Julia Krajewski Takes First and Second Place at the CCI4*-S in Luhmühlen; Malin Hansen-Hotopp Finishes Third; Christoph Wahler Wins Bronze at the German Eventing Championships

With a one-two finish, Julia Krajewski clinched her fifth German championship title: first place with her Olympic horse Nickel (27.7). The silver ribbon went to “Pauli,” the Irish horse Tullabeg Platinum (34.4). Malin Hansen-Hotopp took third place with Quidditch, which meant a silver medal in the German Championship, since only one result per rider counts toward the German Championship standings. The bronze went to Christoph Wahler and D’Accord FRH, who placed eleventh in the CCI4*-S (44.0).

Julia Krajewski and Nickel Win German Championship (Instructional Video)

After two picture-perfect rounds in dressage and cross-country, Julia Krajewski and Nickel took to heart the saying that all good things come in threes: A clear round on the course at the Luhmühlen stadium, two time penalties, and her fifth German championship title was secured.

It doesn’t get much better than this

On the show jumping course, Julia Krajeswki built on her performances from the previous days: the Holsteiner Nickel galloped confidently through the course. He jumped—a really good horse—exactly as high as he needed to. There were no missteps whatsoever. If you wanted to shoot an instructional video titled “This Is How It Should Look,” you had the perfect opportunity to do so in Luhmühlen. And not just once, but at least three times: Both the rounds by winner Nickel and the performances of Krajewski’s Tullabeg Platinum and Quidditch, ridden by Malin Hansen-Hotopp, showcased everything that defines eventing: two athletes, one goal. Trust, cooperation. Winner Julia Krajewski summed it up perfectly: “I keep thinking how amazing it is what you can teach horses. They don’t even look at the course beforehand and just zoom right through it.”

Nickel: Careful Season Planning

Of course, according to the now five-time German champion, the greater expectations would have weighed on Nickel. The words “2026 World Championships in Aachen” somehow hung over virtually every ride in the heath—especially over the Holsteiner. “We deliberately took a slightly more measured approach to the start of the season so that he performs consistently at a certain level. You can’t do that for six months straight. We held back a bit in Strzegno, and now we’re picking up the pace a little,” says Krajewski, describing her plan leading up to the World Championships.

“Pauli”—the “poor guy” who always comes in second

Veteran Nickel hadn’t traveled to the Lüneburg Heath alone. His stablemate Tullabeg Platinum can now also call himself a world-class horse. “Pauli” mastered his first appearance at Luhmühlen in impressive fashion. Not only in terms of the second-place finish, but also in terms of “how” he did it. There was one minor flaw in the result, says Julia Krajewski: “Second place for the third time in a row—once behind Michi (in Marbach), once behind Samantha Lissington (in Strzegom), and once behind myself.”

That poor guy actually deserves to win for once.

Pauli is proof that it pays to work consistently, Julia Krajewski reveals. “Riding dressage isn’t always a walk in the park. I’ve even told Anne-Kathrin Pohlmeier (dressage discipline coach) before that I couldn’t do it. But she said, ‘He’s getting better and better.’” That’s true—Luhmühlen proved it.

Quidditch goes through its routine

Malin Hansen-Hotopp had to briefly rein in her fast-galloping Holsteiner gray once on the course to refocus on the final jumps. Where possible, the pair avoided the 1.87 seconds that had cost the European team champions two time penalties. The two are a nearly perfectly synchronized pair. While the Holsteiner son of Quiwi Dream used to be a bit impetuous, today he’s motivated by the atmosphere in large stadiums. “He can be a bit laid-back in the warm-up arena now, but as soon as we ride into the arena, the power he had even as a young horse is back,” says Hansen-Hotopp with a smile on her face.

Bronze for Christoph Wahler and D’Accord FRH

Eleventh place in the CCI4*-S after two knockdowns on the course—“this won’t be his favorite discipline anymore; I think we all know that”—landed Christoph Wahler on the German Championship podium. With the bronze medal around his neck, he draws a positive conclusion from Luhmühlen 2026. After all, the Hanoverian rider—who had come closest to the ideal time of all participants in the cross-country—had been injured. Luhmühlen was his first competition after his injury layoff.

Back in the Game with Experience

The shared routine—finishing seventh in badminton—paid off, says the stallion breeder from Klosterhof Medingen, who also coaches the Indonesian eventing team as a side job. “Then you do five jumps in the warm-up arena, and you get the feeling, ‘Okay, let’s go.’” On the road to the World Championships, he still wants to work on the “fine details.” “Ride one or two more jumping rounds to build up a routine, and tweak a thing or two.”

Swiss rider Nadja Minder took the lead with a clear round on Top Job’s Jalisco (35.5), ahead of Belgian rider Lara de Liederkerke-Meier and Kiarado d’Arville (36.9), who had been in second place after the cross-country. The Diarado son cleared all the jumps perfectly—except for one, where the bar fell, resulting in a fifth-place finish.

At the age of 67 …

… that’s where cross-country riding begins. The proof: Andrew Hoy. The eight-time Olympian rode his World Championship and Olympic horse, Vassily de Lassos, to a sixth-place finish (37.5). The horse, says Hoy, is the reason why you wouldn’t guess his age in the saddle. In fact, the rounds ridden by this oldest pair in the starting field could have been used for an instructional video.

The World Championship team will be selected following the CCI4*-NC-S in Avenches

For all riders eligible to compete in the World Championships, the CCI4*-NC-S in Avenches, Switzerland, is mandatory. The Nations Cup tournament will be held there from July 16 to 19. Nominations must be submitted afterward. National team coach Peter Thomsen, who was unable to attend the event in Luhmühlen due to a riding accident, will be replaced by a team in the meantime. Dr. Annette Wyrwoll, chair of the Eventing Committee of the DOKR (German Olympic Equestrian Committee), explained the procedure: “The first step was Luhmühlen; tomorrow, as planned, the Elite Sports Working Group will decide on the long list (15 riders) during a video conference tomorrow evening.”

Here’s how national team coach Peter Thomsen will be replaced

When it comes to managing the grounds, Frenchman Rodolphe Scherer is in charge. “Rodolphe is basically the boss, and Andreas Dibowski assists him. I handle the organizational matters,” explains Annette Wyrwoll. “Now we’ll see how things go from here.”

Maintain and Improve Your Stamina and Fitness

For the riders, this is just a brief moment to catch their breath. “Our vacation is always based on the intervals in our gallop training,” says Julia Krajewski, “so it’s never longer than five days.” Continuing to build stamina, keeping the horses in shape—or “making them even fitter”—is now on the agenda.

In four weeks, all the horses are set to compete in Avenches to “give it their all one last time.” After that, the team will be selected for the World Championships in Aachen.

Final Results: CCI4*-S Luhmühlen, 2026 German Eventing Championship

2026 German Eventing Championships

GOLD Julia Krajewski/Nickel

SILVER. Malin Hansen-Hotopp/Quidditch

BRONZE Christoph Wahler/D’Accord FRH

4. Nicolai Aldinger/Bart


5. Libussa Lübbecke/Darcy