Big. Very big! Too big? When D’Accord was born to the von Paepcke family in 2012, those were the first thoughts that came to mind. And: Is this a horse suited for eventing? That question also arose once the tall, bay son of Diarado was no longer a young horse.

Perhaps it’s also because of the high expectations weighing on the Brown. His dam, Anette v. Aarking xx-Walhall, was herself—as Hendrik von Paepcke recalls—an extremely hard-working horse, “sometimes a little crazy,” with a special energy. A horse whose championship career would have been unstoppable. But an injury dashed the dream of a possible further Olympic appearance. Hendrik von Paepke placed seventh in Atlanta in 1996 with the gelding Amadeus, also a Hanoverian.

And then there’s C’est la vie, D’Accord’s half-brother who is four years older. He is a descendant of Contendro. “Perhaps the best horse I’ve ever ridden,” says Hendrik von Paepcke. He should know. After all, he placed seventh at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with Amadeus FRH. Ridden by Hendrik von Paepcke, C’est la vie was a finalist at the German National Championships for six-year-olds; he later competed under Ben Leuwer and was then sold to the U.S. He competed in several five-star events.

—an eventing horse?

While everyone raves about C’est la vie, the conversation dies down when his brother comes up. Andreas Brandt, who breaks in the young horses for the von Paepcke family and prepares them for competition, waves off the idea. You can safely forget the idea that D’Accord might be an eventing horse. But what to do with the Baunen?

At some point—when D’Accord was already five years old—Hendrik von Paepcke found himself in the saddle, more by chance than anything else. By then, the gelding had already gained some initial competition experience. One thing was clear from the start: the Diarado son possessed exceptional talent. But is that enough? Even Hendrik von Paepcke wasn’t quite sure what to make of his mother’s offspring. “But then I took him out for a canter on our outdoor arena. I had him gallop faster—not at the pace you’re used to seeing in show jumping classes—and I was surprised.” Surprised because it felt so different from how it had looked from the ground. Better—much better!

Next person to contact: Malin Petersen, who had already ridden the mare. But what about the son? She compares the Hanoverian—sired by a half-blood mare—to a famous inhabitant of the African savanna …

Peter Thomsen puts himself in the young players’ shoes

But Peter Thomsen—who wasn’t yet the national team coach at the time—can empathize a bit with the big gelding. Talent, a powerful canter, a large horse—something like that takes time. Time for him to gradually settle into his own body. Hendrik von Paepcke and Peter Thomsen agree that the gelding should continue his training at Thomsen’s stable. Svenja Eckert takes the reins. At that time, she was preparing for her master’s exam in equine management at Thomsen’s stable. This requires a horse whose training progress is precisely documented—and one that will also be part of the exam in Warendorf.

Svenja Eckert trains the gelding in a variety of disciplines and eventually rides him up to the three-star level.

Something has to happen

At some point, the gelding will be nine years old, and something has to happen. Potential buyers aren’t exactly lining up. Quite the opposite. And even if someone tries out the Diarado son, no deal is made.

Once again, it’s Peter Thomsen who comes up with an idea: Christoph Wahler currently has no other horse for four-star events besides his gray Carjatan S. Perhaps the gelding and the young man from the Lüneburg Heath would be a good match.

The trial takes place at Andreas Dibowski’s riding facility in Döhle. There, D’Accord spontaneously recalls that, as a young horse, he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about jumping over ditches.

“Phew, it’s pretty big and pretty angular.”

Christoph Wahler isn’t quite as dismissive as “more than 20 others who, after trying it out, didn’t even bother to request a purchase evaluation,” recalls Hendrik von Paepcke. But enthusiasm looks different. “Phew, my first thought was, ‘He’s pretty big and pretty angular.’ I thought to myself, ‘This could be a lot of work.’ But what really appealed to me was that you could already tell how much potential he had—not just in jumping, but also in his canter—and that he has a very, very interesting attitude,” recalls the 2022 team world champion in retrospect.

Hendrik von Paepcke, who is also gradually running out of ideas, asks Christoph Wahler if he could imagine starting to train the horse for now. Wahler agrees and then sets a goal, which he already articulates at this point: Luhmühlen.

A top-notch attitude

Christoph Wahler doesn’t have to think long about what sets this gelding apart: “Once he’s figured something out or decided he wants to do it, there’s really no stopping him, and he’s incredibly eager to please. That was already the case right from the start.” Once again, the saying rings true: Competitions are won between the ears.

After competing in some smaller events, the pair will make their four-star debut in late May 2022. In Baborowko, they accumulated 68.8 penalty points—23.6 penalty points from the cross-country, two knockdowns on the course—and finished in 20th place.

Luhmühlen Debut

Yet just a few weeks later, at the first German Championship in Luhmühlen—the first they’d ever compete in—things went much better. A score of 28 “penalty points” in dressage, five seconds over the time limit in the cross-country—the fifth-best round in the international competition. They finished eighth overall and sixth in the championship standings.

