Eleven years on, Fiona Bigwood completes Aachen full circle at World Dressage Championships
Fiona Bigwood’s homebred Donna Bella marked her championship debut in the same arena where her dam won European silver 11 years ago
Eleven years ago, Fiona Bigwood rode a 10-year-old mare to European silver in Aachen.
On Tuesday, she brought the same story back to the same city: her home-bred Donna Bella, daughter of that mare, Atterupgaards Orthilia, was also 10 years old when she went first into the ring for the British team at the FEI Dressage World Championships, scoring 69.35% – a little below the mare’s season average.
“It’s really nice to bring her daughter here and do the same thing – a really special moment,” Fiona said. “They’re both very similar, they both go and try their hardest. It’s lovely to have brought her here.”
Donna Bella was hesitant in the early movements – spooking slightly at the cameras – and broke into 17 one-time changes rather than the required 15. But with the pressure eased in some ways – this score was always likely to be the British discard – Fiona could focus on what mattered most for a green horse: giving Donna Bella a positive, confidence-building round.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” Fiona said. “She hasn’t done a huge amount of grands prix, and to come to one of the biggest venues in the world and do that… she’s unbelievable.
“I just wanted to go in and give her confidence, a nice round, getting her used to all this. Hopefully, it’s a long time I’m on her now – you’ve just got to start building everything up. It’s another stage in her training and her career.
“She was with me; she literally locks on, knows what I want, and is really trying for me, and I just can’t ask any more from her at the moment. I’m so pleased with her.”
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
On the mistakes in the one-time changes, she added: “The one-tempis are the ones that are really irritating – I thought I had it, and then two more.
“I had the 15, I thought I’d got her to stop. And then she did two more. It was my fault, rider error. But the whole year she’s hardly made any mistakes, so it’s okay.”
The same instinct to protect a young horse’s confidence ran through her whole round. Fiona chose not to spend too long in the 10-minute box – walking in alongside Carl Hester, who coaches her, riding a couple of walk-to-piaffe transitions and less than a minute of trot before entering the arena.
“She’s quite a hot mare, so we just try to keep her really calm, really chilled,” Fiona said. “She wants to give too much, so Carl’s last words to me were, ‘You’re doing fine, just keep her walking, keep her really calm and go and enjoy it’.”
She added that she didn't ove-rask in any of the movements: "She’s 10, and in the extensions you’re probably better off instead of asking for the eights and nines, playing it safe and getting a nice seven rather than risking a break.
“I just wanted to give her confidence in there, because I could feel as I was coming in she was thinking, ‘This is a bigger atmosphere than I’ve ever been in.’ So I just wanted to give a nice, confident round.”
Fiona rode with a loose contact on the curb rein – as H&H website editor Carol Phillips noted in the live blog – but Fiona explained that it isn’t always deliberate. “It’s just a habit that I do; it’s nothing on her. Normally she’s ridden in the snaffle, but she’s absolutely fine in the double.”
Asked whether Donna Bella could go on to have a similar career to her dam, Fiona had no doubts: “Absolutely. I love that mare – she’s got the brain and the talent. Over the winter I’ve got a period to improve, obviously I know there's stuff that needs improving, and hopefully she’ll come back stronger next year.”
Will Fiona Bigwood qualify for the special?
Fiona faces an anxious wait to see if her 69.35% is enough to qualify for the special. The top 30 combinations from the grand prix (including ties for 30th) compete for the first set of individual medals.
A score of around 69–71% has been enough to make that cut at recent championships (68.88% at the 2025 Europeans in Crozet, 71.15% at Herning 2022). However, scores across the board have dropped since Herning, suggesting this year's cut-off may land nearer the lower end of that range. Results are trending a little lower at Aachen than expected – but not by much.
Global Dressage Analytics estimates a score of around 70.5% will be needed to make it through. H&H’s own best estimate is a mid-to-high 69% score.
At 69.35%, Fiona sits below both estimates for the cut-off – it’s not over yet, but she’ll likely need the rest of the field to underperform to sneak into the special.
- To stay up to date with the latest equestrian news from the World Championships in Aachen, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
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).