German Rodriguez enjoys the tranquility of dressage

German Rodriguez, 59, was on hand for a very important “Friday Night Stars” win for Diamante Farms at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida. Kevin Kohmann and Dünensee pulled off a personal best in the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle, scoring 79.24% to secure a place in the 2025 FEI World Cup Final in Basel, Switzerland.

German Rodriguez was awarded the $500 Grooms Award by Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfvén representing sponsor Lövsta Future Challenge. Photo ©susanjstickle.com

HorseGrooms.com caught up with Rodriguez after he took home the $500 Grooms Award to learn about working with Dünensee, the differences between jumpers and dressage disciplines and his favorite part of the job.

This article is part of a collaboration between HorseGrooms, Wellington International and Paper Horse.

What led to your job working with Diamante Farms?

Two years ago, I was recommended by a friend. I have been a groom for 30 years and I have worked with jumpers for 20 years. So it was nice to have a change. I had never worked in dressage before.

How would you describe Dünensee’s personality?

We call him Denzel or Duni for short. He is very quiet in the stall. And he is really good with everything and everybody. He loves his stall mates as he does not really like to be by himself. He’s always looking for his friends. He loves apples but bananas are his favorite snack. He loves going out in the paddock and being outside.

German and ‘Denzel’ enjoying the sunshine at Global Dressage Festival.

How did you prepare Dünensee for Friday Night Stars FEI World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle?

We have the horses at the show Wednesday through Saturday so he’s already there. He gets a bath after he’s ridden in the morning and so he is clean and ready to be tacked up when the time comes. We use the magnetic blanket an hour before he has to leave the stall and keep it on for about half an hour. I think it relaxes them. I start tacking him up about half an hour before we have to go because he’s already clean and groomed, so it doesn’t take long. But everything has to be perfect.

What do you love most about your job?

I like to work with horses and I like the owners. I really like working with dressage. I worked with jumpers for 20 years – I was with Twin Oaks before I came to work at Diamante Farms. Working with jumpers you are very busy all day, all the time and there are no weeks when you are not showing. I like the fact that working in dressage is much calmer. Also we are based at the farm year-round except for maybe two or three trips to Ocala, so that is also very nice. It is a beautiful place.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to work as a groom at the top level of the sport?

My advice would be to pay attention and make sure you know exactly what the rules are if you are working with FEI horses. The rules change and it is important to keep up with new rules. We discuss the rules as a team so we know of any changes. Things like knowing what medications you can and cannot give to the horses competing in FEI classes is one example of a rule that you need to pay careful attention to.

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