Westphalia Week 2026 – The Champions Among Five- and Six-Year-Old Dressage Horses

Six-Year-Old Dressage Horses – Fiete Does It Again

The old champion is also the new champion—last year, Fiete NRW by Fashion in Black-Rock Forever (breeder: Robert Drenker, trainer: Peter Brenske), with Kira Laura Soddemann in the saddle, triumphed in the five-year-old dressage horse class as part of Westfalen Week. This year, he claimed victory in the six-year-old division—and by a wide margin. With a score of 8.8 (trot 8.8, walk 8.6, canter 8.8, responsiveness 9.0, overall impression 8.8) , he left his 14 competitors far behind. With this performance, he has also easily qualified for the Bundeschampionat, where he shone last year by winning the bronze medal.

Second place in the championship and the competition went to Imara S, ridden by U25 European Team Champion Lucie-Anouk Baumgürtel, with a score of 8.48 (trot 9.0, walk 8.0, canter 8.2, responsiveness and overall impression 8.6) to Imara S by Imposantos-De Niro (breeder: Heinz-Bernd Schumacher; owner: Fontaine Management Consultants). Imara S had also distinguished herself on other occasions. During her mare performance test, she received a 9.0 for both trot and rideability and concluded the test with a dressage-oriented final score of 8.6.

The 2022 premium stallion Vandenberg by Viva Gold-Rock Forever (breeders: ZG Walloch/Pearse; owners: Ursula and Joachim Rosendahl), who stands at the Holkenbrink stud, secured the bronze medal in the championship and fourth place in the final standings. Ridden by his trainer Melanie Geßmann, he scored an 8.14 (trot 8.1, walk 8.2, canter 8.5, responsiveness 7.7, overall impression 8.2).

More Bundeschampionat Tickets

In addition to the three medalists, four other horses achieved the required minimum overall score of 8.0:

• Grand Duchess, an Oldenburg mare by Grand Galaxy Win T-Christ (breeder and owner: Anja Gutschmidt), who was also ridden by Kira Laura Soddemann and placed third in the competition (8.32)


• Sky Walker, a Hanoverian gelding by Secret-Demirel (breeder: Andreas Pasch, owner: Giulia Boccola), ridden by Annika Struß (8.12)


• Franz Hermann NRW, a Westphalian stallion by Franziskus-Sir Heinrich (breeder: Hubert Herdering, owner: Michael Schmitz) with Johanna Klippert (8.12)


• L’Europeo, a Hanoverian gelding by Lord Europe-Floriscount (breeder: Heinrich Schröder, owner: Hof Kasselmann), ridden by Amalie Aasted Albæk of Denmark (8.04).

Maxima Achieves Maximum Yield Among Five-Year-Olds

Back in 2024, Gut Neuenhof’s Maxima NRW and Danica Duen had already trotted out of the championship arena in Münster wearing the red-and-white sash. They went on to win bronze at the National Championships. At least as far as the red-and-white sash goes, things worked out today.

A full 30 pairs competed in the Westphalian Championship for five-year-old dressage horses. This, too, was an open competition that served as a qualifier for the National Championship. Maxima swept the field with a score of 8.38 (trot 8.5, walk 9.0, canter 7.7, responsiveness 8.2, overall impression 8.5).

The mare, bred by Gestüt Gut Neuenhof KG and owned by H.S.S. Pferdesport GmbH, is a daughter of the Gut Neuenhof stallion Maxim out of a full sister to Escolar.

Two Westphalian-bred horses shared the silver medal, both finishing tied for fifth place in the competition. One of them was the champion stallion of the 2023 Westphalian Main Appraisal, Dark Dynamic by Dream Boy-De Niro, bred by Ludger Wigger-Pieper and owned by Ursula and Joachim Rosendahl, who once purchased him as the top lot at a Westphalian online auction. Laurin Hofmann presented the black stallion on behalf of the Holkenbrink stud, where he is currently standing at stud. His score of 8.08 was based on a trot of 8.2, a walk of 7.7, a canter of 8.4, suppleness of 7.8, and overall impression of 8.3.

Delight NRW by Diamond Deluxe-Flatley (breeder: ZG Ursula and Ernst, Prost; owner: Wolfgang Suttrup), ridden by Jana Marie Thamm, was named the second-place Westphalian Champion. The gelding had qualified this year for the second selection round for the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses—as did the two champions, Fiete and Maxima. However, none of the three horses made it to the second selection round in Verden.

As a result, they have qualified for the National Championships—along with three other five-year-olds.

More Qualifiers for the National Championships Among the Five-Year-Olds

• Total Love, DSP stallion by Totilas-Licotus (breeder: Theo Binder; owner: BG Hengststation Hoffrogge, Landgestüt Celle, Thiel GbR) with Beatrice Hoffrogge (8.16)


• Viva Weltina, a Hanoverian mare by Viva Gold-Dante Weltino (breeder: Marietta Kappelhoff-Dorenkamp, owner: Ralf Hartmann) with Carola Koppelmann (8.12)


• Vulcan FH, a Hanoverian gelding by Vitalis out of Fürst Romancier (breeder: Hans-Heinrich Janßen, owner: Gestüt Freiberger Hof), ridden by Lucie-Anouk Baumgürtel (8.12)