National Championship for Five-Year-Old Eventing Horses: Chesalico and Malin Hansen-Hotopp Take the Win on an All-Holsteiner Podium

The German Champion among five-year-old eventing horses is named Chesalico, a Holsteiner bred by Anneliese Siebert. The son of Cesaro Colman rose to the top of a highly competitive field thanks to his performance in the cross-country. Eighteen horses had qualified for the final; 15 remained in the competition. Malin Hansen-Hotopp celebrated winning the title. In the cross-country test—which is multiplied by a factor of two and included in the final score—the dark bay with a strong bloodline received a 9.0. That was the highest score, and it was also the mark that ultimately secured him the title.

The gelding is the very picture of a bush horse. It’s almost surprising that he has “only” a good 40 percent Thoroughbred in his pedigree when you see Chesalico in person. He gallops with a wide stride and gracefully, but without being overly showy. A horse that, while sensitively guided by Malin Hansen-Hotopp—the team silver medalist at the World Championships in Aachen—gives the impression of knowing exactly what matters in eventing. A horse that sometimes takes bold leaps, lands, and quickly regains ground.

“Prototype of the eventing horse”

He was also among the best in dressage; the new Bundeschampion was only beaten in this discipline by the horse that would go on to place third, ChrisTonic, ridden by Julia Krajewski. He performed well in show jumping—scoring an 8.0. This score is multiplied by a factor of 1.5, so in the end, Chesalico and Malin Hansen-Hotopp secured the victory with 38.5 points.

The jury raved about him, calling him the “prototype of an eventing horse” with an “incredibly light-footed and powerful canter” that was “exactly as one would hope, right from the first stride.” They also praised his “composure over jumps” and noted that the dark bay had completed the cross-country course “without a hint of hesitation.”

Julia Krajewski took second and third place

Just one-tenth of a point behind was another Holsteiner: Carbolin, a stallion by Clarimo out of a Quinar dam, trained by Klaus Tiedemann. Julia Krajewski rode the gray horse. Carbolin received the highest jumping score (8.6) for a rhythmic and powerful round over the course; he was also awarded an 8.6 in cross-country. His dressage score was 8.3, bringing his total to 38.4.

A knockdown at a steep jump cost the third-place finisher an even better finish: ChrisTonic by Crack-Dinken, bred by Manfred Johannsen, rode by Julia Krajewski, had the Won the first test. In the final, he received the highest score (9.2) in dressage and the second-highest (8.7) in cross-country. But in the jumping, after a knockdown, he only managed a 7.1; the judges were displeased with the slightly open front leg when the gray came in a bit too close to the jump. In the end, he scored 37.25 points, earning him the bronze medal. Pauline Knor took fourth place with Citizen Kane, a Westphalian gelding by C-Trenton out of Z-Riscal, bred by Brigitte Weeke-Therling, with a score of 36.85.

Results of the 2026 National Championship for Five-Year-Old Eventing Horses

Anyone who would like to watch the entire exam again online can do so in the Clipmyhorse media library.