In the saddle of the eight-year-old gelding Ignatz H, the German clocked 35.80 seconds at the end of the second phase. However, the 21-year-old Pia Schmülling, the U-23 German championships runner up and a European Championships participant, recorded (34.90). She plus the Belgian Julien Despontin (35.47) and the 31-year-old Fabian Held, the current Bavaria champion, (35.53) were all quicker. Though the 5,800-crowd cheered “their Michi” on frenetically, it was not quite enough.
“I’ve never been to Stuttgart, but when I entered the arena, the atmosphere just hit me and I was really up for riding,” said the delighted winner from northern Germany. She bred her Hanoverian mare For ever Pleasure N herself.
In the afternoon, the 4,100 equestrian enthusiasts lapped up the dressage class for the Prize of iWEST, the style jumping for the NÜRNBERGER Burg Cup that was contested by junior riders from the state of Baden Württemberg as well as the jumping class for the Prize of Schmidt Sporthandschuhe GmbH, the warm-up competition for the BW-Bank Indoor Championship on Thursday evening.
