Sport horse performance database Hippomundo has analysed the highest-earning dressage riders of 2025, with German icon Isabell Werth topping the rankings for total prize money. The results highlight a discipline that operates very differently to jumping, both economically and structurally.
While total prize money in dressage remains lower in absolute terms than in show jumping, efficiency per horse is strikingly high. Top riders typically campaign only one to three elite horses, relying heavily on a small number of exceptional combinations. High win and placing percentages are common, with success concentrated around standout partnerships rather than spread across large strings. The rankings also underscore the dominance of Western Europe, particularly Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, in the upper echelons of the sport.
In dressage, a single extraordinary horse can define both a rider’s career and their earning capacity. As a result, income is less diversified and more vulnerable to disruption, but each start carries significant value. The discipline functions as a high-precision model: fewer horses, fewer outings, and maximum return per appearance.
Highest-earning dressage riders of 2025:
1. Isabell Werth (GER) – €262,035 | 7 horses
2. Justin Verboomen (BEL) – €221,574 | 2 horses
3. Charlotte Fry (GBR) – €149,857 | 8 horses
4. Isabel Freese (NOR) – €127,303 | 1 horse
5. Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (DEN) – €124,289 | 2 horses
6. Patrik Kittel (SWE) – €117,753 | 5 horses
7. Becky Moody (GBR) – €112,957 | 3 horses
8. Sandra Sysojeva (LTU) – €108,424 | 2 horses
9. Frederic Wandres (GER) – €107,385 | 3 horses
10. Matthias Alexander Rath (GER) – €104,011 | 2 horses
Big prize money set for CDI5* in Florida
Serious prize money is on offer for dressage riders at The Global Dressage Festival in Wellington (Florida, US) this week, where a USD $150,000 prize pool has attracted a field that includes six Olympians among the 13 confirmed starters.
Watch the CDI5* action with ClipMyHorse.TV.
Source: ‘The highest-earning riders of 2025: three disciplines, three economic models’ – Hippomundo
