World Champion Einfach Imposant B FRH and Kira-Laura Soddemann. (Photo: Lafrentz)
Verden. 92.60 – that was unbeatable! With a score of 92.60 per cent, the Hanoverian Einfach Imposant B FRH was crowned World Champion of the five-year-old dressage horses at the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses. Silver went to the Oldenburg stallion Global Amour OLD in the HORSE24 Arena, whilst bronze went to Weihe’s Happiness OLD.
World Champion Einfach Imposant B FRH did not receive a single mark below 9.0 in the Almased Prize – 9.0 for walk and canter, 9.3 for submission, and 9.5 for trot and future prospects. Rider Kira-Laura Soddemann was thrilled: “He made the difference today. He entered the arena determined to be even better than in the qualifier, and I was privileged to ride him.” She believes this horse’s true strength lies within him; that is what makes him special.
The son of Escolar, out of a Westernhagen dam, was bred by Daniela Burkhardt-Robert: “Good horses don’t just need top-class basic gaits; they must have excellent character – that’s the be-all and end-all – and they must be healthy.” That’s how she came to focus on the E line. “They seem robust. The horses are clear-headed, hardy, have good basic gaits and are a joy to train.” Carlin Brenske, the daughter of the owner Dr Peter Brenske who had purchased Einfach Imposant B FRH at the Verden Elite Auction admitted frankly: “When I first saw a video of Einfach Imposant B FRH, I thought – well, sort of. By the time of his first competition appearance, the video already looked better, and here he was simply superb.” Owing to his success at the World Championships, World Champion Einfach Imposant as well as the World Championship runner-up among the seven-year-olds, Secret Agent was honoured by the Supporter’s Club for Hanoverian Sport Horses with the suffix FRH.
Silver for Global Amour OLD
With a score of 89.40 per cent, the Oldenburg stallion Global Amour OLD secured World Championship silver. Alexander Yde Helgstrand has been riding the stud stallion since April and is delighted: “Global Amour can tell exactly whether he’s being used for breeding or competing under saddle. He has so much energy, yet he’s so focused in the arena. He gave me a brilliant feeling.” Just a month ago, the 22-year-old was competing at the European Championships for U25 riders and came home with three medals; he admitted without hesitation: “Riding at the World Championships here was definitely much more exciting. With five-year-old horses, you’re already grateful if you can get them to go round a circle properly. Grand Prix horses are much more predictable,” he smiles. The runner-up’s individual scores were: 8.8 for the trot, 9.2 for the walk, 8.7 for the canter, and 9.0 each for submission and future potential. The son of Global Player OLD out of a Fürstenball dam was bred by Britta Budeus-Wiegert; the World Championship runner-up is owned by Helgstrand Dressage.
Bronze for Weihe’s Happiness OLD
“The modern version of ‘Oma Weihegold’,” is how breeder and owner Christine Arns-Krogmann describes Weihe’s Happiness. With a score of 85.80 per cent, the highly elegant mare took the bronze medal, ridden by Alina Schneider. The highest mark went to the graceful Dynamic Dream for her incredibly light-footed and rhythmically precise trot: 9.4. “I’ve actually had the chance to ride Weihegold before,” explains the rider, “she feels incredibly similar. She also has that hind leg action and that passion for the work. It’s a dream to be able to learn from a horse like this.”
Judge Dr Sven-Günter Rothenberger’s conclusion following the final for the five-year-olds: “Judging today was no easy task. The horses were fantastic, but completely different – you only have to look at the three medallists. From the very elegant Weihe’s Happiness to the rather solid winner Einfach Imposant, and in between the modern stallion Global Amour. And many of the young horses had their little issues, and then the winner came along and already showed us such a mature, flowing performance. We had to strike a balance between really good quality, rideability and precision. And then there’s the big question of exactly how to assess the horse’s potential. The rules don’t state that potential must include whether we can recognise a future Grand Prix horse. The rules state: Is it a good horse? Is it well trained? You have to keep all that in mind – so, it was difficult today, but fantastic.”
Concluding remarks from tournament director Wilken Treu: “We’ve already got a few ideas for next year, but overall we’ve received very good feedback from the riders, trainers and officials, as well as from our spectators. That’s the most important thing for us.”
Salvino for Charity
4,150 euros for Familienhafen Hamburg, an outpatient children’s hospice service in Hamburg and the surrounding area. On the final Sunday of the World Championships, the hammer was swung in Verden for a charity campaign. This initiative supports Familienhafen Hamburg. A Breyer® model of the Hanoverian Olympic horse Salvino, bearing the original signatures of German championship riders, was auctioned off. The event took place directly in the HORSE24 World Championships Arena.
Four new Hanoverian champions celebrated
Four horses secured the coveted white-and-yellow winner’s sashes at the Hanoverian Riding Horse Championships, held as part of the FEI WBFSH World Championships for Young Dressage Horses. Among the three-year-old fillies and geldings, Be Gold by Bon Vivaldi NRW/Best of Gold, ridden by Eike Bewerungen, shone with a final score of 8.80. Varido by Von Und Zu/For Romance took the top spot in the three-year-old stallions’ class with Janina Tietze, scoring 9.30 and receiving the perfect mark of 10.0 for his walk. In the four-year-old mares and geldings’ class, Iva Bella R by Asgard’s Ibiza/Bonifatius triumphed with Kira Goerens-Ripphoff (8.72). The title in the four-year-old stallions’ class was claimed by Daan G. by Donkey Boss/Don Olymbrio L with Vanessa Crnadak (8.92), who received the day’s highest mark of 9.5 for his canter. Hannover thus once again presented four top-class young horses with brilliant prospects for the future in Verden.