Charlott-Maria Schürmann and Dante's Pearl five percent ahead of the competition in the Grand Prix Special Horses and Dreams Hagen

This rating is an accolade! And it could have been even higher if Dante’s Pearl hadn’t fallen short in the canter. A total of 75.532 percent was awarded for the performance in which Charlott Maria Schürmann was able to make full use of the black mare’s strengths. In front of a panel of several Olympic judges, the pair scored over 80 percent at the beginning of the test.

Powerful over the back

This was mainly due to the fact that the Dante Weltino daughter appeared to be a really well-worked horse in the arena. No artificial kicks, nothing exalted. A generous trot reinforcement ridden from behind over the swinging back to the front with – and this is something we no longer know – a clear overstride, in short a strong trot that really deserved the name. Powerful passages and smooth transitions between tempi in trot, a rider who always had her horse well in front of the driving aids.

In walk, it then took a while for the mare to show her walk, which was less generous in comparison to the basic gaits trot and canter, within her capabilities. However, the few points that fell by the wayside here were quickly made up for in the canter. Series changes and pirouettes always averaged over 7.5.

Scary moment before the pirouettes

Costly, but in the end more cosmetic than dramatic for the final result, was a moment of shock: After the strong canter, the mare fell out briefly on the left hand side on the short side before A. It was all the more impressive how Schürmann not only got the canter back on track immediately, but also the quality of the left-hand pirouette on the centerline that followed.

In short, a horse that completed the energy-sapping task that is the Grand Prix Special with a calm tail and constant self-carriage. 75.553 in the mare’s third Grand Prix Special not only meant victory, but also a personal best. The pair had already been unbeatable yesterday in the CDI3* Grand Prix.

The mare knows the area in Hagen. She was sold as a young horse at a P.S.I. auction in Switzerland to the German-Swiss Scheufele family. Charlott-Maria Schürmann has been riding the Oldenburg mare since 2022.

“Favorite Waltraud” in second place

Laura Strobl rode the Westphalian stallion Valparaiso to second place. The chestnut, once discovered by Elisabeth, “Sissy”, Max-Theurer at the licensing in Münster-Handorf, delivered an even test. Some of the movements were a bit of a snarl and perhaps a little more “oomph” would have been desirable. On the other hand, the impression was that the horse (the 15-year-old Vitalis son is called “(Lieblings) Waltraud” at the stables) and rider always worked harmoniously together. This was also evident in the very relaxed walk tour, well executed pirouettes and the lesson safety, which is also an essential part of the test. And so Lieblings Waltraud and Laura Strobl deserved second place (70.064).

Special Gold in third place

The Oldenburg stallion Special Gold is a Grand Prix horse that is still in the making. Sire San Amour, dam the Olympic silver medallist from Rio and three-time World Cup winner Weihegold. He also took the third Grand Prix Special of his life after Münster and Lier. The ten-year-old black horse still needs to gain strength. A fact that Katharina Hemmer credited in that she did not present Special Gold at the limit.

This was already apparent in the first strong trot, which was ridden quite “conservatively”. In the passage, the Sandro Hit grandson’s hind legs were not always completely even, with the right leg occasionally slightly higher than the left. This too may soon change with increasing strength.

Hemmer tended to perform the piaffe forward – sometimes more, sometimes less clearly – which made the transitions easier. In the second pirouette, the pair ran out of gas a little towards the end. With a score of around 70 percent, the pair were assured of a place on the podium.

Ruoste and Reichert just behind the podium

Behind the Finn Henri Ruoste with the Hanoverian Delaurentis FRH by Delorean, who was celebrating his entry into international Grand Prix sport (69.575), Yara Reichert and the mighty Springbank II finished fifth (69.511). Delorean, who was celebrating his entry into the international Grand Prix sport (69.575), Yara Reichert and the mighty Springbank II came fifth (69.511). The pair’s 15 single changes could have been better timed, the footing was always a little “twitchy” in the passages. In a strong walk, the chestnut moved off from the spot.

As the last starter, Helen Langehanenberg and Zoom looked set for a place on the podium for a long time. Helen Langehanenberg made use of the opportunity to ride in CDI3* Grand Prixs with a snaffle. (The podcast ERZÄHL MIR WAS VOM VFERD spoke to Olympic judge Hans Christian Matthiesen about this topic) The Warendorf State Stud stallion began with a cadenced trot traversal to the left, piaffing willingly with a deep croup as the test progressed. In the front leg he moved somewhat “groping” in collected walk.

On the last centerline, however, the Zack son stopped at X instead of piaffing. Helen Langehanenberg’s repeated attempts to persuade the Warendorf state employee to step on the spot did not bear fruit. This meant that the pair, who had finished in second place yesterday, were no longer in the running.

Results Grand Prix Special Hagen 2026