Latest from Horse & Hound in Christian-kukuk

Heavy-hitting German showjumping team named for Aachen worlds with Olympic champion on reserve list

Becky Murray — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:28:41 +0000

The German showjumping team has been revealed for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen (11-23 August) – as the home side boldly states “the goal is clear: a team medal”.

The team includes current European champions Richard Vogel riding United Touch S and former European champions Andre Thieme with DSP Chakaria. Olympic and European medallist Daniel Deusser will ride Otello De Guldenbloom and 2025 European bronze medallist Sophie Hinners has been named with Iron Dames Singclair. Both Daniel and Sophie’s horses are making their championship debut.

Marcus Ehning and Coolio 42, who were part of the 2025 Europeans team alongside Richard and Sophie, are first reserves. Perhaps more notably, 2024 Olympic champions Christian Kukuk and Checker 47 are second reserve.

A German federation spokesperson said national showjumping coach Otto Becker, who has led the home side to 13 senior medals during his 17-year tenureship, selected a team experienced in championships – and that “the goal is clear: a team medal for Germany”. Of course, the Germans will also be eyeing one of the seven 2028 LA Olympic spots up for grabs.

The pressure will be on Germany to deliver in front of the home crowd. In the past 10 years individual medals have come thick and fast, but team gold has eluded them. They won bronze at the 2025 Europeans, 2018 World Equestrian Games and 2016 Rio Olympics – and silver at the 2021 home Europeans in Reisenbeck.

With this in mind, some fans might be left scratching their heads over the omission of legendary performer Marcus Ehning and reigning Olympic champion Christian Kukuk from the core team – but looking at current form across the six combinations shows just how enviable a position the German selectors were in.

In February the federation said that there was not a fixed selection for the showjumping team, “but rather an individually agreed-upon selection route” with Otto.

The record of Richard Vogel and 14-year-old super stallion United Touch S speaks for itself; the formidable European gold medal-winning pair won the Rolex grand prix at the Dutch Masters in March and the World Cup leg in Basel at the start of the year.

Another key factor is likely to be Aachen’s big grass arena. Richard and United Touch won the CSI5* Rolex grand prix of Aachen in May, and Sophie Hinners was third with 11-year-old Iron Dames Singclair – proving these pairs can deliver there.

They don’t have championship experience together, but last month Sophie and Singclair posted a double clear to help Germany to the runner-up spot in the La Baule Nations Cup leg. This was alongside Richard, Daniel and Andre – all on their Aachen rides – showing the four already work well as a team. They were beaten by France by just 2.55 penalties.

Andre Thieme and DSP Chakaria have shown they are still at the top of their game five years after they won individual gold at the 2021 Europeans. The mare, now 16, had eight months out after picking up an injury in the summer of 2023 – but returned to win the Rolex grand prix of Aachen in July 2024. This year, they helped Germany to first place at the Ocala leg of the Longines League of Nations (LLN) in March and in May they won the Longines grand prix of Hamburg, another big grass arena.

Olympic team bronze medallist Daniel Deusser and 12-year-old Otello De Guldenboom, might not have a championship under their belt, but the pair are consistent at the top level. Among their multiple top placings this year, they were second in the World Cup Final in Fort Worth in April, and part of the Nations Cup squad at La Baule.

This isn’t to say Marcus Ehning and 13-year-old Coolio 42 or Christian Kukuk and 16-year-old Checker 47 are out of touch. Just last month Marcus and the 13-year-old gelding won the Longines grand prix of Switzerland – even while being chased by a loose dog.

Christian and Checker were part of that winning team at the LLN Ocala alongside Richard and Andre in March, having posted a vital double clear, and they have two recent Global Champions League team victories under their belt as part of Reisenbeck International.

Should Otto need to call on a reserve, he has two strong contenders waiting in the wings, who importantly, will be able to withstand the high pressure of being called upon at the 11th hour, if needed.

Under the showjumping rules, each national federation may enter a maximum of five athletes and five horses. The team will consist of four combinations (or three, for those countries that do not have four).

The substitution rules vary between disciplines. For showjumping, in the event of accident or illness of a horse or rider confirmed by medical certification, a substitution can be made up to one hour before the first horse inspection on 17 August.

The fifth horse and rider combination – in Germany’s case this is currently Marcus and Coolio – may participate in the training session on 18 August. The first competition session is on 19 August.

