Helen Langehanenberg knows to impress with lightness, and her victory in the 5-year old Dressage Horse division with Fürst Khevenhüller was well-deserved

Brigitte Wittig -- Bertoli W 

Brigitte Wittig -- Bohigas W 

Cayenne W, bred by Wolfram Wittig, and ridden by Susan Pape. Of course Cayenne entered the competition as the favorite, but the mare became more and more tense, and while during the first two tests, she only let it out during the prize-giving ceremonies, the tension was released during the canter tour of the final test. The trot was still wonderfully elastic, though, and they placed fifth.  

Brigitte Wittig and her student Kira Wulferding watching Cayenne.

The Danish Christine Möller used to work at Gestüt Wiesenhof. Now she's riding Zenith, a five-year-old mare by Monteverdi  

After Hohenstein, his son Münchhausen is becoming another Trakehner sire well liked by other warmblood breeders: Birkhofs Meraldik & Nicole Casper  

For the Möllers, the Bundeschampionate were a family outing

Eva Möller and pony champion C-Dur

While Inga von Helldorff showed a textbook warm-up with Damsey ...  

... one could also see this right in the front yard of the German Equestrian Federation in Warendorf

Dorothee Schneider & Famoso 

Katja Camp and the lovely Kasimir doing a training round -- unfortunately, the Trakehner injured himself in his stall half an hour after these shots were taken, and the Championat was over for him  

Jessica Süss is a young talent who has already been featured here on Eurodressage because her own horse is a Friesian stallion, whom she competes successfully at M and S level. In Warendorf, she won the hearts of the crowds aboard Diamantenbörse, a five-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by her employers, Louisa and Anna Katharina Lüttgen's parents. From the ninth place in the final qualification they marched right through to the bronze medal, and would have done even better, had Jessica not had a slight case of nerves and taken a wrong turn during the final. But her elegant style aboard this light-footed horse was fun to watch, and Christoph Hess found wonderful words of praise -- and regret about the mistake -- for her.  

Two pairs that had many fans: Wolfhard Witte & Londontime (left), Friederike Schulz-Wallner & In Flagranti (above)

Stephanie Jansen won team gold at the European Championships in Necarne Castle aboard Dornik Double. In the Junior division, she was Rhinish champion in 2004 on a sponsored horse but at the same time bought Pretender, a Hannoverian by Prince Thatch x Weltmeyer. She already made in to the BuCha finals with him last year, but this year the now 19-year-old truly proved that if you have the talent to "make" your own horse, the world doesn't end if you don't make it as a Junior rider at once. Pretender is truly her horse, and the two showed three harmonious and almost flawless tests that were justly rewarded with the silver medal. Jan Nivelle coached both her and Jessica Süss, and he was a very happy man.

Michael Ripploh, Master of Ceremonies at the Bundeschampionate 

Despite her packed schedule, Jana Freund looked very happy and relaxed in the saddle of the wonderfully elegant FS La Noir (the canter photo is from the "Fremdreitertest", where the mare continued to show her quality undisturbed)  

Nicole Casper & Birkhofs Denario

Anna-Sophie Fiebelkorn & Benetton  

Helen Langehanenberg and Silberaster OLD.
Silberaster's repeated misbehavior when someone tried to handle her from the ground was the talk of the Bundeschampionat. One tends to forget this once she starts moving, though.

 Last year's European Pony Team Champion Annabel Frenzen (like Lydia Camp) had five ponies qualified and made it into the respective finals with all five. Christoph Hess complimented her on her talent to adjust to the different ponies and to steer them very skilfully. The palomino is Der Harlekin B. Annabel also had her own cheerleaders' squad.

Frenzen on Top Karetino

Annabel aboard the champion of a five-year-olds, a Westfalian mare with the somewhat gruesome name Nip Tuck

Annabel and MacDuncan

Don Juan is a full brother to Dornik Double. He has been sold to Italy. Under Lydia Camp, he showed beautiful movements and much potential but his contact with the bit was very inconstistent  

Leah Bröckmann & My Little Silver, 

Schulmerig & Der Schlaue Fuchs

German national coach Conny Endres had lots of fun watching the pairs she'll be able to choose from in the next couple of years. Endres flanked by Carlotta Hassenburger