by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 15, 2026
“Please fasten your seatbelts, we’re about to take off.”
And with that announcement before the medley of flight-themed music began on Saturday evening in Aachen, Glamourdale Airlines soared, with Lottie Fry and her jet-powered stallion producing a nearly perfect dressage freestyle before a crowd of 40,000 to take the world championship gold.
“It’s unbelievable, I can’t believe how amazing Glam was in there today,” Lottie bubbled.
“It was kind of a test of a lifetime. We’ve never, ever had a test so good. It all just came together at the right time in Aachen, and yes, so special. It couldn’t have been any better for me. Whatever the results, I was incredibly happy.
Glamourdale and Lottie Fry. (FEI Photo)
Her achievement was unique. Not only did Lottie and Glamourdale win their second title of the championships, having earned top honors in the Grand Prix Freestyle on Friday, but the British entry also was the only combination ever to have scored such a double twice in a row. The two delivered the same results at the last world championships, in Denmark four years ago.
This time, however, it was a personal best of 91.907 percent for Lottie, just 0.671 percent ahead of silver medalist Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark, ranked number one in the world, guiding the aptly named Mount St. John Freestyle to finish on 91.236.
Germany’s Isabell Werth, the world’s most decorated dressage rider, climbed back on the podium in the stadium where she won gold at the World Equestrian Games 20 years ago. This time, she took bronze with Wendy de Fontaine, marked at 88.650, despite a bit of a scramble in the two-tempi changes.
Such a level of the competition was undreamed of when we were in Aachen for the 2006 WEG. The sport has improved and broadened in the years since, with more and more riders deservedly achieving top scores. The best 10 riders in the freestyle, from six countries, all were marked at over 80 percent. Their horses looked comfortable and happy doing their jobs, which hasn’t always been the case in this discipline.
Cathrine Dufour, Lottie Fry and Isabell Werth.
The odd man out in the freestyle was 2025 European Champion Justin Verboomen of Belgium with the 10-year-old Zonik Plus, another black stallion. How about a pas de deux with Zonik and Glamourdale? Probably not happening…
Prior to the championships, it was thought by many that the title match would be a three-way battle among Glammy, Free and Zonik. But Zonik didn’t break 90 percent, finishing fourth on 88.439 percent. I felt his dance plan was a bit strained, with emphasis on unusual transitions, such as piaffe to a canter pirouette. It didn’t flow the way Lottie’s flight did.
Lottie earned four artistic marks of 99 from four judges (one was actually 99.200); Cathrine got two 99s in that category.
Riding to tunes appropriate to her theme, including “Come Fly With Me” and “Fly me to the Moon,” Lottie revealed, “I literally had a smile on my face when we were in extended canter This is the most incredible feeling in the world.”
Glamourdale’s extended canter has to feel like flying, the horse is practically airborne when his long stride is in gear.
She mentioned he was whinnying before he competed and was “so excited to get in (the arena) and he’s so excited to go in. He was completely relaxed with the crowd and just doing everything his best. He’s such an incredible horse. We both enjoyed it so much, every minute of it.”
Someone recounted that Gertjan Van Olst, one of the horse’s owners, realized Glamourdale’s potential as a seven-day-old foal when the dam, Thuja (by Negro), came to his farm in Holland to give birth. He said he wouldn’t let the colt leave before he bought the son of Lord Leatherdale.
Cathrine felt she lost the gold medal Friday in the Special because of her own mistakes. But things were different on Saturday.
“I didn’t expect anything else from Lottie than she was only going to put the ground on fire, which she did. I also had a personal best with Freestyle and she was fault-free, so I’m over the moon and so happy about my silver medal.”
Isabell was in the unenviable position of having to go last, following the stellar performances of Lottie and Cathrine. But as always, she handled the challenge.
“I feel so,so grateful and I’m so happy about my test today and the atmosphere,” she said.
“I got goose bumps when I went in, and then Wendy was so fantastic. I was, `Okay take the risk, risk risk. That’s the only chance I have to get a medal.’
“At the end it was so amazing she was so with me and i could play with the piaffe/passage.
click here for Grand Prix Freestyle results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 15, 2026
Eventing generally is the least predictable of the Olympic equestrian sports, due to the quirks of cross-country. But heading into Sunday’s show jumping finale phase at the FEI World Championships, the standings were as predictable as they could be.
Favored Great Britain and Germany came through at Aachen on Giuseppe Della Chiesa’s twisting cross-country course to stand 1-2 in the team ranks, with 75.6 and 90 penalties. They are followed far back by Switzerland with 106.5. The U.S. is fifth on 112.3, moving up a notch from its position after the dressage phase.
Country-wise, those numbers would seem to eliminate a lot of the suspense about who takes home the medals. Since Britain and Germany can claim only one level each on the podium, there’s a tiny bit of drama in what nation gets the third team spot. But a rail down here and there in show jumping and who knows, things may change. A little, anyway.
