The 2018 Bundeschampionate - the German Young Horse Championships - in Warendorf, Germany, kicked off on Wednesday 29 August 2018. After three days of competition the fifteen finalists for the 5- and 6-year old riding division are known. The 5-year old Zucchero and the 6-year old Fürst William HC are the hot favourites for the champion sash.
The Bundeschampionate are a massive equestrian event, gathering Germany's best young dressage horses and ponies in dressage, show jumping, driving and eventing. With over 40,000 spectators attending the show each year, the Bundeschampionate are bastion of horse power in Germany and puts the Dutch breeding programme to shame as the stands were literally empty at the 2018 Pavo Cup Finals, the equivalent for Dutch warmbloods in The Netherlands. Of course the breeding world in Germany is much larger than Holland, but the interest and expertise in good training from young horse level to Grand Prix are much greater there.
Maybe the prize givings were not well attended in Warendorf, but that is to be explained that the crowds immediately move from the dressage horse arena to the riding horse ring quite a walk over the show grounds, where the action continued and overlaps in timing with the other classes. There is simply too much to see and do at the Bundeschampionate!
Zucchero Wins Marathon 5-year old class
Judges Rolf-Peter Fuss, Kerstin Holthaus and Katja Westendarp had to go through a marathon session to assess all the 5-year olds in the preliminary test. No less than 79 combinations competed in the class and took from morning till the early evening to wrap things up.
Hof Kasselmann's assistant trainer Frederic Wandres wielded the axe of power aboard Star Horses' Oldenburg stallion Zucchero OLD (by Zonik x Prince Thatch xx). The PSI auction horse scored a whopping 9.20 total mark, the only horse to crack the 9 barrier. The dark bay stallion earned 9 for walk and trot, 9.5 for canter, 9 for submission and 9.5 for general impression.
Zucchero was part of group 1 but the high scorer of the day. The runner-up in group 1 was Grand Prix rider Stella Charlott Roth aboard Lodbergen's Oldenburg stallion For Final OLD (by For Romance x Dimaggio). The black is one of the very known German breeding stallions of which the owner admitted that he tested positive to WFFS. The majority of the other bigger German stallion stations still to refuse to test their stallions for the economical consequences a positive status might have. For Final certainly proved his value as a sport horse and scored 8.5 in total, with 8.5 for trot and canter, 8 for walk, 8.5 for submission and 9 for general impression.
Fürst William HC Bests 6-year old Preliminary Test
Furst William edged out Lukas Fischer on Helmut von Fircks' Hanoverian stallion Royal Side (by Royal Classic x Riverside), who landed second place in group 1 with 8.5. The tall chestnut got 8.5 for trot, 9 for walk, 7.5 for canter, 8.5 for submission and 9 for general impression.
Fifty-five combinations competed in the 6-year old division, so the class was also split into two groups. There were two top scorers in group two with an 8.6: Carina Bachmann aboard Fabian Scholz' Hanoverian mare Quadrophenia (by Quasar de Charry x Hochadel) and Kira Wulferding on Ulla Katzorke-Hellweg's Rhinelander mare Bonita Springs (by Boston x Fidertanz). The dark bay Quadrophenia got 9 for walk, 8.5 for trot and canter, 8 for submission and 9 for general impression. Bonita Springs earned 9 for trot, 8 for walk, 7.5 for canter, 9.5 for submission and 9 for general impression.
The finals for the 6-year olds take place on Saturday 1 September, while the 5-year olds have their final on Sunday 2 September 2018.
Photos © LL-foto
Related Links
Scores: 2018 Bundeschampionate
Eurodressage coverage of the 2018 Bundeschampionate
