Ferdi is a dressage trainer and rider from Germany, and has lived in England since 1980. He trained in Germany with Dr Reiner Klimke, and is a holder of the German ‘Reiter Abzeichnung’, - a gold medal awarded for success in both show jumping and dressage at advanced level.

Ferdi became the first British rider in five years to win an International Grand Prix Special at Rennes CDI France 1993. He was long listed for the 1996 Olympic Games with Demonstrator and short listed with Arun Tor.

At the 1996 National Championships, Ferdi was awarded a three-year-old potential dressage horse by Dressage Horse International, for gaining the highest percentage (70%) at the championships riding Broadstone Warianka at medium level.

In 2002, Ferdi was appointed as World Class Performance Director of Coaching for dressage and in 2003 he took up the role of Acting World Class Performance manager.

Ferdi was Team Trainer for the bronze medal winning European Championship team at Hickstead in August 2003, where he was also awarded an honorary BHS Fellowship. He was also team trainer for the Athens Olympic and Paralympic dressage teams in 2004 and continued as British team trainer until 2008.

Ferdi is currently Under-21s team trainer and trainer to the Irish event team. His daughter Maria, who he also trains, won the British Dressage national champion title in 2008.

2010 saw injury for both Maria and Ferdi. Ferdi required stitches on his face after being kicked in the head by a horse and Maria fractured her elbow after falling off her bike.