What goes into training a World Cup Dressage Finals champion? Becky Moody talks us through how she primes Jagerbomb to perform at his peak while enjoying the balance of turnout, hacking, fitness with perfecting his grand prix moves.

Becky doesn’t drill Jagerbomb (Bomb) in the school. He typically works specifically on dressage training two to three times a week.

These sessions are usually 40–45min, always starting with “an easy warm-up”.

“It’s less than I used to do because it’s not about how much I want to do, it’s about the horse,” she says.

“One of the most important things I do is transitions, hundreds of transitions. It doesn’t matter whether you’re riding a baby or a grand prix horse, transitions are key to good training, for adjustability and rideability.

“That fancy trot Bomb can do comes from a good walk–halt transition.”

It’s rare that Becky would ride all the grand prix moves in training; it’s more about working on the adjustability, suppleness and straightness.

“For instance, rather than riding my test pirouettes, I’d do a lot more working pirouettes, training the adjustability within it, on a bigger shape,” she explains.

“So I would make him more collected, then more forward – and ride only a couple of test ones. I also practise zig-zags a lot as they’re our weak point.”

To hone the flying changes, Becky has another tip.

“I do a lot of changes up the wall to really help me to be aware of my straightness – I wouldn’t so often do them across the school on the diagonal,” she says.

Becky estimates she’d put all the moves together to ride the full test every other week in the six-week run-up to an event.

Becky Moody on Jagerbomb’s non-schooling days

Other days are spent hacking, doing fitness work and stretching.

“Sometimes in the school, he would be in a snaffle, doing basic stretching and transitions,” says Becky, who says Bomb wears a snaffle “half the time”.

“He loves hacking so he does a lot of that. The girls hack him, but I also love hacking him, so sometimes I go off on a wander because he’s such a good boy.”

Although Bomb’s hacks involve hillwork, stomping up and down the Yorkshire hills, their location means they are limited to roadwork so he does additional fitness sessions in the outdoor school.

“He’s so big and he has to watch his weight, so we have to be really conscious of the fitness side to keep him at a good weight, fit and strong enough,” Becky says.

“There’s nowhere we can go fast on a hack, so he does his fast work in the outdoor school. We do interval training round our 20x60m.”

Becky uses her voice as a training aid, and welcomes the change in British Dressage ruling that riders can use their voice within reason.

“With young horses I always use my voice,” she says. “Especially in my downward transitions, saying ‘woah’, anything that makes it easier for them to understand without having to use as much rein. It’s a useful tool.”

“My bad habit is that I click,” she adds. “I train with Carl Hester and he says, ‘you’re not training b****y dolphins’, in his terrible Yorkshire accent!”

Stable management

In summertime, Bomb enjoy time in the field every day.

“In winter, as we live on clay it’s horrific ground so we don’t turn out on the grass,” Becky explains. “We have four sand paddocks and a horse walker, so all the horses are out of their stable three times a day.”

At over 17.3hh, Bomb is entitled to the biggest stable in the yard.

Feeding-wise, Bomb’s diet is quite simple. He’s on Saracen’s Competition Fit Mix, with alfalfa. He also has a basic joint supplement and electrolytes when he’s in work, plus salt.

At shows, Bomb “goes on hunger strike” – “it’s quite tricky when you’re away for two weeks,” says Becky.

“He likes a veteran mash – more than a recovery mash – and so has that to help him eat up,” she adds. “He’s getting better the more he does.”

And not just in terms of appetite, because when it comes to results in the ring, Becky Moody and Jagerbomb are still on an upward trajectory.

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If you’re wondering which horses and riders will make the final cut for the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026 dressage teams, H&H is here to keep you across all the selection news as it happens. I’ll be updating this page every time a nation announces its entries, so check back for the latest.

Each nation can enter a maximum of four horse and rider combinations for the 2026 FEI World Championships. Nations first name a longer list of nominated entries (due 6 July), then confirm their final four – the definite entries – by 27 July. The definite entries must be drawn from the nominated list, so any combination not nominated by the July deadline can’t be added later. Some nations have gone straight to naming their definite teams, while others are still at the nominated or longlist stage, so the lists below sit at different stages of confirmation.

At this stage, it’s not yet clear exactly how many teams and individual entries will compete in Aachen. Germany, the European team gold medallists, will start as favourites, with reigning world champions Denmark and a British side chasing a first-ever world team title also expected to be in the hunt.

Teams are listed below alphabetically by nation and will be updated as they’re confirmed, so keep checking back for the latest. All nations have now submitted their nominated entries. Attention has now turned to definite entries which are beginning to trickle through, with the U.S. the latest to announce its Aachen-bound team.

Dressage teams at Aachen 2026

Australia

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Jayden Brown with 12-year-old gelding Quincy B (Quaterback x Desperados FRH)
• Mary Hanna with 13-year-old gelding Ivanhoe (Desperado x Jazz)
• Jemma Heran with 14-year-old gelding Total Recall (Totilas x Sandro Hit)
• William Matthew with 11-year-old mare Faye 43 (Fürst Wilhelm x Aljano 2)
• Warwick McLean and 10-year-old gelding Le Special (Grey Flanell x Sir Oldenburg)
• Simone Pearce and 10-year-old stallion Will Marq (Rio Marq x Lanciano)

Austria

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Florian Bacher with 11-year-old gelding Da Vinci (De Niro x Donnerhall)
• Peter Gmoser with 12-year-old mare Dante’s Daiquiri (Dante Weltino x Avagon)
• Katharina Haas with 16-year-old mare Let It Be NRW (Lissaro Van De Helle x Florestan)
• Bettina Kendlbacher with 13-year-old gelding Broadmoars Don Alfredo AWO (Destano x His Highness)
• Stefan Lehfellner with 11-year-old gelding L’Espoir (Rubin Royal x Landim SSC)
• Ulrike Prunthaller with 14-year-old mare Fleur TSF (Kentucky x Birkhof’s Grafenstolz TSF)
• Christian Schumach with 14-year-old gelding Dedale De Hus OLD (Don Juan De Hus x Fürst Heinrich)
• Felicita Simoncic with 16-year-old stallion Four Legends (Wynton x Ferro)

Belgium

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Jeroen Devroe with 10-year-old gelding Lestor (Ghandi x Painted Black)
• Larissa Pauluis with 16-year-old gelding Flambeau (Ampere x Zeoliet)
• Amandine Prevost with 16-year-old stallion Quaterdance (Quaterback x Expose 5)
• Justin Verboomen with 10-year-old stallion Zonik Plus (Glock’s Zonik x Hohenstein 4)
• Wim Verwimp with 12-year-old gelding Jedai De Massa (Don Juan De Hus x Galopin De La Font)
• Tommie Visser with 11-year-old mare Karma Begijnhoeve (Desperado x Negro)

Brazil

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Murilo Augusto Machado with 12-year-old stallion Jorge VO
• Nuno Chaves de Almeida with 11-year-old stallion Lizarran (Zaire x Xaquiro CIP) and nine-year-old stallion Noga
• João Victor Marcari Olivia with 14-year-old gelding Feel Good VO NRW (Franziskus FRH x Dimension)
• Pedro Manuel Tavares de Almeida with 14-year-old gelding Hermes (Rico x Noitibó)

Canada

Definite entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Camille Carier Bergeron with 16-year-old mare Finnlanderin (Fidertanz x Donnerhall)
• Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu with 12-year-old gelding Jaccardo (Desperado x Jazz)
• Denielle Gallagher with 14-year-old gelding Come Back De Massa (Galopin De La Font x Quixote SDS)
• Chris von Martels with 13-year-old mare Londoncrown (Londontime x San Amour)

Cyprus

Individual

• Gabriele H.-Kiefer with 16-year-old mare Cyprus Ophelia (Blue Hors Rosoff x Ragazzo)

Denmark

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Daniel Bachmann Andersen with 12-year-old gelding Flash Gordon 37 (Fiderbach x Don Romantic)
• Carina Cassøe Krüth with 15-year-old mare Heline’s Danciera (Fürstenball x De Niro)
• Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour with 17-year-old mare Mount St John Freestyle (Fidermark x Donnerhall)
• Karoline Rohmann with 17-year-old stallion Jakas Don Louvre (Blue Hors Don Romantic x Lauries Crusador)
• Nadja Aaboe Sloth with 13-year-old gelding Favour Gersdorf (Foundation x Leandro)
• Anna Zibrandtsen with 15-year-old gelding Quel Filou (Quaterback x Stedinger)

Dominican Republic

Individual

• Yvonne Losos de Muñiz with 13-year-old mare Idwinaretto (Everdale x Glock’s Johnson)

Ecuador

Individual

• Julio Mendoza Loor with 15-year-old gelding Jewel’s Goldstrike (Bretton Woods x Scandic)

Finland

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Stella Hagelstam with nine-year-old gelding Hagels Prince Nassak (by Pin Rock’s Black Velvet) and nine-year-old stallion MSJ Disney Fairytale (Danone I x Fürst Heinrich)
• Henri Ruoste with 14-year-old mare Tiffany’s Diamond (Tailormade Temptation x His Highness 2) and 10-year-old gelding Delaurentis FRH (by Delorean)
• Anu Sironen with 15-year-old gelding Ypäjän Fioretto (Fürst Romancier x Sir Donnerhall)
• Ville Vaurio with 13-year-old gelding Dante NL (De Niro x Alantas)

France

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Alexandre Ayache with 12-year-old mare Ruling Olivia (Olivi x Aletto)
• Pauline Basquin with 16-year-old gelding Sertorius de Rima Z (Sandro Hit x Voltaire)
• Rachel Bastady with 14-year-old mare Quintesse (Quaterback x Silvio)
• Bertrand Liegard with 15-year-old mare Ginger (Glock’s Tango x Don Primaire)
• Alizee Roussel with 14-year-old stallion Bel Amour (Bretton Woods x Donnerhall 11)
• Pierre Volla with 10-year-old stallion Malcolm X De Massa (Galopin De La Font x San Amour)

Germany

Definite entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Katharina Hemmer with 14-year-old gelding Denoix PCH (Destano x Pik Noir)
• Raphael Netz with 15-year-old gelding Great Escape Camelot (Glock’s Johnson x Turbo Magic)
• Frederic Wandres with 16-year-old gelding Bluetooth OLD (Bordeaux x GB Riccione)
• Isabell Werth with 12-year-old mare Wendy De Fontaine (Sezuan x Blue Hors Soprano)

For more insight on the Germans, here’s what you need to know about the German dressage team heading to Aachen.

Great Britain

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Fiona Bigwood with 10-year-old mare Donna Bella (Don Juan de Hus x Gribaldi)
• Charlotte Dujardin with 12-year-old gelding Brave Heart (Bordeaux x Blue Hors Zack)
• Lottie Fry with 15-year-old stallion Glamourdale (Lord Leatherdale x Negro)
• Carl Hester with 16-year-old stallion Fame (Bordeaux x Rhodium)
• Gareth Hughes with 9-year-old gelding Mowgli-Olympia MC (Rousseau x Rubin Royal)
• Becky Moody with 12-year-old gelding Jagerbomb (Dante Weltino x Jazz)
• Susan Pape with 15-year-old mare Harmony’s Giulilanta (Jazz x Flemmingh)
• Sadie Smith with 11-year-old mare Swanmore Dantina (Dante Weltino x Charatan W)

For more insight on the Brits, here’s what you need to know about the British dressage team entered for Aachen.

