Premiere at the Al Shira'aa Bundeschampionate: Special ranking for young show jumping horses

At this year’s Al Shira‘aa Bundeschampionate, the “Youngster of the Year” award was presented for the first time. This new special ranking for young show jumping horses is part of a joint initiative by the German Equestrian Federation (FN) and the Hetzel + Tiemeyer Young Horse Masters, adding an additional sporting highlight for talented young horses in Germany.

A total of three “Youngster of the Year” titles were awarded – in the age categories of five-, six- and seven-year-old show jumping horses. The special ranking is based on the final results of the Al Shira‘aa Bundeschampionate as well as the Hetzel x Tiemeyer Young Horse Masters.

For the award-winning horses, the distinction comes with more than just sporting recognition: the “Youngster of the Year” titles are endowed with a total prize fund of €15,000 – distributed as €2,500 (5-year-olds), €5,000 (6-year-olds), and €7,500 (7-year-olds).

Holger Hetzel drew an entirely positive conclusion after the premiere of the “Youngster of the Year” special ranking: “The idea was to complement each other – a win-win for everyone involved.” He particularly emphasized the commitment of the Bundeschampionate team: “Warendorf implemented and presented the project exceptionally well – they truly deserve great credit for that.” He was equally pleased with the feedback on the debut: “The event received very positive responses, and many people have only now discovered how exciting and fair the format really is.” Hetzel also highlighted the quality of the four-legged titleholders: “The young horses we were able to honor impressed with their outstanding quality and willingness to perform.”

Looking ahead, he announced: “We plan to continue developing this concept in the coming years.”

fn-press/ Adelheid Borchardt