World Cup freestyle Neumünster 2026: Strong Belgians, ambitious German "boys"

Belgium’s Larissa Pauluis and the 16-year-old KWPN gelding Flambeau were unbeatable in the World Cup freestyle in Neumünster 2026.

Passage and piaffe are in the Ampere son’s blood. To the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams”, he immediately started with a piaffe pirouette after the salute, followed by traversal shifts in the passage and collected trot. The “bouncy” trot sequence was perfectly supported by Annie Lennox’s voice. The pair from Belgium have already competed at two Olympic Games and were also part of Team Belgium at the European Championships in Crozet.

The 10.0 for holding in the “Sweet Dreams” World Cup freestyle at Neumünster 2026

“Don’t leave me this way”, Bronski Beat – actually an “up-tempo” piece but with a little chorus – a clever idea to take exactly this moment of the hit for the step. And, of course, fitting for the eighties. The pair also kept up the musical gallop with U2’s “Bloody Sunday”. Big single changes, double pirouettes, a strong dynamic canter. Everything in flow. The Ampere son is a powerhouse who is allowed to dance here.

The 46-year-old celebrated her KWPN gelding. As the pair proved, U2 also suits piaffe and passage – “In the name of Love” accompanied the pair in the final salute. 84.105 percent is a personal best and their second victory in a World Cup freestyle after Mechelen in December 2025. “My horse is 16 years old, no young, and is still growing into himself. I hope to be able to continue like this with him for a long time to come,” said Pauluis, summing up her Neumünster weekend. Larissa Pauluis was particularly proud of her 10.0 for halting this time: “We’ve been practising this for five years and it’s only been working for a few months.”

Larissa Pauluis has taken the lead in the World Cup rankings with today’s victory. However, it didn’t sound at the press conference as if she definitely wanted to compete in the final in Texas. “I would like to, but it’s a very long journey. And the main goal this year is to qualify for the team for the World Championships in Aachen.”

Verboomens Djembe de Hus with moments of tension

Justin Verboomen and Djembe de Hus had won the Grand Prix. Their freestyle focuses more on the somewhat softer tones, just as the world number one himself is a man of few words. The fact that the Damon Hill son, who is a sales horse in the Belgian rider’s stable, would have to deal with the indoor atmosphere today was already evident from the start: No stopping, piaffe instead.

But then things got off to a controlled and relaxed start. Classical music, piano, accompanied by strings. Even a stutter in the passage at the beginning of the performance could not disturb the harmony of the pair. As in the Grand Prix (and also in the early morning training sessions), the 38-year-old Belgian led the Oldenburg with the finest of hands. Swaying tails in the passage-traversal, alternating with trotting in collected trot. The change of two on the diagonal left the rider wishing for more creative lines. In the collected walk, the tension that the chestnut, who appeared so confident, must have had in him, came to light. “That wasn’t surprising, it was already apparent when he was ridden off, so I’m all the happier that he found his stride after all – but unfortunately too late,” said Verboomen at the press conference.

In fascinating self-carriage, they then continued in canter. Also the 15 changes of one on a “classic” straight line, the diagonal towards the judges. There is certainly more to come soon. At times, only percussion accompanies the canter.

It was the Damon Hill son’s second freestyle. His father had once made history under Helen Langehanenberg in the Holstenhalle. This was the first time the duo had scored over 90 percent in the freestyle. His son came out of the test with 81.985 percent and second place.

Portugal on the podium

The Portuguese rider João Pedro Moreira, who lives and trains in Germany, and Fürst Kennedy started with the canter. The Oldenburg Fürsten-Look son showed very centered double pirouettes on the right, series changes on a curved line. The piano is the dominant instrument in his musical background. However, the passage then called for winds and bass strings. The pair showed a beautiful striding strong walk directly out of a piaffe to the sound of violins, which also scores points. The traversals in the passage, at the end of which there is a piaffe-pirouette (Star Wars is heard briefly as a theme), may also have helped the score. In the technical score, the piaffe and passages, which were not always evenly executed in the hind leg, may have depressed the score somewhat. Nevertheless: Personal Best, 81.08 percent, third place.

U30 wants to know: Raphael Netz and Great Escape Camelot

How is it with a freestyle? Show your strengths right at the beginning! Raphael Netz knows this and rides the first passages accompanied by orchestral sounds. Strings form the basis, flutes provide accents that emphasize the flowing, light-footed trot traverses of Johnson’s son Great Escape Camelot.