Greece

Individual

• Theodora Livanos with 19-year-old gelding Robinvale (Rubinero 2 x Wittinger)

Hungary

Individuals

• Diana Porsche with 13-year-old gelding Imhotep (Everdale x Vivaldi)
• Pavlina Révész with 12-year-old gelding Jiodinus PP (El Primero x Burggraaf)

Indonesia

Individual

• Dara Ninggar Prameswari with 10-year-old gelding Miestral D’Ferraria (by Escorial)

Ireland

Definite entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Kevin Acres with 15-year-old gelding Ganesh (Jazz x Partout)
• Alex Baker with 14-year-old stallion Top Gear (Totilas x Don Frederico)
• James Connor with 13-year-old gelding Vanotti (Vitalis x Florestan)
• Jessica Dunn with 13-year-old gelding Dan Its Carston (Durable x Clearway)

Israel

Individual

• Micah Deligdish with 14-year-old stallion Carpe Diem De Massa (Maestro JGB x Violino SDS)

Lithuania

Individual

• Justina Vanagaite-Samuile with 13-year-old gelding Nabab (Sir Donovan x Krack C)

Luxembourg

Individual

• Nicolas Wagner Ehlinger with 17-year-old gelding Quater Back Junior FRH (Quaterback x Bonheur)

Mexico

Individuals

• Carolina Cordoba with 17-year-old mare Isabella (Gribaldi x Don Schufro)
• Santiago Ortiz Diez with 15-year-old gelding Waitoni (Wynton x Weltmeyer)

Morocco

Individual

• Yessin Rahmouni with 11-year-old gelding Kind Of Magic (All At Once x Jazz)

New Zealand

Individual

• Wendi Williamson with 13-year-old gelding Don Vito MH (Don Frederico x Anamour)

Norway

Individual

• Isabel Freese with 14-year-old stallion Total Hope (Totilas x Blue Hors Don Schufro)

Poland

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Roy First with 11-year-old gelding Ecstasy F (Elton John x Hotline) and 13-year-old gelding Infinity Win T (Everdale x Jazz)
• Hubert Jankowski with 15-year-old mare Guerlain (Blue Hors Hotline x Painted Black)
• Susanne Krohn with 14-year-old stallion Titolas (Totilas x Stedinger)
• Katarzyna Milczarek with 15-year-old stallion Guapo (Xarme x Quebec)
• Aleksandra Poplawska-Slazak with 16-year-old gelding Sambalito (Samba Hit II x Classic Dance)
• Sandra Sysojeva with 10-year-old mare Maxima Bella (Millennium x Christ 3)

Portugal

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Maria Caetano with 14-year-old gelding Hit Plus (Bretton Woods x Peralta Pinha)
• Vasco Mira Godinho with 10-year-old stallion Marques Dos Cedros (Disturbio x Rubi)
• Jeannette Jenny with 12-year-old stallion Jairo D Alem (Estribo x Riopele)
• João Pedro Moreira with 11-year-old stallion Drosa Fürst Kennedy (Fürsten-Look x Don Kennedy)
• Nuno Palmo Santos with 11-year-old gelding Fortunity S FRH (Franziskus FRH x Weltmeyer)
• Rita Ralao Duarte with 13-year-old gelding Irao (Rubi x Xaquiro CIP)
• João Miguel Torrao with 11-year-old stallion Lirio MVL (Zeus Do Lis x El-Negro)

Singapore

Individual

• Caroline Chew with 17-year-old stallion Blue Hors Zatchmo (Blue Hors Zack x Donnerhall)

Spain

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Fransisco Benitez Sanchez with 10-year-old gelding Lord Platinum (Ferguson x Bretton Woods)
• Borja Carrascosa with 11-year-old stallion Frizzantino FRH (Finest x Quaterback)
• Claudio Castilla Ruiz with 12-year-old gelding Jota Das Figueiras (Epico Das Figueiras x Peralta Pinha)
• Lucia Gallardo with 14-year-old stallion Hip By Johnson (Glock’s Johnson x Negro)
• José Antonio García Mena with 15-year-old stallion Gladiador Do Lis (Peralta Pinha x Spartacus)
• Pablo Gomez Molina with 16-year-old gelding Ulises De Ymas (Seni Indio x Superior II)
• Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo with 12-year-old gelding Quartar (Quantensprung 3 x Laurentio 3)
• Severo Jurado López with 12-year-old mare Flaconi W (Foundation x Breitling W)

Sweeden

Nominated entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Cecilia Bergåkra with 15-year-old mare My Friend (Friendship x Troll)
• Caroline Darcourt with 13-year-old gelding Bournonville (Bon Bravour x Loudini) and 16-year-old gelding Lord Django (Stalypso x Londonderry)
• Patrik Kittel with 14-year-old gelding Touchdown (Quaterback x Sack)
• Rebecca Mauléon with 12-year-old gelding Johnnie Walker BCN (Glock’s Johnson x Dayano)
• Therese Nilshagen with 10-year-old stallion Navarro (Negro x San Remo OLD)
• Beata Söderberg with 13-year-old gelding Talento 4 (Totilas x Breitling W)
• Maria von Essen with 14-year-old gelding Invoice (Jazz x Olympic Ferro)

Swizerland

Definite entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Delia Eggenberger with 11-year-old mare Santa Maria (by Sandro Marinero)
• Charlotte Lenherr with 13-year-old stallion Dettori (Desperado x De Niro)
• Charlotta Rogerson with 14-year-old gelding Bonheur De La Vie (Bordeaux x Blue Hors Zack)
• Estelle Wettstein with 16-year-old gelding Quaterboy (Quaterback x Rubinstern Noir)

Thailand

Definite entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Pakjira Thongpakdi with 14-year-old gelding Definitely (De Kooning x San Schufro)
• Suphakamol Vuntanadit with 18-year-old gelding Dreamboat BCN (Glock’s Voice x Metall)
• Suphajit Vuntanadit with 19-year-old gelding Wall Street JV (Wie Weltmeyer x Starway)

The Netherlands

Definite entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Dinja van Liere with nine-year-old stallion Mauro Turfhorst NOP (Glock’s Zonik x Negro)
• Marieke van der Putten with 12-year-old mare Zantana RS2 NOP (Glock’s Zonik x Sir Donnerhall)
• Rowena Weggelaar with 18-year-old gelding Don Quichot (United x Gribaldi)
• Thamar Zweistra with nine-year-old stallion Hexagons Mr Magnum NOP (Expression x Valdez)

Turkey

Individual

• Rotem Jale Ibrahimzadeh with 18-year-old stallion Hexagon’s Double Dutch (Glock’s Johnson x Hexagon’s Rubiquil)

United States

Definite entries in alphabetical order by rider’s surname

• Ashley Holzer with 14-year-old mare Hawtins San Floriana (San Amour I x Florestan I)
• Jordan LaPlaca with 11-year-old gelding Gold Play (Grey Flanell x Sir Donnerhall II)
• Christian Simonson with 16-year-old stallion Fleau de Baian (Broere Jazz x Ulft)
• Geñay Vaughn with 15-year-old gelding Gino (Bretton Woods x Haarlem)

When are the final Aachen 2026 dressage teams announced?

Nations must submit their nominated entries to the FEI by Monday 6 July 2026, and their definite entries – the final combinations that will compete in Aachen – by Monday 27 July 2026.

Some federations, such as Switzerland and the Netherlands, confirmed their four-strong teams earlier, while others named longer lists of nominated entries first and will trim these to their final squads closer to the deadline.

When is the dressage at the 2026 World Championships?

The dressage takes place from 11-16 August 2026, within the wider FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, which run from 11-23 August. The grand prix opens the competition on 11 and 12 August and decides the team medals, with the grand prix special (14 August) and grand prix freestyle (15 August) settling the individual medals.

How many riders can each nation enter?

Each nation can enter a maximum of four horse and rider combinations. Nations without a full team can send riders as individuals instead.

Why do the 2026 World Championships matter for the Olympics?

Aachen is the first and biggest qualifying event for the team competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The six highest-ranked teams (excluding the host nation, the USA) will secure their Olympic team quota places in Aachen – more than at any other single qualifier in the cycle.

Remaining team places are then decided across 2027 through the European Championships and regional events. A strong result here is therefore the most direct route to booking a nation’s place at the Games.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from the World Championships and other major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Top British dressage rider Laura Tomlinson has paid tribute to her much-loved stallion Duval’s Capri Sonne Jr, who has died aged 19 following a happy seven-year retirement at home.

The KWPN Rhodium son competed at international grand prix but his career was cut short in 2019 aged 12, when he was found to have a heart murmur.

“He was still really fit and well, but he stopped competing on the vet’s advice having the heart murmur grade that he did,” Laura told H&H.

“He has had a lovely time living in the field outside our horse, enjoying a very unstressful life, with lots of attention from the kids.”

Capri Sonne was campaigned as a young horse by Dinja van Liere in the Netherlands. He was bought by Laura’s parents, the Bechtolsheimers, in 2015 and Laura produced him from small tour up to grand prix.

“He was as comfy as a sofa and he was my dad’s favourite to ride,” said Laura.

“He was wonderful to train and had a really good brain. I’m not a stallion rider, but you could hack him, travel him with mares, he turned out easily – he was just a really easy horse with an amazing temperament.”

During their four years of competition together, Laura Tomlinson and Capri Sonne contested CDIs in Aachen, Rotterdam, Hagen and Hickstead. In 2019 the pair were posting +70% at grand prix.

“He had some good competitions, but I think there was potential for a lot more,” said Laura.

“He was super talented, but not every horse is made for high level competition. We recognised that and didn’t push it, and he had an amazing life at home with us. He was just as important to us like that as he was a competition horse.”

Laura said Capri Sonne remained “extremely well” until his death in the field a few weeks ago, believed to be related to his heart condition.

“It’s very sad. He lived literally outside our living room window and on the drive, so he’s left a bit of a hole,” she said.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:’

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Irish Olympic dressage rider withdraws from World Championships contention

Germany looking strong with three core riders named for World Championships dressage bid

US dressage rider, trainer and author Jane Savoie, who passed away in December 2020, explains how to ride the flying change and what skills the horse needs to have established before you to introduce the movement

In order to learn how to ride a flying change, it is important to understand what the movement is. In the flying change the horse remains in canter, but changes the canter lead during the moment of suspension, when all four feet are off the ground. When competing in dressage it is important that changes are made cleanly, with both front and hind legs changing during the same moment of suspension.

A commonly seen mistake is when the horse changes in front in one stride and then behind in the following stride. This is less important when jumping, but the sooner the change is completed, the less balance in the canter will be lost. Cantering disunited to a fence is not giving the horse the best possible chance of cleaning that obstacle without incurring faults.

Preparing for flying changes

Before trying to teach a flying change the horse must be able to:

• Produce a good simple change of lead (canter/walk/canter). The downward transition should be a clear transition to the walk, with no dribbly trot steps. Shorten the canter with collecting half halts before you ask for the transition. If the horse is travelling too fast he will lose his balance on to the forehand in the downward transition. The upwards transition should be quick off the leg without being rushed or explosive.
• Be balanced in counter canter. Develop the counter canter until the horse can comfortably maintain it without tension on circles and lines. To test the horse’s balance ensure you can extend and collect in the counter canter without the horse switching leads.
• Be comfortable in collected canter. As the flying change is another canter stride the quality of the canter is vital to its success. The canter should have big, round, expressive, “off the ground” strides. Any tendency towards a canter that is four-time or flat will not give the horse time to change his legs in the air. Develop and maintain the quality of the collected canter by working on exercises that increase collection such as shoulder-in, travers, frequent simple changes of lead (five strides of walk and five strides of canter), and collecting half halts.

Understanding the collecting half halt

During a collecting half halt the rider should close their legs, push with their seat and close their outside hand for a moment. This engages the horse’s hind quarters and encourages them to wait and “sit” on their hocks.

Ride three collecting half halts in the canter, while thinking about reducing the amount of ground your horse covers with each stride by about 50% but maintain the same rhythm and tempo. During the short, engaged strides, pick a spot on the ground and imagine that you’re cantering on top of it for three strides. Then, go forward for several strides, and ask him to collect again for three strides.

How to ride a flying change

The timing of the aids is very important in riding a successful flying change. Give the aids as the horse’s leading front leg is coming forward. You need to give the aid before the period of suspension because it takes your horse a moment to ‘hear’ your request and another moment to carry it out.

