The Hanoverian breeding society will be adopting the new 4-year old format implemented at the 2026 Bundeschampionate into their Hanoverian Young Horse Championships in Verden in August.
The Hanoverian "riding horse" qualifier (3 and 4-year olds) for the Bundeschampionate takes place in the second arena during the 2026 World Young Horse Championships on 5 - 9 August. This arena is not far from the main stadium, is reserved for three- and four-year-old Hanoverians riding horses.
“This went down very well with spectators and participants last year,” emphasises Treu. “People were shuttling back and forth between the main stadium and the riding horse arena and really enjoyed this combination.”
For the 4-year olds the Verband will be adopting the new format: 4-year olds now perform an A-level test and the untacked conformation assessment has been cancelled by the German Equestrian Federation.
“We are three weeks ahead of the Bundeschampionate in terms of timing,” said Treu. “That is why we have adapted our format for the four-year-olds to match the new one for the Bundeschampionate. This means: the four-year-olds will first compete in a riding horse class as usual, but from this year onwards, the finalists will then compete in a Class A dressage horse class; this will be exactly the same for our Bundeschampionat qualifier. This way, the candidates can view their start in Verden as a dress rehearsal for the Bundeschampionat.”
Treu is already busy preparing for the World Championships and announced that the main stadium as well as the food court will be bigger than before.
“We’re going to build a two-storey covered event terrace,” says Treu enthusiastically. “From the upper level, you’ll have a complete panoramic view of our World Championships grounds.”
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