Lisa Wernitznig and Majestic Taonga win Intermédiaire II at the Louisdor Prize Opening Ceremony in Hamburg

That was Isabell Werth’s stable rider Lisa Wernitznig and the nine-year-old KWPN stallion Majestic Taonga by Toto Jr. When the two of them had to enter the arena, it had just rained in the best Hamburg slippery weather style, after the drops of water had already fallen in icy aggregate form as sleet. At least the two Rheinbergers were spared that. But even so, it was wet, cold and windy and you couldn’t blame the horses, none of whom were really at their best in these conditions.

Majestic Taonga was also unhappy in the mouth on several occasions and did not really let go. But his talent for the collected lessons and his movement possibilities nevertheless ensured that he scored 70.290 percent today. That was enough for the win, even though the scores ranged between 1 and 4.

Lisa Wernitznig, who is also trying to ride Superb, her boss Isabell Werth’s mare, into the World Championship team for her Austrian home country, is likely to have traveled to Hamburg with an extra dose of motivation. In Hagen, she came third, narrowly missing out on qualifying for the Louisdor Prize Final.

The three-cheese high

After winning the Special with Danny Cool in the morning and the Harmony and Fairness Prize with Daniela in the CDI5* Special, Helen Langehanenberg now took second place in the Intermédiaire II with her home-bred Westphalian named Dreikäsehoch with a very solid performance by a willing and positive horse. With 69.868 percent, the two just missed the 70 percent mark.

Incidentally, the ten-year-old Dimaggio son is called Dreikäsehoch because he was exceptionally small and delicate at birth, as his breeder, trainer and rider reports. “I never thought he would become a riding horse,” says Helen Langehanenberg. Now “Käse” is not only a riding horse, but is well on the way to becoming a Grand Prix horse.

Dream horse under power

With the ten-year-old Oldenburg Barcelo by Bon Coeur, winner of the 2024 Nuremberg Burg Pokal, Dorothee Schneider has a horse with star potential under the saddle. The Oldenburg is a nephew of Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour’s former successful horse Atterupgaards Cassidy. He and Barcelo’s dam are siblings. His owner Maik Kanitzky originally bought him as a five-year-old at Helgstrand Dressage for Tessa Frank, who went on to become Bundeschampion with him as a six-year-old. However, Kanitzky then decided to entrust the bay to Dorothee Schneider for further training. He is unlikely to have regretted it. And Dorothee Schneider certainly didn’t.

The Bon Coeur son’s talent shone through again and again today. However, the short side at A was so scary for him that he jumped to the side once and did not really find his suppleness. It speaks for the trust he has in his rider that he nevertheless remained essentially without any lesson faults. He scored 69.079 percent today. Tomorrow is a new day and this is the decisive test.

Rain victim number two

Friederike Tebbel and her highly elegant San Amour son Serious, who finished in second place behind Dorothee Schneider and Barcelo with Dr. Evi Eisenhardt, were also really unlucky with the weather. It was still dry when they started. The long-legged bay danced through the trot tour and showed great potential in piaffe and passage. However, there was no thought of moving freely, neither in medium, strong or collected walk. He even pulled on his right hind leg in a houndstooth manner. But he allowed himself to be ridden on and then had a few highlights in canter when the heavens opened their floodgates on the last few meters of the pair’s ride. But by then they had already logged some points. The result was 68.947 percent, fourth place today.

Jeanne-Marleen Schwiebert and her Marc Cain son Massimo, a local heroine from the Schwiebert family’s Helenenhof, not far from Hamburg, celebrated a great success. The pair took fifth place with 68.237 percent. The crowning glory of the day was the awarding of the Golden Riding Badge to the 29-year-old.

You can find all the results here.