You can practice the correct timing of the aids in the walk and then the canter by watching when the horse’s inside front leg comes forward. Each time you see it coming forward, say out loud, “Now, now, now”. In this way, you learn to coordinate your voice with the inside front leg coming forward.

For a flying change from left to right:

• Seat: Push your right seat bone forward toward your horse’s right ear.
• Right leg: Close your right leg on the girth to ask your horse to go forward during the change.
• Left leg: Swing your left leg behind the girth to signal the new outside hind leg to strike off into the new lead. (Don’t hold this leg back. Pretend your leg is spring-loaded so you give a quick aid.)
• Left rein: Close your left hand in a fist to keep the left hind leg on the ground and maintain uphill balance. Imagine that you’re closing and opening your hand so fast that you can snatch a fly out of the air.
• Right rein: Soften your right rein so you don’t block the new inside front leg from coming forward.

I like to introduce flying changes on a 10-meter figure of eight. Ride simple changes of lead in the centre of the figure of eight. Repeat until the horse understands and anticipates that he’s going to change leads. When you feel him anticipating, give the aids for the flying change instead of doing the simple change. If he changes, praise him a lot. If he doesn’t then stay calm and repeat the process.

Now you know how to perfect your flying changes, why not sign up to Horse & Hound’s eight-week e-training plan to give your training focus and perfect your flatwork basics?

Flying changes are unavoidably cool. I can still remember attempting my first – getting a friend to film me on their pixelated flip phone, beaming a stupid grin at the camera as my little pony leapt into her change and promptly bombed off. We’ll ignore, for now, that she was two strides late behind.

But there’s no doubt they can feel like a mystery until you get that “aha” moment where it finally clicks. And because every horse is different, there’s no single foolproof way to teach them.

The good news is there’s nothing magic about them. A flying change is a natural movement – your horse already does them loose in the field – and with the right foundations, most horses can learn to do them to order (making you look suitably cool in the process).

Here’s what a flying change actually is, how to ride one, and how to start teaching your horse – without flinging your entire bodyweight to one side as I did.

What is a flying change?

A flying change is when your horse switches their leading leg in canter, in one smooth motion, without breaking to trot or walk in between.

A quick step back, in case it’s useful: in canter, your horse leads with one front leg – it reaches further forward than the other, and you’ll feel that shoulder come through underneath you. On a left lead, the left foreleg leads; on a right lead, the right. Which lead you’re on matters for balance, especially on turns and circles, where you normally want the inside leg leading – so on the right rein, going clockwise, you’ll be on the right lead most of the time, and on the left rein, the left.

Canter has a three-beat rhythm, and after the third beat there’s a brief moment of suspension – a split second where all four feet are off the ground, and your horse is, fleetingly, airborne. A flying change happens in that instant. Your horse rearranges their legs mid-air and lands on the opposite lead, so instead of leading with the left foreleg, they’re now leading with the right. Done well, there’s no stumble and no change of rhythm – just a clean skip from one lead to the other, as if your horse has hopped across in the air.

You’ll come across flying changes in pretty much every discipline:

• Dressage: they appear from advanced medium level upwards, ridden on straight lines and, higher up, in sequences down to one change every stride (tempi changes).
• Showjumping: essential for jumping a course smoothly. A horse that lands on the correct lead – or changes to it – can balance through turns and meet the next fence in rhythm, without losing time or scrambling.
• Eventing, showing, and general riding: anywhere you’re cantering, turning and needing your horse balanced, a change keeps things tidy and comfortable.

For a lower-level rider, it’s less about the wow factor – although that’s cool, too – and more about control. A horse that changes lead on request is one you can balance and steer through anything, whether that’s a jump-off turn, a dressage centre line, or just staying upright out hunting.

How to ride a flying change

Assuming your horse already knows how to change (see the next section for teaching it), here’s the sequence of aids. The key thing is that a change is prepared, not just thrown in – you set your horse up, then ask.

1. Establish a good canter first. Balanced, active and collected enough that you feel you could ride a few steps smaller at any moment. A flat, strung-out canter has nowhere to change from.

2. Prepare on the approach to the change. Sit tall, half-halt to gather and balance the canter, and make sure your horse is straight – not falling in or out through the shoulder.

3. Change your leg position. Say you’re on the left lead (left foreleg leading) and want to change to the right. Your left leg, which has been at the girth, moves back behind the girth, and your right leg comes to the girth. This new leg position tells your horse which lead you now want.

4. Change your weight and hips. As you swap your legs, allow your seat and hips to follow – so your weight shifts subtly to the new leading side. Keep it quiet; it’s just a rebalancing, not throwing yourself across the saddle.

5. Ask in that moment of suspension. Apply the new outside leg (the left, now behind the girth) with a clear but light aid, ideally timed to the moment your horse is about to spring into the next stride. That’s when your horse can swing their legs through to the new lead.

6. Keep riding forward. Ride positively out of the change on the new lead. The most common mistake is to ask and then freeze or pull back on the reins – we’ve all done it, but both stop your horse jumping through cleanly.

The rhythm to aim for is almost “prepare… now go!” A change asked for in one flat motion tends to come late or flat; a change that’s set up first has time to jump through the body.

How to teach a flying change

Before you teach the change itself, the foundations have to be solid – it’s not as exciting, but this is the most important part. Rushing to the change before these are in place is the single most common reason changes go wrong. Your horse should be able to:

• Pick up either canter lead promptly, from a clear aid, on a straight line.
• Ride balanced walk-to-canter and canter-to-walk transitions without falling onto the forehand. (“On the forehand” just means your horse is carrying too much weight on their front end, rather than pushing from behind. You’ll feel it as heaviness in your hands, your horse tipping downhill or leaning on the reins for balance. What you want instead is your horse staying light in front and stepping their hindlegs underneath themselves – think uphill, not downhill.)
• Hold a counter-canter (cantering on the “outside” or “wrong” lead) in balance. This teaches your horse to stay on the lead you’ve asked for rather than swapping whenever they fancy.

Once those are established, here’s a simple and reliable way to introduce the change:

1. Use a change of direction. Ride a shallow loop, a figure-of-eight, or come across the diagonal – anywhere your horse is naturally changing bend and direction, so a change of lead makes sense to them.

2. Establish a clean canter, then rebalance. As you approach the point where you’ll change direction, half-halt and collect the canter, so your horse is balanced and listening.

3. Ask as you cross the line. At the moment you change direction, change your leg and seat position and apply the new aid. Because your horse is already changing direction, switching lead feels logical.

4. Reward the attempt. Even a scrappy first change – or one that’s “late behind” (the front legs change but the hind legs lag a stride) – is worth rewarding. You’re building understanding first; the cleanliness comes with practice and strength.

5. Keep it occasional at first. Ask for one, make a fuss of your horse, and move on. Drilling changes over and over tends to make horses tense or anticipatory. A few good attempts in a session are plenty.

If your horse finds it genuinely confusing, some riders use a raised pole or cavaletti on the change line to encourage your horse to jump through and swap behind – but I’d say use it sparingly at first, and only if plain riding isn’t getting there.

Above all, don’t panic if the first attempts are messy. Late, flat or over-excited changes are completely normal early on. They clean up as your horse’s balance and confidence improve – which, as any good trainer will tell you, is really where the whole thing lives.

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Irish Olympic dressage rider Abi Lyle has withdrawn her top ride Giraldo (Arty) from selection for the Irish dressage team for this summer’s 2026 World Championships in Aachen, Germany (11–23 August).

In a statement, she said: “After much careful consideration, I have concluded that it would be best for me to withdraw from [World Championships] 2026 team contention.

“Although I am very privileged to have an amazing, fit horse and the opportunity to be selected, this is an incredibly personal decision to which I have given a lot of thought.

“This year, Team Ireland has a fabulous group of talented dressage riders, and I wish them all the luck in the world. In the meantime, I intend to keep training, competing and most importantly, enjoying my horses and giving them the best life possible.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported and continues to support me, especially Horse Sport Ireland, Caroline Clarry, my sponsors, Carl [Hester], Gareth [Hughes] and Mark [McVicar]. I really appreciate it.”

Abi Lyle withdraws from World Championships contention

Abi Lyle also took an extended break from competing between the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Speaking to H&H after announcing she was withdrawing from selection for the Aachen 2026 dressage team, she reassured readers that her decision wasn’t down to any single underlying issue.

“It was nothing in particular, but it was a culmination of things,” Abi explained: “For me, it’s always important to have at the forefront the reason why we do this sport. I’m fine, Arty is fine, there’s no drama, nothing has gone wrong, and the decision has brought me a huge amount of relief.”

The withdrawal comes at the end of a season in which Abi has been Ireland’s form leader: her 2026 international grand prix average of 68.39%, across four starts, is the highest of any Irish combination nominated for Aachen.

She was competing as recently as Hartpury (3-4 July) – the same show at which several of her prospective teammates secured their own qualifying scores – finishing 12th in the grand prix (67.41%) and 4th in the freestyle (71.57%).

Abi has represented Ireland at the past three major championships for which they have had dressage representation: as part of the team at the 2022 World Championships and 2023 Europeans, and as an individual at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

What does Abi Lyle’s withdrawal mean for Irish hopes?

But whereas in championship seasons past Abi was Ireland’s sole or leading hope, the Irish team goes into the worlds in as strong a position as it’s been in for a long time. With her withdrawal, the remaining four nominated riders – who will make up the team – are:

• Kevin Acres with 15-year-old gelding Ganesh (Jazz x Partout)
• Alex Baker with 14-year-old stallion Top Gear (Totilas x Don Frederico)
• James Connor with 13-year-old gelding Vanotti (Vitalis x Florestan)
• Jess Dunn with 13-year-old gelding Dan Its Carston (Durable x Clearway)

Kevin’s place had been riding on securing a second minimum eligibility result (MER), which he duly achieved at Hartpury CDI3* last week, scoring 66.96% in the grand prix to finish 14th – part of a season that has seen his scores climb steadily, culminating in his best grand prix and special results of the year at the same show.

James arrives with by far the busiest campaign of the four, having contested seven grands prix across four countries this season for a 67.05% average, the most tested form of any of Ireland’s remaining combinations. Jess Dunn (67.32% from three starts) and Alex Baker (64.80% from six) round out the side; Alex’s has been the most variable season of the four, ranging from the low 60s to a personal-best 67.48% at Hartpury just days ago.

It will be the first time Ireland has sent a dressage team to a major championship since the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck. Six team quota places for the LA 2028 Olympics will also be awarded to the highest-placed nations at Aachen (excluding hosts, the USA), so a strong showing here would put Ireland’s name into that conversation for the first time in years.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news on Aachen 2026 dressage teams, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Hosts Germany have announced their dressage team for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen, Germany (11–23 August).

The core of the team that won team gold at the Europeans last summer – Isabell Werth (Wendy de Fontaine), Katharina Hemmer (Denoix PCH) and Frederic Wandres (Bluetooth OLD) – remains unchanged. The only difference is in the fourth spot, where Raphael Netz and Great Escape Camelot have stepped in to replace Ingrid Klimke and Vayron, who didn’t contest the first selection trial and withdrew from contention before the second.

That change shouldn’t derail Germany’s medal prospects at the World Championships. Raphael’s 2026 grand prix average of 73.72% is actually well clear of the level Ingrid carried into Crozet last summer, when she averaged 72.03% across her three pre-championship grands prix – before a rough day at the Europeans itself, where she managed just 69.35% in a test she later described as the “worst grand prix we’ve done”.

Raphael, by contrast, has been strikingly consistent all season, never straying more than half a point from his own average across four grands prix.

There had been some early-season talk of Isabell switching to her exciting young stallion Viva Gold OLD, but the pair have consistently campaigned at CDI3*/4* level, whereas Wendy has been favoured for the CDI5*/CDIO circuit – and Viva Gold’s scores haven’t yet closed that gap, even if he’s one to watch on the road to LA28.

