stood their own stallions, and bred outstanding crops of foals (all premium!). His "premium" success continues in the United States with Pik's Pride's 2002 foal crop ALL receiving Gold Medal Premiums from the Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar Pferdezuchterverband! Herzberg is having "premium success," too, with his foal crops receiving Premiums from both the German Oldenburg and the Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar Verbands and high praise for having received Daddy's movement, as well.

At home, Jurgen actively works together with Jennifer to ride and train their own horses. Together, they have advanced a large number of horses (both their own and belonging to clients) to the FEI levels, and are proud of what they've achieved by working as a team to advance the training of the horses, both from the ground and in the saddle.

Jürgen and Jennifer with Susan and Facet at the 2004 USEF FEI Junior Dressage Team Championships

Jennifer Hoffmann

Trained with Klaus Balkenhol and Jean Bemelmans;
Became the First American Bereiter FN

Jennifer and Georgia Griffiths' Petit Danseur at the 2004 Selection Selection Trials/Festival of Champions in San Juan Capistrano. Jennifer and Petit Danseur finished 8th in the PSG/Int-1 Championships.

Jennifer Hoffmann (née Dymek) was a 16 year-old long-listed for the United States Young Riders’ Eventing Team when she left Riverside, CA for Germany in 1990 to work on her dressage skills with trainer Jürgen Hoffmann, whom she married in 1999. Her 6-month trip stretched to 11 years, however, and included study with Klaus Balkenhol and Jean Bemelmans. As a result, Jennifer was able to successfully train many horses to and compete at Grand Prix at the international level, and to become the first American to become a licensed Bereiter with the German Federation (a feat she achieved in 1996). In addition, Jennifer holds a Class 2 German riding license. (Riders start at Class 6, and work their way up through successful placings at the FEI level; Olympic level is Class 1.)

Earned Her International-Level Rider' License

Jennifer and Mardi Gras compete at the Del Mar CDI***

Less than 2 1/2 months after her return to the United States, Jennifer, coached by Jürgen, competed in the 2001 Del Mar National Horse Show in the FEI Young Horse Division, and in the CDI. She and her young Oldenburg stallion, Pik’s Pride, were the FEI 5 Year-Old Young Horse Champions, and with Gay Walker’s 13 year-old Hannoverian gelding, Mardi Gras, she finished a respectable 8th overall in the PSG/Intermediare I of the CDI. The latter achievement was all the more remarkable in that Mardi Gras was sold as a schoolmaster after failing to compete successfully beyond Prix St. Georges in Europe, and that Jennifer had been riding him for less than 2 months prior to the show. Through an immediate bond, and correct training, Jennifer and Mardi Gras not only were ready for Del Mar, but went on to finish the season ranked 13th by the USET. Unfortunately, Mardi had to be put down in late 2001 due to an incurable illness.

Year-End Awards at All Levels; Brought Horses to FEI Herself

Jennifer and her 1996 Oldenburg Stallion, Pik's Pride

Jennifer returned to the show ring in 2002 with 2 new horses that she brought to the FEI level herself —Dutch geldings, Lokarde and Leopold. She was also showing Jürgen’s horse, Endor, at I-2 and Grand Prix, and her 6 year-old stallion, Pik's Pride, in Young Horse classes and at 3rd Level. Jennifer and Endor were USDF Region 7 Champions at I-2, 10th Overall in the United States at I-2, and received Horse-of-the-Year honors with the American Hanoverian Society, while Jennifer and Pik were 8th Overall at 3rd Level with the USDF, and received Horse-of-the-Year honors with both the Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar and German Oldenburg Verbands.

Awards With Pik's Pride and Herzberg Both in the Dressage Arena and with the Breed Society

Jennifer found Pik's Pride at a breeder's yard in a pasture with 30 other young stallions when he was only 2. It was love at first sight, and Jürgen had no choice but to figure out how they could purchase him. Jennifer, with Jürgen's help, has done all of Pik's training herself, and together they are reaping the rewards--including Gold Medal Premiums on Pik's entire 2002 foal crop, and High Point Awards at every show since Pik's return to competition in 2004, initially at 4th Level and by mid-summer at Prix St. Georges, after he was sidelined in 2003 by a dental abscess. Pik was Reserve Champion Horse-of-the-Year with USDF in 2004 at Fourth Level, and winner of both the Prix St. Georges Perpetual Trophy at the Pebble Beach CDI*** and the FEI Level High Point at the Cool August Nights Dressage Show.

Jennifer and Herzberg in the Equidome at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, winning at Grand Prix.

Jennifer competed at the 2004 USET Selection Trials/Festival of Champions at PSG/Int-1 with Georgia Griffiths' Petit Danseur, placing 8th overall, with a 5th in the Musical Freestyle, and narrowly missed qualifying with her very own Herzberg, ranking 13th in the United States after the qualifiers. She and Herzberg went on, however, to sweep the Pebble Beach CDI***, winning the Prix St. Georges, Intermediiare-1 and Intermediaire Freestyle, and also bringing home the CDI*** High Point Perpetual Trophy. Jennifer and Herzberg moved up to Grand Prix for 2005, and competed quite successfully at that level, earning their first World Cup points.

Jennifer and G2 Rondo

A fourth horse, Rondo, has become an unexpected pleasure. Jennifer has had him in training since he was a 5 year-old, purchased by Gay Walker as a prospect. Ms. Walker made it possible for Jennifer to buy the horse when it became evident that he would flourish under no other rider, and his talent was so exceptional that the two of them belonged together. Jennifer competed him last year at Fourth Level to Horse-of-the-Year honors with the USDF and a 72% median score, and with the sponsorship of Georgia Griffiths and G2 Software Systems, is campaigning him at Prix St. Georges this year. Jennifer can take especial pride in that she brought all four horses to the FEI Level herself, with Jürgen's coaching and assistance.

Coach/Mentor to Junior Rider

In addition to Jennifer's ever-growing list of personal successes, Jennifer has shared coaching/mentoring responsibilities with Jürgen for Junior Rider Susan Walker who's list of achievements has also been growing. In 2003, as a 13 year-old, she was the CDS Southern Junior Champion at Second Level with her gelding Kalibre, and also received USDF Junior/YR Horse-of-the-Year and NAWPN Open Division Horse-of-the-Year honors at Second Level. In 2004, she began riding her mother's stallion, Facet. They were undefeated at 3rd and 4th Level and in the FEI Junior Tests during regular season competition and secured an invitation to compete at the USOC-sanctioned USEF FEI Junior Dressage Team Championships. Susan was one of the youngest competitors and the only competitor mounted on a stallion, yet as a result of strong performances on her part and those of her teammates, she brought home Team Gold and Individual Bronze Medals. The following year, Susan returned to the show ring with Endor, and and ranked 6th nationally at 4th Level, and in 2006, she competed on 3 mounts: Endor, Kalibre and a new horse, a youngster named Farinelli. Susan rode her first Prix St. Georges with Endor, and scored consistently above 65%, and was First Alternate for the Region 7 Young Rider Team in her first year of eligibility. She and her long time partner Kalibre competed in the FEI Junior Division, and qualified for the USEF FEI Junior Dressage Team Championships and to represent USDF Region 7 in the inaugural North American Junior Championships, an international competition held in conjunction with the North American Young Rider Championships in Lexington, VA August 1 - 6, 2006. Finally, she and Farinelli competed at 3rd Level, frequently posting scores in the mid-70's and bringing home High Point Awards. Susan has been riding with the Hoffmanns since she began riding dressage at Training Level.

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More information on the Hoffmanns and German Dressage is available at http://www.germandressage.com