Alexandra Vodermair and Exact, the 2025 DJWTS Young Dressage Horse Champion of Champions. Image by Equisoul Photography.
Alex Vodermair and her dressage star Exact caught everyone’s attention at Dressage & Jumping with the Stars this year. The six-year-old gelding was a stand-out in winning the coveted Young Dressage Horse Champion of Champions title – and Alex is now excited to return to Germany and see where their dressage journey takes them.
Alexandra Vodermair was born in the south of Germany near Munich where she and her twin sister grew up on a farm, their mother being a businesswoman and hairdresser and their father a farmer. Their mother rode for pleasure but never rode competitively, while her father wasn’t a rider but went on to become a successful breeder.
Alex Vodermair and her sister, Andrea, with Professor Dumbledore, who was bred by her father and is out of Alex’s original grey Warmblood mare. Alex’s sister Andrea rode him in five- and six-year-old classes at the Bundeschampionat and up to Small Tour; he is now retired.
There was no question that both young girls loved horses; Alex always loved dressage the most, even though she also did some show jumping. When Alex was 14, she acquired her first Warmblood mare by Matador II out of a Hill Hawk mare. She was a very beautiful grey mare and was an Elite Premium mare. Unfortunately, early in her career she had an injury that rendered her not rideable, but she produced many beautiful foals for the family.
Alex explains that even though her father, Hermann Vodermair, was never interested in riding, he took a keen interest in the horses and actually became very good at breeding dressage Warmbloods. In fact, he bred a horse (Fuerst Ferdinand Zur Fersanenhohe) which made the shortlist (A Squad) for Austria for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the shortlist for Austria at the 2022 World Equestrian Games in Herning, ridden and owned by Renate Vogelsang.
Alex’s family became very friendly with the stud Zuchthof Wadenspanner over the last 25 years. “All of our home-bred horses were bred by their stallions,” says Alex. “The last mare my dad bred is now with my sister and she has already produced some pretty good foals.”
“There was no question that
both young girls loved horses.”
Alex’s sister, Andrea Petit, has since married and has a beautiful equestrian property that is becoming very popular for shows and competitions. “Andrea has been very successful with some of our family-bred horses and also went a couple of times to the Bundeschampionate (German national championships for young horse),” explains Alex. “She and her husband Arnaud Petit’s property is in the southwest of Munich, on the beautiful lake Starnberg. They have been running competitions now for a couple of years including show nights and masterclasses with people like Dorothee Schneider and this year they have Isabell Werth coming, which is very exciting. They also had last year the first time the South German DSP Foal Auction, which was a great success.
Alex’s father’s current farm in Germany.
“My dad is still running his own training and agistment property about 40 minutes from my sister’s, with 100 stables. It’s a huge set-up with great facilities that he designed and developed himself 20 years ago.”
INSPIRING FATHER
“It’s inspirational to hear of such a man,” continues Alex. “Fifteen years ago, he went out to a luncheon appointment and on returning in a light plane was involved in a serious crash. He was only given a five per cent chance of surviving. Twenty-five surgeries later with a long recovery road, he has survived. He has ever since been paraplegic and in a wheelchair. He converted all the farm vehicles, tractors etc, so he could still use them all and get on with life and his daily tasks. Nothing seems to stop him, he does everything possible and is always out working and helping grading arenas, driving tractors, doing his farm work. It keeps him fit and he loves it.”
When Alex finished her school days, she was very much encouraged into going to have a “proper” education. “My parents said I can always do the horses later but to have another profession to go back to in case horses wouldn’t work out; that was important to them.” Her mother, Gudrun Heartling, a successful hairdresser with three salons and 50 employees, encouraged her to be part of her business and Alex followed in her footsteps. Alex did a lot of media work for that business. She also did a hairdressing degree and make-up degree, and with these assets to her name she did a lot of travelling for her work. Alex continued in this work for eight years, but her heart and soul was always in wanting to ride horses.
