CDI3* Grand Prix Special to Escolar's Emil

Thomas Wagner could hardly have imagined a better start to his 2026 season. He already put in a great performance yesterday in the Grand Prix with the now eleven-year-old Rhenish Escolar son Escolar’s Emil. Today’s Grand Prix Special, the first for the mighty gelding, was even more impressive. Perhaps also because “Emil” has now been in the arena before and felt more confident.

One highlight followed another, especially at the beginning of the test. Where other “special beginners” still had problems with the many changes between maximum collection in the passage and maximum impulsion in the strong trot, which are required in the Grand Prix Special, Emil kept time like a metronome and bounced from one highlight to the next with his own elasticity – including the traversals.

In walk, Emil, who was always attentive on all sides, risked a few glances into the audience, which was somewhat at the expense of diligence. The piaffe was done in time and quite diligently, but with support at the front. The canter tour was performed without any technical faults and with extremely beautiful pirouettes.

Conclusion: Compared to the Grand Prix, the pair were even able to go one better today – also in terms of marks. They scored 71.660 percent. They were the only ones with a 7 in front of the decimal point.

Black Beauty

Charlott-Maria Schürmann came second with her Dante Weltino daughter Dante’s Pearl. This was also her first Grand Prix Special today. This eleven-year-old mare is so beautiful and moves so elegantly and light-footedly, especially in trot, that you want to give her more points for that reason alone. However, her inexperience at this level also prevented this today. In addition to highlights such as the reinforcement, the traversals and the left pirouette, uneven steps crept into the passenger jumping, at the end of the actually very beautiful two-in-hand they added a one-up change, the right pirouette was too big and today, too, Dante’s Pearl did not achieve full suppleness in walk. Schürmann also did not manage to keep the mare completely stable in front of him today. A score of 69.681 percent does not reflect what the mare is actually capable of. Nevertheless, they were able to celebrate second place.

Nabbens Metronome

The other Louisdor Prize finalists from the previous year were beaten by just half a point. That was Tobias Nabben and Forster. This was their second Grand Prix Special today. They had their celebratory debut at the Agravis Cup in the Halle Münsterland.

The Finest son may not have the most expressive movement mechanics, but he is as sure-footed as a metronome and elastic from head to tail. When he piaffes, the whole horse springs. Transitions seem to be child’s play for him. He is also touchingly eager and motivated. Sometimes perhaps a little too much, so that he doesn’t always achieve full suppleness – like today in walk. That was expensive. A mistake when cantering also cost points. They came third with 69.660 percent.

And what else?

When Nabben and Forster took second place in the Grand Prix Special in Münster, it was Katharina Hemmer and Special Gold who had taken the win. However, today was clearly not the San Amour son’s day. Yesterday in the Grand Prix, one already had the impression that Hemmer had quite a lot of weight in her reins. Today “Spezi” literally pulled her out of the saddle several times in the strong trot after the first passage. Hemmer managed to correct this. However, there was no satisfaction in the contact today. With a score of 68.681 percent, they still finished fifth ahead of Lisa Müller and Dantiamo, who also repeatedly got on the forehand and out of time in the trot extensions today, but showed beautiful piaffe that Müller rode with feeling (68.447).

You can find all the results here.