Eivissa is the beaming winner of the three-year-old riding horses. What was already foreshadowed in the final qualification was also confirmed in the final. There was no getting past the Westphalian Champion and she now also won the title at the HKM Bundeschampionat without being challenged.
Even before the pre-sampling in hand, Eivissa was applauded in the stands. "I admit, it is fun to be allowed to mark such horses," Wolfgang Egbers began the judges' commentary for the Westphalian mare (by Escamillo - Wolkentanz I) bred by Katharina Hadeler, who was beautifully shown by Jessica Lynn Thomas. As in the qualification, the judges awarded the highest score for the trot ("He is as we understand him and rarely see him") and, according to Egbers, would have awarded "also a twelve" for the canter if this had been possible. Only in the walk would they have wished for a little more ground cover from the shoulder (8.0). On the other hand, the mare's conformation and riding qualities - looseness, contact, self-carriage and temperament - leave hardly anything to be desired. This was the view of the spectators and the judges, who gave her a 9.5. Her rider later confirmed: "She is easy to ride."
With Eivissa, the Swedish-born rider had already won her second medal in the riding horse class. The day before, the Secret son Segantini, which she presented, had won silver in the four-year-old riding horses. "I am very satisfied with all my horses. It is the Bundeschampionat where they all showed their best, that is an extremely good feeling for a rider," she said. The mare came to her stable briefly broken in by the breeder, Arndt Schwierking, and since then she has been responsible for training her. After the HKM Bundeschampionats, the mare is to have a break for the time being in order to get to know her owner Bernadette Brune better, who had acquired her a few months ago. However, it has been agreed that Jessica Lynn Thomas will continue to train the mare for the time being.
The judges placed the Oldenburg chestnut mare Marbella OLD (by Foundation - Fürst Romancier), who had finished fourth in the qualification, in second place, well behind the winner Eivissa (overall score 9.4). In the Final she was even more relaxed than two days before, which was especially noticeable in her walk. Here she now scored an 8.5 and her riding qualities were also rewarded with a 9. "A great picture. The mare was presented just right," Ebers said. "One had the impression that she feels comfortable under her rider." Together with the scores of 9.0 for trot, 8.5 for canter and an 8.0 for conformation, the score was 8.6 for the Oldenburg Vice-Championess. Marbella OLD was bred by Rainer and Angelika Ahlers, owned by Sebastian Ahlers.
Shadow Fairy Caledonia, bred by Reay Campbell and presented by the Spanish Grand Prix rider Judit Sarda for the Schafhof Stud, was able to maintain her third place from the final qualification. Like Marbella OLD, the black-brown Oldenburg mare also descends from Foundation, in this case the dam's sire is Sir Donnerhall. The mare's light-footedness in trot and canter ("You can hardly hear her") - 8.5 and 9.0 - and the good coordination between rider and horse were particularly pleasing. This was rewarded with a 9.0 and led to a final score of 8.5 (walk 8.0, conformation 8.5).
A total of five candidates competed in the final, the Oldenburg state champion Best Secret OLD (by Bonds - Sandro Hit) bred by Bernd Böckmann and the Westphalian Zauberprinz (by Zoom - De Niro, breeder: Ludger Wigger-Pieper), both presented by Wibke Hartmann-Stommel, took fourth and fifth place.
The Animal Welfare Prize awarded by the BMEL went to the winner Jessica Lynn Thomas in this competition. "The rider convinced with the finest aids, a timely and age-appropriate preparation and captivated with harmonious and natural ease in her partnership with the mare."
