2026 European Show Jumping Championships: Germany's Juniors Take Gold!

What a thriller in the final jumping round of the team competition at the Junior European Championships in Hagen! The German juniors had entered this second round of the Nations Cup with a comfortable lead, having cleared all the bars that counted in both the speed jumping and the first round. Lennard Tillmann and Veltiner also demonstrated today, as the first pair to post another clear round, that they had arrived in Hagen in top form. But one knockdown each by Tony Stormanns on RMF Cinnamo and Malte Merschformann on Blue Water caused the lead to melt away.

Brianne Beerbaum, in commanding form

Now it all came down to the final rider, Brianne Beerbaum, in the saddle of her 11-year-old son of Cornet Obolensky, Kiss Me. The pressure was all the greater given that both the British final rider, Emily Gulliver on Glamor de Vie, and the Swiss rider Laura André on L.B. Zornell II had secured medal positions for their teams with clear rounds. One knockdown by Brianne and it would have been bronze for Germany. Two faults and the medal would have been gone.

But the daughter of Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Markus Beerbaum has already proven at the European Pony and Children’s Championships that she’s not only a skilled rider but also has nerves of steel. She proved that again today. With a clear round, the 16-year-old not only secured the gold medal for the team at her first European Championships in the junior division, but also took the lead in the individual standings. What a performance!

The national team coach, Eberhard Seemann, felt the same way. He was a little shaken emotionally after this final. “Today was truly a roller coaster of emotions. We went into the final day in the lead, and I’d been very optimistic all year because I knew we had an exceptionally strong junior team. So, of course, I was hoping for a medal—and secretly hoping it might even be gold. When things suddenly got so close before the last riders—and we could theoretically have even dropped as low as fifth place—a lot goes through your mind. That makes me all the happier that Brianne withstood that pressure with incredible composure and brought home the victory for us.”

The Ranking

Germany finished with 9.30 penalty points. The British team secured the silver medal with 11.59 faults. Riding for the British team were Hollie Gerken on Joplin (6.41/0/0), Nellie Lock on Diamantine Z (4.65/0/8), Cate Kerr on Petit Four vd Wareslage (2.88/4/0), and Emily Gulliver on Glamor de Vie (4.06/0/0).

The Swiss team, which took the bronze, finished with 13.87 penalty points. Both the aforementioned Laura Andre riding L.B. Cornell and “Pathfinder” Sacha Bek riding Buster Moon achieved double or triple clear rounds; they were the first to compete for their teams in the course and helped create a great atmosphere each time. Also competing were Lydia Beutel on Ohlala (2.9/4/4) and Malin Cavegn riding Solo du Roton Z (2.02/4/4).

In the individual standings, Brianne Beerbaum leads the field with 1.45 penalty points in her U18 European Championship debut. But the competition is hot on her heels. Laura Andre and L.B. Zornell II have 1.55 penalty points. Currently in third place is Hugo Kogelnig from Finland riding Vermont (1.84).

Lennard Tillmann and Veltiner, currently in sixth place (2.59), are also still very much in the running for medals. Malte Merschformann lost the lead due to a knockdown. He now has 5.26 penalty points and is in 14th place.

You can find all the results from Hagen here.