Two Bundeschampionat titles in one day: This feat was achieved by rider Tanja Fischer, who is also the co-owner of her two three-year-old "Gold Ponies". After winning the title in the mares and geldings in the morning with her mare Highlights Daily Joy WE, she also snatched the Bundeschampionat title in the three-year-old stallions with the Westphalian-bred riding pony stallion Darf ich bitten by Dallmayr K. Silver and bronze went to the Weser-Ems breeding area.
"The way the stallion is standing here in front of us, he is completely in the format of the sport pony type. We were particularly impressed by his rideability. He was always easy to handle and very willing to perform, which is not a matter of course. That was simply excellent. He simply thrilled us with his natural looseness. At the trot he was already able to increase with drive and momentum with a lot of back activity", the judges' commission Wolfgang Egbers, Gerd-Wolfgang Sickinger and Catrin Wingender went into raptures at the performance of Darf ich bitten v. Dallmayr K - Der feine Lord AT.
The dark bay stallion, bred by Marion Gräfin von Stauffenberg and owned by the Fischer Stables, received two 9.0 scores (conformation and rideability). "We discovered him at the stallion days in Alsfeld. He was a premium stallion and top price winner there," says the Fischer family about their stallion, who does not ask for anything, but also inspires the owners with his natural willingness to perform. The judges awarded him an 8.5 in all three gaits and his pedigree combines some of the silverware of German riding pony breeding. His sire Dallmayr K, who by the way sired all three medallists of this year's eight finalists, was Champion Stallion in Hanover in 2017 and Hanoverian State Champion in 2018. His dam, Die Kleine Liebe by Der Feine Lord AT, was Vice Bundeschampionesse of dressage ponies at the age of five and Bundeschampionesse of six-year-old dressage ponies one year later. Feine Lord AT, in turn, won silver at the Bundeschampionat for three-year-old riding ponies, was European Champion in pony dressage and has produced eleven licensed sons and 27 state premium mares to date.
A Dallmayr K-son also followed on the silver rank. The dam of the Weser-Ems bred Darboven K WE descends from FS Champion de Luxe. The bay stallion, presented by Wenke Kraus and bred by Hermann Koopmeiners, belongs to the stallion Magic Aps and was able to improve his preliminary score of 8.3 to 8.5 in the final. "The stallion leaves hardly anything to be desired in terms of type and conformation and impresses with good riding horse points. His movement pattern stands out in his beautiful conformation," was the judge's verdict. The highest score was 9.0 for conformation. In canter, walk and rideability, the judges gave the Vice Bundeschampion an 8.5 each.
And also the bronze medallist Dauphin K WE has Dallmayr K as his sire. The chestnut stallion bred in Weser-Ems goes back to Olivier K on his mother's side and was bred by Hermann Koopmeiners, just like the silver stallion. Owner is Carola Nowag, mother of the rider Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock. With a score of 8.3, Dauphin K confirmed his performance from the qualification. The best score was a 9.0 for conformation ("A type like you want him to be, with very good angulation."). An 8.5 was awarded for rideability, where the judges praised the effortless performance and concentration of the young stallion. In addition, Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock also received the Animal Welfare Award from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). This special honourary prize is awarded for the outstanding horse-friendly handling as well as the particularly horse-friendly test preparation of the horses during the event.
Three-year-old riding ponies (mares and geldings): Victory for Highlights Daily Joy WE
The first Bundeschampionesse in the Warendorf riding horse arena comes from the breeding area Weser-Ems. Highlights Daily Joy WE by Dallmayr K and her rider Tanja Fischer won the three-year-old riding pony class (mares and geldings). Silver and bronze went to Rhineland-Palatinate-Saar and Westphalia.The strikingly coloured chestnut mare Highlights Daily Joy WE by Dallmays K - Manchester United bred by Dr. Paul Pottebaum already convinced as the leader in the qualification with a score of 8.5 and was able to increase her score in the final to 8.7. "A very harmonious mare with a good topline and even distribution," said the trio of judges in their commentary. The balanced, relaxed trot that swung through the body (8.5) and the secure, clear and ground covering walk (9.0) were particularly pleasing. The commission awarded a 9.5 for the training score and was enthusiastic about "the self-carriage, the even and easy connection to the horse's mouth and the pleasant temperament." The new Bundeschampionesse is a true "multi-generation pony" whose community of owners consists of Tanja Fischer, her mother Sabine Sauerwald and daughter Lina Fischer. "Our daughter's birthday is exactly the same day as the pony. We bought the mare from the breeder Dr. Paul Pottebaum, who is a family friend. Highlights Daily Joy WE was broken in with us and has already passed her mare performance test. She was still a bit shy then," said Tanja Fischer's husband Lukas. With two very confident rounds, the promising mare impressively shed this shyness in Warendorf. Damon Touch S by Diamond-Touch-Balou del Sol, bred by Christina Sieben, who also owns the new Vice Bundeschampion, followed in silver. He scored especially well with his basic gaits and improved his preliminary score from 8.3 to 8.5. Michele Schulmerig scored the gelding from the Rhineland-Palatinate-Saar breeding area 9.0 twice for canter ("very valuable, uphill and balanced in the turns") as well as for the training score: "We see a pony here with a lot of seat comfort, which shows traction to the hand and thus enabled the rider to optimally ride out his strengths". The judges wanted Damon Touch S to be a bit more modern in type (7.5). Michele Schulmerig also received the Animal Welfare Award for particularly horse-friendly test preparation, as she did in 2020, by the way. She impressed the jury with her "sensitive and level-headed manner. She always showed a praising hand, developed a trusting contact with active mouth activity and thus prepared the pony optimally for the test," was the jury's verdict.
The bronze medal in the field of nine finalists out of a total of 22 starter pairs went to the Westphalian-bred mare Nuna de Luxe by FS Numero Uno out of a Superman II dam. She was bred by Heinrich Sondermann (owner: Inken Tittel). The "very typey mare with a very good topline, matching neck set, charming head and great eye" showed the clearest increase in the final from 8.0 to 8.4 overall. The riding pony mare presented by Silvia Busch-Kuffner convinced not only with her conformation and the "supple and balanced trot" (both 8.5) but especially with her training score (9.0): "Her riding qualities are particularly noteworthy. This is what effortless riding with easy aids looks like," was the judge's comment.
