Charlott Maria Schürmann and Life Time Win 2025 Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals

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2025 CDI Frankfurt

Charlott Maria Schürmann and the Luxembourg owned Hanoverian stallion Life Time became the winners of the 2025 Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals, the German Developing Prix St Georges Horse Championship.

The Finals were traditionally held at the CDI Frankfurt and this year took place on Saturday 20 December 2025.

The Nurnberger Burgpokal show circuit was established with the help of Dr. Reiner Klimke and is open to rising small tour horses aged between 7 and 9. The 2025 Burgpokal circuit there had eight qualifiers (Hagen, Mannheim Munich, Balve, Elmlohe, Görlitz, Darmstadt and Guxhagen) and the winners as well as four highest scoring pairs of the circuit were eligible to compete in Frankfurt.

Life Time Takes Second Major Title

Schürmann and Claude Niedner's 8-year old licensed stallion Life Time (by Livaldon x Furstenball) won the opening qualifier of the season in April in Hagen with 75,683% and were the hot favourites for the title.

After winning the 2024 World Young Horse Championships for 7-year olds in Ermelo, Life Time qualified for the 2024 Burgpokal Finals, but was withdrawn shortly before Frankfurt, "officially" because the rider only wanted to ride on horse in the Final (and had qualified two, i.e. Dante's Pearl). At the end of November 2024 Schurmann had her hands full with Life Time in the electric atmosphere of their preparatory show, and indoor show in Verden on 21 - 22 November 2024. Even though he won two tests in Verden, Schurmann kept Life Time home and considered him not ready.

This year the muscled liver chestnut proved more than up to the challenge. After competing in Hagen twice and Aachen twice for a total of seven tests, they headed to Frankfurt on strong form. They won the warm-up round on Thursday with 75.927% and dominated the actual final on Saturday with 76.512%

“He’s a model student and wants to do everything right," said Schürmann. "He focuses on me, I know him inside and out, and he keeps getting better. It makes me proud to see him exceeding all expectations. And he’s gaining more and more strength and enchanting us all.

For Charlott this was her second Burgpokal victory. Thirteen years ago, in 2012, she won it aboard another liver chestnut stallion, Burlington FRH.

Vaida-Girl

The runner-up in the finals was former B-squad Grand Prix rider Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock aboard Ulrich Oberscheid''s Vaida Girl OLD, an 8-year old Oldenburg mare by Vitalis x Stedinger x Donnerschlag.

With Marina Welbers in the saddle Vaida Girl also competed at the 7-year old finals at the World Young Horse Championships back in 2024. Nowag obtained the ride on the liver chestnut mare in March 2025.

The pair competed at the qualifiers in Mannheim, Balve, and Elmlohe. At the latter show they scored 72.171% to be named second reserve for the Finals. After Hannah Laser (Rod Laver) and Ingrid Klimke (Diafys) dropped out of the Finals, Nowag and Vaida Girl were called up. They rode at the CDI Kronenberg Indoor three weeks ago as preparation for Frankfurt.

"I was on vacation when I found out I could move up and, of course, I seized the opportunity. The short break actually did my mare some good, and I tried to ride as precisely as possible," Nowag explained.

In Frankfurt they followed in Life Time's wake, placing second in the Finals with 73.780%.

"I'm incredibly proud of the mare," said Nowag. "She's never seen such a setting before. And yet she delivered such a confident performance. The pirouettes were even better than on the first day, and I'm delighted with how well we performed."

Later in the day they pair won the "Sieger Preis", a fun exhibition show ridden with the riders dressed up in Christmas costumes to entertain the crowd. Nowag also won a special prize for the best executed rein back.

Borghese MT

Completing the top three in the Burgpokal finals were Kira Laura Soddemann and Sissy Max-Theurer's 9-year old Westfalian Borghese MT (by Baccardi x Laureus).

They qualified for Frankfurt by being the highest scoring duo out of four that did not win the qualifier. They scored 75.244% in Hagen. The duo was first to go in the Final in Frankfurt and immediately set a high standard, scoring 73.195%, a score which held up for third place in the end. Soddemann has been riding the chestnut for almost a year.

"We're a great match personality-wise. He's had excellent training and that actually made things very easy for me," said Soddemann.