New ideas, big names – Frankfurt sets new standards

For the International Arena Horse Show Frankfurt, tournament director Matthias Rath has announced several new features this year: The indoor derby will become a real all-round event. The world’s best all-round rider has already announced his participation. The top 12 dressage final will once again be held in Frankfurt, this time under the name Dreame Top 12 Dressage Final and for the first time with team world champion and individual bronze medalist Katharina Hemmer. And for the tenth anniversary of the purple horse, the ambassador of the IFRF, the charity team around Ann Kathrin and Liselott Marie Linsenhoff has come up with exciting innovations.
 
Olympic champion Michael Jung is set to take to the starting line
The 2026 indoor multi-sport test from last year will be transformed into a real indoor multi-sport event on Friday evening: USG Indoor Multi-sport presented by Equistro. „The test is much more focused on versatility than in 2025; it will be significantly higher and more difficult, which is why we have now also included an international multi-sport course director for this.“ The course director is the German Pony Multi-sport coach, Rüdiger Rau, who has been responsible for the indoor courses at Stuttgart Multi-sport since 2002. On a large screen, the multi-sport expert explained in detail how he designed the course for the fair hall, how the gate is integrated, and how the obstacles in the training area are planned. Rau is pleased about another opportunity to present the versatile sport on a large festival hall stage and announced with great anticipation: „One rider has already confirmed his participation, and that rider is none other than the three-time Olympic champion Michael Jung – there is no better one.“
 
Winner of the Derby in the Opera House
As in the past year, Olaf Petersen Jr. designed the courses for the eight international dressage competitions: „We and, above all, the riders were incredibly happy with the courses,“ emphasizes Rath. „Both in Frankfurt and in Hamburg – we definitely want to maintain the cooperation.“
For the second time, Frederic Tillmann will take to the starting line; for the first time as the winner of the German Derby in Hamburg. „Getting into the Festhalle is like entering a large opera hall,“ explains the spring rider enthusiastically. He will bring two or three horses with him to Frankfurt. „I’ve had some injury problems with my horses, but I’ll definitely bring two with me. And my son has even offered to lend me his European champion for Frankfurt.“ His son Lennard has become the team European champion for juniors this year, so Veltiner, his Bayern horse, could be seen in the „Frankfurter Opernsaal“ under father Frederic. Of course, the Derby winner has a big goal: to perform as well as possible at the Grand Prix of Hesse on Sunday, presented by Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG. 
As in the past year, in 2026 the HR television will broadcast the Grand Prix live from 15:30 to 17:30, and all the tests will also be broadcast. ClipMyHorse.tv to be seen. 
 
The trigger moment
The DVAG final day begins with the 20th final of the Youth Horse Grand Prix, the Louisdor Prize, before the best riders in the world present themselves in the dressage of the Dream Top 12 Dressage Finals. ‘It’s just incredibly fun to compete against the best in the world,„ is pleased Katharina Hemmer. “Aachen has already given a good taste of this this year. There aren’t many tournaments where the world’s top riders get together like this. It’s something very special.„ She is aware that it could be a “pinch moment„ when she rides with top star Denoix PCH in the dressage. The music had made the sensitive fox a little too emotional in the past. “I like to let his music from A-ha play during the walk-over preparation, quite relaxed, and then we’ll go to one or two halls with a good music system to practice so that he can hopefully show his best in Frankfurt.„
 
Partnership and performance density
For the 35th time, the final of the NÜRNBERGER Burg Cup will be celebrated in Frankfurt on Saturday; never before has the level of competition been as high and intense as this year: All twelve finalists qualified with scores that are no more than 2.5 percentage points apart. „As a company, we stand for reliability and have built a tradition with the NÜRNBERGER Burg Cup over 35 years – horse racing has become part of our DNA,“ emphasizes André Omar Abu Insneineh (Head of Exclusive Sales, NÜRNBERGER Versicherung). „We also see horse racing as a business success for us, and that success is not driven by short-termism but by a partnership that has grown over decades and that we continue to build and develop.“
 
250,000 for the region
The International Fairgrounds Equestrian Tournament Frankfurt has been offering more than “just top-class horse sports” for many years. It is also about values, tradition and the idea of people who are not doing so well or who are facing special challenges. Since 2016, the Purple Horse has been the ambassador of the tournament’s charity initiatives. “Over the last ten years, we have been able to collect approximately 250,000 euros for the region here,“ summarizes Liselott Marie Linsenhoff, „and we naturally hope that the number will double again in the next ten years. Let’s see how we can arrange that. This year, the horse will be auctioned off for the first time via an American auction. We always say: Every euro counts! In line with this, every euro can make a difference and the Purple Horse follows the last bid home. In that sense, it can end up anywhere, even in a riding club, for example.“ In addition, for the first time this year, lilac colored anklets will be available at the stand of the Linsenhoff Foundation, whose proceeds will also benefit the selected charity projects. 

International FESTHALL RENTALS FRANCFORT
Tickets:  International Fairgrounds Equestrian Tournament Tickets
All information:  https://festhallenreitturnier-frankfurt.com
The 53rd International Equestrian Hall Tournament Frankfurt from December 16 to 20, 2026.