Suddenly, the gelding—which no one wanted just a year ago—takes center stage. When a “pretty concrete offer” for D’Accord comes in, Christoph Wahler discusses it with Hendrik von Paepcke, whose wife Karen is also involved, as well as Stefan Haupt, a financial banker from London. “Thank goodness they decided they wanted to keep him, and that we’d try to work together and see how far we could go,” Wahler recalls of that fateful conversation.

Aha moment at his debut in Boekelo

Things will get serious in 2023: D’Accord has to prove himself. And if he’s aiming for an international championship career, he needs a “qualifying result”—that is, a placing in a “long” four-star event. Before that happens, it’s back to Luhmühlen for now. Another German Championship—silver medal! Now it’s time for a CCI4*-L. The choice falls on Boekelo in the Netherlands. A traditional competition, also famous for the fact that the weather there in October can be “vreselijk”—terrible. Rain, wind, cold—the ground has to withstand a lot in this village near Enschede, not far from the German border. So do the riders and their horses.

The best German players in a star-studded field

The pair finished twelfth, making them the top German combination. France’s Nicolas Touzaint won with his future Olympic horse, Diabolo Menthe. “In Boekelo, you could already see how incredibly easily D’Accord could finish within the time limit in a long class,” says Christoph Wahler. “And a year later in Kentucky, it was definitely clear that he had all the potential to compete in the world’s most difficult classes.” At Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington, with its undulating to hilly terrain, the pair will make their five-star debut in 2024. They are one of only two pairs to have galloped the course in the “Horse State” of Kentucky within the optimum time—finishing ninth, a major accolade.

Seventh Place in Badminton

It’s actually impossible, in and of itself, to surpass one’s own achievements. Yet D’Accord and Christoph Wahler manage to do just that in Badminton in 2025. In the world’s toughest eventing competition, they once again cross the finish line not only without any jumping faults but also without any time faults. In the jumping round, two poles fell—and the pair finished Badminton in seventh place!

D’Accord FRH – a championship horse

This Hanoverian’s achievements speak for themselves. Very few German horses can boast placements at the five-star level—not to mention top-ten finishes at Badminton. But a team horse for Germany? With his nomination for the World Championships in Aachen secured following his victory in Avenches, Christoph Wahler can now calmly analyze the key strengths of this Aarking xx son: “Given his dressage and jumping, I didn’t initially have him in mind as a championship horse for Germany. But I think his strength lies in his consistency—the fact that when he competes, he usually finishes very well.”

Not Always on the Sunny Side

Even as their highlights—Kentucky, Badminton, one silver and two bronze medals at the German Championships—keep piling up. The two also know the other side of the sport. The second half of 2025 had plenty of that to offer. D’Accord’s team was eager to test themselves and even set their sights on competing at Burghley, England’s second major traditional eventing competition. Some say it’s even tougher than Badminton. “The real blow was definitely Burghley, where I think we both, as a pair, went a bit overboard with all that fast riding over the cross-country course, and I ended up paying the price for it.” Their journey came to an end at obstacle 14, an oxer flanked by the Burghley towers. A few weeks later, at the start of the Boekelo event, the gelding was injured—forcing a break.

2026: D’Accord Makes a Comeback

“What about Chrischi and D’Accord?” Whenever cross-country riding circles start discussing the potential makeup of a World Championship team sometime in the first half of 2026, this question inevitably comes up at some point.

The two provided the answer in Luhmühlen, where they made their first start of the 2026 season in the CCI4*-S. They finished eleventh in the field and won their second German Championship bronze medal. “I’m incredibly happy to have him back in the stable, healthy and happy again so soon,” says Christoph Wahler. And he returns from Avenches even happier as the winner of the CCIO4*-S NC.

D’Accord’s personal assistant

In addition to the von Paepcke family, Stefan Haupt, and “Chrischi” Wahler, there is another constant in D’Accord’s life: Magdalena Lidenholm has been with the couple for a year now. The Swedish woman is an internationally experienced groom. She has previously worked at the Schafhof. At the Olympic Games in Paris, she accompanied Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Vayron on their way to winning the team silver medal in dressage.

“He’s simply a gentle giant,” says the Swedish woman, summarizing D’Accord’s personality. “At first he was a bit reserved, but once he’s gained confidence, he’ll do anything for you. He’s a friendly horse who loves having people around him. He’s always friendly toward other horses, too.”

The horse has a bird

And his affection isn’t limited to other horses. For the past few weeks, D’Accord has had a girlfriend: Chiquitita. She’s a chicken that belongs to the neighbor. Chiquitita comes over in the morning, “after breakfast,” as Magdalena says. She stays until the afternoon and then says goodbye and heads home. The two spend the rest of the time together. The hen often stands under D’Accord’s belly, hoping he’ll drop some “food.” Chiquitita has even left an egg or two in D’Accord’s stall.

There’s one thing, though, that D’Accord doesn’t really like: when someone tries to touch his ears. But he does enjoy being scratched and petted on his forehead and above his eyes.

At the 2026 World Championships in Aachen, the pair will compete as individual riders for Germany.