When her mother decided to get out of her hairdressing business and asked Alex if she would take it over, Alex said no, she did not feel that she wanted to, as her dream was to ride horses. Alex was 28 at this time, and when her mother sold the company, Alex began working with horses full-time. She went to work for Marburg Dressage in the south of Germany as an assistant rider and groom, including working as a groom at the World Young Horse Championships 10 years ago.
SMITTEN BY AUSTRALIA
On asking Alex why she came to Australia, Alex says she first came here for a gap year in 2003 after she had finished high school when she was 18. “My English was very poor, and I knew that I would need English to get on in life.” She completed a three-month course at an international college in Brisbane.
“After I finished my degree, I loved to travel and I ended up in Bowral looking for work and found a job as an au pair to a family there. I really didn’t think too much about dressage in Australia but when I was in Bowral, I was also offered a position with Mark Dowling as a groom, which I took up and started riding at Centennial. I got to meet so many lovely people in the area and had lessons with Miguel Tavora and Glennis Barrey. I also helped Catherine and John Olsen, the famous artist, and that was an absolute joy as well. So many interesting people in the area and they were so friendly and lots of fun. I love the Australian people and their way of life.
Alex and her sister Andrea in Germany last year, where Alex won a five-year-old class on 85% with Andrea’s mare by Secret. This mare is now owned by a young rider who is a student of Andrea’s.
“Due to visa restrictions I had to return home to Germany, and I started my hairdressing education and business degree and worked for my mum’s business. I went back to Australia to visit all my friends in Bowral in 2015, and I was sitting on the train from Sydney to Bowral and I realised I was 30. I love the Australian way of life, and I love riding, and I thought to myself maybe I could give it another crack. So what I needed to do was to be able to get my working visa and as a consequence I took up a position with Susie Clayton from Wyandah Performance Horses.
Susie imported a lot of horses, and I was there as a rider and I stayed for about 10 months. I had many quiet nights out in Wyong and one day I went online… that’s how I met my husband and three years later we were married. I moved into central Sydney at Woollahra and I based myself out of the stables at Centennial Park. I was a freelance instructor there and helped many students and rode. I also did my EA Level 2 dressage coaching licence.
“My husband [Jonathan Scharrer], who works in IT and has several businesses, had a job opportunity in Cologne and so we moved back to Germany. When we got to Germany, I started looking for a job and as it turns out I ended up working for the Helgstrand’s stables when they first began in Syke, Germany, and I was the first rider there. It was a very exhilarating time with the beginning of the stables there and many, many good horses that I had the opportunity to ride and trained with Eva and Ulf Möller.
“Eva has been a big idol for me; for me she is the best young horse rider – I would say the queen of young horses! It was an amazing learning curve, and I had a lot of fun. I was there for six months and then it was time to leave and we came back to Australia. I started importing horses for clients into Australia, one of which was Ritchie Rich, a four-year-old gelding at the time who I won my first big show on, the Sydney CDI in the five-year-old class.
Alex riding at Helgstrand’s in Syke, Germany.
“Eva has been a big idol
for me; for me she is the
best young horse rider…”
“I started a small business trying to help people in Australia find good horses in Germany. It was quite a boutique area and with my family and especially my sister in Germany who was able to look at horses for me if I needed, it works very well. We now have a house in Bowral, and I am freelance instructing at a few wonderful properties. I also ride and compete other people’s horses and help train them on a regular basis. It’s a great lifestyle and of course I have my good horse with me now.”
Alex now has a superstar in the dark bay gelding Exact that won the Young Dressage Horse Champion of Champions at the 2025 Dressage & Jumping with the Stars (DJWTS) in Werribee… and what a horse! On asking Alex how and where she found him, she explains: “At a stud in Verden, Gestuet Gerkenhof, where I found the horse Ritchie Rich; I went back to them to have a look at Ritchie’s half-brother. He was absolutely enormous and not quite what I was looking for, so I asked whether there was anything else of interest.
