On horseback at Grüne Woche

Emma (14) and Lilian (15) stretch their necks. They are standing in the second row on the side stand and are trying to catch a glimpse of the horses and riders who are taking part in the opening show jumping competition of the Hippologica. Around 600 people of all ages have gathered around the show ring in Hall 25. Luckily for Emma and Lilian, there is a large screen showing the action on the course live. Suddenly, someone leaves the front row and the two girls slip into the gap.

Emma has been attending Grüne Woche since she was little. Her father builds the stands in the Brandenburg Hall. And when time allows, they go to see the Hippologica. "I find the jumping the most exciting," says Emma. Lilian agrees. There are six competitions in show jumping. Three of them count towards the Hippologica Masters Jumping classification. In addition to the 4th class S* jumping competition, which takes place directly after the opening competition on Friday, these include the 5th class S* jumping competition on Saturday at 5.00 pm and the 6th class S** jumping competition on Sunday at 2.00 pm, followed by the winner's round. The complete programme can be downloaded here.

Vice European Champions present vaulting

"Many people have approached us and said they would like to see vaulting again," says Peter Fröhlich, Managing Director of the Landesverband Pferdesport Berlin-Brandenburg e.V. (LPBB), which is responsible for the competition programme. The vaulters did not want to hold a competition, as this phase of the year is not designed for the vaulting horses and athletes as part of the training programme.

Instead, Grüne Woche guests can look forward to the successful vaulting quartet, consisting of Diana Harwardt, Peter Künne, lunge leader Hendrik Falk and gelding Sir Laulau (Lausi) from the Integration bei Bernau riding club, who will demonstrate vaulting in a one-and-a-half-hour presentation on Saturday at 12.00 pm. In 2023, Diana, Peter and Lausi won the silver medal at the World Cup Final in Omaha, became European runners-up, German champions and have since made it to number one in the world rankings. After the presentation on Saturday, they will be honoured by the national association.

Award for horse-friendly riding

Another highlight this year is the training presentation of the 8-rider team in dressage and show jumping (Sunday, 11.30 - 12.30). The 8-rider team Berlin-Brandenburg is an initiative to promote the idea of animal welfare and public recognition for stylistically correct, harmonious and horse-friendly riding and driving. Only riders who have achieved scores of 8.0 or higher in dressage, style jumping or eventing in the current season are members of the 8-rider team. "The score is usually between 0.0 and 10.0, with 10.0 being almost impossible to achieve," says Peter Fröhlich. Two representatives each from dressage and show jumping were drawn by lot for the show training at the Hippologica. They will present various exercises from show jumping and dressage. Dörthe Ewald and Udo Hildebrandt from the Main and State Stud Neustadt (Dosse) will lead the training.

High-calibre competitions

Exciting faces in the show jumping competitions: Anna Jurisch, who won bronze at the U21 national championships in Berlin-Brandenburg in 2023, Christin Lehrfeld, gold medallist at the German amateur championships and reigning national champion in Berlin-Brandenburg, and British Nations Cup rider Christopher Frazer. In the combined obstacle driving competition, all eyes will be on Sandro Koalick, the four-time German pair champion, 2019 World Championship runner-up and 2021 World Championship team runner-up, as well as Carola Slater-Diener from Saxony, who finished 13th at the 2023 World Championships.

Anyone interested in the specific competition conditions, looking up the names of riders and horses, as well as the current intermediate results, can find all the results and information about the tournament here.