Individually, Germany and Britain also dominate. Germany’s Michael Jung is looking for his fourth world championships gold, standing as number one with fischer Chipmunk FRH on his 23-penalty dressage score. Britain’s three-time Badminton winner Ros Canter is just 0.4 penalties back with her dressage score of 23.4 on Lordships Graffalo, better known as Walter and considered by many the world’s best event horse.
Two more Brits, Laura Collett (London 52) and Tom McEwen (JL Dublin) are third and fourth (23.6 and 28.6).
I remember when Michael Jung first came to prominence at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. He didn’t want to speak English then as the media asked questions. Now he’s fluent, especially when rhapsodizing about his 18-year-old mount.
“firscher Chipmunk is an unbelievable horse. He’s powerful, he has a lot of stride. He was very good listening today, he was super with me in a good balance.”
Concerned about the making the optimum time of 9 minutes, 50 seconds, Michi pushed for it (there was a lot of elbow motion as he urged his horse on.)
Michael (Michi) Jung and fischer Chipmunk
“I asked him to go more forward and he did it,” Michi reported.
“He is fighting, he is galloping. The people around helped a lot, cheering, super atmosphere out there. It’s amazing. This is something special here.”
The USA’s Will Coleman had a brilliant run with the perky Diabolo, coming in two seconds under the 9:50 optimum time to stand sixth on his dressage score of 30 penalties, going from twenty-first after that first phase to sixth.
He is just 0.6 penalties back of Germany’s speedy Christoph Wahler, an impressive nine seconds under the optimum with D’Accord FRH.
Will Coleman and Diabolo (USEF photo)
The word of the day was “amazing” from Will, when he talked about his 14-year-old Holsteiner, an Australian import
Graciously, the Kentucky 5-star champion commented about Diabolo, “He was better than the rider today. I give him all the credit. He’s an amazing horse.”
From the first jump out of the start box, Diabolo was on his game.
Will — the only American to win eventing at Aachen (2021) noted that the venue offered “a really intense cross-country test…a bit frenetic,” and pointed out the horse had never been there before.
But then he said it again, “he was just amazing.”
Will said he got pointers from the riders from his squad that went before him. That included Caroline Pamukcu on the reliable HSH Blake, who dropped a leg at the upright brush at 17C, more than halfway through the 28-obstacle route. Caroline tipped off and was eliminated, but still offered “as much insight as she could give us.”
Her elimination means the team only has three riders. The British team suffered the same fate when Gemma Stevens had three refusals with Flash Cooley and had to leave the course. But even in a team of four, only three scores count, (the worst score is the drop score) and the Olympics only allows three on a team. So, good practice?
Tamie Smith stands eighteenth with Lillet 3, who had only 8 time penalties. She is not a member of the team; her mare is only 10 and was untested at championship level. But Will noted she was as much a part of things as any team member.
Tamie Smith and Lillet 3 (USEF Photo)
Of her Holsteiner’s performance, Tamie said, “She was everything I hoped she’d be. It was fast and furious. She’s such a cross-country machine it felt incredible.
She really didn’t have any idea of what to expect when she started out on the course that was “just so in your face. It was the unknown,” Tamie explained.
“I rode her like she was a seasoned horse and she acted like one. She fought all the way to the end, she fought for the whole time. I just kept patting her and telling her `good girl.’
“What a horse. She’s got a huge career ahead of her. I’m thrilled; she couldn’t have done better.”
Sadly, after pulling up, Lillet was discovered to have a “badly placed overreach” and was withdrawn before Sunday morning’s veterinary check.
“We’ve made the decision to save her for another day,” Tamie announced on social media.
“It’s gutting, to say the least, but our horses must always come first. Above the results, the championships, and everything we work so hard for – their wellbeing is what matters most.”
Since she rode as an individual, her withdrawal did not affect the team standings.
Click here for individual results; click here for team results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 14, 2026
The U.S. team stayed in sixth place, behind leaders Britain, Germany and France, as the dressage phase of world championships eventing wrapped up Friday.
The best individual finish for the country, in eighth, belonged to Tamie Smith on Lillet 3 with 27 penalties. That is five penalties behind the leader, Germany’s Julia Krajewski — the first woman ever to win Olympic eventing individual gold. She rides Uelzener’s Nickel.
Julie is just 0.8 penalties ahead of British powerhouse Laura Collett and London 52, who in turn is only 0.2 penalties in front of the master, Michael Jung and fischer Chipmunk FRH, who flubbed one of the four flying changes.
So Tamie is in good company. But whoops, she isn’t on the U.S. team. After all, she does have a young untested horse.
The next best score for the Stars and Stripes is Will Coleman (the only American to have won the annual Aachen eventing competition.) He is in twenty-first place with Diabolo on 30 penalties.
Boyd Martin, the other American who rode on the second day of eventing dressage, is twenty-fifth with 30.9 penalties on Cooley Nutcracker.
Tamie’s 10-year-old Holsteiner mare is doing her first international championships, and as her rider noted about Aachen’s electric vibes, “you don’t know what they’re going to do in an atmosphere like that.”