The only real doubt in that core trio for Germany’s dressage team at Aachen 2026 was Katharina Hemmer and her American-owned Denoix, who’ve had a disrupted season.

The pair have competed at three internationals. First at Lier CDI4* in March, where they won both the grand prix (75.59%) and special (75.6%). They followed that up at Hagen CDI4* in April, winning the grand prix (77.26%) and finishing runner-up in the freestyle (77.7%).

Those results at Hagen came just weeks after her long-time coach, Hubertus Schmidt, was hospitalised following a serious riding accident – and more disruption was to follow.

Denoix was forced to withdraw from the German Dressage Championships last month, Germany’s first mandatory selection trial for the worlds, after suffering a bump in the stable that left the 14-year-old gelding with a swollen leg.

It wasn’t the first time injury had cost them a start, either: the pair also missed Frankfurt CDI in December for the same reason.

Losing Katharina would have been a hammer blow to German hopes of team gold – not just for her scores, but for her record under pressure. At last summer’s Europeans in Crozet, she was the only rider among either nation’s core trio to outperform her season’s grand prix average, posting 75.7% against a pre-championship average of 74.3% – a jump of 1.4 points at exactly the moment it mattered most, while her German teammates and all three of Britain’s trio dipped below theirs.

Germany’s eventual margin of victory over Britain was just 2.86 points across three scores; without Katharina’s uplift, that gap would have been far closer, if not reversed entirely.

Thankfully for the German dressage team at Aachen 2026, she made her comeback just in time for the second and final selection trial last week, at another CDI4* at Hagen (2–4 July), winning the grand prix (77.02%) and again finishing runner-up in the freestyle (77.36%).

Afterwards, she said she “never really had any doubts” about Denoix. “By now I know that if he’s physically able to do it, he’ll give everything for me. I trust him completely,” she added.

German dressage team for the 2026 Aachen World Championships

Katharina Hemmer with 14-year-old gelding Denoix PCH

Owner: Nancy Gooding and Hubertus Schmidt

Breeder: Friedrich Kuhlmann

Breeding: by Destano, out of a mare by Pik Noir

Raphael Netz with 15-year-old gelding Great Escape Camelot

Owner: Theres Boss and Sonja Kristina Krall

Breeder: C.C. Kerssens-Rademaker

Breeding: by Glock’s Johnson, out of a mare by Turbo Magic

Frederic Wandres with 16-year-old gelding Bluetooth OLD

Owner: Equitorus GmbH

Breeder: Gestüt Lewitz

Breeding: by Bordeaux, out of a mare by GB Riccione 

Isabell Werth with 12-year-old mare Wendy De Fontaine

Owner: Château de Fontaine and Madeleine Winter-Schulze

Breeder: Kurt Gosmer

Breeding: by Sezuan, out of a mare by Blue Hors Soprano 

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news about Aachen 2026 dressage teams, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Charlotte Dujardin and Brave Heart II put the cat among the pigeons in the pre-World Championships selection race, winning both the CDI3* grand prix and grand prix special at Hartpury, on 74.8% and 74.7% respectively – smashing their international personal bests in both tests.

The fourth British team spot for the worlds at Aachen has been the season’s big sub-plot. Selectors weigh grand prix scores most heavily, as this decides the team medals in Aachen – the special and freestyle, which determine individual medals, count too, but less.

Carl Hester on Fame, Lottie Fry on Glamourdale and Becky Moody on Jagerbomb have long looked nailed on for three of the four places, leaving one spot up for grabs.

Fiona Bigwood and Donna Bella had emerged as favourites on the back of the strongest form of the chasing pack, edging out Charlotte and Brave Heart in both of their head-to-heads this season: 73.13% to 72.8% at Hickstead CDI3* in May, then 74.6% to 71.87% at Wellington CDI3* in June, where Charlotte finished third behind winners Carl and Fame.

Charlotte’s international average had rested on just those two grands prix this season – the smallest sample size of any on the British dressage squad shortlist for Aachen 2026. And as the team is due to be confirmed this month, Hartpury was billed as the last chance for either combination to move the needle before selectors make their call.

Why Hartpury was a key moment in the Aachen worlds selection race

Fiona and Donna Bella were not competing at Hartpury – and although they have beaten Charlotte and Brave Heart on both occasions the pair have faced each other this season, Charlotte’s bumper score has lifted her grand prix average from 72.34% to 73.16%, above Fiona’s 72.9%. Charlotte’s Hartpury score is now also the highest posted by either combination all season, just eclipsing Fiona’s previous best of 74.61%.

Fiona still boasts the bigger sample size having competed at four internationals this season, including in the championship-like atmosphere of the Fontainebleau Nations Cup, where she rode alongside Carl and Lottie on the British team.

But the raw numbers have swung in Charlotte’s favour – a reversal I wouldn’t have predicted after Wellington, when I’d have put money on Fiona and Donna Bella completing the team alongside Fame, Glamourdale and Jagerbomb. Charlotte and Brave Heart had one shot left – and what a time to pull out a personal best.

“I’m so pleased with Brave Heart,” Charlotte said. “His confidence is really growing in the arena, and I know there is so much more to come.”

Her grand prix score did come with a notable spread across the panel, although she was the unanimous winner. Judge at B, Susan Hoevenaars, marked her at 71.85%, more than five points shy of Eduard de Wolff van Westerrode at M’s 77.17% – which selectors will no doubt weigh up. Despite that, her overall marks were remarkably consistent between the two tests, the special just 0.1% off the grand prix.

With averages, sample sizes, head-to-heads and now a scoring spread all in the mix, selectors Judy Harvey, Jenny Ward and Anne Keen have a genuinely tight call to make. I don’t envy them.

Sadie Smith and Swanmore Dantina – also among the nominated entries for Aachen – finished runners-up in the grand prix on their own personal best of 72.65%.

American rider Ashley Holzer completed the podium on 71.96% aboard Hawtins San Floriana, one of several of Charlotte’s former rides now competing at the highest level. Gareth Hughes and Mowgli-Olympia MC, the only other nominated combination in action, finished fourth on 70.98%. Sadie and Dantina went on to win Saturday evening’s freestyle gala, scoring 76.94%.

Susan Pape and Harmony’s Giulilanta were also in action this weekend, competing in Germany at Hagen CDI4*. Going into the competition, their grand prix average of 72.13% was just 0.2% behind Charlotte’s, leaving them an outside chance too. Among a stacked field, they scored 70.17% in the grand prix, finishing ninth, but bumping their grand prix average down to 71.64%.

International grand prix average scores for top British riders

Here’s how the season’s international grand prix averages now stand across the eight nominated combinations:

• Lottie Fry and Glamourdale – 79.62%
• Carl Hester and Fame – 76.75%
• Becky Moody and Jagerbomb – 76.43%
• Charlotte Dujardin and Brave Heart – 73.16%
• Fiona Bigwood and Donna Bella – 72.90%
• Sadie Smith and Swanmore Dantina – 71.74%
• Susan Pape and Harmony’s Giulilanta – 71.64%
• Gareth Hughes and Mowgli-Olympia MC – 70.42%

The top three didn’t compete this weekend, and their places remain untouched. But for the fourth spot, the picture could hardly be tighter: just 0.26 of a percentage point now separates Charlotte and Fiona – though, as ever, averages alone won’t be what decides it.

A couple of weeks ago, this looked like Fiona’s spot to lose. Now, with the door firmly back open, it’s genuinely anyone’s guess which name the selectors will read out – and as the British entries are not expected to compete again before the announcement, this is the picture they’ll have to work with.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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What happens when you pair a world-class showjumper with a top-flight dressage horse? Martha Terry finds out as Jack Whitaker picks up the reins on Jagerbomb

The Whitakers have ice in their veins. They’ll gallop at a 7ft wall, jump-off for their country in front of a 50,000-strong crowd and shimmy down the Hickstead bank. But when it came to the coveted offer of riding on Olympic dressage bronze medallist and reigning World Cup Final winner Jagerbomb – arguably the sweetest, kindest horse in the world – Jack Whitaker admits he was “nervous, very nervous”.

He was given the opportunity to “have a sit” on Jagerbomb as part of a demo at Sheffield Equine Clinic’s opening day. Jack was doing a showjumping session, Becky Moody a dressage display.

When Becky finishes showing off “Bomb’s” moves, she calls over to Jack: “Let’s do this!”

“I didn’t know I was going to be riding him until just before,” says Jack. “He’s such a famous dressage horse, he’s just won the World Cup Finals and suddenly I’m stood next to him and he’s so big! So impressive.

“I was very nervous,” Jack adds. “You don’t get to ride that kind of horse every day and it’s a completely different way of riding and feeling to what I’m used to – so I just didn’t want to mess him up. Luckily, Becky is so laid-back – I couldn’t believe it.”

Jack Whitaker riding Jagerbomb: “It’s a really cool feeling”

Jack is legged up into Becky’s Childéric dressage saddle, a very different sitting position to his usual CWD jump saddle. This proves the least of his concerns.

“The saddle actually felt a lot comfier – it’s a lot bigger,” he says. “Apart from when you set off and you’re doing sitting trot and then everything’s uncomfortable!”

Jack’s day-to-day training involves plenty of sitting trot, but Bomb’s movement presents an unfamiliar challenge.

“We’d do a lot of riding without stirrups as it’s just good training for everything,” he says. “But when I tried to sit to Bomb’s trot and then his extended trot, it was like riding a different animal – he gave a completely different feeling. Even though I’m used to doing sitting trot, I was feeling it after one lap round.”

Once Jack has trotted through a few changes of rein and checked out Bomb’s extended trot – with a big smile – Becky suggests he try passage, a movement that would not feature in a showjumper’s regular vocabulary. Within five minutes of being legged up, Jack is performing a pretty impressive passage.

“That thing where you go up and down on the spot?” Jack laughs. “That was the easiest! Bomb just did it. I kept half-halting with my leg on and he trotted on the spot and it felt seriously cool. That’s not something my horses can do.

“It feels like you’re floating, but hopping and floating. You don’t move, but everything happens underneath you – it’s a really cool feeling.”

Becky is impressed, too.

“Cracking passage, brilliant, way better than I was riding him,” she laughs. “I love watching other people ride Bomb. It does make me really proud of him – he’s such a diamond, such a legend and it’s good for people to see that.

“All my girls hack him out at home and if I want someone to feel a change or passage, it’s Bomb they get on because he’s very good for people to learn on.

“I try not to be too precious about my horses, which some people would say is mad, but it’s good for them. And sometimes I learn things about what I need to make better. It tells me how good my training is. If other people can get on and it’s easy, that tells me I’m doing a good job. If they can’t get that easy feeling, that tells me there’s still a missing link in that horse’s education and I need to keep working on it.”

Jack Whitaker: “It’s a different kind of power”

Passage nailed, Becky tells Jack to “play with the canter”.

“This is where you really see the crossover,” she says. “In dressage, we want the same adjustability in our horses as a showjumper does. Yes, you’re in a slightly different frame and balance, but when training any horse, it comes back to transitions, adjustability and rideability.

“It doesn’t matter whether Jack’s shortening or lengthening the pace to come into a jump, or I’m shortening for a pirouette, you still need your horse on the aid and listening. That’s cool.”

Bomb looks to be having a lovely time cantering freely down the long side and Becky shouts out, “shorten your reins! No chance of you ever being done for rollkur!”

Says Jack: “The canter actually didn’t feel very different to what I’m used to. We ride very powerful animals, but it’s a different kind of power.

“The dressage horses have to be so strong in their core and body to move and hold themselves in the way they do, whereas our horses are probably lighter and more agile to be able to turn so quickly on the spot – less pure muscle and power.”

Jack’s next challenge is to tackle flying changes. This would be his bread-and-butter as a showjumper, but Bomb’s mighty movement complicates matters. It takes a few goes until they click into place.

