Favourites Dominate German Championships in Schildau

17th National Title for Steffen Brauchle

“Steffen is simply competing on another level,” said German national coach Karl-Heinz Geiger after Steffen Brauchle secured the German Pony Four-in-Hand title.

Brauchle not only won all three phases of the competition but also claimed his 17th German championship title in the class. The 38-year-old has remained unbeaten at the national championships since 2017. He was crowned World Champion in 2019 and won the silver medal at the 2025 World Championship.

Michael Kolata took silver, while Steve Jauer finished with bronze.

Gold for Tobias Bücker

The favourites also prevailed in the Pony Singles championship. Tobias Bücker, who previously enjoyed success as a Pony Four-in-Hand driver, has been equally successful since switching to a single pony.

Together with Double Dream, Bücker became World Champion in 2025 and once again proved unbeatable in Schildau. He produced a commanding dressage test, drove a faultless cones round and entered Sunday’s marathon with a comfortable lead.

Unlike most driving competitions, Schildau concludes with the marathon phase on Sunday. The demanding obstacles in the driving arena caused no problems for Bücker and Double Dream, who maintained their advantage to secure the German title. “Tobi delivered an outstanding dressage test and followed it up with excellent performances in the other two phases,” said Geiger.

Anna Genkinger and AMD Nurejev claimed silver. “Anna drove an exceptionally strong marathon with her young horse,” Geiger added.

Genkinger’s top horse and former World Championship partner Bella Donna was driven by her brother-in-law Steffen Brauchle. Alongside his Pony Four-in-Hand victory, Brauchle also finished seventh in the combined Pony Singles classification with the mare. Edwin Kiefer and Dream Colour completed the podium in third place.

Anne Unzeitig Regains the Title

Anne Unzeitig won the German Singles Championship in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Although Annika Geiger claimed the title last year, Unzeitig reclaimed the championship in Schildau with her homebred Hanoverian gelding De Niro.

She won the final phase—the marathon—to secure her fourth national title.

Christoph Dieker and Siebenstein earned the silver medal. “Siebenstein is a horse of exceptional quality, and Christoph produced a superb marathon round,” praised Geiger.

The battle for bronze remained undecided until the final phase. Marie Tischer and the experienced Fortino laid the foundation with what Geiger described as “an outstanding dressage test,” but two balls down in cones resulted in six penalty points.

Claudia Lauterbach (Dillenburg) and Verano completed the cones course without penalties and posted a stronger marathon performance, moving into third place overall.

Alexandra Sievers Defends Her Title

Alexandra Sievers continues to dominate German Para Driving. In addition to being the reigning German Champion, she also won the Para Driving World Championship last year, held alongside the Four-in-Hand European Championship in Lähden.

Driving her experienced mare Equistar Lucie, Sievers once again claimed the national title in Schildau.

Heiner Lehrter and the young horse Alaba RR took silver, while Patricia Großerichter and DSP Gentle-Man finished with bronze. Großerichter was also part of the German team that won silver alongside Sievers at the 2025 Para Driving World Championship in Lähden.

Well-Organised Championships

“We once again enjoyed outstanding German Championships in Schildau,” said national coach Karl-Heinz Geiger, praising organiser Privilegierte Schützengilde Schildau. The venue has hosted numerous German Championships, World Championship selection events and European Youth Championships in recent years.

“Everything was perfectly prepared, everything ran smoothly, and the marathon obstacles in the arena—located close together and offering excellent visibility—were once again outstanding,” Geiger concluded.

Source: Pferdesport Deutschland
Photo: Melanie Guilamot