Balve Optimum

The Balve Optimum is an international CSI / CDI equestrian tournament, which is held annually usually in June on the show grounds at the castle in the Wocklum Balver Orlebachtal.

At this tournament riders take part from all over the world. Previously, for example, in the discipline of jumping -known athletes such as Ludger Beerbaum, Hugo Simon, Rodrigo Pessoa and Marco Kutscher and in the discipline of dressage, among others, Nicole Uphoff and Isabell Werth at the start.

Aligned and organized is the tournament with a budget of 650.000, - EUR of the tournament community Balve GmbH and the equestrian club Balve.

• 2.1 The winners since 2005

History

The riding club Balve eV was founded on 23 February 1925 as a riding and driving club Balve and surroundings with Max Graf Landsberg first chairman. The first Wocklumer tournament took place in 1947. 1949 Dieter Graf Landsberg - Velen was elected chairman.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary club was erected in 1950 the first grandstand with 3,000 seats and built the tournament square. In the two years that followed, followed by the extension of the main square. A judge tower with reporting office was created. Hans Günter Winkler in 1951 for the first time participate in the Balver tournament. In the following years was further expanded and renovated.

1959 turned the German television spot. 1972 took place for the first time Olympic preparation jumping in Wocklum, 1976 with foreign participation. Arnim Basche commented in 1984 for ZDF from the inaugural in Wocklum German Championship of jumping and dressage rider, which was connected with the sighting of riders for the Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles.

German Championships

As of 1992, the German championships of Olympic year were always held in Balve so in 2008. During these years took place in the return, the International Tournament in Balve not take place. Once in the years to 2007, the trend is increasingly apparent that the top German riders took part in other international tournaments held at the German Championships, was thinking about a new concept. As of 2008, the German Championships show jumping and dressage riders have been awarded several years after Balve, in turn hosted the tournament hosts in 2009 as a framework tournament at the German Championships, an international show jumping competition (CSI 3 *).

In 2010, the date of the planned German Championships in Balve collided with the date of the Football World Cup 2010, so no TV coverage could be guaranteed. For this reason it was planned, the German Championships for a week preferable. In this case, the German Championships dressage rider would have been discharged but not in Balve, but then in parallel taking place Dressage Festival Lingen. However, the German Equestrian Federation decided in late 2009 that instead of Balve the new date better situated tournament winner in Münster (Westphalia ) is to host the German Championships in dressage and show jumping, in turn, was part of the Balve Optimum 2010, a stage of the Riders Tour instead.

In the years 2011 and 2012, the German Cup to be held together with international show-jumping context tournament again in Balve.

Balve Optimum

Since 1997, the tournaments carry the name " Balve Optimum". In the year of the FIFA World Cup in Germany was evaded on the month of August.

The Grand Prix Show Jumping Championships, which takes place in years without German championship in Balve every Sunday, is also called Optimum - designated price. It is an international jumping competition, which will take place depending on the tender as a jump-off, winning round or two rounds. Since 2009, the Grand Prix in years will be played with German Championships in Balve on Saturday.

The final test in dressage is the Grand Prix Freestyle, which will be held on every Sunday before the Grand Prix Show Jumping.

For the first time a prize for special except athletic performance, the awarded "Optimum Award" to Ulrich Bettermann in 2013.

The winners since 2005

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