We’re expecting confirmation of the four definite entries and the non-travelling reserves in mid-July, when British Equestrian’s selectors – Judy Harvey, Jenny Ward and Anne Keen – will name the squad that will travel to Aachen.
Carl with Fame, Lottie with Glamourdale and Becky with Jagerbomb look all but guaranteed their places – and as the best three of four scores counts for the team total, the likely backbone of Britain’s medal bid. That leaves one spot to fill.
Hartpury CDI3* (1-5 July) is the last domestic international before that decision, giving the contenders a final chance to influence the selectors. Running at the same time is Hagen CDIO4* in Germany – one of the most significant dressage events in the run-up to the worlds, and the final selection trial for the German team. That hands Britain’s overseas-based riders, such as Lottie in the Netherlands and Susan Pape in Germany, the option of one more run.
The selectors won’t simply rank season-best scores. Their policy sets out a clear hierarchy: grand prix results carry the most weight, followed by the grand prix special and then the freestyle. Scores are taken from international competition – CDI and CDIO five-star, four-star, three-star and World Cup qualifiers – the 2026 season is the primary window, though 2025 results also count.
Only marks earned in a double bridle are considered, and the selectors take into account the calibre of the judges and how closely an event’s conditions and field resemble what the combinations will meet in Aachen.
Beyond the raw numbers, the panel weighs the reasons behind any withdrawal or retirement, a horse’s fitness and soundness, an athlete’s ability to deliver under pressure and the wider contribution a combination and its connections make to the team environment. In other words, the grand prix scores below are the backbone of the case – but not the whole of it.
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With that in mind, here’s how the season’s international grand prix form stacks up across the eight nominated combinations.
The three who look secure top the season’s grand prix averages, which is no coincidence. Lottie and Glamourdale lead the way on 79.62% across three grands prix, almost three points clear of the field. Carl and Fame follow on 76.75%, Becky and Jagerbomb are a fraction behind on 76.43%.
Behind them, the fourth spot comes into focus. Fiona Bigwood and Donna Bella head the chasing pack on 72.90%, and they do so off the back of four grands prix – more than any other combination on the list – including a Nations Cup outing at Fontainebleau alongside Carl and Lottie, the strongest field any of the fourth-spot contenders has faced. Theirs is the most thoroughly tested form of the group.
Charlotte and Brave Heart are next on 72.34%, though that average rests on just two grands prix this season, the smallest sample of the eight, so a single test would move it more than most. Susan Pape and Harmony’s Giulilanta (72.13%), Sadie Smith and Swanmore Dantina (71.43%) and Gareth Hughes with Mowgli-Olympia MC (70.24%) complete the nominated entries.
Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
