At the German Championships in Balve, the dressage celebrities are also fighting for a place in the European Championship squad. Mario Stevens is aiming for his third title in show jumping – here is the most important information about the tournament.
Which German championship titles are awarded at Balve Optimum?
From Thursday, June 8th to Sunday, June 11th, six German champions will be crowned at the Balve Optimum. The small town in South Westphalia has been the venue for the national title fights in dressage and show jumping since 2008 and will continue until at least 2025.
In show jumping there is an open ranking and a ranking for women. In dressage, women and men have competed in a joint classification since 2009. There are medals in the Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Kür, in both disciplines U25 championship titles are also ridden.
Who is broadcasting live?
The WDR shows the decisions in dressage and show jumping on Saturday from 3.45 p.m. to 5.15 p.m. and on Sunday from 3.15 p.m. to 5.15 p.m.
How about the European Championship qualification?
In dressage, the DM in Balve and the CHIO in Aachen are important tournaments to secure a place in the German European Championship team. The European Show Jumping Championships will take place in Milan from August 30th to September 3rd. The European Dressage Championships in Riesenbeck at Ludger Beerbaum’s facility starts on September 5th and ends on September 10th.
Who is participating in the show jumping?
Defending champion Mario Stevens wants his third gold medal, he faces competition from, among others, Simone Blum, Felix Haßmann, Marco Kutscher and Maurice Tebbel.
Mario Stevens with his 2022 gold medal
The nine riders from the Olympic squad, including Daniel Deußer, Marcus Ehning and Jana Wargers, set different priorities in the packed international tournament calendar.
Who is in the dressage?
In dressage, the concentration of top stars is significantly higher: Among others, double Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Isabell Werth, Dorothee Schneider, Ingrid Klimke and Frederic Wandres are at the start.
How is the show jumping mode?
The regulations provide for four rounds in the open show jumping classification: On Friday there is a show jumping with two identical rounds, the best 25 of these rounds can also start on Sunday. Then a difficult course with a water jump and an easier course without a water jump await them. Finally, the ratings of all four rounds are added together, in the event of a tie, a jump-off decides on the medal places.
Three rounds are on the program for the women, the best 25 of the first round qualify for the two final rounds. Here, too, all three rounds count at the end, in the event of a tie there is a tie for the award of the medal.
How is the mode in dressage?
There is also a qualifying test in dressage on Friday, followed by the decision in the Grand Prix Special on Saturday. The horses have to complete a set lesson sequence – it is the most difficult international dressage test and lasts 6:40 minutes.
In the Grand Prix Freestyle, the participants ride lessons that are based on the Grand Prix Spécial, in a freely chosen order and to music of their choice. The judges award points in 0.5 increments between 0.0 (not performed) to 5.0 (sufficient) to 10.0 (excellent).
what is the schedule
| time | discipline | Competition |
|---|---|---|
14:00 clock | show jumping | 1st special stage, women |
6:00 p.m | dressage | Preparation test Grand Prix U25 |
| time | discipline | Competition |
|---|---|---|
11:30 a.m | show jumping | 1st special stage, open |
12:00 o’clock | dressage | Qualification test Grand Prix |
| time | discipline | Competition |
|---|---|---|
10:00 a.m | dressage | Grand Prix Special |
13:00 ‘O clock | dressage | Grand Prix U25 |
2:30 p.m | show jumping | Final ranking, women |
| time | discipline | Competition |
|---|---|---|
09:00 a.m | dressage | Grand Prix Freestyle U25 |
11:30 a.m | dressage | Grand Prix Freestyle |
2:30 p.m | show jumping | Final rating, open |
who are they defending champion?
In the men’s category, Mario Stevens secured his second German championship title on Starissa last year. In the women’s category, Katrin Eckermann won on Cascadello-Boy – the 32-year-old won gold for the first time after two silver medals.
In dressage, Dorothee Schneider secured her third gold medal in the Grand Prix Special with Showtime FRH. In the freestyle, Isabell Werth won her 17th German championship title with her stallion DSP Quantaz. In the U25 dressage class, gold went to Alina Schrader with Paola (freestyle) and Helen Herbe with Carlos FRH.
Who are the record winners?
In his long career, Ludger Beerbaum has nine German championship titles, the most recent being from 2011. Eva Bitter has collected six gold medals in the women’s classification, most recently in 2014. In the 1950s, Helga Köhler also won six titles, the DM – Predecessor “German Show Jumping Championships” included.
In dressage, Isabell Werth is far ahead with 17 titles.
Isabell Werth celebrates her German title in 2022 with a bottle of champagne
What is the Harmony and Fairness Award?
This is an audience award worth 10,000 euros in the grand prix freestyle final on Sunday. The spectators use their smartphone to vote for who has ridden the most sensitively. They award points in the three categories of lightness, harmony and fairness.