“This really is an extraordinary signal to the wider world. All nations and all breeding societies are watching,” says Reinhard Richenhagen, assessing the significance of the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses taking place in Verden in early August. Richenhagen is a dressage judge and was a member of the selection committee for the German World Championship candidates yesterday.
82 candidates had presented themselves at the first selection round for the World Championships in Warendorf. The selection committee invited 42 of them to the second selection round. It has now been confirmed which young dressage horses will represent Germany at the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Verden from 5 to 9 August.
Germany is allowed to send eight horses per age group to the World Championships; with a total of 24 World Championship candidates, Germany has the most horses competing. This has nothing to do with Verden hosting the World Championships. Based on the size of the various studbooks, the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) and the WBFSH (World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses) have calculated a quota for each country, which determines how many starting places are available at the World Championships. Germany tops the ‘ranking’ with eight starting places per age group, followed by the Netherlands (KWPN) with six starting places per age group, Spain with five, and Denmark and Sweden with four each.
Reinhard Richenhagen was not only impressed by the quality of the German World Championships candidates; he also particularly highlighted the manner in which the horses were ridden and presented: “I was particularly struck by the fact that there is much more practice in giving the reins. You hardly see any horses anymore that show little willingness to stretch. There were also years when we used to see some horses with a tendency towards hovering trot. That has improved considerably. The naturalness, the harmony of the training and the improved contact are increasingly evident as a result of working with the horses in a more harmonious and relaxed manner. That’s also great fun for us on the selection committee.”
Of Germany’s seven-year-old World Championship candidates, no fewer than four come from the Hanoverian Society, including Felice FRH by Fürst Samarant, ridden by Greta Heemsoth, who finished seventh in last year’s World Championship final for six-year-olds. Also returning to the World Championships squad from the 2025 Top Ten are the Oldenburg stallion Schatzmeister MZ OLD by Secret and the Oldenburg mare La Jolie SW OLD by Escamillo. The Hanoverian stallion Endorphin FRH by Escolar, last year’s bronze medallist ridden by Greta Heemsoth, is listed as the first reserve.
An overview of Germany’s seven-year-old World Championship candidates: Benefis (Hanover) by Borsalino, Dribbler (Hanover) by Don Martillo, Felice FRH (Hanover) by Fürst Samarant, Galleria’s Fancy Fergie FRH (Hanover) by For Romance I, Glamdale WP NRW (Westphalia) by Glamourdale, La Jolie SW OLD (Oldenburg) by Escamillo, Schatzmeister MZ OLD (Oldenburg) by Secret and Sullivan ABN (Holstein) by Secret.
The German squad of six-year-old dressage horses includes two by Secret and two by Vitalis. Last year’s World Championship runner-up in the five-year-old class, the Oldenburg mare Viva Diamond OLD, will once again be competing this year under Linda Weiß in Verden’s Horse24 Arena, as will last year’s World Championship finalist DSP Valentin, ridden by Johanna Wadenspanner. Both are by Vitalis. Secret is sending his sons Sauschön E and Sir Gribaldi into the World Championships arena. And eight-time Olympic champion Isabell Werth has qualified the Viva Gold son V-Power for the World Championships.
An overview of Germany’s six-year-old World Championships candidates: Lindenberg (Hanover) by Libertad, Lodovico OLD (Oldenburg) by Lord Europe, Sauschön E (Westphalia) by Secret, Sir Gribaldi (Hanover) by Secret, True Love WS (Westphalia) by Toto jr., DSP Valentin (DSP/Bavaria) by Vitalis, Viva Diamond OLD (Oldenburg) by Vitalis and V-Power (Westphalia) by Viva Gold.
“The five-year-olds are a very strong crop, the six-year-olds were of a high standard, and the seven-year-olds were already very well trained and quite confident in the tasks required for an S-level dressage test,” summarises Richenhagen. “Generally speaking, we’ve seen very solid, high-quality crops – perhaps the five-year-olds stood out a little.”
An overview of Germany’s five-year-old World Championship candidates: DSP Lord Löwenherz von Bellin (DSP/BrAnh.) by Lord Europe, Einfach Imposant B (Hanover) by Escolar, Esquire (Oldenburg) by Escolar, Global Amour (Oldenburg) by Global Player, Senza Parole F (Hanover) by Secret, St. Anima (Hanover) by Secret, Van Love WS (Westphalia) by Valverde and Weihe’s Happiness OLD (Oldenburg) by Dynamic Dream.
The Netherlands has also already nominated its KWPN candidates for the World Championships, including double world champion Red Viper, ridden by Dutch Olympic rider Dinja van Liere. The now seven-year-old son of Romanov Blue Hors could celebrate his third World Championship title in Verden. Spain and Sweden have also selected their best young horses, and Austria has named its World Championship contenders. According to the FEI-WBFSH rankings, the Alpine nation is permitted to send one candidate per age group to Verden; all three are offspring of stallions well known in Germany: Viva Gold, Escamillo and Cadeau Noir.
Some breeding associations do not hold their own qualifiers but can send horses from international breeding programmes to the World Championships. One example of this is Great Britain. The British have nominated three candidates for the World Championships: the six-year-old Rhinelander Flirtfaktor by Fürst Samarant, the seven-year-old Hanoverian Secret Agent by Secret, and the seven-year-old Hanoverian Fifty-Fifty by Fürst Toto.
In August, the horse breeding world will experience “an extraordinary glimpse out into the wider world!” –Verden is hosting the World Championships!
Secure your tickets now for the 19th edition of the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses, taking place from 5 to 9 August at Verden’s Horse24 Arena.