A squad of Olympic champions as guests of Ludger Beerbaum

After two consecutive CSI** show on the last two weekends in Riesenbeck, Father Christmas can now come with a sack full of presents! René Dittmer gave himself three presents with his 12-year-old gelding Farrero (Boss x Indorado, 0/37.49). The 28-year-old not only won the Grand Tour Final on Sunday afternoon, but also the Grand Tour competition the day before, as well as its counterpart a week earlier!
Sixty starters had entered the Grand Tour Final, a 1.45 m jumping competition, for which there was prize money as well as Longines World Ranking points to be won. 13 pairs made it into the jump-off. There was great jubilation among the entire Ludger Beerbaum team for the Finnish rider Noora Forsten, who is stationed in Riesenbeck with her horses as a “guest rider“. With the 12-year-old mare Con Caya (Con Chello x Chambertin, 0/37.76) bred by Philipp Weishaupt’s father Josef, she took a celebrated second place – after she had already shone as the winner in the Small Tour on Saturday.  Third place went to Kathrin Müller on the ten-year-old mare Come i need you (Comme il faut x I need you, 0/37.98).  
The Final of the Medium Tour took place on Saturday evening. This was won by the Irish rider Michael Duffy on the 12-year-old gelding Jeff Ten Halven (Toulon x Crown Z, 0/37.21) after the jump-off, ahead of the home rider Christian Kukuk, who presented the eight-year-old mare Nice van’t Zorgvliet (Emerald van het Ruytershof x Heartbreaker, 0/38.01). Katrin Eckermann took third place on the also eight-year-old mare Tiamo Z (Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve x Grand Canyon, 0/38.13).  
Katrin Eckermann, a regular at almost every show in Riesenbeck, only gave way to the international superstar Marcus Ehning on his six-year-old stallion Comme sa mere (Comme il faut x Lord Z, 0/29.28) in the Fundis Youngster Cup for five and six-year-old horses. The specialist for showing young horses came second with the also six-year-old mare So Gaga (Stakkato x Lord Pezi, 0/29.72).  Third place went to Markus Renzel on Coconetta (Colestus x Cornet Obolensky, 0/ 30.52).
In the seven-year-old class, Sophia Schindlbeck was able to continue her good results of the previous week: She won with the gelding Qi Dao NH (Douglas x Havidoff, 0/30.63) ahead of Mario Stevens, who was also able to place in front again at the second show with Carrie (Christian x Couleur-Rubin, 0/31.51).  Third place went to the Beerbaum stable rider Eoin McMahonn on Montiego Bay (My Lord Carthago x San Patrignano Cassini, 0/32.57).
The host, Ludger Beerbaum, watched the weekend’s show from the sidelines due to injury. The four times Olympic Champion saw, as so often at the events at his facility, very well presented young horses – and some international fellow riders, whose presence he was particularly pleased about.
For example, Rodrigo Pessoa, the 2004 Olympic Show Jumping Champion, who actually wanted to compete in Valence this weekend. He changed his mind at short notice and saddled his horses in Riesenbeck. His aim was to have a good preparation for the tournament in Geneva, where the world’s elite will be competing next weekend.
Jeroen Dubbeldam, Dutch Olympic Champion in 2000, is almost a regular guest at Ludger Beerbaum. He himself presents young horses, still stylistically impeccable and successful. His partner Annelies Vorsselmans also presents horses from Dubbeldam’s stable with great success.  For years, the two American brothers Lucas and Wilton Porter have been coached by Joeroen Dubbeldam. They thank him with victories and top placings.
When the Swede Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, the silver medallist at the 2008 Olympic Games, sits at the table during the breaks – and Marcus Ehning (Olympic team gold medallist in 2000) joins them – then the best of the best are discussing. And what is it all about? About the young horses, of course, a little philosophising, criticising the new FEI decisions – and of course looking with concern at the cancellations in the show calendar due to Corona. “I am always very happy to meet my old colleagues here, I also see it as a bit of an award for our efforts to have created good conditions for horses and riders here,“ says Ludger Beerbaum.  
Three more Late Entry competitions will take place at Riesenbeck International before the Christmas holidays.
All information and results at: www.riesenbeck-international.com
Riesenbeck International Beerbaum – Pressebüro Susanne Strübel | Photo René Dittmer and Farrero (c) RI