The 3-year olds Gut Neuenhofs Moon River and Flacon, and the 4-year olds Pommery Look and Bonds in Gold became the winners of the riding horse finals at 2026 Bundeschampionate in Warendorf on 26 - 30 August 2026.
New Formats for Riding Horses
In 2026 a new format was applied for the riding horses as a result of the on-going discussion about the welfare of young three-year old horses being competed. Instead of the usual qualifier round and a finals for (usually) the top 8, this time a mandatory "training/familiarization" session was held in the competition arena, followed by an in-hand assessment of the conformation. All participating horses were allowed to move on to the finals round, so in principle the 3-year olds were only "competed" once instead of twice.
"That worked better than I expected. The atmosphere in the arena was really good and calm, and the judges were able to take their time,” Carsten Grill, Vice President of the breeding department of the German Equestrian Federation opined. “Of course, the original goal of reducing the number of appearances for very young horses wasn't entirely achieved. But it worked really well. We now have a good starting point to re-examine the issue. We will now gather the opinions of those involved and then discuss everything again calmly after the Bundeschampionate."
For the 4-year olds there was a conformation round, split from the standard qualifier, and then the top 8 and 6 moved to a final round, which was now an A-level dressage horse test they had to perform.
3-year olds Mares and Geldings: Gut Neuenhofs Moon River
"Such a victory at the Bundeschampionate, with a horse I bred myself, has always been my dream," said Sandra Schürner. She had almost given up hope of ever breeding a foal from her Escolar mare, Europa, and then came Moon River. “For me, she’s the reason we breed horses. She’s the culmination of an absolutely exceptional horse,” raved the breeder and owner of Moon River. “She has an incredibly active hind leg and is totally level-headed. She was a little nervous in the warm-up arena today. But Danica (Duen) said that when she was ridden in, she exhaled once, as if to say, ‘Okay, I’ve been here before, I know this place.’”
Sina Aringer had a wonderful weekend in Warendorf, claiming not only silver but also bronze in the 3-year old riding horse class, as well as gold in the 4-year old stallion class. Aboard Moormann-Hanke's Hanoverian gelding Sixpack (by Secret x Sir Donnerhall) she secured silver with a total of 8,72 points. The gelding got 8.8 for trot, 9 for canter, 8.7 for walk, 8.8 for rideability, 7.8 for conformation, and 8.8 for general impression.
Aringer and Moormann-Hanke's Oldenburg bred Spotlight (by Secret x Fürst Romancier) got the bronze with a total of 8,30 points. This pair got 8.3 for trot, 8.5 for canter, 8.2 for walk, 8.5 for rideability, 7.5 for conformation, and 8.5 for general impression.
3-year olds Stallions: Flacon
“I’ve known Flacon since he was born, and he’s always been a striking horse," said Jacob. "I broke him in myself; no one else had ridden him before. Winning here with him makes it all the more special. He’s very people-oriented, always eager to do everything right in his work, always willing to move forward, and motivated.”
Leslie Rohrbacher and Sönke Rothenerger's Brandenburg stallion Québec (by Quaterback x Fidertanz) were the runners-up with 8,38 points. The chestnut got 8.7 for trot, 9.5 for canter, 7.7 for walk, 8 for rideability, 7.8 for conformation, and 8.2 for general impression. Quebec is bred by Lutz Jaap.
David Taylor and the Danish bred and Oldenburg registered Obsidian Cadillac (by Obsession Taonga x De Niro) slotted in third overall with 8,33 points. Bred by Gert Laisbo and owned by Karsten Schuck, the black stallion received 8.2 for trot, 8.1 for canter, 8.6 for walk, 8.5 for rideability, 8 for conformation, and 8.5 for general impression.
4-year olds Mares and Geldings: Pommery Look OLD
The spidery, long-legged Oldenburg mare Pommery Look (by Florida TN x Sir Donnerhall x Lavauzelle AA) wielded the axe of power in the 4-year old mares and gelding division, winning the title with a total of 9,08 points. No less than 30 horses participated in the conformation class, while 28 performed in the qualifier. The finals featured the 8 highest scoring pairs of the qualifier and was judged by Burger, Olsson, and R. Richenhagen. Alina Schneider rode Pommery Look OLD to 9 for trot, 8.7 for walk, 9.5 for canter, 9 for submission and 9.2 for general impression. The black mare is bred and owned by Christine Arns-Krogmann.
Thomas Schulze and his own and Matthias Wehr's home-bred Westfalian mare Spezialeffekt (by Segantini x Lemony's Nicket) got silver with a total of 8,28 points. The bay mare got 9.2 for trot, 8.2 for walk, 8.6 for canter, 9 for submission, and 8.7 for general impression.
Laurien Martin and Julian Martin's Thuringian bred Fenya-Fae (by Fair Deal x Millennium) slotted in third with 8,28 points. Bred by Dirk Schmidt, the black mare received 8.2 for trot, 8.3 for walk, 8.5 for canter, 8 for submission, and 8.4 for general impression.
4-year olds Stallions: Bonds in Gold
Sina Aringer and the Brandenburg bred Bonds in Gold (by Bonds x Goldberg) aced the 4-year old stallion class. Just eleven stallions competed in the conformation class and qualifier, and six moved to the finals, judged by Burger, Egbers, and Wingender. Bred by Hendrik Niehe and purchased by Austrian Grand Prix rider Astrid Neumayer for a whopping 770,000 euro, the liver chestnut Bonds in Gold scored 9,04 for gold. He got 9 for trot, 8 for walk, 10 for canter, 8.8 for submission and 9.4 for general impression.
Dutch Dionne Korringa and the Baden-Wurttemberger bred Be my Guest (by Bonds x Sezuan) earned silver with a total of 8,90 points. In principle the horse would have won as its total was 9,10 but there was a 0.2 point deduction for turning around in the corner and leaving the designated line. The stallion got 9.8 for trot, 8.7 for walk, 10 for canter, 7.5 for submission, and 9.5 for general impression. Be My Guest is brd by Zoe Sierks and owned by the Dutch Van Bockxgrave Horses company.
Linus Keller and the Marbach state stud owned Westfalian Danubio (by Damaschino x Dimaggio) got bronze with 8,74 points. Bred by Karl-August Schulte-Varendorff, the chestnut stallion got 8.5 for trot, 8.7 for walk, 8.5 for canter, and 9 for submission and general impression.
Photos © Tanja Becker/Equitaris
Related Links
Scores: 2026 Bundeschampionate
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2026 Bundeschampionate