Prize of the Best in Dressage and Show Jumping 2026

The “Preis der Besten” is regarded as one of the most important stepping stones for young talents in the U14 (children), U16 (ponies), U18 (juniors) and U21 (young riders) age groups towards top international sport. This year, the Horst Gebers Foundation and the Dieter Hofmann Foundation once again supported him in show jumping.

Jumping

Young riders

Max Paschertz from Cloppenburg in Weser-Ems and his nine-year-old mare Foodfox’ Cathilde H came out on top in the young riders’ U21 age group – fourth place in the first classification, victory in the final, 66 points overall. For Paschertz, this is the next logical step in his career: in 2023, he received his Golden Riding Badge as an 18-year-old and saddled Sememper for Germany at the U18 European Championships. At the beginning of 2024, he won the Golden Saddle in Leipzig. “I’m super happy and very, very grateful to be able to ride such a horse,” he said after his success. “I’m incredibly pleased that she was in such good form at the weekend, she simply deserves to be right at the front here.”

Silver and bronze went to Schleswig-Holstein: to Tjade Carstensen with Gasira (60 points) and Romy Rosalie Tietje with Cascadino (50 points). For these two, too, the medals are no real surprise. Tjade Carstensen and Gasira won the final of Germany’s U25 Jumping Cup in Aachen last year – two years after Tjade’s sister Teike with Greece, who is now successful under Max Kühner. Romy Tietje and Cascadino have already taken third place in the Grand Prix of Neumünster (CSI3*) this year.

Children

Mary-Ann Hollenbach from Baden-Württemberg, who will only be celebrating her twelfth birthday in a few days’ time, won the Children’s class with 109.5 points in the saddle on her mare Falitha Sheila. Hollenbach had already ridden her way to the fore with top placings in the Horst-Gebers Pony Tour. “We were a bit nervous – and are all the happier that it turned out so well,” she said.

Silver went to the European Team Champions 2025, Justus Thomsen (Schleswig-Holstein) and Clooney. Bronze went to Bavaria, to Max Kühner’ssecond youngest daughter Grace Isabelle with Rassina-M, who came second in both the Nations Cup and the Grand Prix at the junior tournament in Zduchovice (CZE) this year.

Ponies

Benedikt Raab (15) from TSV 1861 Mainburg from the Bavarian state squad dominated the field of ponies. With his Marie-Luise, he won both classes and thus also the overall classification with no ifs and buts. “I am very, very proud of my pony,” said Raab, and expressly thanked the Aldinger family for providing him with the successful pony: “In general, I am very grateful to everyone who supports me so much here – my family and the Aldinger family for providing me with this great pony.” Raab is still an international hand. He has never competed in an international tournament, but should now have recommended himself.

It was a completely different story for his female colleagues on the podium. Silver went to Frieda Louise Riedel with Leo. Frieda has already collected plenty of ribbons in both the pony and children’s camps. Bronze medal winner Brianne Beerbaum with Iron Star Alias has an even longer list of successes. The 16-year-old daughter of Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Markus Beerbaum has already enjoyed international success in CSI show jumping competitions up to 1.50 meters. She also stood on the podium in the juniors, where victory went to another big family name from show jumping.

Juniors

Jolie Marie Kühner from Bavaria, the older sister of children’s bronze medal winner Grace Isabelle, secured victory in the junior age group (U18) and also won the overall gold medal after finishing sixth in the first classification and winning the final. An almost logical continuation of her series of successes: Kühner had already won gold with Dialo in the Children’s age group at the 2023 Preis der Besten, as well as team gold and individual bronze at the Children’s European Championships. She said of her successful partner Bastille, who she took over from Martin Fuchs: “Bastille jumped superbly right from the start – simply a dream.”

Brianne Beerbaum and the nine-year-old Holstein stallion Zenzero, a son of Zuccero bred by Harm Thormählen, who has been owned by Brianne’s parents for a year and who Brianne successfully presented in the international Youngster Tour last year, were responsible for her silver medal in the juniors. Bronze went to Lennard Tillmann and Veltiner from the Rhineland, who were recently part of the winning German Nations Cup team in Compiègne. Lennard is the son of Frederic Tillmann, who will once again be among the Derby riders next weekend in Hamburg.

The Style Prize in Memory of Hermann Schridde, awarded by the Stiftung Deutscher Pferdesport in the U18 final, went to Ava Ferch from Bavaria with Tendresse de la Vie Z – equivalent to fourth place in the overall standings. Among other things, Ferch was the 2024 Federal Young Pony Jumping Champion.

Dressage

Children

Lilly Kasselmann from Weser-Ems set an exclamation mark in the dressage arena. With Vodka Soda, the granddaughter of Ulli and Bianca Kasselmann dominated the children’s classification with 161.503 percentage points – the pair had already been nominated for the European Children’s Championships in Le Mans in 2025, where she won gold with the team. Now in Warendorf, in addition to her U14 title with Nasdaq FH, Kasselmann took silver in the pony riders (150.838 percent). So practicing the tasks in Wellington has paid off.

Anna Schmieder (Rhineland) won the Children class with Freispiel (155.124 percent), bronze went to Linda Schuchmann (Weser-Ems) with Figo de Halliers (154.580 percent).

Ponies

The next old acquaintance was unbeatable in the U16 dressage: Leni-Sophie Gosmann from the Rhineland won with the dun Diamantini EA WE (151.689 percent). Gosmann has long been a force to be reckoned with in the junior ranks – 2024 German Pony Champion, 2024 European Championship medal winner in Opglabbeek, Belgium, 2025 European Championship silver medal in Le Mans, plus gold and silver from previous years at the Preis der Besten. Lilli von Helldorff from Hanover took bronze in the pony class with Nabucco HW (146.791 percent).

Juniors

Clara Kohoutek from Baden-Württemberg dominated the juniors – twice over. She came top of the overall standings with Belinda FRH. The mare, who once came sixth in the six-year-old class at the 2022 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses under Lena Haßmann, is now her most successful horse. Kohoutek came first and second in the classifications with her second horse Dark Dancer – if the rule had allowed a rider to be classified with a second horse, silver would theoretically still have been possible for her too.

However, it went to Ava Osing from Schleswig-Holstein with her new addition, the Grand Prix-successful Destacado FRH, which she took over from Matthias Alexander Rath (145.653 percent). Bronze went to Eve Catherine Bartels from Hesse with Villeneuve.

Young riders

Last year’s three-time European Junior Champion, Julie Sofie Schmitz-Heinen from the Rhineland, and her nine-year-old Rhinelander Attractive made a clean sweep in the Young Riders competition. The 18-year-old clearly won both classes and thus also the overall victory.

Silver in the Young Riders category went to Nele Kraus from Berlin-Brandenburg with Bonfire, bronze to Julia Eva Henrich with For Sunshine, who, like the winner, represents the Rhineland.