“The hardest thing was the flying changes,” Jack says. “I felt like an idiot not to be able to do a flying change on a horse who’s a total professional, known for his changes! I didn’t think that would feel so different. If it’s not actually a different language, maybe it’s a different accent.”

For Becky, this is important insight.

“Jack’s incredibly experienced and monumentally skilled at what he does – but he found the changes one way much easier than the other, so that made me think, ‘OK, I need to work more on that alignment and straightness,’ even if I can get them both ways,” she says.

“There’s obviously something there that made it harder for him. It’s a learning curve for me as well.”

True horsemanship

The session is short albeit sweet, with Jack needing to wrap up before his showjumping demo, leaving us wondering how much more Bomb could teach him.

It highlights true horsemanship – both on Becky’s part in training her world-class champion to perform with a totally new rider, and Jack’s soft hands and natural seat translating instantly to whatever discipline he turns to.

Will more dressage be on the cards?

“Probably should do, after that performance!” he jokes. “Though at home we are mainly doing flatwork training at home; we don’t jump much at all. But although you’d call it dressage, it’s not that kind of dressage – it’s ‘showjumping dressage’.

“Bomb felt like riding a completely different animal to what I’m used to,” he adds. “You can feel the muscle he has. Even when he first set off in walk, I could feel every movement – right from that first step from behind, the power was incredible. It was an amazing feeling and I’m very thankful I got to have a go.”

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Young, weak or unbalanced horses sometimes pick up canter on the incorrect lead. Over time, this has potential to become a habit.

Thankfully, there’s a simple flatwork exercise that requires you to ride a few steps of leg-yield to help your horse pick up the correct canter lead.

Aims

• Correct your horse’s flexion
• Connect the horse into the outside rein
• Improve the canter transition

The setup

You need: a 20x40m or 20x60m arena

How to ride the exercise

• Once warmed up, turn onto the three-quarter line in trot.
• As you pass X, begin to leg-yield to the track. You can sit or rise, depending on what’s best for your horse. Aim to hit the track just after the corner marker.
• Ask for canter as you reach the track going into the corner.

Things to note

1. Avoid over-flexing

When ridden correctly, your horse should show slight flexion away from the direction of travel. Too much flexion often leads to the shoulders leading, and often means the horse drifts rather than crossing the legs.

However, ensure you maintain the flexion, and the connection into the outside rein, into the corner. Alongside balancing him, this is what helps set your horse up to lead with the inside leg in the canter.

2. Ensure your horse’s body is straight

While the shoulders should be slightly in advance of the quarters, they should not be dramatically so. Likewise, the hindquarters should not lead.

3. Maintain the rhythm

Look to maintain the same trot you had while riding large up the three-quarter line and throughout the leg-yield.

Some horses lose their engine in leg-yield, dropping behind the bit, while others might rush forward and away from your inside leg aid.

Ultimately, the contact and rhythm should be consistent. You may need to adjust your aids to help maintain them, or remain in a rising trot to help keep to a regular rhythm.

Want more ideas? Check out our full library of daily training inspiration

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Olympic dressage champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl is out of contention for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen (11 to 23 August).

On Sunday (28 June), Jessica shared the news that her current top ride, Times Kismet (“Kiss”), would not be contesting the selection trial for the German team in Hagen this week (1 to 5 July).

“I would have loved to take part in the second selection trial for the World Championships in Aachen next week, which makes the decision not to travel to Hagen an especially difficult one,” said Jessica.

“Together with Kiss’s owners, we have consciously decided to give her the time she needs. This is Kiss’s first grand prix season, and she has exceptional talent. Precisely because of that, it is important to us to develop her with patience and a long-term perspective.

“With every competition, we continue to grow and learn. Over the summer, we want to stay committed to this path, without added pressure, but with a clear focus on her long-term development.”

She added: “In competitive sport, it is often tempting to seize every opportunity. But responsibility sometimes also means letting an opportunity pass when you are convinced it is the right decision for the future.”

The 11-year-old mare is Jessica’s sole ride at international grand prix, so her withdrawal means Jessica is also out of the running for a place at her home world championships. Jessica’s former top ride TSF Dalera BB, with whom she was crowned Olympic champion in Tokyo and Paris, retired from competition in August 2024, and she sadly lost rising star Diallo BB to sudden illness at the start of the year. She has others coming up in her string, including Dancier Gold FRH, but none at this level yet.

Jessica and Times Kismet finished 10th in the grand prix at the German championships (3 to 7 June), but had to withdraw from the special and go into quarantine after the mare’s stable neighbour, Quick Decision FRH (ridden by Jessica’s brother, Benjamin Werndl), was diagnosed with a fever. Diagnostic tests came back negative for Quick Decision FRH, Times Kismet and Mondrian – Quick Decision’s other stable neighbour at the event, who was also taken into quarantine as a precaution.

Jessica posted on 5 June that Times Kismet and Mondrian were doing very well, and that Quick Decision was doing “pretty well” and his temperature was dropping. On 8 June, Benjamin said Quick Decision’s illness was “fortunately nothing serious”, that vets thought it was a minor viral infection that should pass as quickly as it came, and that the horse’s fever came down on its own.

Ingrid Klimke out of contention

Ingrid Klimke is also out of the running for the dressage World Championships.

Ingrid and Vayron NRW were part of the German side that won team gold at the 2025 Europeans, but on 18 June Ingrid said that the gelding “is not yet fit enough” to compete in Hagen.

The pair also missed the selection trial at the German Championships last month, and so are out of contention for the worlds squad.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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A square halt is one of the most underrated movements in dressage – yet it features in virtually every test from intro to the highest levels of dressage, so knowing how to ride one is key. It’s usually the very first thing a judge sees as you turn down the centre line, and a tidy halt is one of the easiest ways to put marks on the board.

Get it wrong, and you hand the judge a poor first impression before you have ridden a single proper movement; get it right, and you set the tone for a lovely, flowing test.

Yet the halt is deceptively difficult. Standing four-square, immobile and on the aids takes a surprising amount of training – and, crucially, it is a skill you build over months rather than something you can drill in a single session. Here is how to teach a square halt from the ground up, how to ride it under pressure in the ring, and how to fix the faults that cost riders marks most often.

What makes a halt “square”?

Before you can train a good halt, it helps to know exactly what the judge is rewarding. Most rulebooks ask for the horse to stand attentive, engaged, motionless, straight and square, with their weight distributed evenly over all four legs, the poll as the highest point, and the nose just in front of the vertical. The horse should stay on the bit and be ready to move off at the slightest aid.

In practice, that means all four legs in two neat pairs, no leg trailing or resting, no creeping or fidgeting, and at least three seconds of genuine immobility when you salute. It’s worth remembering that a halt does not have to be flawless to score well – a soft, straight, immobile halt that is fractionally open behind will still earn a respectable mark, whereas a crooked horse jiggling on the centre line will not.

How to ride a square halt from scratch

The single biggest mistake riders make is chasing squareness before their horse is standing still. Make sure to nail the immobility first.

1. Start with stillness, not squareness

When you first introduce halts, the priority should be for the horse to stand calmly. “The most vital part of the movement is for the horse to stand still and be submissive,” says event rider Coral Keen.

“Don’t make too many adjustments early on trying to make it square, or the horse starts fidgeting, and it becomes an issue. Once they’re happy and immobile, then you think about the squareness.” Make too many corrections too early on, and you’ll teach your horse to fidget – which becomes a far harder habit to undo later on.

2. Build it progressively

Begin in walk and, at first, be content with the front legs square. Use the outside track and repeat walk-to-halt downward transitions, asking your horse to move forwards one small step at a time after the halt forwards until they’re level in front. Only when that is established should you move on to trot-to-halt, making the trot slower and smaller beforehand and allowing a few walk strides into the transition so your horse has time to organise themself.

“It’s fine for it to be a bit progressive to begin with – don’t expect it to be too direct,” Coral says. “Allowing your horse time in the movement helps them develop the feeling of positioning themselves into a square halt.”

3. Move on to asking them to square up behind

As your horse becomes more established, ask them to collect before the halt so their weight is back and their shoulders are light, allowing them to sit into it rather than fall onto the forehand.

International grand prix rider Samantha Thurman-Baker says the key to a square halt is your horse’s balance: “If he’s loading one shoulder or is slightly crooked, the chances are your halt won’t be square.”

Her advice from a faster gait is to bring the horse almost back to moving on the spot before you ask: “That ensures their weight is back and their shoulders are light, allowing him to sit into the halt.” A mirror or a pair of eyes on the ground is invaluable as you learn to feel it for yourself.

4. Remember the quality of the pace is everything

Whether you halt from walk, trot or canter, the transition is only as good as the gait before it. Keep your horse active and in front of the leg so the hindquarters stay engaged – if they drop behind the leg in the approach, the hind legs trail and the halt cannot be square. As with every downward transition, ride forwards into the halt, not backwards.

Riding a square halt in the test

Training at home is one thing; producing a square halt down the centre line with one or more judges watching is another. A few things make it more reliable under pressure.

Most horses are straighter on one rein than the other, so enter the arena on your horse’s better rein. Resist the temptation to ride too boldly at the halt transition – come in with enough collection that you can quietly drop down into a square halt rather than slamming the brakes on. But keep the principle of forward riding front of mind.

As Carl Hester puts it: “Dressage is about forward riding, so even a transition to halt means riding the horse forward, allowing with the hands to let him step under.”

If your horse anticipates the halt – stopping before you have asked, or jogging on the spot in expectation – school plenty of centre lines without halting at all, and practise your halts off the three-quarter line instead so the movement stops being predictable.

Carl Hester’s centre-line halt exercise

Carl has a go-to flatwork exercise to build straightness, responsiveness and a square halt all at once.

Ride down the centre line and halt; only when the horse is square, immobile and relaxed, move off in your chosen gait, immediately circle right, and return to the centre line to halt again. Repeat, this time circling left, and continue alternating left and right circles with a halt between each all the way up the centre line.

The turn before each halt does much of the work for you, helping to position the inside hindleg and encouraging your horse to step into a square halt rather than leaving a leg trailing behind. As an added discipline, train yourself to feel whether the halt is square without looking down: sit level in the middle of the saddle and notice whether both sides of the horse’s back push evenly up into your seat. If only one side does, the opposite hindleg is trailing.

Fixing the most common halt faults

1. The quarters swing left or right

If the hindquarters drift as you halt, think of riding a touch of leg-yield or shoulder-fore into the transition to keep them in line. Riding down the centre line in shoulder-fore, with a mirror or helper checking you are truly straight, is one of the best long-term cures, because a crooked approach almost always produces a crooked halt.

2. A hindleg trails behind

Correct the specific leg that is left out: if the left hind is trailing, use your left leg to ask for one small step, keeping a quiet contact on the rein, and ask your horse to bring it underneath. Reward even an imperfect response so they learn that coming into halt means organising their own legs into a square position.

3. Your horse won’t stand still

Keep your legs gently wrapped around your horse’s sides at the halt so they feel held rather than abandoned, and make sure they wait for you to move them on rather than deciding for themselves. Avoid over-correcting – often a halt the rider thinks is unacceptable is, in fact, perfectly respectable.

4. Whatever you do, correct forwards

Every adjustment within the halt should be made by walking the horse a step forward, never back, so they stay in front of the leg and thinking forwards into the next movement. That also sets up a positive, powerful move-off.

Top tips for a square halt

• Practise, practise, practise. Halt squarely before you mount and dismount, and before every break in your schooling session – the more often your horse halts square, the more it becomes a habit
• Sit up tall, step down into your heels and check that your own weight is even on both seat bones – a crooked rider produces a crooked halt
• Always walk forwards to correct, never backwards
• Reward generously and never tell the horse off for halting unevenly – squareness comes from repetition and positive associations, not punishment
• Learn to feel the halt rather than look down for it – it keeps your test polished and your marks intact

Carl’s closing thoughts

Underpinning all of this is straightness, which Carl calls a lifetime’s work with every horse. One of the first lessons he says he learnt, going back some 35 years, was that whatever you are sitting on – pony, cob or warmblood – “there is no excuse not to ride straight lines and square halts.” Build the straightness, ride every transition forwards, and the square halt will follow.

