The weather didn’t look too promising, as I was approaching the Schlossplatz in Münster on that Saturday afternoon. I had made up my mind earlier to skip that day’s evening session and instead just go for a little walk past the grounds of the ‘Turnier der Sieger’ (‘Tournament of Champions’) and buy a ticket for the main event on Sunday.
But then I saw them. Or rather, they saw me. They looked at me with their large brown eyes. I didn’t know them and, obviously, none of them said a word (It’s been a while since I last watched an episode of ‘Mr. Ed’…). They just kept looking…
And they found my heart.
Of all the things that I can’t possibly resist, the feeling of being around horses ranks quite highly. So I decided to try to get a ticket for the roofed main stand, to be protected against the summer rain that was sure to come. Believe it or not, they had exactly one(!) ticket left… It turned out to be an absolutely perfect front row seat, right in the middle of the stands.
There were two show jumping classes that night, as well as the Grand Prix Freestyle for the dressage competitors. To see the horses dancing against the backdrop of the illuminated Prince-Bishops’s Palace (aka Schloss) of Münster was quite a sight. And the line-up was impressive too. Three quarters of the German team for the upcoming European Championships, led by the phenomenal Isabell Werth, took part. As I’m writing this article, all three of them (Werth, Dorothee Schneider and Helen Langehanenberg) can now proudly call themselves European Champions, while Werth has won all three events (Team, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle) at the Championships in Gothenburg. Her collection now consists of 40(!) Olympic, World or European medals.
The final event that night was a speed competition, which developed into a duel between two brothers. Toni Haßmann, who won the German Jumping Derby in Hamburg three times in a row, set the best mark early on. But his brother Felix, winner of the prestigious Grand Prix of Nörten-Hardenberg a few weeks earlier, just edged him out, amidst the pouring rain of Münster’s summer of 2017. There was an optional final jump, the ‘joker’, which riders could take to deduct four seconds from their result if successful. A fault on the ‘joker’ would earn them an additional four seconds however. Felix Haßmann had the lead over his brother before the final jump. Facing the risk of being demoted to second place in case of an obstacle fault, he opted against trying the ‘joker’, much to the (tongue-in-cheek) dismay of his brother…
By the time the last jumping competition ended, torrential rain had transformed the grounds into a swamp and the winning riders chose to let their horses return to the warm and dry stables and attend the victory ceremony on foot. And so Felix and Toni Haßmann, Laura Klaphake and the other successful riders got to wear the ribbons themselves and even went on an improvised ‘lap of honour’… (All but one of them, whose name I honestly cannot remember… and who I wouldn’t want to denounce anyway…)
Sunday saw the main event, the Grand Prix of Münster. On a mostly sunny day, a quite international field of eleven pairs reached the second round, but in the end it was local favourite Jens Baackmann with his mare Carmen who took home the ‘trophy’, which was actually a BMW. Peder Fredricson of Sweden with H&M All In came in second, with Netherland’s Marc Houtzager and Sterrehof’s Baccarat in third.
And then, there was another rider with home-field advantage… Ingrid Klimke’s outstanding successes, the latest of them being the individual title at the European Eventing Championships last month, are only one part of her unique story. The arguably more important part is her commitment to promoting the training of young horses as well as the education of young riders. It is her exemplary attitude towards her sport and the welfare of her horses that make her a well-beloved ambassador for Equestrian sports in general. At the ‘Turnier der Sieger’, the 2017 European Eventing Champion had the opportunity to demonstrate her versatility, earning at least a top 5 finish in three different disciplines throughout the course of these memorable four days. After finishing third in the Grand Prix de Dressage, she won the test for young riding horses with four-year-old Firlefranz, reached second place in the Grand Prix Special and finally fifth in the penultimate (CSI 4*) jumping class.
In the end, Münster’s ‘Tournament of Champions’ 2017 really proved to be true to its name. They were all here. All three riders that would within the next few weeks be crowned European Champions in the individual events in Dressage, Eventing and Jumping. But it wasn’t Isabell Werth, Ingrid Klimke or Peder Fredricson, not even Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann, that brought me here, that compelled me to come back, each and every day. It was the look from those dark brown eyes, silent but so telling, and touching my heart…
PS. While I got to visit this year’s tournament with two good friends from Münster again, a very dear friend was missing. But, spending the summer months in Iceland, she was in very good (equine and human) company…
For more stories (including one about an Icelandic Horses tournament) and lots of beautiful pictures from Iceland, have a look at her blog: Schafstall statt Schreibtisch (External Link)
The Beautiful Games 
Oh you were so lucky. You saw some of the best riders in the world. Ingrid Klimke, Dorothee Schneider, and the Great Isabel Werth! I have seen Isabel in a couple of dressage competitions. She is a masterful rider. Thanks for this post and all the photos.
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Thank you! 🙂
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