Tamie and Lillet 3
So Tamie was delighted to find, “She’s just like a seasoned pro in there. She’s so young and wouldn’t have ever seen something like that. I was really proud of her. Her trot work was so fluid, she felt like a spider in there, it was really cool.”
Tamie did a bit of experimentation and rode her in a double bridle, after getting some hints from dressage master Jo Hinnemann.
Asked about the highlights of her test, Tamie replied, “She stayed with me every stride. She just tried so hard, but tried in a really relaxed manner. she was just so `with’ me.”
Although Lillet is a warmblood, Tamie believes “She’s very thoroughbredy,” which will be a plus on the winding cross-country course Saturday.
“Luckily, she likes to go fast…and turn. That is her specialty. So I just have to be good.”
Will, who missed the Paris Olympics two years ago when Diabolo and his back-up horse were injured, understandably is especially eager to make the ost of this championship opportunity.
Speaking about his test, he said, “There were some good things, but maybe we just had a hard time putting the test together today.”
Of his horse, Will observed, “He was almost a little lazy, the only place he was a little sensitive was during the walk tour,” which he termed, “a little bit hairy,” saying the horse was on eggshells.
“It’s his first championship,” Will explained.
“It’s a lot of work in 3 1/2 minutes, no time to give them a minute to relax. My energy level wasn’t where I wanted it to be. It was really hot. I’m not super- displeased. It just wasn’t a great test for us,” said Will, before walking off to get a much-needed drink of water.
But as he pointed out before leaving, “We’ve got a lot of weekend left.”
He called the cross-country “a very testing track, a very different track from Kentucky,” which is where he won the 5-Star this year.
Will Coleman and Diabolo..
Cooley Nutcracker was the mount of Boyd’s 2024 Paris Olympic teammate, Liz Halliday, who has been sidelined since a month after the Games with a traumatic brain injury. She will be riding in para dressage now, so her horses have been given to other riders and Boyd has been busy with this one.
Boyd said he was “pretty pleased” with his test, while noting, “you always dream of this perfect test…”
Of Cooley Nutcracker, Boyd said, “He’s a quirky horse. A very quiet, laid-back horse in the stable. When you’re riding, he’s so sharp and quick.When it’s time to perform he puts his head down and does a good job.”
Of course, it hasn’t been easy and took a lot of work to get their relationship to where it is today.
Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker.
“I nearly got him back to where she (Liz) had him.”
He practiced by riding some of the horses in the string of his wife, Silva, a dressage trainer, to “get how its supposed to feel.”
Assessing the course, he mentioned, “It’s not a real big track, like Kentucky, Badminton or Burghley (all 5-Stars).”
At the same time, “This is equally as hard, if not harder.”
With the angles laid out, even though it’s a flat course, he thinks the horses will get very tired, winding back and forth.
He called it “energy zapping.”
The cross-country starts at 3:15 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday. Click here for start times. Click here for individual standings. Click here for team standings.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 14, 2026
It was a battle royal, but the queen who earned the Grand Prix Special crown four years ago in Denmark did it again on Friday in Aachen.
A determined Lottie Fry of Great Britain and the fabulous Glamourdale topped a stellar roster of competitors in the Grand Prix Special at the FEI world championships.
Lottie and Glammy
The hugely anticipated face-off for the medals in this difficult test involved three riders who scored more than 80 percent to wind up on the podium, and three others just below that mark who also impressed mightily.
Lottie had a relatively comfortable edge with 82.295 percent over world number one Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark on Mount St. John Freestyle (80.927), who had some mistakes. Cathrine also took silver four years ago, but with another horse, Vamos Amigos.
The bronze went to Katharina Hemmer, a German making her world’s debut with Denoix PCH on 80.866. That kept her countrywoman, the legendary Isabell Werth, out of the medals after she rode Wendy de Fontaine to a 79.544 percent finish for fourth place.
Many expected the top placings to include former world number one Justin Verboomen of Belgium and Zonik Plus, but the black stallion didn’t show up at his best, coming in fifth with 79.362.
As usual, Glammy’s dramatic tempi changes and extended trot and canter were highlights, and little mistakes were inconsequential.
“It was just the most incredible test,” a rapturous Lottie said moments after clinching the title. Again.
“Glamourdale kind of knew how important it was and he loves that arena and he did the most amazing test. We’ve been really working for this point, just hoping we were going to peak at the right time. For it all to come together is like a dream.”
Lottie thanks Glammy for a job well-done.
Both horse and rider were “completely focused,” as Lottie put it, noting, “He felt relaxed, yet powerful and happy and just wanted to do his job. It was just an honor to be able to ride him in that arena and he gave everything he could. The more I asked, the more he gave.”
As it was happening so dramatically, Lottie thought happily, “This is just insane!”
