Team PracGermany, anchored by team stalwart Isabell Werth on Wendy de Fontaine, earned FEI Dressage World Championships gold on home territory in Aachen today, Aug. 12.
Werth was last to go for her squad, scoring a 79.87% as the highest-placed German rider, just ahead of world championship first-timer Katharina Hemmer on Denoix PCH (79.22%). Combined with Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD’s score from yesterday (75.96%), plus a drop score from Raphael Netz on Great Escape Camelot, the team finished on a tally of 235.06 ahead of Great Britain (231.44) and Denmark (229.42).
“It is very special to be back on the team here 20 years after our gold in Aachen and to win gold again,” Werth said. “There is nothing bigger or better than Aachen. It really is a welcome home.
“The arena is not easy, and I was a little surprised that Wendy was impressed,” she continued. “We had two small issues in our test, but otherwise I am proud and happy with how it went.”
All four German riders qualified for Friday’s Grand Prix Special, reserved for the top 30 from the Grand Prix, as did all Danish riders. Hemmer, who earned a personal-best score today, will be last to go in that test, at 4:39 p.m. local time (10:39 a.m. Eastern).
“I knew it was a good ride, but when the score came up, I was so proud,” said Hemmer. “The two gentlemen had already ridden so well yesterday, which took a lot of pressure off today, and I also knew Isabell was still to come after me. 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.”
Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale earned one of three scores over 80% in the Grand Prix to lead Great Britain’s team—which also included Fiona Bigwood on Donna Bella, Becky Moody on Jagerbomb, and Carl Hester on Fame—to the silver medal.
“Glamourdale loves Aachen. He was amazing in there, and the whole test felt like a highlight,” Fry said. “We had a small miscommunication going into the first piaffe, but I was able to correct it quickly. ‘Glammie’ took me around. It couldn’t have been better.”
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour posted the highest individual mark over both days of Grand Prix, contributing an 82.37% for her Danish team with Mount St John Freestyle.
“She felt so fit today. In fact, we have been on an upward tendency throughout the season,” Laudrup-Dufour said. “I was very confident when we entered the arena. ‘Free’ was absolutely unbelievable today.”
Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus scored an 80.88% for second individually, with the country finishing just outside of the team medals in fourth.
The six highest-ranked eligible teams secured a team place for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Alongside medalists Germany, Great Britain and Denmark, qualification went to Belgium in fourth, the Netherlands in fifth, and Sweden in sixth.
See team and individual results here.
US Earns Eighth, Simonson Qualifies For Special
First to go for The Dutta Corp U.S. Dressage Team today, Christian Simonson rode Fleau de Baian to a personal-best Grand Prix score of 71.30%, an individual placing of 21st, and a spot in Friday’s Grand Prix Special. Simonson and “Felix” entered the ring immediately after fan-favorite Hemmer.
“It felt surreal,” said Simonson. “Going in [after] Katharina, who had an unbelievable test today, to go into that atmosphere, I’m a little speechless, honestly, at the moment. It’s something I’ll never forget—the cheering, the applause. It was really special.”
Ashley Holzer and Hawtins San Floriana were the last pair to enter the Aachen stadium, and they scored a 68.71% for eventual 43rd. Holzer noted the electric atmosphere affected her mare.
“I just have to try to be very positive and go on the fact that this mare tried her heart out, and it’s a tough ring for a lot of horses,” she said. “And she really was a good girl. I felt great parts of harmony, and then of course some parts got a little tense, and then the harmony came back again. I think we’re so lucky to have these horses that trust us to go in [there].”
Simonson will go fifth on Friday, at 11:34 a.m. local time (5:34 a.m. Eastern), as the only U.S. rider to qualify for the Special. Kasey Perry-Glass’ eventual 31st-placed test, which she rode yesterday, just kept her out of the group. Ecuador’s Julio Mendoz Loor, who’s based in the United States, will ride Jewel’s Goldstrike at 11:12 a.m. local time (5:12 a.m. Eastern).
See the full order of go for the Special here.
Looking Towards 2028
Since the U.S. is serving as host country of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the country’s four riders in Aachen didn’t have to worry about qualifying a team for that championship through the results here.
“Coming here, we have to say, we went through a little bit of a roller-coaster,” said U.S. dressage chef d’equipe Christine Traurig, referring to the changes made to the team roster in the days ahead of the championship. “We had the opportunity to bring in as a substitute a very experienced rider in Kasey Perry-Glass, who did a beautiful job. And again, looking forward to L.A., I can only say one thing: She’s a wonderful rider, a wonderful rider, and she represents the style of riding that judges love to see these days.
“Then we had Meagan Davis coming in, and that is the generation that we now have to look to develop,” she continued. “OK, L.A. is right around the corner. We have to look at the younger generation as well, so that we have greater depth in horses and riders. So I am happy with that, and I think it is very encouraging and motivating for our country that people see that riders have been brought in to a team to get the experience and are kind of being chaperoned by ones that have a little more experience.
“Then you look at a young man like Christian Simonson, who rides so beautifully, having been educated and brought along through the mentorship of Adrienne Lyle, and you see the fruits of it all,” added Traurig. “Then Ashley [Holzer] is very experienced, and she is riding a horse that is not lacking spirit and energy. OK, maybe that got to her today a little bit, but you could really see the skill level of Ashley. It was so much feel and staying so focused and calm. It really is also an example for our younger riders to look up to and to feel inspired by. She sets a great example that way. She’s a wonderful teammate.”
For More:
Click here to visit the event website.
View the complete competition schedule here.
Click here for results.
