For Romance and Chaccothage Blue PS Will Produce the 2026 DSP Champion Mares

The best DSP mares of 2026 were judged in Darmstadt by dressage instructor Katrin Burger and successful breeder Antonius Schulze-Averdiek from the Münsterland region, who not only bred a Cornado NRW but also produced the show jumping champion at the DSP Stallion Days in both 2022 and 2025.

2. Runner-up in the Bavarian Mare Championship, Champion Mare in Darmstadt

As the second-place reserve champion at the mare show in Bavaria, the three-year-old chestnut mare Fortuna by For Romance-Don Diamond—bred by Andreas Stöckle in Unterthingau—had traveled to Darmstadt. There, she swept her competitors off the field with a score of 8.92. The judges gave her a 10 for walk, and a 9.5 for trot and overall impression. Among those she defeated was the Bavarian Champion Mare Karamba by Damaschino-Zackman (breeder: Josef Zunterer), who, with a score of 8.25, was still the second-best three-year-old.

The winner of the Baden-Württemberg Breeders’ Show, the four-year-old Violett by Vitalis-Sir Donnerhall, bred by ZG Stabhalterhof GbR, placed second overall across all age groups, behind Fortuna. The judges awarded her trot a solid “Very Good.” Her overall score was 8.42.

The third-place finisher, with a score of 8.33, was a mare from the Brandenburg-Anhalt Horse Breeders’ Association: Mon Cherie by Morricone-Charmeur, bred and owned by Julia Voigtländer, who also bred the mare’s dam and granddam.

“Overall, a truly excellent collection of mares,” concluded Katrin Burger, the dressage expert on the judging panel.

Cordula Blue with a 10.0 for the sash

The winner of the jumping mares class, Cordula Blue by Chaccothage Blue PS-I’m Special de Muze, bred by Johannes Behrens, was awarded top marks. In the free-jumping arena, she demonstrated jumping potential that earned her a 10.0 from the judges for ability. Her manners, awareness, and caution were hardly any less impressive: 9.5. Combined with the scores for her basic gaits during her presentation on the triangular arena, she achieved an 8.8 and thus won by a wide margin.

For Antonius Schulze-Averdiek, she embodied the breeding goal: “A state-of-the-art show jumping mare—that’s exactly what we’re looking for,” praised the successful breeder and show jumping expert.

The second-best three-year-old was Diavoilazza by Dominatorré out of Cormint, bred by ZG Newedel and Koch, with a score of 8.58.

Among the four-year-olds, the winning mare from Baden-Württemberg, Carlota One B—a daughter of Christian Ahlmann’s 2014 Aachen winner Codex One out of an Inshallah de Muze dam—received the top score of 8.33. The “B” stands for ZG Böpple in Ditzingen, Baden-Württemberg. Carlota One B was presented by Pferdezucht Pech GbR in Donzdorf, Baden-Württemberg.

The Bavarian champion mare Ehawee by Colestus-Clinton (breeder: Otto Fischer Sr.) scored a 7.63, placing her third among the five four-year-old mares.

“The ‘Sister of …'”

The winner’s sash (as well as a pendant from a renowned manufacturer in Lastrup, which the exhibitors of all three winning mares were presented with) in the riding pony class was awarded to Gründleinshofs Herzbeben. She is a daughter of the two-time National Champion Golden West NRW out of Gründleinshofs Herzblut by Gründleinshofs San Royal. Pony fans know: There has already been one of this line that won sashes in succession—namely, the three-time National Champion DSP Gründleinshofs Gipfelstürmer. The breeder behind this success is Cordula Kraus, who, however, did not present the latest champion in her collection herself in Darmstadt. She was shown by Thomas Bauer in Neuenstein. She received an overall score of 8.5, earning a “very good” for breed and gender conformation and an 8.0 for walk. All other scores ranged between “good” and “very good.”

The ponies made up the largest group in Darmstadt, with 22 contenders. Among the riding horses, there were nine show jumping mares and 18 dressage mares. The quality of the mares was good, though one might have hoped for a slightly larger group of show jumping mares, as Antonius Schulze-Averdiek summarized:

“We saw an outstanding winner among the dressage mares. Overall, the quality at the top level was very good. That also applies to the show jumping mares, even though we would have liked to see a few more mares in that competition,” said the man from Münsterland, who seemed to be quite at home in Hesse overall. In any case, he noted: “Overall, the entire event here is simply well organized.”

You can find all the results here.