Now she has to keep her freestyle title, which will be contested Saturday by the top 18 from the Special, for which 30 riders qualified from the Grand Prix on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Cathrine and Free, who at one time was ridden by Britain’s Catherine Dujardin, looked up to the challenge as they entered the arena, and their marks started out well over the level set by the leader to that point, British star Carl Hester and Fame (who walked out of the arena to the music from the movie of that name.)
During Free’s test, his mouth was noticeably open in the piaffe after the walk, then had a mistake in the one-tempi changes and hopped out of the second pirouette.
“I’m disappointed with my ride today,” Cathrine recounted.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St. John Freestyle.
“We started really well and Freestyle is in amazing form. She’s fit and she likes the arena. I hope I can do better in the Freestyle tomorrow and do as good as ‘Free’ does. I have to let today be today, and focus on tomorrow.
“I’m excited to ride our new freestyle and have one more chance to show what an amazing horse she is,” said Cathrine.
While the top two will meet again on Saturday, along with Justin, Isabell and Carl, Katharina felt Denoix had done enough and will not compete.
“I’m super proud of my horse,” she said.
“He tried everything for me and it was such a great feeling to ride him there in the big stadium and to feel he gave his very best.”
And how about finishing ahead of the great Isabell Werth?
“It was a big honor for me. to be in a battle with Isabell is a good feeling, because then you know you’ve reached the top,” said Katharina. And it all happened in her first championship.
Katharina Hemmer understandably was overjoyed with her medal ride.
Her horse is “such a sweet and kind soul. It took a while to get his pleasure, because he’s very sensitive, but now he knows he can really trust me and I think that showed in the ring today and I’m very pleased about that.”
He understands her. He moved a bit in the halt at the end of the Grand Prix as the crowd cheered, so as she neared the end of the Special, she told him, “It’s important to stand now.” And so he stood.
“He understood every word,” she believes.
Katharina hadn’t thought about getting an individual medal.
“My full focus was on the team competition. I was very happy that we could do our best Grand Prix ever for the team. That was my main thing and I said, `Everything that comes on top is just the cherry on the cream.’
“I didn’t have any pressure on myself. I just wanted to enjoy it because it’s the thing of a lifetime to be here in front of a home crowd.”
U.S. dressage involvement is over for these championships with an eighth-place team finish. They could have used Denoix, who has an American owner.
Christian Simonson, the only U.S. competitor to make the Special, finished twenty-ninth on Fleau de Baian with 68.456 percent.
“Felix felt amazing in there,” said Christian, noting he was happy with the passage and extension work.
Christian Simonson and Felix.
He had what he called “a cheeky little mistake coming into the first half-passes, where I did (one-tempi) changes.”
The judge rang the bell for the mistake and Christian picked up with the correct movement, but that affected his score.
He thought when he heard the bell, “Oh wait, wrong test,” and acknowledged he had focused in Germany on practicing the Grand Prix, rather than the Special,because that is the team test, and the team was what mattered most. But someone told him that the horse’s former rider, Adelinde Cornelissen, had done exactly the same thing in the 2013 European Championships with Felix’s full brother, Parzival (Jazz X Ulft).
But always displaying his upbeat attitude, Christian commented on his journey, that has taken him from Young Rider to second place in the Zen Elite World Cup Finals in April and now the world championships at age 23. He expressed gratitude to his coach, Adrienne Lyle, and Zen Elite, which owns his horse.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” he said.
We will have a separate piece on the wrap-up of eventing dressage, where the U.S. stands sixth going into Saturday’s cross-country and Britain leads the way, only 0.8 penalties ahead of Germany.
Click here for Grand Prix Special results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 13, 2026
One of the top hopes for a U.S. medal in show jumping at the world championships is switching horses. Laura Kraut will now ride her 2024 Olympic team silver medal mount, Baloutinue, rather than Bisquetta. The decision was based on veterinary advice.
Laura, at age 60 the oldest rider on the squad, has victories all over the world. She rode Baloutinue earlier this month in Dublin on the Nations Cup team that took the Aga Khan trophy.
Now every U.S. championships team has had a substitution from the championships line-up originally named.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 13, 2026
It’s likely that the best is yet to come for the U.S. in eventing at the FEI World Championships, where the country stands sixth among 16 teams on the first day of that discipline’s competition in Aachen, Germany.
After half the field competed on Thursday, New Zealand and Great Britain were tied for the lead on 55.9 penalties, with Germany third on 59.9. If you were in a betting mood, those were the short-odds favored teams going into the title meet.
On Friday, as eventing dressage wraps up, strong pairings will show their hands, including medal machine Michael Jung with fischer Chipmunk FRH for 2025 European champion Germany and 2025 European Championships individual gold medalist Laura Collett on London 52 for Britain.
Representing the U.S., Paris 2024 Olympian Boyd Martin will be up with Cooley Nutcracker and Will Coleman rides 2026 Kentucky 5-star winner Diabolo, who missed Paris due to injury. (Tamie Smith will ride Lillet 3 as an individual, not part of the squad).
