The crowd in the Holsten Hall was roaring: In the competition for the championship of Neumünster, it got fast. At least eleven pairs had won their ticket to the competition after flawless rounds. In the jump over 1.55m, at the same time qualifying for the ranking test of the Bemer Riders Tour, the spectators cheered the riders loudly. And it got faster and faster.
The 22-year-old Max Haunhorst received huge applause; he rode the mare Cosa Nostra (v. Conthargos) and circled the course in the Holstenhallen with a dream time of 41.17 seconds, taking the lead for the first time.
However, Felix Hassmann and SIG Captain America (v. Captain Fire) were significantly faster. The clock stopped here after 39.70 seconds. And it would have been a victory. If only the last pole hadn’t fallen. That’s how Hassmann slipped back to sixth place.
In the end, Max Haunhorst still managed to overtake Gerben Morsink of the Netherlands. With Carsey Z (v. Carthino Z), he had kept Haunhorst in contention for the victory in the final meters. His time of 40.92 seconds should have been enough for victory and the title of Champion of Neumünster.
„So far, things have always gone well for me in Neumünster. I’ve won once here and been second twice. It’s going well here and everything that comes next is a bonus,“ Max Haunhorst said after his second place finish. He is studying business administration in the fifth semester alongside equestrian sports; he wants to take over his parents’ equestrian stable one day.
Third place went to Carsten-Otto Nagel and the Holstein gelding GC Curacao (v. Clarimo). The pair didn’t really try to beat Gerben Morsink’s time. „He’s a special horse, not the fastest or the most flashy. It was very important for me to ride a double-zero round, and that went well. Curacao is a special horse. We bought him when he was eight years old; he has a strong character and can do everything. He’s already twelve years old, but he’s still at the beginning of his career,“ Carsten-Otto Nagel is pleased with his gelding’s performance.
The winner was also happy to have taken the journey from the Netherlands: „I’ve been here before four or five years ago and I think it’s great. The VR Classics are a classic, even here in my home country of the Netherlands,“ says Gerben Morsink. His partner Carsey Z comes from a family-owned breeding, just like the champion’s mother and father. „He’s a fighter,“ the rider says. Whether he will use him on Sunday, however, he will have to discuss with his father first.
The Danish rider Lars Bak Andersen secured fourth place with the Holstein mare Ethene (v. San Patrignano) ahead of Philip Rüping with Baloutaire PS (v. Balou du Rouet) and Felix Hassmann in sixth place.
The whole result: HERE