Lodovico, Viva Vitalis, Sky Win 2025 Bundeschampionate for Dressage Horses

The 5-year old Lodovico, the 6-year old Viva Vitalis, and the 7-year old Sky became the winners of the Dressage Horse Finals in their respective age groups at the 2025 Bundeschampionate in Warendorf on  3 - 7 September 2025.

The Bundeschampionate are Germany's annual young horse championships and held at the DOKR headquarters in Warendorf. Thousands of horses in the disciplines of dressage, show jumping and eventing gathered there to battle it out for the very important young horse titles.

5-YO: Lodovico

The annual monster class of the show is the 5-year old division, which saw no less than 70 (!!) horses compete in the preliminary round.  

The fifteen highest scoring horses in the preliminary round are eligible to move directly to the finals, the rest has a re-match in the consolation round, in which the horses with the three highest scores in the class also move to the Finals round.  Eighteen horses showed in the finals on Saturday 6 September 2025.

After placing fourth in the preliminary round with 8.5 points, Lena Hassmann and the Oldenburg stallion Lodovico (by Lord Europe x Don Frederic) claimed the title in the finals. The black stallion, who is bred by Wieghaus-Vorwerk, scored a total of 8.80 points after receiving 9 for trot, 8.4 for walk, 8.8 for canter and submission and 9 for perspective from judges  Hagenheimer, Nivelle, and Viebahn.  Lodovico was one of two (!?) reserve champions at the 2022 Westfalian Stallion Licensing, where he was presented by Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff's Gestut Schafhof. He sold for for the second highest amount, 401,000 euro to Thailand. On paper Gestut Schafhof is still registered as owner, but Schafhof houses the entire Thai dressage team, including its Royal Princess. 

The reserve champion's title went to the Westfalian bred Veni Vedi (sic) Vici (by Vitalis x Daily Deal), bred by Yvonne Langkau and owned by Dagmar Detzel. Presented by Jana Thamm, the gelding stayed closely on Lodovico's heals with 8.78 points after receiving 8.8 for walk and trot, 8.5 for canter, 9 for submission and 8.8 for general impression (which they also call "perspective"). The pair was already second in the preliminary round (8.68 points). 

The bronze medal was for Kira Laura Soddemann aboard Peter Brenske's Westfalian stallion Fiete (by Fashion in Black x Rock Forever) with 8.72 points.  Bred by Robert Denker, the stallion got 8.8 for walk and trot, 8.5 for canter, 8.7 for submission and 8.8 for general impression. Based on scores Greta Heemsoth and Ingo Pape's Hanoverian mare Venedig (by V-Plus x Scolari) could have shared the bronze medal with Fiete, but the mare did not pass the tack check after the test and was eliminated. 

6-YO: Viva Vitalis OLD

Sixty-one horses competed in the 6-year old division and 17 of them made it to the finals. Three of those qualified through the consolation finals. The Finals were judged by Knut Danzberg, Thomas Kessler, and Katja Westendarp.

Crowd favourite Viva Vitalis OLD (by Vitalis x Furst Romancier) carried home the gold medal and title after already topping the board in the preliminary round with  8.70 points. Under Lukas Fischer, the Paul Schockemöhle bred stallion finished on a winning score of 8,96 points, which included a penalty of -0.2 for going off course. The impressively moving chestnut scored 9.3 for trot, 8.5 for walk, 9.5 for canter, 9 for submission and 9.5 for general impression. Viva Vitalis was the 2021 Mecklenburger Stallion Licensing champion in Redefin, after which he sold to the Moritzburg state stud. This year he won the Oldenburg young horse championships but was not accepted on the German team for the 2025 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, where the selectors were looking for horses that were fully established in the changes at that point in time and presented in a harmonious way. Fischer and Viva Vitalis were out for Verden, but got their vengeance in Warendorf with a national win. 

Charlotte Tollhopf and the Hanoverian mare Galleria's Fancy Fergie (by For Romance x Catoo) were another pair that didn't make it to Verden this year, after representing Germany at the WCYH in Ermelo in 2024. In Warendorf the pair landed the silver medal with a score of 8.52 points with 8.8 for trot, 9 for walk, 8.3 for canter, 8 for submission and 8.5 for perspective. Fancy Fergie is bred at Hof Brüning and owned by Galleria Sporthorses, a German company behind Korean Olympian Dong Seon Kim.

The bronze went to Friederike Kampmeyer with her own and Mathieu Beckmann's Westfalian stallion Be My Dancer (by Benicio x Vivaldi) on 8.44 points. The pair scored 7.5 in trot, 8.8 for walk, 9 for canter, 8.4 for submission and 8.5 for perspective. The stallion is bred by bred by Georg & Leonie Kellerwessel and was accepted for breeding at the 2021 Westfalian Stallion Licensing.

7-YO: Sky

The 7-year old division has only been included in the Bundeschampionate package since 2022 and has been gaining popularity by the year. Forty-five horses had lined up with the preliminary test and fifteen moved on to the final, which was judged by German international FEI judges Elke Ebert, Pascal Strohbücker, and Ulrike Nivelle.

Ann-Kathrin Lachemann and the Hanoverian bred Sky (by Sezuan x Sir Donnerhall) impressed the crowds and judges with their correct and harmonious presentation which earned them a winning total of 83.436%. The horse got a technical score of 77.272% for the test and earned a total of 89.60 points for his gaits and submission.  The liver chestnut is bred by Sandra Neff grede d and Pascal Kandziora presented him at the 2020 Hanoverian Stallion Licensing, where he became the crowd favourite and sold for 490,000 euro to Swiss Adrian Gasser, who owns Gestüt Schönweide in the north of Germany. Sky has competed with five riders so far (Anna Wolff, Lina Torgius, Hannes Lütt first). In 2024 he finally rose to prominence by finishing seventh at the Bundeschampionate under Hannah Laser. In January 2025 Lachemann took over the ride and she has now steered the stallion to the title.

Claire-Louise Averkorn  and Susanne Schmitz' Westfalian mare Fides (by Fürstenball x Sir Donnerhall) got silver with an 80.343% earning ride. They edged out Carina Scholz on Nadine Brosswitz' Westfalian gelding Stromberg (by Secret x Sunday) who placed third with 80.306%. The medal winners were the only three pairs to crack the 80% barrier. The fourth placed duo, Raphael Netz on Victor Baltus' Glamourdoc (by Glamourdale x Millennium) were fourth with 77.366%.

Photos © Stefan Lafrentz

Related Links
Scores: 2025 Bundeschampionate
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2025 Bundeschampionate