Mixed tournament for young German show jumpers
Tomma Thiesen celebrates success at the junior show jumping tournament in Opglabbeek
from Gloria Lucie Alter 
Tomma Thiesen and Django Riff at the VR Classics Neumünster, where they sensationally came third in the championship over 1.55 meters. Photo: Archive Sportfotos-lafrentz.de After rain comes sun? Tomma Thiesen, who had set an exclamation mark with third place in the championships at the VR Classics this year, had a conciliatory end to the show weekend in Belgium. Then, as this weekend, her four-legged partner for the success was Django Riff, a nine-year-old Holsteiner by Diarado-Cassini II.
Tomma Thiesen second in the Grand Prix
In the Young Riders’ Grand Prix over 1.45 meters, the 19-year-old managed to stay double clear. That alone was remarkable, as the normal course was a real challenge for the 53 rider-horse pairs. Only five pairs finished clear and only three of them cleared all the poles in the jump-off.
In the end, the time of 37.55 seconds was enough for second place in this competition. Tomma and her Holstein gray gelding were beaten by a rider from the host country, Belgium, Bart Jay Junior Vandecasteele. He crossed the finish line with the stallion Lotti Blue Z after 36.7 seconds and a clear jump-off course.
The other German riders in the competition, Tjade Carstensen, Maja Sophie Sorge, Emma Bachl and Victoria-Theresia Joosten had collected seven or more penalty points in the normal course.
Four German riders with ribbons in the Children’s Grand Prix
The U14 riders competed in the Grand Prix over 1.25 meters with a jump-off. 73 pairs competed, 21 of which made it into the jump-off. Italy’s Ginevra Saluzzo Madafferi delivered the fastest clear round with Kamille van de Eenhoorn. With a time of 32.99 seconds, she kept the competition at bay by seven tenths of a second.
Four German pairs were able to celebrate a ribbon in the jumping competition. Joelle Sprehe and Starlinda came seventh (35.64 seconds), Frieda Louise Riedel and Ego Dk Z ninth (35.93 seconds) and Luisa Charlotte Brocks and Dybala Z eleventh (38.57 seconds). All three went clear a second time in the jump-off.
Paulina Marie Widak was also in the money with Czesanne, albeit with an obstacle fault, but thanks to a fast time.
Laura Hertz-Eichenrode eleventh in the Junior GP
No fewer than 93 rider-horse pairs competed in the Junior Grand Prix over 1.40 meters. In the end, victory was correspondingly hard-fought, as 20 pairs had qualified for the jump-off with a clear round in the round.
Laura Hertz-Eichenrode was one of the German riders in this competition, who also went clear in the jump-off with her twelve-year-old Hanoverian Lord Louis by Lord Fauntleroy-El Bundy and finished in eleventh place with a time of 41.29 seconds.
Here, too, it was a Belgian who was allowed to lead the lap of honor at the end. Seppe Wouters and Suzanne de Mariposa were able to beat the competition with a time of 35 seconds and a seven-tenths of a second lead.
Double victory for Ireland in the Pony Riders’ Grand Prix
You always have to have the Irish on your radar when it comes to pony competitions. The Grand Prix over 1.30 meters was no exception. Ted Fagan came out on top with Ballyfore Rosie, followed by his team colleague and 2025 European Championship bronze medal winner Charlie Flynn with Montana. The Germans came away empty-handed here.
Children’s Nations’ Cup fiercely contested
It wasn’t meant to be for the young German riders at the Nations Cup this weekend.
The closest competition was in the Children (U14). Here, no fewer than four teams – the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Italy – managed to stay double clear. This meant that all four nations went into the jump-off, and not just for one rider, but for all four riders in the team, as stipulated by the regulations.
In the end, no team kept a clean sheet, but the Dutch delivered the fastest four-fault result with 98.36 seconds (the times of three pairs added together, one scratch result). Riding for Team Oranje were Wim Vos with Ceio Zachary Z, Mila Martens with Luigi U.B., Mesina Den Tuinder with Just A Moment Van T Heerenhuys and Pedro Mansur with Hotmail des Forets.
Germany’s team led by coach Eberhard Seemann came home with four points from two rounds. On another day, that might have been enough for a top-three finish. As it was, Luisa Charlotte Brocks with Cordijana (0/4 points), Joelle Sprehe with Starlinda (0/0), Alena Schädler with Caboto(12/16) and Justus Thomsen with Clooney (0/0) only managed fifth place.
Germany beaten in other team decisions
The other Nations Cups went rather badly. The pony riders finished last, the juniors took seventh place and the young riders only managed sixth place.
