On 5 March 2025, the renowned German dressage rider, trainer and German assistant team trainer Jonny Hilberath passed away after a short illness. He was 69 years old.

Jonny Hilberath at the 2013 CDIO Aachen (Photo: © Astrid Appels)

Horses From the Start

Born on 26 June 1955, Jonny Hilberath grew up around horses on a working farm in Kellinghusen in Schleswig-Holstein.

His life with horses began by grooming, mucking out and cooling down horses and in his teenage years he rode in all three Olympic disciplines – dressage, show jumping and eventing – as was standard and encouraged by the local and regional riding club system, which fostered all-round horsemanship.
Rosemarie Springer

Turning Point

The turning point in his career came after he met German equestrian legend Rosemarie Springer, who took him under her wings.

As a teenager he initially rode once a week in a lesson with Springer but then decided to go professional after he was asked to ride a few horses for another rider at Springer’s yard who had gone on holiday. This rider never returned home as he met a woman on vacation and Jonny got the job instead. He did his four-year ‘Bereiter’ internship with Springer in the 1970s.

Through Springer he also met Willi Schultheis with whom he rode a few times. Jonny then further honed his skills with Herbert Rehbein.

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