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British grand prix dressage rider and trainer Anna Ross discusses brideless dressage, the stretch debate and two sad farewells

Ten years ago, the trend was clear: short reins won gold medals. Today, we can ride grand prix in a snaffle, we’re trialling a stretch movement at grand prix and the first bridleless dressage competition has generated enormous discussion. Whether these things represent progress is much debated – but the direction of travel has definitely changed.

Mention bridleless or bitless dressage, and you have a great way to blow up the internet. Some see it as the next step in improving horse welfare; others believe it has no place in the sport.

There is also a viewpoint that the double bridle is not a harsher piece of equipment, but a more refined one – capable of lighter, more nuanced communication in educated hands.

Grand prix rider Sam Whyley is among the sceptics.

“I’m struggling with the idea that this is a step forward and with the comments suggesting it’s the direction we should all take,” he says. “Are we going to get to a point where we can’t ride in breeches anymore, because a good rider shouldn’t need clothes to help keep their balance?”

He goes on: “I love the feeling of a horse working correctly and supplely through its body, engaging the hindquarters to take weight off the naturally weaker forehand. The better I am as a trainer, the healthier, happier, sounder life my horse will lead – something encouraged throughout the ascending levels, as I work towards the hardest test of all, the grand prix.

“What I’m seeing from the videos of the bridleless competition doesn’t embody this. I’m seeing horses moving hollowly, their backs like a canoe that the rider sits in rather than on; horses on the forehand, unable to lift their shoulders; pirouettes with no bend or even the wrong bend – examples of what, replicated consistently, will lead to forelimb injuries or sore backs.”

But welfare isn’t determined by bitting. I’ve seen horses ridden harshly in bitless bridles and beautifully in double bridles. A bit is a tool, and can be used well or badly. If a horse is genuinely softer and more confident without one, we shouldn’t dismiss that as “anti-tradition”, but nor should we pretend every horse is automatically better bitless.

Surely the pertinent question is: what equipment allows this horse, as an individual, to perform with the greatest confidence, relaxation and harmony?

Stretching at grand prix?

The same principle applies to the proposed stretch movement. A horse that can lengthen its neck, seek the contact and swing through its back is a joy to watch – it shows genuine throughness and trust, and could be one of the most revealing movements in the test.

Yet it has proved contentious. The much-decorated US Olympian Robert Dover has called it an “insult” to our stakeholders and too boring for spectators. But if spectators have watched a grand prix test that far without falling asleep, I think we can assume they’re pretty interested in dressage.

From a judging viewpoint, the stretch lets us reward the qualities we say we value: relaxation, harmony and correct training. At a time of increasing public scrutiny, that matters.

A relaxed expression, a quiet mouth, a swinging tail and a willing attitude say far more than the bridle a horse wears. The effectiveness of any tack depends far less on the equipment than on the hands holding the reins. If these debates encourage us to focus on those outcomes rather than defending tradition or chasing trends, the sport will be better for it.

Sad farewells

We lost an invaluable guiding hand recently. Horses and riders alike lost a friend in the late Stephen Clarke.

You always felt Stephen was on your side: ride well and you sensed it genuinely made him happy; ride poorly and you never resented his mark; you simply felt you’d let him down. Not because he was harsh, but because you knew he wanted everyone’s best.

He judged with honesty and integrity, but always with kindness.

Closer to home, we said goodbye to another great man: Andrew Goodwin Davies, father of grand prix rider Sally Bell, whose quiet warmth and wisdom touched so many.

We often talk of people “passing” – and the very best pass on their knowledge, kindness and values. Those left become custodians of that legacy. In that sense, they never really leave us.

● Where do you stand on bitless dressage? And should grand prix reward a stretch movement? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

When Becky Moody and Jagerbomb flew home from their FEI Dressage World Cup final win in Fort Worth, Texas, the celebrated gelding looked, by every outward measure, completely fine. He had a week off in the field, a fortnight of gentle hacking, and was – as she told The Horse & Hound Podcast – “bright as a button and happy”. But the data picked up something his demeanour didn’t.

How does monitoring horse sleep work?

At home, Becky works with EquiConnect, a vet-built AI stable-camera system installed in 12 stables in one of her barns. The cameras monitor sleep patterns – distinguishing between sternal lying, where a horse rests upright, and lateral lying, when they are “flat out and actually getting proper sleep” – as well as how long each horse spends eating and how active they are through the night.

Horses sleep only a few hours a day, most of it standing, thanks to the stay apparatus – a system of tendons and ligaments that lets them doze upright without tiring.

But they can only reach REM (rapid eye-movement) sleep, the deep restorative stage, when lying fully flat in lateral recumbency, because that phase involves a complete loss of muscle tone.

Vets generally cite a need for around 30-60 minutes of lying down a day to get enough REM sleep, and horses that can’t, or won’t, lie down – whether through pain, stress or an unfamiliar environment – can become REM-sleep deprived.

For Jagerbomb, that data proved illuminating. “He only ever sleeps at night – he never lies down during the day,” Becky explains. “So you can’t really know what his sleeping is like unless you’re looking at the camera information.”

And what the information showed, once he was home from the States, was a horse working hard to recover from his travels across the Atlantic.

“It took him about 16 or 17 days to get back to his normal sleeping patterns at home,” Becky says. Across that recovery period, the cameras logged him catching up dramatically: “He was sometimes sleeping five times what he would normally have slept.”

It is the kind of insight that would be invisible to even the most attentive horseperson. Jagerbomb was away for close to two weeks in total – the same long journey out reversed on the way back, with overnight stops at Liège and Dover – and the after-effects on his rest ran far longer than his outward demeanour suggested.

Why over-competing concerns Becky Moody

For Becky, the data underlines something she already felt strongly about: the hidden toll of travel and competition, and the importance of not asking too much of a horse.

“When we talk about horse welfare, this is one of the things that I think is really relevant,” she says.

Even a relatively standard trip carries a significant load. Travelling to an international show such as Rotterdam – where Becky is speaking to us from – can mean a horse spending well over eight hours on the lorry in a single day, she points out, once ferry queues and French customs (“anything between 50 minutes and three hours”) are factored in.

“I can pretty much, even without the data, know that he doesn’t sleep at a show like he sleeps at home,” she says.

Her response has been to build in a more deliberate recovery. After a major effort, Jagerbomb is given an easy couple of weeks: time in the field, or a few days off, followed by gentle hacking.

Becky’s careful to say there is no single rule. Some horses benefit from a fuller calendar, gaining confidence and learning to settle in the competition environment.

But the difference between a local outing and several days of championship-level sport is, she stresses, enormous. “You have to know your horse and what you’re doing and what is best for them,” she says.

It’s a philosophy now backed by hard data – and one she sums up simply: she is “quite a big one for not over-competing”.

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On the latest episode of The Horse & Hound Podcast, World Cup winner Becky Moody lifts the lid on what it really takes to fly a horse across the Atlantic – from crates and zip lifts to a sleepless night tracking the flight to Texas.

Becky’s World Cup win on Jagerbomb was one of the standout British performances of the season so far. But as she explains, getting Jagerbomb to the venue in Fort Worth, Texas, was an enormous undertaking in itself – and one she had never attempted before.

“It’s a really big deal to put your horse on a plane and fly it all the way over there,” Becky says. She admits she “ummed and ahhed” over whether to commit at all, weighing the cost and the stress against the experience. But with the Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon in 2028, she ultimately decided it was worth doing.

“I’ve never flown a horse before. He’s never flown before,” she says. “At least I know that he has now flown, and he flew really well. He coped with that side of it brilliantly.”

How does flying a horse abroad actually work?

The journey began with Becky’s long-time groom, Kim Masson, driving Jagerbomb in their 4.5t lorry to Dover for an overnight stop, before a transporter took them on to Liège in Belgium, where most equestrian flights depart Europe – and where the European contingent of World Cup-bound horses were travelling from.

The shipping agent Peden Bloodstock organised the flight itself, quizzing the team in advance on Jagerbomb’s size and how he likes to travel.

“Knowing that Bomb is so big, we made sure he had plenty of room in his crate – extra length compared to some, and plenty of width,” Becky says.

The crates, she adds, are effectively like trailers, taking one, two or three horses apiece: “It’s your first, business, economy kind of thing.” Jagerbomb shared his with just one other horse, and “loaded like a pro”.

Loading and unloading were the most stressful parts, with the horses lifted onto the aircraft using zip lifts. Watching from home as the videos came in from Kim, Becky says she was “biting my nails away”.

“I know showjumpers who are flying their horses all the time, and it’s just normal,” she adds. “But when you haven’t done it before, it’s this enormously big deal.”

She spent much of that first night tracking the flight: “I spent most of the night on Flightradar, just watching Bomb and Kim’s plane as it went all the way up to Greenland and back down again. I didn’t sleep a huge amount!”

At the other end, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport hadn’t received flying horses in some time, so the incoming flight had to bring the zip lift they used to load the horses with them on the aeroplane to unload.

From there it was a 40-minute drive in “huge, super-cool American trucks” to the venue, where – crucially – Jagerbomb could complete his 48 hours of quarantine on-site, with Kim still able to muck out, feed and hand-walk him.

Kim, who had never flown with horses either, made such an impression that she was asked to take charge of the dressage horses on the journey home.

To hear more from Becky on the World Cup win, the spectacle of Fort Worth and her hopes for the World Championships in Aachen, listen to episode 178 of The Horse & Hound Podcast here, or search “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your favourite podcast app.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking equestrian news throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The eight-strong British dressage squad shortlist for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen, Germany (11–23 August) includes Olympic gold medallists Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester, as well as reigning double world champion Lottie Fry and World Cup winner Becky Moody.

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.

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.

Read more on my pick for the fourth spot – and why.

British dressage squad shortlist for the 2026 Aachen World Championships

The full list, in alphabetical order by athlete surname, is:

Fiona Bigwood with 10-year-old mare Donna Bella

Owner: rider

Breeder: rider

Breeding: by Don Juan de Hus, out of a mare by IPS Gribaldi

Charlotte Dujardin with 12-year-old gelding Brave Heart

Owners: Elllie McCarthy, Spencer McCarthy and Bridget McCarthy

Breeders: Shirley and Titian Wilaras

Breeding: by Bordeaux 28, out of a mare by Blue Hors Zack

Lottie Fry with 15-year-old stallion Glamourdale

Owners: Van Olst Horses and rider

Breeder: J Rodenburg

Breeding: by Lord Leatherdale, out of a mare by Negro

Carl Hester with 16-year-old stallion Fame

Owners: Fiona Bigwood, Mette Dahl and rider

Breeder: VOF G and M Gerritsen

Breeding: by Bordeaux 28, out of a mare by Rhodium

Gareth Hughes with nine-year-old gelding Mowgli-Olympia MC

Owners: Georgina Wilkinson, Rebecca Hughes and the rider

Breeder: M Van Summeren

Breeding: by Rousseau

Becky Moody with 12-year-old gelding Jagerbomb

Owners: Jo Cooper and rider

Breeder: rider

Breeding: by Dante Weltino, out of a mare by Jazz

Susan Pape with 15-year-old mare Harmony’s Giulilanta

Owners: Harmony Sporthorses and rider

Breeders: A Vogelaar and J Knol

Breeding: by Jazz, out of a mare by Flemmingh

Sadie Smith with 11-year-old mare Swanmore Dantina

Owner: rider

Breeder: Ben St John James

Breeding: by Dante Weltino, out of a mare by Charatan W

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The eight-strong British para dressage squad shortlist for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen, Germany (11-23 August) includes Paralympic gold medallists Sir Lee Pearson and Sophie Wells.

