Former European champion, Olympic champion, former German champion – that’s the line-up for the first competition for the German Show Jumping Championships. More precisely: for the 2026 German Show Jumping Championships in Balve. The show jumping competition over a 1.55 m course had two rounds. 34 riders and their horses had declared their willingness to compete, some of them with two horses. In the first round, 16 riders managed to stay clear. In round two there were ten. Eight riders achieved the feat of leaving the jumping stadium in Balve without a knockdown in both rounds. Marco Kutscher, the 2005 European Champion, was the fastest.

The experienced rider had brought the eleven-year-old Holsteiner Cool Fox with him to Balve. Kutscher has been riding the Colman son since 2025 and the chestnut has not yet ridden over 1.55 meter courses very often. Marco Kutscher rode him in the championships in Leipzig in January. Three weeks ago, the pair competed in the Munich Grand Prix. The two clear rounds and the time of 64.16 seconds mean that he is the best rider after the first round and is looking ahead to the decision. This will take place on Sunday at 2.45 p.m. in the Grand Prix of Balve.

Coachman in front of Kukuk

Second place went to Olympic champion Christian Kukuk, who brought one of his great hopes for the future to the show jumping arena at Schloss Wocklum in Sauerland. The ten-year-old Akarad Tivoli Z, another representative of the Aganix du Seigneur/Ogano Sitte/Darco line via his sire Akarad Hero Z, was only just over half a second slower than the winner. The pair had placed well in two jumping competitions in Lexington, Kentucky, at the end of April.

Can Stevens defend his title?

Mario Stevens, the defending champion, is also still well in the running with the horse with which he became German champion in 2025 and 2022, the Hanoverian Starissa FRH. Stevens has already been German Champion a total of three times, the first time in 2018 (0/0/65.36). A good half a second separated this pair from the fourth-placed rider, Hendrik Sosath, with the Oldenburg Casino Grande, bred by his father and also double clear in the first classification for the German Show Jumping Championships.

Clara Blau between the men

Women can also take part in this championship. Clara Blau opted for this option. With Calidos Blue, a nine-year-old stallion by Chacoon Blue registered with the Oldenburg International Jumper Breeding Association, Blau is fifth after the first class.

Another OS stallion in sixth place: Maximilian Lill and the Casallco son Casallco’s George PS. The suffix gives it away, a horse bred by Paul Schockemöhle’s Lewitz Stud. Casallco was runner-up at the 2022 German Championships under Philip Rüping.

Two Zinedine sons completed the field of double clear rounds: Christian Hess and Zaphir finished seventh, Jens Baackmann and Zealand eighth.

The German champion will be decided on Sunday at 2.45 p.m. in the Grand Prix, which is also the final competition, also over 1.55 meters.

Results first classification German Show Jumping Championships, Balve 2026

Women: 20 zeros in the first classification

A third of the participants in the first competition of the German Show Jumping Championships did not drop a ball. The 1.50 meter jumping competition was won by Elisabeth Meyer, who was almost four seconds faster than second-placed Fabienne Graefe. Meyer’s Let it Shine only needed 74.4 seconds. Fabienne Graefe’s Cinsey crossed the finish line after 78.22 seconds. Third place went to Julian Rölfing and Come and feel O (0/79.11). The winner of the German Show Jumping Championships will be decided on Saturday at 11.30 am.

Results of the first German Show Jumping Championships for Women 2026