Analysis by Christopher Hector
Kiki Beelitz took the superb photos…

A Bundeschampionate unlike any other, sure we’ve had rain before, but no spectators!

Alas like so many, including the German fans, I was unable to attend this year’s Bundeschampionate. It is one of the world’s great equestrian events, and hopefully next year will be back in full swing, but in the meantime, looking at the placegetters, we discover some interesting new stallions….

The Five Year old Dressage Championship

In the Five year old Dressage Championship, the winner was Sommernacht ridden by Greta Heemsoth. The mare had been second in the qualifier and scored consistently in the final, 8.5 for trot, walk and canter, and 9s for submission and general impression, for an 8.7 total.

Sommernacht

Sommernacht is by Rocco Granata, out of a mare by the Sandro Hit son, San Remo. Roco Granata competed in Florida last February, ridden by Susan Pape, the British-born wife of Ingo Pape, the current head of the well known Hanoverian breeding family. Their best result was a 4th in a Prix St Georges / Inter I with a 66.765.

Rocco Granata’s great great great grandsire Ramiro was hugely hyped as a jumping sire during his time at Zangersheide and provided with the crème de la crème of jumping mares, and while he undoubtedly produced scores of jumping competitors, he conspicuously failed to establish a jumping sire line. He is, however, the progenitor of a modest dressage line in Westfalia. Ramiro sired Rocket Star (Landgraf), a 1.40 showjumper who in turn sired, Rockwell (out of a mare by the Grande son, Grandus). The stallion is described as a Grand Prix dressage competitor, but while he is to be found on the FEI database, there are no results, at any level of competition.

Rockwell at a stallion parade at the 2006 WEG in Aachen

Rockwell covered Lady Sunshine – a mare of impeccable jumping breeding, by Landstreicher who combines Landgraf and Capitol – to produce Rock Forever NRW, again described as a Grand Prix dressage competitor, though the four results on the FEI database, all from 2017, are all from Under 25 classes, with the best, a seventh in the Inter II on 67.632 to take home €100 in prizemoney.

Rock Forever

Bred to the Florestan mare, Fahra, Rock Forever produced Rocco Granata.

San Remo and Susan Pape competing at the ‘normal’ Bundeschamps

On her mare line, Sommernacht is out of a mare by the Sandro Hit son, San Remo (out of a Donnerhall mare), another described as a Prix St Georges/Intermediaire I competitor, but also no results appear on the FEI base. There is another cross of Florestan on the dam line through the grand dam, Florence.

Danny Cool

Second to the gelding Danny Cool (Danciano / Sandro Hit) and Lisa Horler with scores of  9, 9.50, 8, 8, 8.50 for a total of  8.60. Danciano is currently stationed in France.

Danciano, competing at  Warendorf in 2015

Danciano is Hanoverian royalty, by Dancier by De Niro out of a Rotspon / Wolkenstein II mare. Danciano put two horses into the top ten, the other being the equal tenth placed Deep Infinity, out of a Sir Donnerhall mare.

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Jetset

The third placegetter, Jetset was 13th in the first round with Kira Soddemann, and only made it to the final thanks to a third in the Consolation class. Despite the trend to cross border breeding, the ‘fusions’ have yet to really appear in numbers at the Bundeschampionate.

Johnson and Hans Peter Minderhoud, Dutch Grand Prix stars

Jetset was the most successful, and the most ‘classical’ cross, being by Dutch Grand Prix star, Johnson, out of a mare, by Beltoni, by Belissimo out of a Rubinstein / Don Primero mare. Beltoni has been a small tour competitor with British rider, Vicky Thompson Winfield. Jetset is an unlicensed Hanoverian stallion bred in Sweden.

So Unique

The other fusion of note, So Unique, the Three Year old stallion champion at the 2018 Bundeschampionate, won the qualifying round with Eva Möller, but finished tenth in the final. His fusion has a distinctly German touch – 5/8ths German blood, a quarter Dutch, and a line of Danish. So Unique is by multiple World Young Horse champion, Sezuan out of a Donnerhall / Weltmeyer mare.

Dark Hill

In fourth, we find Dark Hill (Damon Hill / Stalypso – what on earth were they aiming to produce?) and Carina Bachmann, equal with Escona (Escolar / Sir Donnerhall) and Hannah Erbe.

Dancelli

Two tied on sixth, Dancelli (Dante Weltino / Baroncelli) and  Beatrice Buchwald, and Saint-Etienne (Saint Schufro / Sarkozy, that’s a double cross of Sandro Hit) and Dries vanDyck.

Saint-Etienne

Two tied for eighth:  Feingefühl  (Fürstenball / Farewell III) and  Sandra Kötter, and Tara (by the Swedish bred, Tomahawk out of a Hotline/Rubinstein mare) and Annika Korte.

Tara

Four horses were tied in tenth, two we have already met, So Unique and Deep Infinity. Beatrice Buchwald put another into the ten, Gaitano OLD (Goldberg / Rohdiamant) and Kira Wegmann rode Scarlett O’Hara (Scuderia / Laurentianer).