We’re expecting confirmation of the four definite entries in mid-July, and form-wise, there are no real surprises in the nominated entries. Three of the four combinations from last summer’s Europeans are among the entries – the exception is grade I rider Gabriella Blake, whose Europeans ride Strong Beau retired in April.

The other three are Mari Durward-Akhurst with Athene Lindebjerg, Jemima Green with Fantabulous and Nicola Naylor with Humberto L.

The stakes for selection are higher than usual. The worlds are the principal qualification route for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics – the seven highest-placed teams, hosts USA aside, secure their tickets in Aachen – so this is no championship at which to experiment.

A nation of Britain’s standing should make that cut, but they finished fourth at both last summer’s Europeans and the Paris Paralympics, just outside the medals each time, and on that form, nothing can be taken for granted. Expect the selectors to name their strongest possible side.

Mari and the vastly experienced 19-year-old Athene look all but certain of a place – European bronze medallists last summer, and seemingly on better form now than they carried into those championships.

Jemima Green and Fantabulous, breakout stars of the Europeans with double, and unexpected, individual grade II bronze, have gone from strength to strength this season. Their grand prix B scores – the test that decides team placings – have been up around two and a half percentage points on the form they carried into Ermelo.

Nicola Naylor poses the selectors an enviable problem: she is one of only two athletes on the list – with Sophie Wells – nominated with two horses, and this season there has been precious little between them.

Humberto L, her grade IV partner from Ermelo, and the younger Moulin Rouge have shadowed each other all spring, the latter edging both grands prix and the freestyle when they met head to head at Wellington in June. But on grand prix B, the season’s figures lean back the other way, Humberto L averaging around 73.1% across his internationals to Moulin Rouge’s 72.6%.

The pick of the chasing group is Sir Lee Pearson. The 14-times Paralympic gold medallist and home-bred Breezer, who Lee rode at the Tokyo Paralympics and the 2022 worlds, have averaged just under 73% in the grand prix B at CPEDIs this spring.

Among the international averages of the nominated entries this season, that puts them fourth, behind only Athene, Fantabulous and Humberto L.

Behind them, it tightens: Moulin Rouge is a fraction off stablemate Humberto L, and Sophie Wells’ current stronger grade V mare, MSJ Gold Standard, only a touch further back on 72.4%, a little over two points adrift of Fantabulous. Sophie’s other ride, LJT Egebjerggards Samoa, is on 71.3%, and Erin Orford’s LJT Nutbush on 71.1%.

So at the moment, with the team built from the three best grand prix B scores and no more than two riders per grade, the strongest side on current form would be the three combinations from Ermelo – Mari, Jemima and Nicola – plus Lee.

These averages rest on just two or three spring internationals apiece, so a single test can shift the order, which is what makes the final domestic international, Hartpury (1-5 July), worth watching. For the able-bodied team, it’s likely to have little bearing on selection; for the paras, with places this tight, it could be decisive – and it’s the chasing pack who have the most to gain.

British para dressage squad shortlist for the 2026 World Championships

The full list of nominated entries, by classification grade and then in alphabetical order by athlete surname, is:

Grade I

Mari Durward-Akhurst with 19-year-old mare Athene Lindebjerg

Owners: Diane Redfern, Nick Durward-Akhurst and Romilly Hart

Breeder: Ulla and Kristian Bech

Breeding: by Gribaldi, out of a mare by Diamant

Grade II

Jemima Green with eight-year-old gelding Fantabulous

Owner: rider

Breeder: Rainer and Angelika Alhers

Breeding: by Foundation 2, out of a mare by Fürst Romancier

Sir Lee Pearson with 14-year-old gelding Breezer

Owners: Jenson Guest, David Pearson, Linda Pearson and rider

Breeder: Sir Lee Pearson

Breeding: by Bacardi

Grade III

Erin Orford with 14-year-old gelding LJT Nutbush

Owners: Carl Hester, Anne Barrott, Rowena Luard and The Lady Joseph Trust

Breeder: Mr A Gregory

Breeding: by Negro, out of a mare by Sion

Grade IV

Nicola Naylor with 14-year-old gelding Humberto L

Owners: Rosalind Emery Kay and rider

Breeder: J Lamers

Breeding: by Cachet L, out of a mare by Haarlem

Nicola Naylor with nine-year-old mare Moulin Rouge

Owner: rider

Breeder: P Buwalda

Breeding: by Ferdinand, out of a mare by Dorado

Grade V

Sophie Wells with 10-year-old mare LJT Egebjerggards Samoa

Owner: The Lady Joseph Trust

Breeder: Anders Green Hansen

Breeding: by Blue Hors St Schrufo, out of a mare by IPS Gribaldi

Sophie Wells with 10-year-old mare MSJ Gold Standard

Owner: Emma Blundell

Breeder: Mount St John Equestrian LLP

Breeding: by Governor, out of a mare by Fürstenball

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In this episode of the Horse & Hound podcast, which is sponsored by Saracen Horse Feeds, top British dressage rider Becky Moody talks to H&H dressage editor Oscar Williams about her success at the FEI World Cup dressage final in Texas, the pressures of Jagerbomb’s first international flight, and what she’s learnt from tracking his sleep patterns.

Episode 178 of our popular audio service The Horse & Hound Podcast, which is sponsored this month by Saracen Horse Feeds, is now live and features the reigning dressage World Cup champion, Becky Moody.

Each episode is available for H&H fans to listen to via your favourite podcast app, as well as here on the website. Search for “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your preferred podcast app and click subscribe to be notified about each new episode.

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On this episode, H&H’s dressage editor Oscar Williams caught up with Becky while she was out competing in Rotterdam. Among the topics they discussed was Becky’s experiences at the FEI World Cup Final in America.

Becky explained the big learning curve involved with flying Jagerbomb overseas for the first time – “I didn’t take my eyes off flight radar” – and how she felt coming into the competition as the favourite, rather than the underdog.

She also shared her views on ways she think AI could be used in dressage judging, how she tracks Jagerbomb’s sleep patterns and what she’s learnt from doing so, and much more.

Whether you’re an avid dressage fan or not, there is so much to enjoy listening to in this podcast. We love to hear your feedback on all our podcasts, so please do send your thoughts to pippa.roome@futurenet.com

Horse & Hound Podcast: episode 178

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Read more about Becky Moody:

From hurtling round fields on ponies to Olympic glory: Becky Moody shares her incredible journey

How to ride accurate circles for higher marks – with advice from self-confessed ‘circles geek’ Becky Moody

Becky Moody and Jagerbomb strike a chord with World Cup harmony and fairness award

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H&H’s dressage editor rounds up how things stand on British selection for the World Championships, with the team to be named in mid-July

British selection for the dressage at the 2026 World Championships in Aachen in August will come into focus over the next few weeks, with a team announcement expected in mid-July. The selectors – Judy Harvey, Jenny Ward and Anne Keen – have watched the contenders across a season of internationals, and with the major trials now behind us, Hartpury CDI3* (1–5 July) will be a last chance to shift the margins rather than being where this gets decided.

On paper, it’s a more settled picture than my colleague Pippa Roome found in the eventing: three combinations look certain of their places, leaving a single spot up for a real scrap. Not that certainty is ever quite that – as Charlotte Dujardin’s withdrawal days before the Paris Olympics reminded us, a team can be reshaped overnight – but you would be brave to bet against the top three.

Those three are Carl Hester on Fame, Lottie Fry on Glamourdale and Becky Moody on Jagerbomb. They’ve been the core of the team at the past two championships, and no one expects that to change.

The only doubt after last summer’s Europeans would’ve been whether Carl would go for another season on Fame. But they allayed those concerns early in the season, winning convincingly in Doha in February. Since then, they’ve competed on the Nations Cup team at Fontainebleau and last time out, at Wellington CDI3*, the now 16-year-old stallion produced within 0.2% of his best-ever scores in both the grand prix and freestyle, which he posted at the Riesenbeck Europeans in 2023. They’re a shoo-in.

As are Lottie and Glamourdale. Little doubt there, of course – though some had wondered whether the 15-year-old stallion was a fraction past his best, with the piaffe a worry; actively breeding stallions tend to peak early in their grand prix career and struggle to hold it into their later teens. But Lottie and Glamourdale put that debate to rest in December, winning the London World Cup qualifier on 89.17% – “one of the best tests he’s ever done”, according to Lottie – then backing it up at Amsterdam and ’s-Hertogenbosch.

The run brought successive 80%+ grands prix for the first time since 2022, a striking turnaround from his sub-76% at the Europeans, and the only pair to beat them all season has been world number ones Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus – by margins as fine as 0.2% and 0.4%. Whisper it, but a few in ’s-Hertogenbosch felt Glamourdale shaded it on the day. Another 80%+ grand prix outdoors at the Fontainebleau Nations Cup leaves little doubt the pair are in career-best form.

Becky and Jagerbomb have been cutting their own path, including a three-show outing on the World Cup qualifier circuit, which ultimately bagged their place at the Texas final, where they won on a new personal best of 88.33%. That was in April; since then, Becky has taken Jagerbomb’s recovery from his trans-Atlantic trip very seriously (she talks us through it on the upcoming episode of the H&H podcast). But after a couple of weeks off in the field and a couple of weeks hacking, he was back out last week at Rotterdam CDI4* (June 18–20), and despite a couple of mistakes in the grand prix costing him another win, he looked in great condition.

Who’s in contention for the fourth spot?

So that’s the core trio of the team – but the fourth spot has been up for grabs all season. Andrew Gould and Indigro filled it at last summer’s Europeans but were eliminated in the grand prix and haven’t competed since. Charlotte Dujardin and Alive And Kicking would, I think, have taken it on the strength of a hugely impressive 76.54% grand prix at the London International Horse Show last December – but the mare was sold in April.

That left a host of options, most clustered in the low 70s: national champions Sadie Smith and Swanmore Dantina, my early favourites; championship stalwarts Gareth Hughes and Laura Tomlinson on up-and-coming rides Mowgli-Olympia MC and Full Moon II; Lewis Carrier and the experienced Diego V; or German-based Susan Pape on Harmony’s Giulilanta; even Annabella Pidgley on former Olympic medallist Gio, since selected for the under-25 European squad instead.

But the two pairs averaging the highest grand prix marks in the chasing pack have been Charlotte, on Ellie McCarthy’s 12-year-old gelding Brave Heart II, and Fiona Bigwood on her own 10-year-old mare Donna Bella X.

Donna Bella X is bred in the purple, and homebred: she is out of Atterupgaards Orthilia, Fiona’s former ride on the British team that took silver at both the 2015 Europeans in Aachen and the Rio Olympics the following year.

But ask me last summer, and neither would have been on my radar – Charlotte wasn’t on Brave Heart yet, and Donna Bella had only a couple of green grands prix to her name.

Donna Bella’s rise has been rapid. Runner-up on 70.62% at Vale View Premier League at the turn of the year, she announced herself at Hartpury CDI3* in March, taking the grand prix on 72.22% to beat Gareth and Mowgli. That earned a Nations Cup call-up at Fontainebleau alongside Carl and Lottie – a clear signal she was in the frame – and the bigger atmosphere didn’t faze her, the pair scoring a solid 71.63%.

Charlotte, meanwhile, hadn’t run Brave Heart since Kronenberg the previous November (72.8%), and it was unclear whether they’d put themselves forward – though grand prix wins of 76.85% and 74.13% on low-key local March outings raised the possibility. She still had Alive And Kicking then though, so that would’ve been her expected route onto the team. But as the key trials at Hickstead and Wellington approached in May and June, it had begun to look like a two-horse race.

Across both shows, most contenders were in action, and at each, Fiona and Charlotte went head to head. At Hickstead, Fiona and Donna Bella edged it, winning on 73.13% to Charlotte and Brave Heart’s 72.8% in second – close enough that much still rested on Wellington CDI3* earlier this month.

There, Fiona and Donna Bella climbed higher still, scoring 74.6% to finish behind winners Carl and Fame, with Charlotte and Brave Heart third on 71.87%, Sadie and Swanmore Dantina fourth (71.44%), and Gareth and Mowgli fifth (71.39%).

