Britain secure Los Angeles 2028 spot despite missing out on the team podium at World Championships
It’s a fifth-place finish for Britain’s para dressage team – how day two of the team competition unfolded in Aachen
Britain has finished fifth at the 2026 World Para Dressage Championships on a team total of 222.379 – missing out on the podium, but comfortably inside the top seven that secures qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.
The USA won gold on 236.135, Germany took silver on 229.875, the Netherlands bronze on 227.639, and Denmark fourth on 225.867 – just 3.488 points clear of Britain.
The Brits went into grade IV and V on the final day of the team competition (Saturday 22 August), looking to build on a first day that left them a little off the pace for a spot on the podium, at least on paper.
Paralympic qualification was always the goal for the team, but their individual tests had been so strong earlier in the week that hopes were high heading into the team competition. In a reminder of how strong the individual week has been for the team: had this week’s individual scores been counted instead of today’s, Britain would have won team silver – narrowly ahead of the Netherlands, comfortably clear of Denmark.
Mari Durward-Akhurst opened Britain’s team campaign yesterday in grade I, finishing runner-up to the USA’s Marie Vonderheyden on 74.58%. Jemima Green and Fantabulous added 74.03% for fourth in grade II, as Fiona Howard’s Diamond Dunes stormed from fourth in her own individual test to top the grand prix B outright on 79.3%. Rixt van der Horst extended her unbeaten run in grade III for the Netherlands.
None of the day-one totals were final – every team still had riders to come in grades IV and V. But a gap was already beginning to open up: Britain sat 13th overnight on 148.616, with only Mari and Jemima’s scores in and two riders still to come. The USA (229.208), Denmark (225.867) and the Netherlands (226.742) each had three of their four riders in already, while Germany, with three riders still to go, had just Heidemarie Dresing’s 77.73 on the board.
In the grade V, Sophie Wells backed up her individual gold with fourth in the team test on MSJ Gold Standard, scoring 73.76% – a drop of 1.19 percentage points from her individual test – behind Germany’s Regine Mispelkamp (75.77%) and the Netherlands’ Britney de Jong (74.61%).
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Gold Standard looked a little harder work than two days earlier – still very accurate and relaxed, but a little behind Sophie’s aids at times and not as settled in the contact.
“I thought the feeling she gave me today was better than anything I've felt from her – even better than the individual test,” Sophie said.
“She warmed up really well, nice and energetic, and felt a little lighter, a bit more up for it. It’s a little frustrating going in there and coming out with a score lower than two days ago, but that’s dressage, that’s sport – my biggest goal coming here was for her to be a happy horse in the arena, and I feel like she was.”
Asked where she felt the marks had been lost, she added: “The halts probably weren’t as good. I felt the simple changes were actually better, the downward transitions were better, and I felt like she was a little more uphill in the trot – I don’t know, to be honest. I’ll go and watch the video, read the sheets, take the comments, and we’ll try again [in the freestyle].
“At the end of the day, I’m walking away with a happy pony, and I enjoyed the feeling I got today, so I’m pleased.”
“Nothing to lose”
Grade V’s completion locked in the Netherlands’ total on 227.639 – a real number for the chasing pack now to beat. The USA looked out in front regardless of what was still to come, needing Kate Shoemaker to better just 71.96% in grade IV to top that Dutch mark – a modest ask given her individual gold this week came on 78.89%.
Britain, by contrast, looked out of the running for the podium: Nicola would have needed a score well clear of her personal best – 79.02% – to get her team above the Dutch total.
With Germany still having two riders to go in grade IV, Denmark was the only other realistic target. That meant clearing 77.25%, assuming Denmark landed on their likely floor of 225.867 – the probable outcome, since last-to-go Line Thorning Jørgensen’s individual score of 70.08% was the lowest of the Danish team. It was a tall order: 3.39 points above Nicola’s own individual bronze-medal score of 73.86%.
But full credit to Nicola and Humberto L – they went for it. The pair came in with real purpose, at times almost looking like they’d take off in the canter, but Humberto had a touch too much energy for his own good, throwing in a couple of big spooks. They scored 70.16%, finishing as Britain’s discard for the day.
Nicola Naylor and Humberto L at the 2026 World Para Dressage Championships.
“We just went for a little bit more expression, a little bit more power today,” Nicola said, “and he got a bit more noise-sensitive and a bit more reactive – he was reacting to everything, so there were a few mistakes here and there where I had to nurse him through it. Some tests are just like that.”
She knew the risk going in: “There were some really lovely moments – I think he really came up in both canters, because we had that extra power. But it can just boil over slightly too much, and that was the risk.
“In some respects we had nothing to lose. He’s a horse I’d like to move up a couple of percent if I can, but he’s not used to being asked for that much more in the arena. I think he got quite excited about it – but it’s great to have an occasion where you can try that.
“It did feel like he was going to take off at times in the canter – that’s why I kept telling myself to dig deep with my seat and just sit tight. But I didn’t want to stop riding the test the way I was, because then what's the point? He did feel up for it – it was just that he was in overdrive with adrenaline.”
It was Nicola’s first World Championships, and despite not getting the team medal she didn’t take the moment lightly. “It’s been wonderful – we’ve had all four of us get medals on the first day, which was a really uplifting moment for everybody,” she said.
“We’ve all worked so hard to get here. It’s an honour wearing the flag – there’s a lot of competition at home, and I’ve been a reserve for many years, so I know what that’s like. When you finally get picked, it’s a dream come true, and it’s all the better because we’re such a strong group of riders.”
“Onwards and upwards”
Performance manager Georgina Sharples was left with mixed emotions reflecting on the two days of team competition.
“I’m thrilled that we have qualified,” she said. “Coming here to qualify for LA 2028 was the primary aim, and we’ve achieved that. But I’m disappointed with the final results. We’ve got some fabulous combinations, and I know what they’re capable of – we showed some of that over the previous two days.
“I think we were the only nation that medalled with all four riders individually in their grade, so we very much came here with an expectation that we'd medal as a team too.
“We’ve got some cracking horses, and they delivered some super work, but we also had some incredibly expensive spooks. You can’t get away with that at this level. It’s incredibly close, and ultimately that’s cost us a podium finish.
“I’m disappointed for the riders, for the team, because we know what we’re capable of. It wasn’t our day for this competition – but we’ve got the freestyle tomorrow (23 August),. Onwards and upwards.”
Looking ahead to LA, Georgina was keen to stress the positives.
“We’ve had two days where people have done exceptionally well – a world champion, a silver, two bronzes. Our riders are all very much on an upward trajectory. We're still assessing horsepower – we've got horses at home that are potentially LA combinations, but there aren’t many opportunities to get that experience.
“You need competitions like this, where the pressure is high, and you’ve got the rest of the world there, to give those riders that exposure. I think we’ll take a huge amount of positives from here and build on it.”
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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).