You can expect a boost in the U.S. standings, but it’s not just the three leading nations that will put on the pressure. Switzerland (61.6 penalties) and France (64.1), in fourth and fifth place respectively, are just barely ahead of the American total. But there’s also seventh-place Ireland to keep an eye on. It’s a mere 0.1 penalties back of the U.S. on 65 penalties.
However, U.S. chef d’equipe Leslie Law is optimistic, predicting “we should have a really good day” Friday, considering that Boyd and Will’s horses have been “going absolutely great” in the training leading up to the title meet.
Individually, the lead at this point belongs to Britain’s incredibly experienced pairing, 2025 Europeans bronze medalist Tom McEwen and JL Dublin at 26.6 penalties. If your mind, like mine, is still a bit in Grand Prix Dressage mode after yesterday’s team competition in that discipline, “Dubs’ ” score would translate to 73.40 percent.
“Dubs always delivers,” said Tom.
“There was actually a bit more atmosphere than I was expecting to begin with. He was a bit lit up when I went in there – I could feel it straight away when I kept trying to trot and he kept popping into canter, so I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be,” Tom observed.
Tom McEwan and JL Dublin.
“But he delivered a really good test. It’s a shame, because I know I can come out and deliver a 21 or a 22, but coming back out with a 26 is great for the team and I’m really, really pleased with him.
“He’s been annoyed by the flies all week and he’s been really struggling with them. I know when he’s completely with me because he’s not paying any attention to the flies, but I could feel him starting to go and I thought ‘Oh no, we’ve lost all concentration’.
“It’s a tough test and it was our one big mistake, which was a real shame. I’m really, really pleased with the rest – obviously, we know he can do bigger bits in other areas, but I’m really pleased,” he explained.
His teammate, Gemma Stevens, contributed to the country’s placing with 29.3 penalties in sixth place.
Second went to Jonelle Price of New Zealand with Senor Crocodillo.
“I think the highlight was just really the evolution of this horse,” said Janelle, whose husband, Tim Price rides for the team on Friday.
“He’s not a fancy mover,” she said of her horse, “he hasn’t got a lot of high marks in him, so the aim over the last couple of years is to produce a solid test…and pinch an occasional high mark where we can.”
Second place Jonelle Price of New Zealand with Senor Crocodillo
Caroline Pamukcu, first to go for the U.S. on her normally stalwart HSH Blake, stands fourteenth on 32.3 penalties. As Leslie referenced her ride, he cited “a couple of little mistakes.
“I thought she did a really good job to save, especially when her horse picked up the wrong lead instead of the counter-canter. She used all her experience to save that and then get the next marks from her horse.”
Recounting her performance, Caroline said, “I have a lovely horse (she even named her baby after him last year!)
“He’s a very, very special guy. Obviously, I’m disappointed. I could do better, not him. I didn’t give him the ride I wanted to today. I’ll go back and reflect. Sometimes it just falls short. He picked up the left lead instead of the right lead. That was a stupid mistake; stuff happens.”
Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Phillip Dutton is fifteenth with 32.6 penalties on Denim, who last month was named as a substitute for Possante, with whom Phillip originally was selected.
Assessing his performance, Phillip called it “pretty much mistake-free. He was real professional in there.”
The “Olympic Short Test,” which does not require an initial halt as Grand Prix dressage does, from my spectator viewpoint doesn’t really flow. Its four flying changes often seem awkward.
According to Phillip, “It’s a hard test. Once you get one change, the next one’s coming up pretty quick. You don’t have much time to regroup. I was pleased without being ecstatic. The better horses are going to score better. You need a horse with nice impulsion.”
Phillip Dutton and Denim (Shannon Brinkman photo)
He will be the U.S. pathfinder for cross-country, which takes place on Saturday.
“It’s a tough course, a lot of turning,” Phillip said.
“The time’s going to be hard to get. There are probabaly three or four places that are proper 5-star questions,” the Olympic medalist remarked.
He noted it will take “a lot of thought going into the options, because there are so many different choices if something’s going wrong. I’ll have to do a lot of studying tomorrow.”
But he has confidence in Denim, saying “he’s a good jumper and efficient.”
Caroline called the route designed by Italy’s Giuseppe della Chiesa “a lovely course. They’ve done such a great job with ground conditions. It’s like an oasis, green, lush and beautiful, and then everywhere else in Germany is like a barren desert. They’ve done a great job for horse welfare.”
Meanwhile, the European heatwave is taking its toll. With temperatures set to soar (perhaps as high as 95 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday, the dressage Grand Prix Special will be having a two-hour, 15-minute break mid-day, and start at 8:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time) earlier than originally scheduled to avoid the peak temperatures.
There have been no changes so far in the schedule for the second segment of eventing dressage. Its test is shorter and far less intense than the Special.
Click here for individual standings. Click here for team standings.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 12, 2026
For the thirteenth time since the world dressage championships began in 1966, Germany took team gold. The honors earned Thursday were even more special because they came at home in Aachen.
