2026 DSP Championships in Darmstadt-Kranichstein: Champion stallion Bonds in Gold and four-year-old La Vie en rose earn top scores

The championship titles were evenly distributed among the various breeding regions operating under the umbrella organization Deutsches Sport Pferd (DSP). In the four-year-old stallion category, the winner’s sash went to Austria. The winning stallion of the 2025 DSP Licensing has been based there since the Munich Stallion Days and is officially registered under the prefix “Pramwaldhof’s.” The Bonds-Goldberg son from the Brandenburg-Anhalt breeding region was presented by Sina Aringer and impressed across the board: His trot, canter, and suppleness were each rated 9.0, his overall impression received an 8.7, and his walk earned a solid “good” rating of 8.0. With a score of 8.74, the dark chestnut thus ranked well ahead of his competition. The final consisted of a Class A dressage test.

Brandenburg is well represented

The runner-up scored 8.28; like Bonds in Gold, he, too, is a horse from Brandenburg-Anhalt. Sarotti, a son of Segantini, showed great balance under Ines Fleischmann and received an 8.3 for trot and overall impression, and an 8.0 for walk. He earned his highest score in the canter: 8.6. And for responsiveness, he received an 8.2.

Third place went to Bavaria in the championship for four-year-old stallions. Vivantino W, a son of Va Bene, scored a solid 8.0. The individual scores were as follows: trot: 8.0, walk: 7.4, canter: 8.5, responsiveness: 7.9, and overall impression: 8.2.

Life is rosy for the four-year-old mares and geldings

For the four-year-old mares and geldings, as with the stallions, a Class A dressage test was required. This will also be the case at this year’s National Championship in Warendorf.

Here, a representative of the Rhineland-Palatinate-Saar breeding region took the lead: La Vie en rose, a daughter of Lord Leopold from the dam line of the Oldenburg stallion Sandro Hit, presented by Lisa Casper. The black-brown mare received a straight “very good” (9.0) twice—once for her trot and once for her suppleness. Her canter and overall impression were rated only slightly lower by the judges: 8.8 for each of these criteria. Her walk was rated a solid “good,” 8.0.

Runner-up from Saxony-Thuringia

The runner-up in this class came from the Saxony-Thuringia breeding region. Fenya-Fae received an 8.8 for her trot, an 8.7 for her canter and overall impression, and an 8.3 each for her walk and suppleness. The mare is by Fair Deal and was presented by Laurien Martin (8.56). Soprano placed second with a score of 8.54, just two hundredths of a point behind the runner-up. The Brandenburg-Anhalt gray by Secret received an 8.5 for both trot and walk, an 8.6 for canter, an 8.4 for suppleness, and an 8.7 for overall impression.

Breeder, Rider – Double Champion

The champions in the dressage arena were also determined on Sunday among the six-year-olds. The winner was FBW For Magic K, a son of Fürst Magic, who was presented by his breeder, Nikolaus Kühn. The pair arrived in Darmstadt-Kranichstein with high expectations. Two weeks earlier, they had already won the Baden-Württemberg Championship.

The scores this time: 8.7 for trot, 7.8 for walk, 8.2 for canter, 8.3 for responsiveness, and the overall impression was also rated at 8.3. That adds up to an overall score of 8.26. With a score of 8.18, Kühn placed another horse, the Westphalian Samba, in second place.

Third place in this Class M dressage competition—which also served as a qualifier for the National Championships—went to the former National Vice Champion, Birkhof’s Elocin by Escamillo. Ridden by his trainer Anna Casper, the bay horse—who was born in Rhineland-Palatinate—scored an 8.14. The elegant gelding received his highest score in the walk: 8.6.

Foal Auction on Saturday Evening

In addition to the DSP’s equestrian championships, a major foal auction was also held as part of the DSP Summer Festival. No fewer than 85 foals were offered for sale, including six riding ponies. The average price for the 79 warmblood foals was 9,497 euros, with a sales rate of 85 percent. The most sought-after foal was a colt by Vitalis, bred by ZG Wiedemann and Schmiech in Weiler-Simmerberg, Bavaria. This colt, which was purchased by Gestüt Pramwaldhof, sold for 30,500 euros.

Results of the DSP Summer Festival