In four difficult rounds, these two didn't make a single mistake: the 39-year-old show jumper Mario Stevens from Molbergen in Lower Saxony and his only nine-year-old Starissa - not Starisso, a spelling mistake led to the misleading ending.

Stevens won his second German championship title after 2018 in Balve in the Sauerland with the powerful jumping gelding.

Two weeks ago he and Starissa took third place at the Hamburg Championships.

With the gelding, the German cavalry could grow a horse for the future.

Second was Philip Rüping, rider at Paul Schockemöhle in Mühlen, with Casalico and only one penalty point for exceeding the time limit, ahead of the well-established Markus Ehning from Borken with the stallion A la Carte and one down.

The news from the Polish seaside resort of Sopot was also very welcome in Balve: the German team won the Nations Cup there ahead of France and Switzerland.

Of course, four strong couples were missing in Balve: European champion André Thieme with Chakaria, Janne-Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann with Messi, Philipp Weishaupt with Coby and Christian Kukuk with Mumbai.

But the effort was worth it.

It was the first win of the season for a German jumping quartet.

Traditionally, an Amazon class is also held at German championships, which, unlike in the past, is no longer smiled at by anyone.

The winner, 32-year-old Katrin Eckermann with the stallion Cascadello-Boy, works for a trading stable in Sassenberg near Warendorf and is one of the starters of the Global Champions Tour.

At Easter she sensationally won a five-star class in Miami with another horse.

After a total of three clean rounds, she also shot clean in a quick jump-off.

Only one other pair made it into the decision-making round, Tina Deuerer from Bretten with Clueso, who has been in the upper class for years.

Only at the last obstacle did she have to accept a drop.

Third was Angelique Rüsen, who works for Christian Ahlmann's stable in Marl.

The boss had ridden her horse Calvino two weeks previously in a frame jumping event at the Hamburg Derby tournament.

"I'm afraid I'll have to give it back," she said.

World champion Simone Blum was also at the start and took twelfth place with the stallion Diachacco.

Her perfect horse, the mare Alice, has not been able to compete in a tournament for a year and a half because of an injury.