The victorious German team: Isabell Werth, Fredric Wandres, Raphael Netz, Katharina Hemmer and chef d’equipe Klaus Roeser.
It was, however, a narrow victory. Great Britain threatened to take the top prize, but by 3.618 points wound up with silver for the fourth time in the history of the title meet. A couple of mishaps in World Cup Champion Becky Moody’s test on Jagerbomb Tuesday appears to have made the difference.
British strategist Carl Hester demonstrated his ability as a technician and an artist to get everything possible out of Fame, with whom he is seventh individually on 77.314 percent. He held the lead for only a few minutes, however, before Germany’s Katharina Hemmer came in on Denoix PCH and overtook him. But Carl was understandably proud of how it went.
“We just needed a good score and, over the past few days, I’ve been sat watching my best tests I’ve ever done to prepare, all the time thinking ‘nail this, nail this, watch this,’ ” he reported.
“It really worked for me in my head but, more to the point, I think I’m so much more able to direct my sight to the horse, and the horse reacted absolutely beautifully. We’ve watched him over the years get calmer and calmer, and today was possibly one of the calmest tests he’s ever done,” said Carl.
“He really didn’t bat an eyelid, but it actually gave me a lift going in there. I suddenly felt confident because he didn’t react negatively at all to any of the noise, so off I went and enjoyed my test,” said Carl, conceding that the last few weeks of build-up had been stressful.
Denmark, the defending champions, finished third. That team was led by a bravura 82.376 percent performance from world number one-ranked Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St. John Freestyle. That combination was just ahead of former world number one, Justin Verboomen of Belgium and Zonik Plus (80.885), who did not give his very best performance. The two are expected to battle it out for gold in the Freestyle on Saturday if they make it through Friday’s Grand Prix Special, as one assumes they will.
And the only other competitor to earn over 80 percent, reigning world champion Lottie Fry of Great Britain in third place, also should be considered a threat individually. Riding the glamorous Glamourdale (who receives 10s for his signature extended canter) she helped in a big way to boost her nation to the second spot on the podium.
“Glamourdale was just incredible. That was the most amazing feeling I’ve ever had in the ring,” Lottie reported
“We had a small misunderstanding and I just kind of threw him into that first piaffe, which was a shame because the rest of them were really good – the one on the center line was just incredible. The whole test was just the best feeling.
“He absolutely loves Aachen and he always goes well here, I’ve never have a bad ride here, touch wood, and he was just insane in that arena. He loved every second of it and he loved the crowd at the end – he wanted to go right up to them. It was so cool. I’m excited to bring that back for the Special, because not much else can be better. He was just amazing,” she said.
The U.S. was eighth with only one rider, 23-year-old Christian Simonson Fleau de Baian, qualifying to be among the 30 starters qualified for the Special. He was tied for twenty-fifth with Pan Am Games champ Julio Mendoza Loor of Ecuador (Jewel’s Gold Strike). Christian’s teammate, Kasey Perry-Glass, finished thirty-first with Heartbeat WP to miss by one heartbreaking placing, but has a chance to make the cut if someone withdraws.
Christian, who is still eligible for the Young Rider ranks, was understandably awed by being center stage is a legendary equestrian venue.
“It felt surreal. to go into that atmosphere. I’m a little speechless, honestly,” he said after his ride.
“I’ll never forget the cheering, the applause. It was really special.”
His mount of two years, known as Felix, formerly was ridden by the Dutch team’s Adelinde Cornelissen. Christian has developed his own style of dealing with the KWPN stallion, who is by Jazz.
“I try to be incredibly present with him,” the rider explained.
Christian Simonson and Fleau de Baian (USEF photo)
“I know i can do my best job if i don’t worry about anything else other than how can i do the best job for him at that moment, in this movement and just try to do my personal best for the feeling I would like.
“That just fills my thoughts so much I usually don’t have much more room to think about anything else.”
His mark of 71.304 was a personal best for the Grand Prix with Felix.
Christian Simonson and Felix after their test.
The top six teams — the podium group followed by Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden, earned their ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The U.S. is already qualified as the home team. Other countries aspiring to those Games have the possibility of different routes to try, such as next year’s Pan American Games and European Championships.
The final rider for the U.S., Ashley Holzer, performed last in the class. Riding Hawtins San Floriana, she tied for forty-third place on 68.711 percent, but was her usual upbeat self, praising her horse.
“She’s such an amazing mare and great partner of mine,” said Ashley, who trains with Carl Hester.
“I knew the atmosphere would be a little tense for her. I tried to relax her. This mare tried her heart out. It’s a tough ring for a lot of horses, and she really was a great girl.
“I knew it was going to be a lot of electricity in the air with the crowd, being with these top riders before me, and i think that affected me a little bit more than i would honestly like to admit to people. But I had a great team behind me that really helped me.”
Germany’s team trainer, Monica Theodorescu, said she had a good night’s sleep because Germany led after Tuesday’s competition on the scores of Frederic Wandres and Ralph Netz.
