Detailed Biography on Jürgen Hoffmann

Jürgen Hoffmann's Detailed Biography

Jürgen and Endor

Reitlehrer FN and Licensed Judge

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, and has continued his successful partnership here: Jürgen and Endor 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.) Jürgen agreed to let Jennifer ride Endor for 2002 to enable her to show at I-2 and Grand Prix (her FEI horses weren't quite ready), and has busied himself with coaching Jennifer and their students since that time, as well as riding the horses they have in training.

Successful Coach and Rider Through Grand Prix, Including International Competition

Last minute coaching before a test.

Jürgen's students have been equally successful. In 2001, Barbara Church brought her horse, Einhardt, out of retirement under Jürgen's instruction and showed him in Los Angeles at the Cool August Nights Show, where they were named Prix St. Georges Champions in the Adult Amateur division. In 2002, students Jan Dickieson, Angela Paltram and Sue Boulware debuted at Prix St. Georges, and students Linda Barone, DVM and Susan Walker debuted at First Level. Dr. Barone received either 1st or 2nd in every class she rode in and the pair received Horse-of-the-Year honors with the Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar in the USDF All-Breeds Awards. Susan Walker was 1st Level 14 and Under Reserve Champion at the 2002 CDS Junior Championships, and 3rd in the CDS Adult Amateur Division at the State Championships; she and Kalibre also received the KWPN Perpetual Trophy for the Highest Score at the State Championships. Jürgen began sharing coaching/mentoring responsibilities for 13 year-old Susan with Jennifer in 2003. Susan and Kalibre had a tremendously successful 2003, winning the CDS Southern Junior Championships at 2nd Level, and also USDF Junior/YR Horse-of-the-Year and NAWPN OPEN Division Horse-of-the-Year honors at Second Level. Finally, Jan Dickieson, who began working with Jürgen while he was in Germany and who continues to clinic with him, won her very first Prix St. Georges with a score of 65% in 2002, and qualified for her USDF Silver Medal in 2003! (Jürgen is also proud to have found and imported the horses ridden by Jan Dickieson, Linda Barone and Susan Walker, including Susan's most recent mount, Facet. See our Satisfied Clients page for a more complete list of imported horses).

Susan and Facet in the USEF Junior Dressage Championships Award Ceremony

In 2004, Susan began riding her mother's stallion, Facet. A superb team, they were undefeated at 3rd and 4th Level, and in the FEI Junior Tests, receiving High Point Awards at every show--resulting in an invitation to compete at the USOC-sanctioned USEF Junior Dressage Team Championships. One of the youngest competitors, and the only competitor mounted on a stallion, Susan and Facet were one of twelve horse/rider combinations that were placed onto teams in a handicapping format, and as a result of strong performances on her part and those of her teammates, she brought home Team Gold and Individual Bronze Medals. Susan attributes her success to Jürgen and Jennifer's patient and consistent coaching (particularly at the championships, where the pressure was greater than any she had previously experienced), and is now schooling with an eye towards Prix St. Georges and beyond at home. Susan has been training with the Hoffmanns since she began riding dressage at Training Level.

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.

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

Running Herzberg's Premium 2004 colt, Harmony (Rubicell x Landfalk), bred by Bob and Lynn DeGour, at the German Oldenburg Keuring.

He opened his own dressage stable in 1991, which he ran together with his wife 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 2004 foal crop 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, and together they have advanced a large number of their own, and those of their clients, to the FEI levels. They are proud of their achievements of a team, and of the fact that they can seamlessly work together to advance the training of the horses, both from the ground and in the saddle.

In addition to training, coaching and finding/importing horses, Jürgen has also been standing his stallions here in the United States.