After finishing fourth at the 2014 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, Beatrice Buchwald and the grey Brandenburg stallion Belantis wielded the axe of power at the German Young Horse Championships in Warendorf on 2 - 7 September 2014. The Bundeschampionate 5-year old Dressage Horses final was won by Belantis, whereas Soiree d'Amour earned silver and Bodyguard bronze.
Buchwald and Belantis (by Benetton Dream x Expose) scored a 9.20 to edge out Kira Wulferding on the Oldenberg mare Soiree d' Amour (by San Amour x Latimer) on 9.00. Jana Freund and her stallion Bodyguard (by Burlington x Pik L) slotted in third on an 8.60.
The impressive and athletic Belantis scored 9.5 for walk and trot, 9.0 for canter, 8.5 for submission and 9.5 for general impression.
"Belantis coped with the atmosphere really well,” Beatrice told Eurodressage. “He was really proud to present himself in a very charming way and I think everybody could see what an exciting horse this is for the future.”
According to Beatrice, Belantis has an outstanding character with three excellent gaits and in the stable he is very easy and uncomplicated, but he does like to show off in the ring.
“Belantis came from the State Stud in Neustadt Dosse to Isabell Werth’s yard where I work," she said. "They wanted the horse to be produced for the World Championships and the German championships this year and I was lucky enough to be given the ride on him."
Now jointly owned by the Stud and Mrs Winter-Schulze who owns all of Isabell’s top horses, Belantis is a star fo the future. Beatrice said it was fantastic to win the gold on such a wonderful horse.
“He will be produced slowly with the hope that he will be a Grand Prix horse one day," she added.
Riding the crowd favourite from Verden, Kira Wulferding knows that the Bundeschampionate are another very special target, and that every rider really wants to achieve something at this big event.
“It is really nice to make it to the Bundeschampionate and then to make the final," said Wulferding. "Then to go even further and win a medal, that makes me particularly happy."
Wulferding credit her long time coach Wolfram Wittig for bringing her and the black lady like mare Soiree d'Amour to top level.
“All this beautiful success of course includes my top coach Wolfram Wittig," she stated firmly.
Kira will now give Soiree a little break and then gets her started on the work for next season.
“Soiree was just three when she started with me, and from the first moment I felt she had something, which he has confirmed again and again. She has her own personality for sure, but whenever it is something important she is always with you, focused totally on you. It is a pleasure to ride her.”
Jana Freund was ecstatic with her bronze medal on Bodyguard. She knows the stallion is a super competition horse which is very atmosphere receptive and realizes when it's something important.
“He has done two really nice tests this year," Freund explained. "When he was 3, he was third and with 4 years he was runner-up. Now, third again. I think it says a lot about his quality and consistency and about his future as a dressage horse.”
Discovered at the Hanoverian Stallion Licensing when he was two, Bodyguard was a premium stallion and Jana’s team Hengststation Ferienhof Stücker bought the horse together with Herman Saiger at the auction.
“At home we broke him and he was really nice to ride. Bodyguard is a sensitive horse and he is very focused on the people around him.
His sire Burlington has the same character when he was young the Schürmann family told us. The horses are great workers. Next year we will try again to qualify for the World Championships as we were reserves this year and we will try to ride again at the Bundeschampionate.”
By Sarah Warne - Photos © LL-foto
Related Links
Scores 2014 Bundeschampionate
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2014 Bundeschampionate