“There was nothing to worry about,” said Monica, who praised Katharina’s ride on the USA-owned Denoix PCH, coming close to 80 percent with a personal best mark of 79.224 percent.
“At a championship like this, you want everything to come together, and when it does, it is amazing. Denoix was very cool. We can really rely on each other and he tried his heart out,” said Katharina.
Monica added with a smile, “We want to call her hammerer and not Hemmer any more because she gave an absolute fantastic ride. The horse was just shining and so beautiful, so that made everything pretty safe.
“But of course, Isabell (Werth on Wendy de Fontaine) at the end topped it even more so. The team was absolutely great these two days.”
Collecting yet another gold medal for her record-breaking stash of same, Isabell, fourth with 79.876 percent, commented, “Each time, it’s new and each time something can happen, but she was affected about the atmosphere, but I was very pleased with her.”
There are a few little things she wants to fix, like an error in the one-tempi changes, perhaps.
“Hopefully, we can sort it out till Friday, but it was super good because we had a very strong team. Wendy was a controlled risk. It worked, so we have another gold,” Isabell concluded.
Thinking back to the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games at the venue, Isabell noted, “to come back after 20 years, it means a lot of things happened in between. To realize you could move with the time, with the development of the sport, it makes me really proud and happy.”
Click here for individual results. Click here for team standings.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 11, 2026
The multi-faceted Sally Ike has just been notified that she will be inducted into the U.S. Eventing Hall of Fame this December, but her achievements go far beyond eventing.
Sally Ike, course designer, one of her many roles in equestrian sport
She was a pillar of equestrian sport governance, spending more than three decades serving with the U.S. Equestrian Team, the American Horse Shows Association and its successor, the U.S. Equestrian Federation. Her roles included being the manager of U.S. show jumping for many years, and then going on to serve as director of licensed officials.
A licensed official herself, she has been a technical delegate, a steward and course designer. She also was chairman of the Essex Foxhounds.
Giving young people a leg up, she was involved with the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s Emerging Athletes Program and instrumental in the USEA Young Event Horse program. Her dedication to education, horsemanship, and organizational leadership was recognized with the USEF Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sally Ike in her eventing days on Roxboro, winner of the Essex Horse Trials
The Hunterdon County, New Jersey, resident began competing in eventing in the 1960s and was short-listed for the 1968 U.S. Olympic eventing team with her horse, Evening Mail. For half a century, her service and commitment to developing opportunities for horses and riders have left a lasting mark on eventing and other horse sports in the USA.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 11, 2026
Germany marched right up to the head of the standings as the FEI World Dressage Championships got underway Tuesday, with strong performances from its most junior rider, Raphael Netz, third on Great Escape Camelot (73.338) and veteran Frederic Wandres, in the lead with Bluetooth Old (75.963).
And when the medal competition resumes Wednesday with the second half of the class, it has even better prospects as its two top competitors, Catherine Hemmer (Denoix PCH) and the legendary Isabell Werth (Wendy de Fontaine) perform.
Team standings are, of course, up in the air until everyone has ridden, but at the moment, Germany is 2.143 points ahead of second-place Great Britain, the other country that is favored as a contender for the gold. British FEI World Cup Champion Becky Moody on her homebred Jagerbomb (73.20) was the score that counted for her side, but that number was less than expected from such an experienced pair..
In the unique atmosphere of Aachen, their performance started on the wrong foot with a halt that was a bit of a rolling stop, to earn 42 percent. Then her horse broke into canter as she extended the trot.
“We didn’t get off to the best start in the world. He was just a little too excited and distracted when we went in there, so we didn’t have a very good first halt and we had a break in our first extension because I didn’t quite have the balance where I needed it,” Becky mused.
“But we pulled it back and we still got some really good bits, and he came back to me really well. You can’t focus on the mistakes – you have to think about where you can try and pull it back.”
The other British mark, Fiona Bigwood’s (Donna Bella) 69.348 was listed (like Netz’s score) as a drop score because only the top three scores count for a team and all will be adjusted before the medal presentation. So on the official standings, Germany and Britain are 1-2, while Denmark — a gold medal possibility and the only country besides Germany to have two riders score more than 70 percent — stands fifth on the best of its plus-70 scores.
Fiona hasn’t ridden for the team since the 2016 Rio Olympics. Atterupgaards Orthilla, her mount in Rio a decade ago, is 10-year-old Donna’ Bella’s dam.
Orthilla also was 10 Fiona rode her at the European Championships at Aachen in 2015.
“It’s really nice to bring her daughter here and do the same thing in their first years of Grand Prix. They’re both very similar to ride – they both go and try their hardest, and so it’s lovely,” she said.
To sum up her performance, a delighted Fiona exclaimed; “I love that mare – the right brain and talent, a heart of gold, never does anything wrong, just tries her heart out. Almost tries too hard for you!” That probably was the reason she added two more one-tempis to her line of what was supposed to be 14 changes.
