Title: Leonie Krull Achieves Double Victory at 2025 CDI Gössendorf in Austria

At her fourth international dressage competition in her life, German Leonie Krull made it a double victory in the big tour at the 2025 CDI Gössendorf in Austria on 25 – 27 April 2025. She also booked a victory in the national Grand Prix with former Canadian WEG team horse Sternenwanderer. The 19-year-old gelding continues his career as her schoolmaster.

The 2025 CDI Gössendorf took place at equestrian center Mühleck and boasted a full starters field across the levels.

Twice On Top

Krull and the 11-year-old home bred Rhinelander mare All We Need (by All at Once x Fidermark x Worldchamp) rode their third CDI as a pair and captured their first international trophies. They bested a field of 10 riders in the 3* Grand Prix with 69.783% and continued their winning ways in the Grand Prix Special with 69.808%, topping the board in a class with 8 riders.

"The feeling she gave me in the arena was just fantastic," Leonie told Eurodressage. "She was super focused, even though she’s very aware of everything happening around her. But once we’re in the test, she’s a real fighter and lovely. She has always been because I have known her at shows since she was a 4-year-old."

Leonie was surprised but thrilled to have won. "It is only our second international show at Grand Prix level and the first thing is to gain experience and find out how to present her as well as possible," she said. "After both rides, I had a very good feeling and felt really proud of her. When we left the arena, I knew we could have made it and she made me have the biggest smile on my face."

All We Need

The 27-year-old Krull is based in Meerbusch, Germany, and has been competing since 2008 when she was a 12-year-old pony rider. Her first competitions were on Caracci (by Camparo x Trefaes Cream Boy) and in 2013 she moved onto horses with Pandor (by Elcaro x Damiro). Mare Leia (by Lebenskunstler x Fidermark) took her to S-level, first in the small tour and as of 2017 at Grand Prix level. The mare retired from sport in 2018.

As of 2019, she began competing the young mare All We Need, who is bred by her mom Silke Nicolaus-Krull. The combination competed at local shows in Rhineland under the supervision of trainer Heiner Schiergen. In 2021 they rode their first S-level test and their international show debut was in October 2021 in Troisdorf in the 7-year-old division. In 2023, the pair rode in the Developing Grand Prix horse classes in Ankum, Kerken, Wiesbaden, Langenfeld, and Hamminkeln.

A Small Detour

In December 2023, Krull sent All We Need to Australian team rider Simone Pearce in the South of Germany to further establish the horse at Grand Prix level and potentially as Pearce’s Paris Olympic hopeful. Pearce showed her at CDI’s in Stadl Paura, Saomin, Mannheim, St. Margarethen, Jardy, and Aachen, but ended up choosing Destano as her Paris team ride.

While All We Need was with Simone, Leonie continued her show career aboard the home-bred Leomax, a 9-year-old Hanoverian by Lissaro van de Helle x Sir Donnerhall, which she debuted internationally in February 2024 in Le Mans and won the Amateur Prix St Georges and Inter I with. After Le Mans, the ride on Leomax was handed to Charlotte Schindler.

Leonie reunited with All We Need in the summer of 2024 and under the supervision of her life partner and second trainer, Dieter Laugks, returned to the arena with the mare in August 2024 at the local show in Holzkirchen-Thann, followed by national starts at Pinneberg, Guxhagen, Gut Ising, and Stadl Paura.

"It was planned from the start that Ally would come back to me after the Olympic Games at the latest," Leonie explained. "When Ally and I did well at the Louisdor Cup qualifications, Simone saw her on my profile and was very interested in her. Since then, we’ve always been in good contact and get on well. I had a broken foot at the beginning of 2024, so I couldn’t ride her myself, and that’s when we decided to work together with Simone for a certain time. Ally was on the longlist for the Australian team for Paris. It was such a great experience to be part of that season, to watch, learn, and just soak it all in. We are still in touch regularly and I’m thankful for her work with Ally."

Professor Sternie

Her relationship with former international Grand Prix rider Dieter Laugks (59) also opened the door to her riding Dieter’s Sternenwanderer, a 19-year-old Rhinelander gelding by Lord Loxley I x Ragazzo. He was previously competed by Canadian Ryan Torkelli who took him to the 2022 World Championships in Herning on Team Canada. The combination ended when Torkelli decided to move to a new stable in the South of Germany in August 2024.

With Sternenwanderer in Gössendorf, Krull debuted "Sterni" in competition and rode him in the national Grand Prix test. She won the class of two riders on a score of 67.533% ahead of Ulrike Prunthaller on Topmodel (by All Inclusive).

"Professor Sternie will tell when the time comes for him to bid adieu to sport," said Leonie. "There is not a fixed plan. It’s more about keeping him in top shape and seeing where the journey takes us, before Sternie is prepared to retire completely. Dieter trained Sternie brilliantly and knows him like no one else. I’m so thankful to both of them — I’m learning so much about fine-tuned international Grand Prix riding through this partnership."

From The Nursery to Grand Prix

Leonie splits her time between Krefeld, where the younger horses are in training with Heiner Schiergen – her coach of 20 years – and Munich with Laugks, where her competition horses are.

"I was just a kid when my mom first came to Heiner’s stable with Ally’s older sister, so I started there with my dressage pony tour and stayed through the levels. Heiner is such an experienced trainer and we developed Ally to GP level together," she said.

Leonie is now also competing All We Need’s half brother, the home bred 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding Scotty (by Sunday x Fidermark).

"We have a few siblings from the same line and I am very happy with them," said Leonie. "They all have a different character, but they all have talent and are wonderful to ride. So far we have mainly bred for ourselves – to ride and to have fun. I still remember the day Ally was born. I fell in love with her immediately."

Dual Coach

The dual coach system works well for Leonie, relying on her long-term collaboration with Schiergen while Laugks fine-tunes her skills at Grand Prix level.

"With Dieter I feel unbelievably lucky to have such an experienced international trainer to help refine the details of Grand Prix riding. It works well even if we are in a relationship," she said with a wink. "He has also a top feeling for my special mare. I truly enjoy working with both Heiner and Dieter — they’re both amazing and after every test we analyze together."

Schiergen continues to be actively involved in producing the youngsters.

"We have more promising young horses in training with Heiner, and I’m incredibly grateful for his help in developing them toward Grand Prix. I honestly owe him so much — and also my lovely mom, who is not only the breeder and owner but also the trainer behind the scenes. I can rely on them 100% always."

Officially, Leonie is an amateur dressage rider with a full-time job as a founder and authorized signatory in a company focused on real estate development and sales. She has big aspirations in the sport though.

"One day, I’d love to ride at the really big international shows. Fingers crossed and I keep working," she said. "Let’s see what the future holds — I love both real estate and horses. I can imagine doing riding professionally one day, too."