Okahandja riders shine at dressage championships
Reitclub Okahandja (RCO) enjoyed a successful weekend on home turf, claiming both the adult individual and club team titles at the Capricorn Asset Management 2026 Namibian Dressage Championships.
Twenty-eight-year-old Svenja Späth was the standout performer, securing five first-place finishes across the First, Second and Third Level dressage competitions with three horses.
Riding her cousin’s mare, Seeis Anicia, the German-trained equine manager impressed judges and spectators with elegant, fluent performances and well-executed lines. She won the First Level Test 2, First Level Test 3 and Musical Freestyle events.
Späth also secured two second-place finishes with her promising young gelding, Equimaster Davetsaub Malibu.
Her black stallion, Equimaster Seeis Arian, returned to competition in impressive form after a lengthy absence. The pair successfully defended their Namibian Adult Dressage Champion title, winning the Third Level Test 3 and Third Level Musical Freestyle.
They also finished second in the Third Level Test 2, behind Swakopmund rider Carolin Hoffmeister and Equimaster Heidi’s Mohinho.
Späth joined RCO’s mother-and-daughter combination Silke and Milanka Bean, as well as Beate Voigts, in helping the club secure the 2026 Namibian Club Team Championship title.
Reitsport Zentrum Kapps finished as reserve champions, represented by Kate Alison on Lowlands Z Chianti O.T. and junior riders Leia-Mae van der Merwe on F.H.M and Lee-Ann Smith on MSD Animal Health Zonjati Gunfire. Alison, who is based in Windhoek, also claimed the adult reserve champion title with her grey stallion, Lowlands Z Chianti O.T.
The 2026 Junior Dressage Champion title went to van der Merwe and F.H.M, repeating her success from 2025, when she won the title aboard Callaho Barcelone, which has since been retired.
The teenager delivered fluent performances, impressing judges from Namibia and South Africa with her balanced seat and precise aids.
The children’s championship title was not awarded because the two competitors did not meet the required criteria.
The weekend also featured the FEI Dressage World Challenge, 7 Nations and African Confederation of Equestrian Sport (ACES) competitions.
Following the Senior I and Senior II tests on Friday morning, FEI judge Silvia Brückner hosted a riders’ discussion to provide competitors with insight into dressage standards and requirements for the World Challenge.
The initiative, hosted by FEI Solidarity, aims to promote equestrian sport in developing nations around the world.
Applicant judges from Namibia and South Africa also observed the competitions as part of efforts to improve their judging skills.
Namibia’s riders’ performances against their international, continental and regional counterparts will be assessed once all participating countries have completed their respective events.
Attention now turns to showjumping, with riders set to gather at Reiterverein Swakopmund (RVS) next weekend for the final leg of the 2026 FEI Jumping World Challenge and the Namibian Development Series.
