Jens Baackmann (Albachten) coped best with the many turns and longer distances in the jump-off of the Grand Prix of Riesenbeck. With his ten-year-old Holsteiner mare Caja, the team member of the Cannes Stars of the Global Champions League won after a clear ride (0/41.09) ahead of the Dutch rider Willem Greve on the ten-year-old stallion Highway (0/41.23) and Stefan Engbers on the nine-year-old Westfallen gelding Baju (0/41.80).
The course director, Olaf Herrmann, and his team conjured up a fantastic and exciting course in the festively decorated event hall! It went around the two big Christmas trees, a triple combination, triple bar and turns were asked in the difficult CSI** jumping, which had 1.45 meter high obstacles. Out of 58 pairs, 14 riders and their horses remained clear and qualified for the jump-off, accompanied by beautiful Christmas music. Among them was Philipp Schulze Topphoff with his mare Carla, who recovered after two very serious falls. The U25 rider, who was a team member of the Berlin Eagles in the Global Champions League as a youngster, has only recently returned to competition sport. He finished in fifth place after a clear ride.
The stable of Ludger Beerbaum was represented by the Finnish rider Noora Pentti with her mare Con Caya. She finished in eighth place after a fault in the jump-off. And to mention Mia Charlotte Becker with her Lasse K. The media management student has been riding under the guidance of the Beerbaum stable for some time and presents herself in better and better shape with nice successes. She reached the jump-off as the fastest rider, ending on the eleventh place after two discards. Her father, the national show jumping coach Otto Becker, celebrated his 64th birthday on Saturday, which was sweetened for him by daughter Mia with homemade cherry crumble cake and cream. This time there was not enough time for one of her famous cake creations.
Seen - and absent - at the show: Judy-Ann Melchior, head of the Zangersheide stud, traveled alone from Marl early in the morning every day to present the horses here with Angelique Rüsen, the rider of her partner Christian Ahlmann. In the Youngster Cup, "Angie" won with the Solid Gold Z son named Super Gold Z in the most beautiful and manner and without any danger. Judy-Ann, always on duty as caring mother, boss of a company and rider in one, also mastered her task impeccably: with the seven-year-old Didjy Doda Z she placed in the final of the Small Tour. It also works without the husband, who stayed at home with the children this time.
Katrin Eckermann would certainly have been happy to climb into the saddle. But the rider, who is very popular in Riesenbeck, posted a video of the weekly market in Münster on Saturday morning. Earlier in the week, she had broken her collarbone in a fall from her horse.
The ladies of the Beerbaum family were also on the road without the boss: While mom Arundell was competing with daughter Cecilia at the youth tournament in Aachen, the professional riders of the Ludger Beerbaum stable, Philipp Weishaupt and Christian Kukuk took part in the World Cup tournament in La Coruna, Spain.
At the end of the show season with many late-entry events during the weeks, the two-star and amateur shows, the Managing Director of Riesenbeck International, Karsten Lütteken, draws a conclusion: "We see this year as an interim year after the tour de force of the European Championships in 201, the major reconstruction work with the show grounds, stables, the renaturation of the Flötte and many other activities. It gave the opportunity to take a deep breath, to rework. We improved and adjusted many small things to meet the needs of the athletes. Likewise, we were able to start preparing for 2023, which will once again be dedicated to top international sports."
From July 21 to 23, 2023, Riesenbeck International will host the only German leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour. From September 5 to 10, two European Championships will then be held simultaneously at the Surenburg, that of the dressage riders and that of the para riders.
