Württemberg State Championships – The First Winners in Show Jumping and in the Riding Horse Division

The Baden-Württemberg Horse Breeders’ Association has also partially adopted the changes introduced at the National Championships for its state championships. For example, the championship for three-year-olds will now be decided in a single class. Accordingly, the champion of the three-year-old stallions should have been crowned today. But things turned out differently.

The riding horse competition for three-year-old stallions also served as a qualifier for the four-year-old stallions’ championship, which—again, similar to Warendorf—will be decided for the first time as part of a Class A dressage competition. Both the winner and the runner-up were from the 2022 crop.

The winner of the competition, with a final score of 8.4 (trot and walk 8, canter and conformation 8.5, rideability 9), was Be my Guest, a son of Bonds, bred by Zoe Sierks out of a Sezuan dam. The stallion is owned by a Dutch owner and is ridden by Dionne Korringa, who is also Dutch.

Second place went to a horse bred by the Casper family’s Birkhof Stud: Vino Veritas, the line’s heir and son of Vangelis—who passed away far too soon—out of a Lord Loxley dam. Anna Casper rode him and was delighted to receive a score of 8.2 (trot 8.5, canter 9, walk and rideability 7.5, conformation 8.5).

Not a three-year-old champion

Third place was shared by two young horses, each with a score of 7.8; both are only three years old, but neither is eligible for the championship in Baden-Württemberg because neither is a DSP horse bred in Württemberg.

The focus is on the stallions Fanticello and Impassion. Fanticello, presented by Ines Fleischmann, is a son of Floricello and Sir Donnerhall bred in Bavaria, whose half-sister, DSP Future Girl, has enjoyed success up to S*** level under Tina Kage. Fanticello was bred by Otto Zimmermann and is owned by Frieder Heilemann. His scores were: trot and canter 8.5, walk 8, rideability 6.5, type and conformation 7.5.

Impassion is a representative of the DSP Rhineland-Palatinate Regional Association, a son of Iron who was originally supposed to be trained by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour for owner Annabella Pidgley, but who passed away in late 2022. Prior to that, Iron sired Impassion, among others, here in a mating with a Fürsten-Look dam. Martin Franz is responsible for the breeding program here. Thomas Casper is also the owner of this stallion. Impassion was presented by Nicola Haug, receiving a 7.5 for trot and canter and an 8.0 in all other criteria.

Incidentally, Impassion’s line also produced Elocin, a Bundeschampionat medalist who is also based at Gestüt Birkhof. Both stallions are grandsons of the mare First Lady M by Fidertanz.

The best three-year-old Württemberg stallion was Barnaby HJ by Banderas-Chambertin, bred and owned by Karin and Wolfgang Rettenmeier. He placed sixth with a final score of 7.2. Problem: To be crowned champion, riding horses in Württemberg must achieve a score of at least 7.5. That is why there is no Württemberg champion among the three-year-olds this year.

Jumping

Nevertheless, the first sashes for the Württemberg State Championships in Weilheim—in the state colors of black and yellow—had already been awarded, right on the course. The four-year-old show jumpers kicked things off yesterday, competing in a Class A** show jumping class.

The winner of the four-year-old class comes from one of the last crops of the great Holsteiner sire Calido I from the Maas J. Hell stud, who died in 2023 at the age of 32. His daughter Calida de Coco (dam of Magnus Romeo/Hansi Dreher) has now been crowned State Champion with a score of 8.6. Benjamin Maier rode her. This makes the mare a true family product, as ZG Maier und Mayerföls is listed here as the breeder and Leo Maier as the owner.

The silver medal went to another mare, Carlota One by Codex One-Inshallah de Muze (breeders: Lenard and Viviane Böpple; owner: Pferdezucht Pech GbR), ridden by Marvin Frey. The pair received a score of 8.4.

Behind him, Charlie Sheen by Chacoon Blue-Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve, ridden by Miriam Bohn, took the bronze. The gelding, bred by Horst Schipper and owned by Norbert Freistedt—head of breeding and marketing as well as managing director of the Baden-Württemberg Horse Breeders’ Association—received a score of 8.3.

Five-year-olds

In the five-year-old division, Anne Götter and the gray mare Hanna by Hickstead White-Sandro (breeder and owner: Roland Deuß) took the lead with a perfect score of 8.8. With this result, they not only won the state championship sash but also qualified for the National Championship.

Silver medalist Cranko by Cornet de Semilly-Christian (breeder: Georg Gödiker, owner: Klaus Kellhammer), ridden by Benjamin Maier, received a score of 8.5. The bronze medal, with a score of 8.3, went to Kassandro S by Kassander van’t Roosakker-Champion For Pleasure, who was presented by his breeder and owner Tobias Sawatzki himself and qualified for Warendorf. Both the mare’s dam and granddam were from the breeder’s own breeding program. The mare’s dam competed successfully with Sawatzki up to Class S.

Six-year-olds

Pia-Luise Baur celebrated a double victory with her “Million Dollar” offspring in the six-year-old class. She rode the stallion Marracudo—out of a Holsteiner Candillo-Contender dam—to victory with a score of 8.8, securing a direct ticket to Warendorf. She took second place with Million’s Malaika by Million Dollar-Casall (breeder: ZG Eggers/Polte, owner: Kaija Johanna Feldmann). The mare, however, is a Holsteiner.

The second-best DSP score was an 8.4 for Hennessy E, a son of Hickstead White-Emerald (breeder: ZG Eisele; owner: Colin and Elin Sorg), who was presented by his owner, Colin Sorg, himself.

PIA de Mariposa, a daughter of Poker de Mariposa out of a dam by Zuccero, placed fourth at the National Championships and third in Baden-Württemberg. Heiner Sommer is the breeder and owner; Jochen Schelling presented the mare, which received a score of 8.2.

Golden Ribbon Award for Cordelia

Colin Sorg not only celebrated a medal this weekend, but also received the Golden Ribbon from the Baden-Württemberg Show Jumping Association. He received the award for his performance with Cordelia by Caroly-Balou du Rouet—bred by the Colin family themselves—who outjumped the competition in the S*-level show jumping class over 1.40 meters for seven- and eight-year-olds.

Marcel Marschall had to settle for second place on the Italian gelding Nadamas Di Villagana by Baloubet du Rouet-Voltaire (breeder and owner: Anna Bruna Zorza). Third place went to the Westphalian mare Kalouba by Karajan-Balou du Rouet (breeder: Josef Ruyter), who is owned by Ann-Cathrin Rieg. Rieg has made a name for herself as a dressage rider with her pony Steendieks Derrick, competing all the way up to the Grand Prix level. Kalouba, however, is ridden by Sönke Aldinger.