Viva Gold also superior in the Grand Prix Special in Mannheim

Mannheim was the second Grand Prix Special in the still young career of Isabell Werth’s ten-year-old Oldenburg stallion Viva Gold, winner of the 2025 Louisdor Prize Final. He is unbeaten so far and remained so today. “Just like in the Grand Prix, but a bit more relaxed in the canter tour” was how she wanted to ride today, Isabell Werth explained after her victory yesterday. That worked, at least in part.

Once again, the beautiful Vivaldi son and Weihegold grandson, bred by Christine Arns-Krogmann, had great moments, especially in the passages but also in the walk – apart from the somewhat unnaturally exalted front leg. On the other hand, there were problems in the canter tour, where the stallion became increasingly tight and went behind the vertical. On the diagonal with the single changes, he stopped once in the middle and the single changes between the pirouettes (which went well, especially the ones to the left) were also not faultless. The trot extensions were more through the body and less hurried. In the first piaffe from the collected walk, Viva Gold did not immediately get into rhythm, the second was better, even if the stallion’s front leg was still lagging behind and tipped away.

All in all, the pair scored 76.319 percent. That is significantly less than they received in their first special performance in Herning, where they were already scratching the 80 percent mark, but it was easily enough for victory today.

Second place for Escolar’s Emil

Thomas Wagner and Escolar’s Emil had already finished second in Frankfurt behind Viva Gold and Werth and that is where they ended up today. Just as with the winning pair, the judges were unanimous in their placings. The mighty Escolar son rode a clear test with highlights in the trot tour in particular. However, his feet were not closed enough under the body, especially in the second piaffe. In the canter tour he shone in the single changes and, following his sire’s legacy, in the reinforcement. And Escolar’s Emil can also carry his huge translation back through the body, as he is able to show in the pirouettes. All in all, a beautiful test in which there is still room for improvement in the piaffe. Expressed in points: 71.234 percent.

Louisdor Prize winner number two in third place

In addition to Viva Gold, the 2024 Louisdor Prize winner in Mannheim, the Sezuan son Sheldon Cooper, also competed with Carina Harnisch. This horse has always impressed with his sound basic training, which runs like a red thread through his performances. The fact that they remained below “pretty good” today with 69.660 percent was due to two mistakes in the canter tour in the single changes and the right pirouette, which counted double. Overall, the likeable pair received four scores of 7.5 and one of 8.0, meaning that Dr. Evi Eisenhardt’s assessment was higher than that of the winning pair, who received a 7.5.

Dorothee Schneider’s student Anna-Louisa Fuchs also put in a fine performance on the ten-year-old Duvetico, for example, scoring 68.128 percent, which meant fifth place behind the Austrian duo Felicita Simoncic and Four Legends (68.766).

You can find all the results here.