Just like Justin Verboomen, who was in the arena right in front of Netz, you could see a rider sitting in the horse at every second, just like you can read about in the textbook. And someone who was able to present his horse in the right frame according to the respective tempi. Double pirouette and strong canter, plus timpani and trumpets from the orchestra and a choir of jubilant female voices. Good series changes, centered pirouettes – it was going well … But then there was a lapse in the single changes. Netz was able to make up for this on the joker line with faltering but flawlessly executed canter changes. 80.94 percent, fourth place,

Moritz Treffinger – “Ready or not”, what a question …

With Fiderdance, Moritz Treffinger has a horse that is not performing in the Holstenhalle for the first time. The two are a strong duo: strong trot from the salute at the start, Phil Collins’ “In the air tonight” to passages and piaffe and traversals with clearly separated beats – lighter in the collected trot lessons, heavier, more concise in the passages. Smart: From the piaffe-pirouette in front of the head judge into the strong walk on the centerline.

Full risk at the start of the canter tour: strong canter, only then traversals, double pirouettes safe one-twos, a mistake in the double changes, which Moritz Treffinger was able to correct on the “joker line”. At the end, a transition from the canter pirouette into the piaffe pirouette. In the arena interview in front of Christian Kröber’s microphone, the U25 European champion was moved. “Are you actually stupid?”, he asked himself when he rode the first leg of the World Cup season in Herning. After London, he began to dream and now he used the microphone to thank everyone who made this journey possible. 78.365 percent, fifth place and important points for the World Cup Final in Texas, yeeeha!

National coach Monica Theodorescu has only words of praise for the performance of the two “boys”, Moritz Treffinger and Raphael Netz: “I am very, very proud of both of them”.

Another debutant

The Dane Alexander Yde Helgstrand, 22, son of the horse dealer Andreas Helgstrand, made his debut in the World Cup in Neumünster. With the colorful Everdale son Inspiration, who delivers piaffes and passages as if he had a metronome built into his massive body, he showed many difficulties. Just like his father when he started out in the World Cup, he opted for rockier sounds, played by a classical orchestra. Alexander Helgstrand brought Brit Pop classics to the Holstenhalle. Electric guitar accompanied by orchestra: “Viva la vida”, the Coldplay classic par excellence for trot and passages. The colorful chestnut was a little wobbly in the neck at times, but overall performed much better than in yesterday’s Grand Prix. The Everdale son’s program included smooth piaffe pirouettes as well as 19 single changes. 77.43 percent, another “personal best” and sixth place.

More German rides: Klimke and Strobel separated by 0.2 percent

Ingrid Klimke and the delicate Fürstenball daughter First Class opted for 80s hits. Carly Simon’s “Your so vain” for the passage, which dominates the action at the beginning, alternating with the trot tour to Whitney Houston’s “How will I know”. Ingrid Klimke had built in degrees of difficulty, especially in the canter tour. Good double pirouettes were followed by safe series changes. One of the highlights: Double changes on a curved line, then later 20 (!) single changes, also anything but boring straight ahead. In walk, “All by myself” rang out, which was somewhat the motto of the ride: “She was so beautiful with me,” was Ingrid Klimke’s conclusion after the ride, 76.25 percent eighth place.

“I love him, I love him” – Laura Strobel and Sister Act

For her World Cup debut, Laura Strobel, head rider at Vorwerk Stud, set the trotting tour to melodies from the classic musical “My Fair Lady”. Songs from the movie to which the Oldenburg mare owes her name then rang out in canter: Sister Act, in which Whoopi Goldberg as Sister Mary Clarence, alias Deloris Van Cartier, stirs up a convent of nuns. But there was no sign of any shaking up on this ride!

Although there was a minor mistake in the two-in-hand change, which the rider later corrected, the mare looked fresher overall than in yesterday’s Grand Prix. Great trot traversals in good harmony with the music set a big exclamation mark shortly before the end of her World Cup debut. Beautiful, fine riding at the highest level. Incidentally, both the horse and the rider were trained by riding master Dorothee Schneider. And coach Georgia Schulze-Lefert, who also looks after Sister Act’s offspring on weekdays, admitted that watching them was more nerve-wracking than anything else. Ninth place with 76.055 percent.

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