2026 National Dressage Championships – Qualifying Round for Five-Year-Old Dressage Horses: Benjamin Franklin and Baila van der Rosi

Bolero-B is making a big splash at the National Championships—at least in the qualifying round for five-year-old dressage horses. The winners in both divisions trace their lineage back to the founder of the Hanoverian bloodline.

Benjamin Franklin is in the running for the title

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” The highest scores of all went to the Celle state stud stallion Benjamin Franklin by Bon Vivaldi-Royal Blend (breeder: Wilhelm Kamps), ridden by Janina Tietze. The pair is already considered a favorite simply because they won silver in the riding horse category in 2025. They also applied for a spot at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses but were not selected. Instead, Tietze was able to showcase her trainee today.

The stallion received a 9.3 for his supple, collected trot with a clear upward trend. The judges awarded an 8.6 for his rhythmic, diligent walk with sufficient reach, and the canter (which was not quite relaxed at the start) even earned an 8.8. A successful short turn, a good outside canter, and successful transitions—including simple changes—earned him an 8.6 from the judges. For overall impression, Benjamin Franklin received a 9. Final score: 8.86.

Newcomer Wins Second Division

The second B-class horse to receive a gold ribbon today was a Württemberg-bred DSP mare named Baila van der Rosi by Bon Courage-Rocj Forever (breeder: Claudia Wolpert, owner: Dr. Marcis Beckmanns). While Benjamin Franklin carries Bolero blood through Belissimo M, in Baila van der Rosi it is Brentano II who is the great-great-grandfather here.

Unlike some other participants, Baila van der Rosi has not yet made a major impression at any championship. However, she has only been ridden this year by Sophie Samar, who has a refined and sensitive riding style; although she is from Belgium, she has long been based at the Frenzen family’s Lenzenhof in Krefeld. With a carefully ridden test and her three solid basic gaits, the mare earned an overall score of 8.7. That was also the score for the trot. She received an 8.8 for the walk, an 8.4 for the canter, and an 8.8 each for suppleness and overall impression.

Other placees

The Hanoverian mare Viva Weltina, presented by Carola Koppelmann, was narrowly defeated with a score of 8.68. She is a half-sister to the premium stallion Blue Hors Bondo, bred by Marietta Kappelhoff-Dorenkamp and owned by Ralf Hartmann. The chestnut mare closely resembles her sire in color and markings, but is a much more substantial horse and also more supple in her trot. For this, she received an 8.7. She scored an 8.5 in walk and an 8.4 in canter. The judges even awarded a 9.0 for the responsiveness of this already well-balanced mare, and for overall impression, they gave her an 8.8.

Second place in the second division went to the horse bred at Lewitz with a score of 8.56 Zinderella PS v. Zenon-Grey Flanell, ridden by Wibke Hartmann-Stommel, who is now also a co-owner of the black mare. The mare is likely to be a good investment not only from a competitive standpoint but also from a breeding perspective. Her granddam is Sondra, a daughter of Sir Donnerhall and Don Schufro, whose daughter Zantana who recently made a comeback at the World Championships in Aachen with Dutch rider Marieke van der Putten. Sondra produced a large number of other Grand Prix horses, including Edward Gal’s Olympic horse Total US. The bloodline also produced numerous licensed and highly successful stallions, such as Debutant PS and Extreme U.S.

Another horse with no championship experience is the Oldenburg gelding Louboutin by Las Vegas-Feinrich, bred by Eva Krijnen and owned by Julia de Ridder. However, she isn’t riding the dark chestnut herself; instead, she’s letting Ricarda Mombach take the reins. The elegant, light-footed dark chestnut (trot 8.9) received a final score of 8.54.

This year, the former World Championship silver medalist Secret sired “only” three offspring. The best performer among them was the Hanoverian mare St. Anima, bred by Siegfried Kusel. She is owned by Silvia Busch-Kuffner, who also presented her herself, earning a score of 8.52. The black mare’s weak point is her walk. While her trot, canter, and suppleness earned her an 8.7 from the judges, she received only a 7.7 for her walk. Nevertheless, the overall impression was an 8.8. Final score: 8.52.

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a prolific sire

: The winner, Benjamin Franklin, was one of four Bon Vivaldi offspring competing at the Warendorf arena. The now ten-year-old stallion himself once placed third here among the three-year-old stallions, competed at the 2022 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses, and was a finalist at the Bundeschampionat for seven-year-olds the following year. He is now a U25 horse for Henri Schamburg. Alongside Benjamin Franklin, Bon Vivaldi’s daughter Blitzlichtgewitter also made a strong impression under Thomas Schulze. She is a very talented horse, though she still tends to be a bit over-eager in her movements.

Longtime favorite Vitalis and prolific sire Dynamic Dream each sired four offspring as well. As mentioned, Secret has three offspring in the race, while Jameson RS2 and Jovian each have two.

You can find all the results here.