BY JEAN LLEWELLYN [PRESS RELEASES]
PHOTOGRAPHY: FEI/LEANJO DE KOSTER; FEI BENJAMIN CLARK
The collective World Championships, including the Olympic disciplines in dressage, eventing, showjumping, returned to Aachen in 2026, after previously hosting WEG in 2006, with an opening ceremony on August 11, and concluding on Sunday, August 23.
The first national anthem played at the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026 paid tribute to the hosts: On a total score of 235.063 percentage points, the German dressage team – comprising Katharina Hemmer, Raphael Netz, Frederic Wandres and Isabell Werth – claimed the gold medal.
Dressage team competition
Tears of joy rolled down Katharina Hemmer’s cheeks hours before she even stood on the podium as a team World Champion, as she rode down the final centerline of her Grand Prix test. In her World Championship debut aboard Denoix PCH (Destano [Hann] - Princess [Oldbg] x Pik Noir [Oldbg]), the 32-year-old delivered a performance that thoroughly delighted her, the audience, and her team. After the final salute, the national coach, Monica Theodorescu, repeatedly flung her arms skyward, while Hemmer’s mentor and trainer, Hubertus Schmidt, stood by, visibly moved. The experience of watching, which he had described the day before as being even more nail-biting than riding himself, turned into a magical moment for his student.
Her score of 79.224% – her personal best – was an impressive demonstration of what is possible when a horse places its absolute trust in its rider. ‘Purzel’, as the 14-year-old chestnut gelding is affectionately called in the stable, had initially appeared to be awestruck upon upon entering the impressive main stadium. Katharina Hemmer, nevertheless, remained calm, gave him a quick pat on the neck and rode with focus to the first salute – a mental feat the national coach later praised as being “incredibly strong”.
“I am so proud of my horse”, said Hemmer, visibly moved. “Every now and then an ear would swivel to the side; I would then engage him with my aids, and he was immediately back with me. He gave everything for me today”. And that “everything” was noticeable in an excellent silhouette, elastic movements, an active piaffe, effortless transitions, and precise pirouettes – the list of highlights is almost endless.
After Raphael Netz/Great Escape Camelot (Johnson TN x Turbo Magic; bred by C.C. Kerssens-Rademaker) and Frederic Wandres/Bluetooth OLD (Bordeaux x GB Riccione; bred by Paul Schockemöhle/Gestüt Lewitz) had already delivered commanding performances the day before, it fell to the most successful rider of all time, Isabell Werth, to seal the deal for the German team. If anyone knows how to handle pressure, it is certainly the 57-year-old – even if her star mare, Wendy de Fontaine (Sezuan x Blue Horse Soprano, bred by Kurt Gosmer), let the electric atmosphere get her a little fired up. Amidst many excellent movements, they had one slight misunderstanding during the one-tempi changes, their final score was 79.876%. This was sufficient to secure the team title for Germany once again – eight years after their triumph in Tryon (USA), which marks the 10th World Championship gold for Isabell Werth and the first for her three teammates. “It is not something to be taken for granted, being part of the team here in Aachen again after 20 years”, said Werth, for whom this gold medal holds a very special significance.
Great Britain silver, bronze to Denmark
The British team rode into the silver medal position with a total score of 229.426%, with Carl Hester delivering a commanding performance in the saddle of Fame (Bordeaux x Rhodium, bred by Gerritsen), leaving no points on the table (77.314%). “I’ve been riding Grand Prix for 36 years now,” the British rider said with a smile. “But it’s a challenge every single time.” He had his little recipe for success in hand that morning: “I watched the best ride of my life on my smartphone and told myself: ‘You just have to do it exactly the same way again’.” But even the seasoned veteran was surprised at how focused his 16-year-old gelding, who has had a tendency to get distracted in the past, remained in spite of the imposing atmosphere at the Aachen Soers. “It was a great feeling to sense that the atmosphere didn’t break his concentration for a moment. It was as if he were saying: ‘We are going in there now and doing our job – just like we have done a hundred times before’.”
His teammate, Charlotte Fry, also had every reason to be delighted. Together with her partner, Glamourdale (Lord Leatherdale x Negro, bred by J.W. Rodenburg), with a strong score of 80.311%, the 2022 double World Champion largely contributed to the team total. The jet-black KWPN stallion seems to be maturing year by year; today, he appeared to be even more relaxed and self-assured without losing an iota of his expressive power – and the final centerline, in particular, impressively demonstrated that the pair is finding the right “buttons” with increasing confidence, even in the piaffe. “I am just delighted,” the 30-year-old said, beaming. “Glammy loves Aachen; he loves the crowd. It was simply a joy riding him here today.”...
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