Richie Rich in the five-year-old class at Sydney CDI in 2022. Image by Rodney’s Photography.
‘SWEET LITTLE DARK BROWN HORSE’
“I was walking along the barn and there was a sweet little dark brown horse who was three years old and who had just been broken in and had six weeks off. They explained that they were not sure that there was enough quality here for what I was looking for, but I really loved the look of him and so I thought it was worth having a proper look. He looked pretty impressive to me on the lunge and then I didn’t want to get straight on as he’d had six weeks off, so the rider did get on and he was such a good boy that I was able also to have a ride.
“When I sat on him, I knew he was for me. He certainly did not feel like a three-year-old who hadn’t been ridden for six weeks. He’s by Escamillo out of a Hohenstein x Sandro Hit mare. I made them an offer, which they accepted. I put him on a plane as soon as I could and got him back to Bowral where he is now at a friend’s property where I train.”
Alex’s friend Helen Nash is an event rider originally from England, who has beautiful facilities including a gallop track, cross country course and dressage arena. Exact is in a stable at night but in a wonderful paddock during the day where he can be a horse – that is very important to Alex. Alex qualified for Dressage With The Stars when Exact was a three-year-old winning at a Clarendon competition. As a four-year-old he was Reserve Champion at Willinga Park’s Dressage by the Sea and also Reserve Champion at DJWTS. As a five-year-old he won at Willinga Park, was Reserve Champion at DJWTS dressage and won at the Sydney CDI. At Willinga Park as a six-year-old, he was Reserve Champion to John Thompson riding MI Toto. And then at DJWTS this year he was Champion, beating John Thompson on the same horse. They went on to be clear winners in the Champion of Champions at DJWTS.
Exact was the 2025 DJWTS Young Dressage Horse Champion of Champions. Image by Equisoul Photography.
“When I sat on him,
I knew he was for me…”
On asking Alex why the improvement has been steady, especially in the last 12 months, she explains that it is from the cross training and the ability to have him on such a beautiful property where he can canter around the cross country fences, go on the gallop track, and train in beautiful arenas on different surfaces. She hasn’t competed with him in any of the open classes, only young horse classes, and takes on the new movements as they come along when he feels ready; there is no hurry.
VALUABLE INFLUENCES
The person who influenced Alex in the beginning has to be Ferdinand Csaki, who was never in a hurry and always spent a lot of time on the roundness and the throughness, not always about competition frame, riding the horse over the back and treating each horse as an individual. “Ferdinand Csaki, from the south of Germany, is very good with the young horses he rode at the 2015 World Young Horse Championships, but also trained and competed many horses to international Grand Prix level,” says Alex.
Alex also gives a lot of credit to her sister, who gives a lot of advice and is always in contact with her. They have a lot in common and she came to Willinga Park this year and was at DJWTS last year, and is always around. They are always exchanging ideas and helping one another, whether it be through video or phone calls. “The past year I have been training with Brett Parbery, which has been a great success and a wonderful journey; he has helped me a lot,” adds Alex, “especially getting my canter better, more together, so we could start with training the flying changes.” Alex says that Exact was a little introverted to start with, but as time has gone by, he’s become proud of himself and more self-confident.
The future for Alex and Exact is very interesting as they are waiting to get on a flight to Germany where they’re going to stay at her sister’s property, der Fichtenhof, and her family is very excited to have her back after 10 years in Australia. Alex is very empathetic towards her horse and all he has to offer her and bringing the whole family back together again at this special time.
L-R: Brother-in-law, Arnaud, sister Andrea, niece Mathilda, Alex, and husband Jonathan.
Alex believes Australia has great riders and some very exciting combinations for the future. She has just recently become an Australian citizen and is very proud to hopefully be able to one day represent this country. There is no question in her mind that she will return here. She says there’s something very special about the Australian lifestyle. It’s the people and the way of life; while she is excited to see what she can achieve on the other side of the world, she couldn’t imagine her life without Australia. EQ
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