Pita Schmid, Teresa Leowald and Justus Hayessen are Prize of the Best winners 2026

For the second time, the Vogg family hosted the Prizes of the Best at Gut Weiherhof in Radolfzell on Lake Constance as part of open two- and three-star competitions. For three-time Olympic champion Michael Jung, the tournament is practically just around the corner and has always been a fixed date at the start of the year. The best young riders competed here against him and several other stars of the sport.

Young riders – Schmid’s successful debut

Eleven pairs competed in the CCI3*-S Young Riders class, including last year’s junior winner, Pita Schmid. Once again this year, she did not let anyone take the butter off her bread with the ten-year-old First Ampere daughter Favorita V at her debut in the young riders’ camp. With a dressage score of 31.4 minus points, she was still in third place. However, she was faster than all her rivals for the title in the cross-country and had more than one jumping fault advantage going into the course. She didn’t need that. The pair only incurred 0.8 time penalties, putting them at the head of the field with 35 penalty points.

After a suboptimal start in eleventh place with 36.7 minus points in the dressage, Silvia Kelly and her ten-year-old Hanoverian Calypso by Stalypso made up ground in the cross-country and jumping and took silver with 40.7 minus points.

Bronze went to a pair that has already collected a number of medals in the junior sport: Matti Garlichs and his 14-year-old Westphalian Ludwig by Light On. The pair have won two gold and one bronze medal at three European Junior Championships. In 2024, they were also fourth in the individual classification and last year they achieved their first three-star placings. In Radolfzell, they started from fourth place after the dressage, had 10.8 time faults in the cross-country, but delivered the other of only two clear rounds in the show jumping. This helped them jump onto the podium.

Open scoring

In the open classification, the three finished fourth, ninth and 14th. The best pair here was Sweden’s Louise Romeike in the saddle on her 2024 Olympic horse, the twelve-year-old ZfdP gelding Caspian by Crumble. The pair have already been tipped as favorites for the World Champion title this year. At three-star level, they were absolutely confident this year, taking the lead in the dressage with 24.9 penalty points and adding just 2.4 time faults in the cross-country. Victory with 27.3 minus points.

Behind them was Michael Jung in the saddle on his ten-year-old Polish warmblood FischerSolution II, who once began his career as Dzoker but was renamed when he was sold to Jung’s sponsor, the Fischer family. They were second after the dressage (26.9), then lost this position due to 4.8 time faults in the cross-country, but were able to make up for this with faultless jumping, finishing second with 31.7 minus points.

Third place (34.3) went to last year’s German Professional Riders’ Champion, Nina Schultes, with Grand Prix Iwest. The two were one of only two pairs to complete a clear cross-country round. This allowed them to work their way up from eighth place after the dressage to second place, which they then had to cede back to Jung due to a knockdown in the course.

Juniors – Winner of the nerves

The title in the juniors was hotly contested, with 24 couples competing. They all performed reliably. Before the final jumping competition, not a single jumping fault separated the top 12 pairs. But both the winner and the runner-up showed nerves of steel. Teresa Leowald and her nine-year-old Diacontinus son DJ Continus were still in third place after the dressage, then worked their way to the top thanks to a clear round in the cross-country and did not let anything get in their way in the show jumping course either. With 28.1 minus points, they not only won the title in their first junior year, but also the open classification of the competition. Last year, Teresa came third in the pony class and was national junior champion with DJ.

Karlotta Isabelle Walla and Clever Man WAF took silver in Hesse. They went into the final jumping competition just 0.5 points behind, leaving all the poles up and only incurring 0.4 time faults, resulting in 29 minus points in the end.

Isabelle Grom and the Holstein mare Halma, also by Crumble, traveled to Radolfzell from the Prinz von Homburg-Schule, the equestrian boarding school in Neustadt-Dosse, and returned home with the bronze medal in their luggage. They added 1.2 time faults in the course to their dressage result. Final score: 29.9 penalty points.

Open scoring

As mentioned, Teresa Leowald and DJ Continus were also unbeatable in the open classification. Karlotta Isabelle Walla was third best overall and Isabelle Grom was delighted with fifth place. Second was European team champion Libussa Lübbecke on last year’s seven-year-old Bundeschampionat bronze medal winner, Daroca de Rioja FRH, also a Diacontinus daughter. Sven Lux came fourth with the eight-year-old Ramiro B daughter MBF Senorita.

Pony riders – jumped to the top of the podium in the course

It has been nine years since a talented male U16 rider last won the Prize of the Best for ponies. This talent is now riding senior championships for Germany: Calvin Böckmann. Perhaps Justus Hayessen, who was ahead of the ponies this year, will now follow in his footsteps. Riding the ten-year-old grey mare Miss Windsor, who had previously gained international experience with Pia Sophie Schreiber and Anna Schwanbeck, he delivered one of only two clear rounds in the Prize of the Best classification, making up places after the dressage. He started the course from bronze position and came out with just 0.4 time faults. The competition was different. Justus could not be denied the title with 32.2 penalty points.

The competitor who lost out was Lea Brügger with Golden Girl’s Nelly. After dressage and cross-country they were top of the overall standings, but lost this with 4.8 faults in the show jumping, but still won silver (34.0). Lea thus repeated her success from the previous year, when she was still in the saddle on Nelly’s mother, the mare Next Generation.

Brügger was not the only one with faults on the course. Bronze winner Greta Marie Löhr had two faults on the experienced Rathcline Dream, but still managed to finish third with 42.3 penalty points.

Open scoring

There was also an open classification for the ponies. Here, the Italian rider Isabella Owers on Astronauts Voyager came out on top with 31.5 points. Justus Hayessen was second ahead of France’s Emilie Aunac in the saddle on Uriel de Tassine (33.4). Lea Brügger came fourth and Greta Marie Löhr ninth in the overall standings.

Style prices

Mathis Huisinga with Carlotta (young riders), Lukas Wilhelm Sühling with Allnightparty (juniors) and Anna von Helldorf with Marlon (pony riders) received the special prize for the best style in cross-country from the Stiftung Deutscher Pferdesport.

You can find all the results from Radolfzell here.