January 24, 2025 
Twenty three-year-old German rider Felicitas Hendricks and Drombusch OLD are out to best themselves at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival this year.
After finishing out last year as the top rider of the season, Hendricks has already won the FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle during opening week, and won again during week three at the FEI World Cup Grand Prix on Thursday.
Hendricks and the 14-year-old Drombusch OLD (Destano x Dimaggio) produced a 72.457% test—with a high score of 73.696% from Dutch judge Monique Peutz-Vegter, to come out on top. It was the exact same score that the pair managed one year ago—and a personal best—to win the World Cup Grand Prix in 2024.
“We kept Drombusch nice and warm before I got on and I wanted to give him his time to really warm up in this cold, to get his muscles to loosen up a bit,” Hendricks said.
The chilly weather with highs in the 50s and gusty winds made for an uncharacteristically cold third week of competition at the ADGF. “I already knew getting on that he might need a couple of minutes longer than he usually does.”
“Drombusch is a good boy all through the test and showed some great work,” continued Hendricks. “He did great canter half-passes, but I made a little mistake where I was a bit quick and he had a small trip, but I was very happy with him overall. I knew I’d have very good competition here in Wellington so I would never come here and take a win for granted—you have to work for every single one of those. I get equally excited about every good test.”
American rider Anna Marek placed second with a score of 71.239% riding her 2023 Pan American Games team gold medal mount, the 15-year-old gelding Fire Fly (by Briar Junior). Third went to American rider Kevin Kohmann on the 16-year-old Dünensee with 70.37%.
“I’m lucky enough to have a horse that’s consistent in everything; in the way he thinks and in his way of going,” Hendricks said of her partner, whom she has ridden for the last three years after taking over the ride from her uncle and trainer Christoph Koschel. “He proves over and over again how consistent he is, and he knows exactly when it’s showtime because then he’s extra good and says, ‘Let’s go!’”
Hendricks rode her first senior CDI grand prix at AGDF in 2023 and has racked up impressive results ever since, including winning team and individual gold medals at the 2023 European Under-25 Championships. With Drombusch OLD, she has won seven out of eight senior starts at the 2024 AGDF.
“I used to get very nervous in a negative way,” Hendricks said. “I’ve been working with a great mental coach that has helped me get out of this way of thinking and be very positive and excited about competing. I don’t look up the other competitors days ahead of the show because I don’t want to get in my head about it too much. I just know I have to do my best with my horse, and I know he’s going to do his best for me, and that’s all that matters.”
Hendricks is now eyeing a spot on the German Nations Cup team in AGDF Week 7 and and making an appearance in the CDI5*.
This year’s AGDF features seven weeks of CDI competition and runs through March 30.
Stay tuned for more coverage from Wellington this season at horsenetwork.com.