Chef d’equipes must declare in writing the members of the team by 5.15pm on 18 August. In cases of substitutions after this declaration, in the event of accident or illness, a substitution may be made until one hour before the first competition – with medical certification and approval of the president of the ground jury.

At the 2015 European Championships in Aachen the German team won silver, and at the 2006 Aachen World Equestrian Games the team won bronze. Could 2026 be the year they bag a team gold in front of the Aachen crowd?

The German showjumping team for the 2026 World Championships (in alphabetical order of surname):

Daniel Deusser with 12-year-old stallion Otello De Guldenboom

Owner: Stephex Stables

Breeder: H Versnick

Breeding: by Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z, out of a mare by Caretino

Sophie Hinners with 11-year-old gelding Iron Dames Singclair

Owner: Pegase Equestrian BV

Breeder: J AB Wannius

Breeding: by Singular Ls La Silla, out of a mare by VDL Cardento 933

Andre Thieme with 16-year-old mare DSP Chakaria

Owner: Pferdemanagement & Marketing GmbH

Breeder: Martin Juergens

Breeding: by CHAP 47, out of a mare by Askari 173

Richard Vogel with 14-year-old stallion United Touch S

Owner: Julius-Peter Sinnack

Breeder: Owner

Breeding: by Untouched, out of a mare by Lux Z Z

Reserves:

Marcus Ehning with 13-year-old gelding Coolio 42 (first reserve)

Owner: rider and Elmrok BV

Breeder: M Wirtz

Breeding: by Casalito, out of a mare by Quidam De Revel

Christian Kukuk with 16-year-old gelding Checker 47

Owner: H & Partner Gbr and Madeleine Winter-Schulze

Breeder: Wolfgang Kipp

Breeding: by Comme Il Faut 5, out of a mare by Loro Piana Come On

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‘A once-in-a-lifetime jump-off’: why you need to watch Olympic champion’s epic performance in London

Jennifer Donald — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 21:04:38 +0000

Reigning Olympic champions Christian Kukuk and Checker 47 came to London on “firey” form and celebrated the anniversary of their Paris triumph with a victory in the €165,000 Longines Global Champions Tour grand prix on Sunday 10 August.

Hopes of a seventh British win were soaring when Ben Maher laid down a poetically fluid round on Point Break, that axed an intimidating 6sec from the leading clear, from Belgian’s Niels Bruynseels (Chacco’s Lando OL).

But while Ben’s round was like mercury poured down a maze, Christian’s scythed the lines with mathematical precision, and the great 15-year-old grey used his awesome scope to come home with 0.38sec in hand.

“Now I see the playback [see video below], it was probably a once-in-a-lifetime jump off,” Christian said. “I turned to the third last vertical and the moment I decided to do it, I told myself for a second ‘you can’t’. I was on so much of an angle, the way he jumped it — I think of all the horses in the world, only Checker could deal with this situation. And it’s where I won the jump off no question.

“He’s naturally a quick horse but the round from Ben was so fast, I knew it had to be the round of a lifetime today to beat him.”

Christian Kukuk:“Emotionally, it was a rough few weeks”

The win came a week after Christian announced a new chapter in his career, setting up on his own after 13 years based with Ludger Beerbaum.

“Emotionally, it was a rough few weeks,” he said.

Ben had his own gremlins to wrestle with, having taken some risk strategies that didn’t come to fruition with Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s 11-year-old, including in this year’s Rolex grand prix at Royal Windsor.

“I knew I’d messed up a couple of jump-offs on him trying to do things that perhaps weren’t playing to my strengths, so I knew I had to take a lot of risks today but it was calculated risk,” he said.

“If I try to push him out of his rhythm he doesn’t like it at the moment but I think it will come a bit later. Luckily he’s like a rubber ball, and he can turn, so I try to play to his strengths.”

His round was near perfection — and could have been unbeatable, had it not been for a heavy slip after the second fence.

“I don’t say it very often, but as a rider I don’t think I could have done anything differently,” he said. “When I turned back, I saw one less stride to the double but as I went to step away he lost his footing behind, which was quite significant, having watched the replay.

“I had to alter the line and jog out to the right hand side, which was time consuming but I don’t think it was jumpable on what I was committed to before the slip.”

Last year’s victors in the Longines Global Champions Tour of London, Harry Charles and Sherlock were the only other Brits to join Ben in the jump-off, and they tipped the penultimate oxer, crossing the line more than 4sec behind the winning pace for ninth.

You can read the full report from the Longines Global Champions Tour of London in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine, in the shops Thursday 14 August.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website