First Class, German Young Riders Team Horse, Gets New Rider

Dressage

Germany

First Class, Lia Welschof's German Young Riders team horse in 2020, has found a new rider. The reins have been passed on to 16-year old Viktoria von Braunmühl.

First Class is a 13-year old Brandenburger by Furst Romancier out of Wild Wichita (by Wind Dancer x Convoi x Versschmied). He is bred by ZG Blum.

Lia Welschof

The black was first competed in 2015 by Linda Weiss, who took him up to M-level by 2016.

Owned by the Welschof family, Lia made her show debut on First Class in August 2017 in the M-level dressage horse test in Ostbevern.

While Welschof's junior/young rider career took flight with the two late horses Linus K and Don Windsor, the black First Class stayed in the background, slowly being developed up the levels and competed nationally.

They reached small tour level in 2019 and in the corona year of 2020 qualified via national shows for a reserve spot on German team for the 2020 European Young Riders Championships. Welschof had qualified with Linus K but got replaced by First Class when he had fitness issues.

At those Europeans in Pilisjaszfalu, Lia and First Class won team silver, as well as individual and kur test silver. It was the horse's first and only international show in his career, so far.

After the Euros First Class continued on national level. In 2021 he premiered at medium tour level, and in 2022 showed in the short Grand Prix. Their first classic Grand Prix test was in 2023 in Warendorf. Their last show as a pair was in June 2024 in Samern.

A New Ride

Welschof has now sold DSP First Class to German junior rider Viktoria von Braunmühl who trains with Bianca Nowag.

"We have been through thick and thin, lived through so many ups and downs with each other, and learned so incredibly much from each other," said Welschof about "Fetti". "The last seven years with you were unforgettable - together we mastered our first young horse tests, had a mega great junior/young rider time together and finally fought our way up to the U25 Tour. I owe my first Grand Prix placements to you! You gave your all to me and grew above and beyond."

Von Braunmühl is a German youth rider who competed one year at international pony level with renowned German team pony Cyrill. Since then she continued at national junior level with Dietrich (by Dannebrog x Londonderry). In 2024 she has been showing Elisabeth von Wulffen's Dancing World (by Dancier x Wolkenstein II) at junior level.

"Now it's time to show everyone what's inside," said Welschof about First Class. "You are a rockstar and I'm sure you'll have a lot of such moments with Viki."