50 pairs competed in the CSI3* competition. A dozen made it to the jump-off. Stefan Engbers entered the jump-off course as the fourth-last starter – with a clear plan. Victory was to be secured on the last line of the course. The route to the penultimate jump: six gallop jumps had to be ridden if you wanted to have a say at the front. Ideal for Engber’s gelding Baju NRW. “There weren’t many options,” said the winner. “I knew that the six canter jumps on the penultimate jump would work well for my gray horse. The rest then almost went by itself.”

Not a walk in the park

But it didn’t go quite that smoothly. After all, there was competition at the start who also knew how to win a jump-off. First and foremost André Thieme and Chakaria, who had made an impressive comeback after a long break in Florida a few weeks ago. André Thieme had originally planned Hamburg as the next stage of the competition, but then deliberately opted for Hagen. The reason was not just the course. National coach Otto Becker was watching on, with the World Championships in Aachen casting its shadow ahead. “Every round counts now if you want to achieve even higher goals this year,” said Thieme. However, the rider from Mecklenburg did not get the ideal line, meaning that his Chap daughter had to take seven canter jumps instead of six. And with the seventh, she was practically standing in front of the jump, but still made it to the other side without any faults.

Despite second place, Thieme was not just satisfied, but happy: “I’m very happy with how Chakaria jumped here.” Stefan Engbers had already finished fourth at Horses & Dreams in 2023. “The fact that we won the Grand Prix here on our anniversary (the show has been held at Hof Kasselmann for 20 years) makes me incredibly proud.” For Engbers, this triumph is on a par with his Nations Cup victory at CSIO Hickstead 2025.

Dee as first starter in the jump-off

New Zealander Luke Dee had looked like the winner for a long time. As the first starter in the jump-off of the best twelve, he set a time that stood for a long time. Dee risked everything – and took third place for it. “In the end, there were more clear rounds than expected, so I had to risk everything.” Gangster WW, a ten-year-old Grand Slam son that Dee bought as a six-year-old, showed strong form. Since the World Cup Final in Basel in 2025, Dee has mainly been based in Europe, looked after by Emile Hendrix, among others, who also accompanied him in Hagen. Gangster comes from the same family as the stallion Fergar Mail, sire of Lam de Fétan/Thimothée Anciaume (FRA) and Singular LS La Silla (Maria Getzer (SWE) and Marcus Ehning), among others.

Results Grand Prix Horses & Dreams 2026