Victories for Austria, Brazil and three times for Germany
(pbb) They have become regulars at the Maimarkt Tournament, and also at the 58th edition of the Mannheim classic, the large MVV Riding Stadium is reserved for the Para-Equestrians, the international dressage riders with handicaps - presented by LOTTO Baden-Württemberg, the new sponsor of the three Para-Days. Integrated into the regular tournament since 2003, this year the "Paras" are already competing in the only Nations' Cup outside of a championship for the eighth time, and the German team has been celebrated as the winner six times so far. Only in 2017 did the hosts have to give way to the team from the Netherlands. This year's competitions are of particular importance because they are also included in the nomination by the German Equestrian Federation (FN) for the World Equestrian Games from 6 to 14 August in Herning, Denmark - there, the World Equestrian Games titles and medals in show jumping, dressage and vaulting are also at stake. This year, twelve nations will not miss the chance to observe their pairs, their form and the state of preparation for the World Championships, and a total of 49 participants have entered. On the first day, the German starters prevailed three times in the Mannheim Para competitions, once won by the two-time Paralympics winner Pepo Puch (Austria) and once by a Brazilian. In the first competition (Grade III) for the Prize of the Sprenger Company, Melanie Wienand (Osnabrück) won on the Hanoverian gelding Lemony's Loverboy with 70.098 percentage points, ahead of the Canadian rider Roberta Sheffield and her 13-year-old mare Fairuza (68.922) and Dr. Angelika Trabert (Hofgut Petersau) in the saddle of her eight-year-old Hanoverian mare D'Agustina (67.647). The Prize of the German Top Horse Sport Foundation in Grade I was won by Martina Benzinger (Cottbus) in the saddle of the 16-year-old mare Nautika (74.345), ahead of Laurentia Yen-Yi Tan (Singapore), who came second (72.679) on Hickstead, a ten-year-old Dutch-bred gelding, and third (72.560) with the Hanoverian stallion Banestro. In the Prize of the German Top Horse Sport Foundation Grade II, Austria's Pepo Puch won with the Hanoverian gelding Sailor's Blue and 73.232 percent, ahead of Heidemarie Dresing (Rheda-Wiedenbrück) on the mare La Boum (71.061) and Gianna Regenbrecht (Münster) with the OIdenburg stallion Fürst Sinclair (70.657). Regine Mistelkamp (Geldern am Niederrhein), the bronze medallist in Tokyo, won the Prize of the Merkel family, Mannheim in the Grade V test. She had saddled Highlander Delight's, a gelding bred in the Netherlands, and achieved 69.457 percent. She was followed by Mona-Sophie Bimmel (Ilsfeld) with the 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding Fabricio von Nymphenburg (69.147), followed by the Swiss rider Nicole Geiger and her Amigo, a 17-year-old Dutch-bred stallion (68.217). The Brazilian rider Rudolfo Riskalla took first place in the final Grade IV competition for the Prize of the Denkwerkstatt für Manager, Mannheim in the saddle of Don Henrico, a 19-year-old Hanoverian chestnut stallion (70.042), ahead of Mathilda Carnegie (Australia) with the 15-year-old Westphalian gelding Boccelli (69.250) and local hero Hanne Brenner (Wachenheim), who achieved 68.792 percent with the 12-year-old Rhineland mare Belissima M.