Gaitano

Scarlett O’Hara

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The Six Year old Dressage Championship

It’s no secret that Secret is one of the most exciting young dressage horses in the world, but several times the ultimate prize has just eluded him. In 2017, he lost the stallion title at the Bundeschampionate on the guest rider score, last year he was second at the World Young horse titles in Ermelo. Ridden, as always, sympathetically and quietly by German based Swede, Jessica Lyn Thomas, he took out the Six Year old title at Warendorf with a 9.5 for trot, 8 for walk, 10 for canter, 8.5 for submission (they fluffed a change) and 9 for general impression, overall = 9.

Sezuan and Dorothee Schneider, World Young Horse stars

Secret continues the trend of young horse stars sired by young horse title winners. He is by Sezuan (Zack / Don Schufro) who won the World Young Horse title three years running. Secret is out of a mare by St Moritz, who is by Sandro Hit, the first of the young horse superstar stallions.  Secret’s dam Royal Star is by Rotspon (Rubinstein / Argentan I) out of Ajona, adding another cross of Argentan, over a Wörmann mare – and Woermann (Wöhler / Marabou xx) is arguably the first of the modern dressage stallions.

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Senor Charming

Second went to Senor Charming (Stanford / Fürst Piccolo) ridden by Kira Soddemann. They made it to the final the hard way, 32nd in the first qualifier, then 4th in the Consolation to make it to the final round. The chestnut Westfalien gelding is interestingly bred. He is by Stanford – now when we talk of line breeding, we are more often referring to the re-occurrence of stallions on the pedigree, but in this case, it is the pride of the Schockemöhle mare band, Loretta (Ramino / Welt As) who appears on the top and bottom of Stanford’s pedigree. He is by Sir Donnerhall by Sandro Hit out of Loretta, out of a mare by Diamond Hit, another of Loretta’s foals. Senor Charming is out of a mare by the Florestan son, Fürst Piccolo who continues to justify Susanne Rimkus’ faith in the stallion despite him only being 1.63 centimetres.

The Fidermark son, Fürst Piccolo, only 1.63 cms

Kira Laura Soddemann received her initial training at the Westphalien Riding and Driving Academy, before working at Ansgar Westrup in Havixbeck in the company of Helen Langehagenberg and Sebastian Heinze before finishing her apprenticeship in the stables of Michael Klimke. She currently runs her professional training barn out of the stables of the Coesfeld riding club – she had a wonderful show at Warendorf, placing third in the five year old championship, and second with Senor Charming and seventh in the six year olds riding Van Holli (Van Vivaldi / Show Star).

Eyleen

Eyleen (Escolar / Laurentianer) was a bronze medallist at the 2017 Bundeschampionate before becoming the highest priced lot at the Westfalien autumn sale, fetching €150,000. Eyleen was third again at Warendorf, ridden by Yvonne Kläne.

Valverde

The Dutch bred Valverde (Vitalis / Ampère) and Eva Möller went into the finals as hot favourites, after finishing first in the qualifier on 9, but paid the price for tension in the final, slipping to 8.5 and tied in fourth place with Falihandro (Fürstenball / Dancier) and Niklaas Feilzer.

Falihandro

Finest Selection

Sixth to Finest Selection (Follow Me / Lauries Crusador xx) and Patrick Kraft. Follow Me is by Bundeschampionate star, Fürstenball, and once again underlines the crucial importance of the French import, Furioso II through his grandson, Florestan.

Van Holli

Kira Soddemann’s Van Holli is seventh placegetter – another of the fusions, the gelding is by the Dutch bred Van Vivaldi by Vivaldi and out of a mare by the Jazz son, Olivi. Van Holli is out of a mare by Show Star (Feinbrand), one of the first of the Sandro Hits to star at the Bundeschampionate.

Three horses tied for eighth.

Anthrazit

Another fusion, Anthrazit, who is by the KWPN stalion All At Once who is by Ampère, out of a Gribaldi / Jazz / Contango mare. The black gelding is out of Weltluna, essence of Hanoverian, by Weltmeyer out of a Lungau mare. Anthazit was shown by Greta Heemsoth.

Doc Holliday

Also in eighth Doc Holliday (Dancier / Landclassic) and Marie-Christin Kogel.  Doc Holliday is conventionally bred for dressage on his top line, but it gets a bit wild on the dam line – Lacrotina is by Landclassic, a son of the Holsteiner sire, Landadel, and out of a mare by the 1.40 showjumper, Rebel I Z and full brother to jumping magastar, Ratina Z.

Coco Island

Rounding out the top ten, we have Fie Christine Skarsoe and Coco Island, by one of the first of the fusions, Cennin, who is by Vivaldi out of a Donnerhall mare, and out of a mare by Florencio (Florestan / Weltmeyer).

Jessica Lyn Thomas and Secret, not a frightening presentation….