Carl Hester will ride Fame, who also belongs to Fiona, when he appears in the ring Wednesday, 36 years after he first appeared in a world championship. Last to go for Britain will be reigning world champion Lottie Fry and Glamourdale, trying to snatch the gold from Germany.
Carl Hester and Lottie Fry watching the action at Aachen.
The U.S., which was not expected to be anywhere near the podium, stands eighth of 17 teams on veteran Kasey Perry-Glass’s tactfully ridden 70.606 percent performance. Meagan Davis, called up to the team for her first international championship just last week, did well under those circumstances, with 67.624 percent on Toronto Lightfoot.
Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig said she felt good about both riders’ performances, explaining, “I think Meagan, definitely being a rookie at an event of this magnitude, did a beautiful job. There’s so much more to come from that pair. This is just the tip of the iceberg for her.”
Standing twenty-fifth individually, Meagan does not have a chance of coming back on Friday for the Grand Prix Special, the test for individual honors which takes only the top 30 riders from the starting field of 91.
Kasey was a team Olympic and World Equestrian Games medalist with her longtime partner, Dublet, but Heartbeat WP is a far less experienced mount. Even so, she stands a respectable eleventh on 70.606 percent and is likely to make the Special.
Kasey Perry-Glass and Heartbeat WP
Speaking about Kasey, Christine enthused, “What a wonderful rider she is, aiding the horse so kindly, light aids. She had a solid test and showed us she is aiming to tap into his potential in the Special. She definitely showed us how much experience she has.”
Kasey said she was just looking for a “clean, consistent solid test from him. I am so proud of him; that was the biggest atmosphere he’s been in and the biggest I’ve been in. I’ve been to a couple of Games, but this is just something else,” she noted, citing the aura that Aachen delivers in a big way.
The opening ceremonies Tuesday night underlined how special Aachen is, with scores of horses choreographed to the delight of the capacity crowd, as team members and fantasy figures mingled on the grass field.
Horses played a big role in the world championships opening ceremonies.
Kasey also was named to the team late in the game, just a few days before Meagan, so she had a task on her hands with a horse that she still is developing.
“I had to really figure out what makes him tick different than Dublet did,” said Kasey, whose formula involves lots of turnout, trail rides and hand-grazing.
“It’s been a journey with Heart. Going into this, I had to almost center my emotions and keep everything super-quiet for him in my own attitude. He stays there right with me when I do that.
“Dublet, I could go in and kind of push and ask for more from him. Heart will offer more the more I kind of let him build. He needs a little bit of that confidence from me to kind of hold his hand and stay quiet.
“We have so many emotions in our sport. As an athlet, you always want to go in there and just go for it. it’s a challenge to learn how to stay that center pillar for him. I’m proud of myself for figuring that out and what works for him. He’s an emotional horse, he really picks his people. He really picks his emotions. to be able to put down a solid test like that in atmosphere like this, I’m so proud of him.”
Click here for world championship team standings. Click here for individual standings.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 10, 2026
The FEI World Championships get underway Tuesday at Aachen with Grand Prix dressage competition, as 19 nations (with 91 riders) take part.
The competition begins at 2 a.m. Eastern time, but if you don’t want to get up well before dawn, we will have everything covered on this site. So come back Tuesday afternoon to read what happened, and check in every day after that for a rundown on the six-discipline championships, which end Aug. 23.
In dressage, while only four teams would seem to have a real chance for making the podium when the medals are awarded on Wednesday, there are always surprises.
Twenty years ago, when Aachen hosted the World Equestrian Games (basically the same event, different name, no endurance competition) a lovely grey mare from Denmark, Blue Hors Matine, burst on the scene to produce the top score in the Grand Prix and take bronze in the Special.
Blu Hors Matine was a sensation 20 years ago, the last time the world championships were held at Aachen
So who knows what unexpected star or stars might get our attention in a big way this time around.
In the team ranks, however, the medal surprises won’t include the U.S. squad, which has been plagued by dropouts and the absence of the country’s top two horses, Jane and Indian Rock, rehabbing and resting respectively. But while the other nations are vying for places in the 2028 LA Olympics, the U.S. has no issues there — the home team automatically qualifies.
The big medal contenders include Great Britain, with reigning dressage world champion Lottie Fry (Glamourdale), reigning World Cup Champion Becky Moody and her homebred Jaegerbomb, as well as the architect of British dressage success, Carl Hester (Fame).
Unlike the Olympics, which allows only three riders on a team with all scores to count, the world championships permits a quartet on each squad. In Britain’s case, that’s Fiona Bigwood and another homebred, Donna Bella. Four on a team means leeway, since the worst score can be dropped when the totals are figured.
Teams in contention obviously include Germany, which enjoys a home-side advantage and the charisma of multi, multi-medalist Isabell Werth (Wendy de Fontaine). Denmark and Belgium each have power generated by their star riders, respectively Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (Mount St. John Freestyle) and Justin Verboomen (Zonik Plus). Also, keep an eye on Spain, which is improving and interesting to watch with LA28 in mind.
