Caro Hoffrichter is the 2026 German Amateur Eventing Champion

It was the tenth edition of the German Amateur Eventing Championship, and for the eighth time, the international eventing tournament in Langenhagen near Hanover hosted the championship. It was a start-to-finish victory for Caro Hoffrichter with 34.4 penalty points—even though she picked up a few minor time penalties in the show jumping and cross-country sections.

For the Düsseldorf-based attorney, this was already her second amateur championship title—in 2022, she had won gold in Münster with Lucky van het Trappersveld.

From “Archie Racing” to Championship Horse

’s partner in her success in Langenhagen was the seven-year-old Hanoverian Archie CC von Alaba, whom the family bred themselves. “As a foal, he was just called Archie Racing because he was always darting across the meadows like that,” the winner recounted, clearly gushing about him. “Archie just knows no fear; he just wants to charge forward. He’s honest and smart, and it doesn’t take him long to read and understand the task—a real joker, a great amateur horse who always makes things easy for you.”

He made it easy for her in Langenhagen, too. She had traveled there expecting to perform well. Still, she didn’t take it for granted. “But when everything went off without a hitch in all three parts of the competition, I was really overjoyed.”

Two years ago, Hoffrichter and Archie CC placed seventh at the National Championships. Their next goal is to compete in the World Championships for Young Eventing Horses in France this October. In the long run, however, she hopes to take it even further. “But not as a professional—it should always remain a hobby,” she emphasized. “Fortunately, my job in the legal department of a corporation offers me flexible working hours so I can train accordingly.”

You can become an Olympic champion through the sport of eventing, as dentist Hinrich Romeike has proven.

Jaspers and Reemtsma round out the podium

Karsten Jaspers won his third DAM silver medal. Riding the 11-year-old Oldenburg horse Campione de Lux, he managed to climb onto the podium from sixth place after the dressage and jumping rounds—with 38.9 penalty points—thanks to the only clear round in the cross-country course among all competitors. As was the case at the inaugural event in 2017 (with Duke’s Delight) and in 2024 (with Campione de Lux), the agricultural machinery mechanic from Westerstede once again took second place in the DAM rankings.

Bernhard Reemtsma also moved up in the standings as the competition progressed. Riding Lougherne Cash In Hand, the farmer from Hohenkirchen climbed from sixth to third place with just one knockdown in the jumping round and held onto the bronze position until the end thanks to a fast cross-country round—finishing with 39.0 penalty points.

Böckmann and Bölting Take Top Honors in the Open Class

The victory in the open class of the first division of the CCI3*-S (born in 2001 and younger, DAM and State Championship) went to reigning U25 World Champion Calvin Böckmann riding the young horse Bubine, an eight-year-old DSP mare by Bubalu VDL with prominent maternal lineage: She is closely related to Ingrid Klimke’s Asha P and the licensed stallion DSP Askari. The dam, Van Hera P, is a half-sister to both of them and was herself successful at the CCI3* level with Ingrid Klimke.

In the second division, Vanessa Bölting from Münster scored a one-two finish with Ready To Go NRW (29.6 penalty points) and Birkhof’s Lady Ciacomo NRW (31.5 penalty points). Heike Jahncke took third place here with Mighty Spring FRH (32.4 penalty points)—herself the 2021 German Amateur Champion and a member of the national development squad since this year.

Enchanting Success at the Amateur Championship

As was the case last year, the German Amateur Eventing Championship was also held in Langenhagen, with the title decided as early as Saturday during the CCI2*-S.

The gold medal went to the Rhineland, to Marie-Sophie Zauber from Mülheim an der Ruhr. The 30-year-old agricultural economist competed as an individual rider at the 2019 European Rural Eventing Championships. In Langenhagen, she rode Dona Casa, a seven-year-old daughter of Diacontinus; she was in second place after the dressage and jumping, and took the lead with a clear cross-country round and only 1.2 time penalty points—finishing with a total of 30.6 penalty points.

Fe Marquard, who had been in third place until then, also moved up one spot in the final cross-country round and won silver with her Hanoverian mare California Sun Spezial (by Casalido)—thanks to one of only two clear rounds in the cross-country. Last year, the architectural draftsman from Hiddingen had already won double gold at the national competition—her final score was 31.6 penalty points.

The two frontrunners also owed their placings to the misfortune of defending champion Friederike Paradies from Düsseldorf: At first, it had looked like another start-to-finish victory for her and Fallon B, the daughter of For Romance I. But a refusal over a cross-country obstacle as early as the seventh one cost her 20 penalty points and time.

In the fourth edition of the Amateur Championship, for the first time, the medals were not all won by an all-female trio: The second rider to post a clear round in the cross-country was Oliver Besecke from Markersdorf, Saxony, a frequent participant in the National Eventing Competition. The 60-year-old veterinarian and sales manager at a pharmaceutical company moved up from his original twelfth-place position to take the bronze medal—with a final score of 41.4 penalty points—thanks to his outstanding performance in the cross-country on Nostradamus P, a nine-year-old German sport horse by Nathan de la Tour AA.

As at the DAM, 14 couples competed in the German Amateur Championship.

Open Class Won by Antonia von Baath; Second Division Won by Krajewski

The

open

class of the first division of the CCI2*-S saw a start-to-finish victory by Antonia von Baath riding the Hanoverian FRH Gentle Willowbee H, a son of Gentleman. The pair had taken the lead in the dressage with 24.3 penalty points and maintained that score through the show jumping and cross-country.

The other division featured the 2025 National Champion, Ajana by Karajan, ridden by Julia Krajewski. The format was the same: a dressage presentation with 23.8 penalty points, which was also the final score.

You can find all the results from DAM/DAC in Langenhagen here.

Edited report from Pferdesport Deutschland.