Finally equestrian sport, lifestyle, show and spectators on the Borgberg again
Hagen a.T.W. — Finally Horses & Dreams again: the relief and joy of being able to present the popular equestrian festival, which is known far beyond national borders, in the usual way was felt on the first day of the event by participants, partners, exhibitors and visitors alike. Many spectators took advantage of the free admission on Wednesday and lined the test sites in glorious April weather. The sporting program started in the dressage arena with the Grand Prix of the CDI3* Tour, presented by the Aachener Dressur-Verein e.V.. Dressage Queen Isabell Werth (Rheinberg) showed her shiny black hope for the future, Superb. The name says it all, in her first international Grand Prix start the mare left the competition far behind; 75.783% were on the scoreboard at the end. Werth cannot hide her enthusiasm for the mare: “She has inspired me since the first moment I saw her in the warm-up hall in Verden. Thank God Mado (Madeleine Winter-Schulze) said, 'Again, again' at the Elite Auction. Two Scandinavian riders, Emma Kanerva (FIN) and Mist of Titanium (73.456%) and Anne Troensegaard (DEN) with Kipling TSF (72.870%) followed in second and third place. Hof Kasselmann rider Frederic Wandres and Louisdor Prize finalist Hot Hit followed in fourth place with 72.609%.
In the jumping stadium, Benjamin Wulschner (Dahlen) and the Contender son Quidditsch led the lap of honor of the CSI2* warm-up competition, price of Performance Sales International GmbH. They were clearly faster in the 1.35 class on time than Marie Schulze Topphoff and Isafleur and Maximilian Weishaupt on Baloutano.
The warm-up of the CSI4* Tour, price of Hof Kasselmann GmbH & Co. KG, was an exciting and international affair. The Belgian Andres Vereecke won with D'Artagan Rr in front of Robert Whitaker (GBR) on I'M Special Too Dhh and David Simpson with Foudre F. The best German was Philip Rüping with Miss Chacco PS from the Schockemöhle stable.
The finalists of the amateur tour of the Ankum Dressur Club also met in the dressage stadium. In this national advanced level test, Anna-Marie Prahl won with Rock Lady RVL ahead of Pauline Bubanz with Lord Lancaster AH and Sina Eilers with Badoit 2.
Strong partner with traction
Land Rover is the official partner of Horses & Dreams for the third time. The powerful models, especially the Defender with permanent all-wheel drive and a high towing capacity of up to 3.5 tons, is a perfect companion for equestrian sports. Isabell Werth was introduced as the new brand ambassador at the opening press conference. “You can never have enough space in our field of work, so the Land Rover is really predestined. The driving experience is also unchallenged, it gives me great confidence and a really nice glide, I would like to call it that,” said Werth.
The Wednesday evening traditionally belongs to the opening ceremony with a solemn ecumenical service. This year, due to the occasion, the focus is on the topic of peace and organizer Ullrich Kasselmann is particularly proud to have a very special mission to Hagen a.T.W. with the appearance of the Friedensglocken e.V. to have fetched. The horse-drawn carriage with the 60kg peace bell, cast from war scrap from World War II, can be admired this week at Hof Kasselmann. The final destination, however, is Jerusalem on a horse trek in 2025. Together with the internationally successful Canadian dressage rider Naima Moreira Laliberté, Ullrich Kasselmann will also pour water into the Well of Nations as a symbol of peace and international friendship. It is Laliberté's first start at Horses & Dreams, but she is already looking forward to a Canadian discovery tour on the Borgberg: “I want to be surprised and get to know everything! But I also brought real Canadian maple syrup if anyone wants to try!”
