Jessica von Bredow-Werndl

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (born 16 February 1986 in Rosenheim) is a German Olympic dressage rider.

Von Bredow-Werndl has qualified for the 2014 Dressage World Cup Final in Lyon after finishing fourth in the Western European League rankings. She won the Western European League qualifying stage in Gothenburg during the 2013/2014 season. At the finals held in Lyon's expo center she finished seventh.

Von Bredow-Werndl also competed at the following World Cup finals in 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This time she finished third, getting a podium, scoring above 80%. Von Bredow-Werndl successfully defended her third-place finish at the next edition of the World Cup Final in 2016.

She was selected to be a part of the German team at the 2015 European Dressage Championships where she won a bronze medal in the team competition and finished seventh in the freestyle competition.

Jessica became the individual Olympic Champion during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with her mare Dalera, scoring 91.732% in the individual freestyle. She also earned the gold team medal with Isabell Werth and Dorothee Schneider.

Biography

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl had her first riding lesson when she was four and that was the spark she needed to ignite her lifelong passion. At that time her brother Benjamin was 6. He also had been hooked into the riding experience and to this day, they would rather stay in the stables with the horses than anywhere in the world.

Von Bredow-Werndl received her first horse at the age of seven. The horse her parents gave her was called Little Girl, a Lewitzer pony. For Jessica this horse was much more interesting than all the Barbies in the world. To help with her and Benjamin's desire, to learn riding, there was always Paul Elzenbaumer, their first trainer. From 1995 to 2007, Stephan Münch helped them proceed from E level to Grand Prix. For von Bredow-Werndl those eleven years were incredibly rich with learning, fun and excitement.

In 1998 and 1999 Von Bredow-Werndl and her new horse Nino the Champ qualified for the finals at the German Bundeschampion in Warendorf. That was the first time she felt what it meant to ride in a big championship. Most people would leave the championship nervous, but not Jessica. The feeling she had while performing made her want to compete even further. After she transitioned to riding larger horses, at the age of 15 she qualified for the top three straightway. This took place at the Preis der Besten in Waredorf; she competed with a horse named Nokturn. While at the second qualification for the European Championships, she was so nervous that she rode the wrong way twice; hence she finished twelfth. It was then she realised how important it is to have good mental focus. Since then she has regularly practiced mental training, breathing and concentration practices.

One year later in 2002, her dream to go to the European championships came true. Bonito and Duchess helped her achieve six gold and two silver medals in just three years. In that time she also managed to win three German national titles. In 2006 she had worked her way up to the Grand Prix level.

Jessica and Benjamin were dedicated to establish themselves at the Grand Prix level with the young horses that they trained themselves. In their journey, they were assisted in their training by Isabell Werth. In the five years that she assisted the siblings, she brought them together with Jonny Hilberath; they have been working with him since 2011. They also had the advantage of ongoing training sessions with Andreas Hausberger, one of the head riders of the Spanish riding school in Vienna.

For Von Bredow-Werndl, motivating young horses and supporting them in their development is a great source of joy. It is even more satisfying when the horses give something back and they find success together.

In 2012, Unee, a handsome black stallion owned by Beatrice Bürchler-Keller, came into Von Bredow-Werndl's life. They soon became a team and have developed significantly since their first success in regional tournaments. Since then, they have made their way onto the international scene and have begun to gain attention. Von Bredow-Werndl states that there is always room for improvement, and that she is excited to see how far she and her team can push themselves. She is also very grateful for what she has and that she can spend every day doing what she loves the most: living with horses, learning from them and having fun together. Source.

International championship results

Results
Year	Event	Horse	Score	Placing	Notes
2004	European Young Rider Championships	Bonito			Team
					Individual
2014	World Cup Final	Unee BB	77.768%	7th
2015	World Cup Final	Unee BB	80.464%
2015	European Championships	Unee BB	75.200%		Team
			74.790%	8th	Individual Special
			80.214%	7th	Individual Freestyle
2016	World Cup Final	Unee BB	80.464%
2018	World Cup Final	Unee BB	83.725%
2018	World Equestrian Games	TSF Dalera BB	76.677%		Team
			73.875%	16th	Individual Special
2019	European Championships	TSF Dalera BB	76.894%		Team
			78.541%	4th	Individual Special
			89.107%		Individual Freestyle
2021	Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games	Dalera	84.666%		Team
			91.732%		Individual Freestyle
2021	European Championships	Dalera	84.099%		Team
			84.271%		Individual Special
			91.021%		Individual Freestyle
2023	European Championships	Dalera	84.612		Team
			85.593%		Individual Special
			92.818%		Individual Freestyle