That makes Fiona and Donna Bella the clear favourites for the fourth spot, and I’d be all but certain the team will be Fame, Glamourdale, Jagerbomb and Donna Bella. But the real headline is how far Britain has come: that we can leave a pool of reserves this strong on the sidelines – enough to field a B team, maybe even a C, to rival most other nations – says everything about the strength in depth we now have.

Who do you think should make the British selection for the dressage World Championships? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com for your views to be considered for publication in a future issue of the magazine or online. Please include your postal address (only town and county will be printed). Letters may be edited for clarity and length. 

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Top British dressage rider, trainer and multiple Olympian Carl Hester shares his thoughts on the “phenomenal” recent return of dressage at Hickstead.

“It was a massive risk, but in my heart, I knew it had to happen and it turned out really well.” That was Aster Events’ Daniel Watson reflecting on May’s Chart Stables International Dressage Festival at Hickstead. An understatement, Dan, it was phenomenal.

The week-long show offered something for everyone, with CDI and CPEDI classes alongside Premier League, young horse, national competitions and the dressage masters series. Dressage returning to the iconic Hickstead venue offered all our riders a world-class platform on home soil.

British team rider Dan’s the sort of person who can’t sit still. He rides up to 10 horses a day, teaches and runs a business with his partner Craig Messenger. Yet, feeling there was a gap – specifically a lack of a showcase for dressage along the lines of shows abroad – he sent an email to Lizzie Bunn at Hickstead, who emailed straight back saying they needed to meet up.

The long development process got under way. Dan was in and out of the boardroom last year. British Dressage came on board and when Chart Stables jumped at the chance to be title sponsor “the whole thing skyrocketed”.

A whole host of sponsors followed – too many to mention here, and thanks to them all – but the riders and trainers who put money in also showed dressage working together as a community. Dan reports Chart Stables has already reaped rewards: “What they’ve gained from the show is massive.”

Eye-watering costs

The costs involved were eye-watering: £250,000. That included, for example, £18,000 for hook-up, including £7,500 for diesel – the price having gone through the roof – £12,500 for the main screen, wifi and other communication tools.

Dan did a clever deal with Travelodge for 22 judges’ rooms, but there was extra for national judges in other hotels. Catering cost some £20,000 to £25,000 but was “a phenomenal return”. People don’t realise the cost of setting up.

Dan said: “It was mad, and it could have got way out of control. You have to be on every penny.” He was.

Signing up volunteers wasn’t easy. There were about 10 to 15 a day this year, and Dan found it tricky to get the right people for the right tasks, but he’ll have more of an idea going forward on who fits what role. I’m sure in the future volunteers will be flocking to sign up.

There were many conversations with Dane Rawlins, who ran Dressage at Hickstead for 27 years and hosted the superb European Championships there in 2003. Dane was there daily, having got roped into judging and told me with humour: “Bally good job. It was nice to see someone else suffering.”

Dan also paid tribute to the Hickstead team: “I feel utterly privileged to have worked with such a team: Lizzie, Ellie and Will Bunn. To have their backup throughout. No words.”

The result: a show that rivals the best in Europe

At the trot-up, one of the foreign judges told Dan that the show rivalled the best in Europe, at which Dan told me he nearly fell over backwards. He may have felt things were going too fast at the time, but he has a dressage Nations Cup in his sights and putting in a bid for the European Championship may not be just a dream.

Lizzie Bunn commended Aster Events for running a dressage camp attended by 75 preceding the show as a “clever move” and the lovely ball attended by some 200 people was a great success.

From the Hickstead perspective, Lizzie said, “The whole team from caterers to sponsors really got behind it.”

She paid the ultimate compliment to Dan and his team: “They were such a pleasure to deal with. They are now our template for outside events.”

Dan doesn’t have a business studies degree but has always been analytical. He told me he felt slightly naive going into it and slightly scared himself with what he had created.

I think he should be awarded an honorary first-class honours degree sharpish after pulling off an incredible success…and perhaps a medal for bravery! Here’s to the future.

● Were you at Hickstead in May and what did you think? What other shows would you like to see brought back – or boosted – on home soil? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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You might also enjoy reading:

How to ride free walk for higher dressage marks – with advice from FEI judge Stephen Clarke and Carl Hester

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Tributes have been paid to “one of the greatest gifts the sport of dressage has ever received”, after five-star international judge Stephen Clarke died at the age of 73.

Stephen, whose life was entwined with horses from an early age, was one of the world’s most respected dressage judges, serving at the Olympics, European and World Championships and World Cup Finals. He was president of the International Dressage Officials Club (IDOC), the FEI judge general and member of the FEI dressage committee, and a Fellow of the British Horse Society.

“It is with profound sadness, and yet with an equally profound sense of gratitude, that we share the news of the passing of our dear friend, colleague and former IDOC president, Stephen Clarke,” the IDOC said in a tribute.

“Stephen was, quite simply, one of the greatest gifts the sport of dressage has ever received. His passing leaves a stillness in our world that will take a long time to fill – and yet, if we listen carefully, we can still hear his voice: warm, measured, often wonderfully witty, and always pointing us toward what is right and good in this sport we all love.”

Stephen was born into a non-horsey family in north Wales. The farm next door had ponies and the deal was, if he could stay on long enough, he could take them to shows. He grew up with the Flint and Denbigh branch of the Pony Club, where, he has told H&H, it was drummed into everyone that any mistakes were always the rider’s fault; “I can still hear ringing in my ears, ‘sit still and never pull back’,” he said.

After early success in showjumping and eventing, Stephen won five national championship dressage titles. He represented Britain in international competition, including at the 1980 Alternate Olympics with Ulysses, and he and Becket were the reserve combination for the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Stephen started judging in his early 20s, having become, as he put it, “fed up with everyone moaning about the judging”.

“A characteristically Stephen solution to a problem,” the IDOC tribute said. “Rather than complain, step forward and be part of the answer.”

Stephen was president of the ground jury at the London Olympics in 2012, which he said was one of the proudest moments of his life; he also said that to be on the judges’ panel when Totilas and Valegro broke world records was “beyond exciting”.

“The privilege of awarding 10s for movements where you just cannot imagine how it could be better – that was the joy Stephen brought to his work every single time he sat behind the judging board,” the IDOC said.

“He never shied from the difficult calls either. At the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, he made one of the toughest calls in a world championship – the disqualification of Adelinde Cornelissen when her horse bled from the mouth. It was correct, it was courageous, and it was entirely Stephen. He understood that integrity in judging is not a convenience — it is the foundation upon which the sport rests.”

Stephen shaped the future of his sport, as judge general and on the committee; he was instrumental in creating the FEI judges’ book.

“His efforts earned tremendous respect for dressage judges worldwide and contributed greatly to the reputation and profile of the sport,” the IDOC said. “His goal, as he always said, was to ensure young judges have the opportunity to develop their education and skills.

“And he meant it – not as a statement of policy, but as a personal mission. He took time with every young official who crossed his path. He remembered names. He remembered horses. He remembered what it felt like to be new to this world, and he made sure no one felt alone in it.

“As president of IDOC, Stephen brought the same qualities to our organisation that he brought to everything: clarity of thought, generosity of spirit, and an unwavering commitment to doing things properly. He worked alongside colleagues including Maribel Alonso, Katrina Wüst and Hans-Christian Matthiesen in the education working group, and his influence on the way we train and support officials across the globe cannot be overstated. IDOC is a better, stronger, more purposeful organisation because Stephen Clarke led it.”

Stephen ran a working pupils scheme at Cotton Equestrian Centre in Cheshire; many of those who trained with him have gone on to successful careers, of which Stephen was quietly proud.

“He was quick to laugh, quicker still to listen,” the IDOC said. “In any discussion – whether about a single movement in a test, the future direction of FEI judging policy, or the state of the sport over a glass of wine after a long competition day – Stephen brought the same qualities: a clear mind, an open heart and exactly the right words at exactly the right moment. Many of us will carry specific things he said to us, privately, at just the right time, for the rest of our lives.

“In his final years, illness slowed him physically, but never in spirit. He remained in close contact with many in his circle, generous with his time, his warmth, and his thoughts, right to the end. That, too, was entirely Stephen.

“We will miss him at the arena. We will miss him in the seminar rooms. We will miss him at the table after a long day, when the best conversations always seemed to happen. We will miss his laughter, his precision, and his extraordinary ability to make everyone around him feel both valued and challenged to be better.

“The sport of dressage is immeasurably richer for everything Stephen Clarke gave it over so many decades. We are immeasurably richer for having known him. Our thoughts go to Julian Sebire, Stephen’s partner for more than 40 years.

“Stephen – thank you. It was a privilege and an honour.”

A national treasure

British Dressage chair Jill Day, a close friend of Stephen’s, said he was a national treasure.

“There is no one more deserving of that title,” she said. “When you consider the legacy he has left behind – wow, what a legacy that is.

“However, when I think of Stephen, none of those things are the first things that spring to mind. I just see that twinkle in his eye and that infectious giggle. I see an amazing friend, always there if you needed him and always with very honest and straightforward advice. There will never be another that has done so much for our sport and stayed so humble.

“His last words to me were ‘Please, don’t be sad’. This will be the first time I have not been able to follow his advice. Rest in peace, dear friend.”

The FEI agreed that for all Stephen’s huge achievements, he will most be remembered for who he was.

“Stephen Clarke was one of those rare individuals who made everyone around him better, and the extraordinary outpouring of tributes since his passing stands as a testament to both his deep love for the sport and his regard for those within it,” said FEI dressage director Ronan Murphy said.

“Stephen was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. Fair, thoughtful and quietly wise, he never sought the spotlight, yet his presence and influence can be felt throughout our sport to this day. We have lost not only one of dressage’s greatest judges, but also one of its kindest and most respected figures.”

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In this guide for H&H subscribers, FEI judge Stephen Clarke and four-time Olympic medallist Carl Hester explain why the walk is so often where dressage tests are won or lost – and what riders can do to improve their marks

Back when I was training, I can’t remember ever spending much time on how to ride the free walk on a long rein. It was one of those movements where you get to the test, throw the reins forward, mumble a quick prayer that no one slams a car boot or drops a coffee, and hope for the best. Sometimes, on a trickier horse, it was a brief pause to think about how I’d disgraced myself in the previous movements, casting apologetic glances at the judges.

And I don’t think I was alone. Even at the top levels of dressage, you see horses scoring eights and nines for their trot and canter, then plummeting down to sixes for the walk.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The walk is the pace that reveals more about a horse’s training than almost any other. It’s the first to go if there’s tension in the back, and in most tests it carries a coefficient – meaning a low score hurts more than other movements.

Get it right, and you score handsomely. Get it wrong, and there’s nowhere to hide.

Why the walk matters more than you think

The walk isn’t just one movement in a dressage test – it runs through the whole horse’s training picture. As FEI judge Stephen Clarke puts it: “The extended walk is the tell-tale movement, because you see whether the horse is truly relaxed and supple, obedient and confident.”

He’s particularly emphatic about how revealing the free walk is: “It is a good safeguard – it makes sure that riders and trainers always look after that freedom of movement. As the horse reaches the higher levels, there is such an emphasis on collection that, sometimes, freedom is lost.”

In other words, free walk isn’t a break from the real training – it’s the test of whether the training is honest or not.

How to ride free walk: what the judge wants to see

In the free walk on a long rein, the judge is looking for:

• A horse seeking the contact forward and down, with the rider allowing the rein
• Long, free, purposeful strides – not slow, lazy ones
• A regular, four-beat rhythm with clear overtrack
• A relaxed, supple back, with the horse lengthening the frame naturally
• Light contact maintained throughout – the rein lengthens, but doesn’t disappear
• A smooth, balanced return to a medium walk before the next movement

As Stephen explains, the score reflects “the regularity of the four footfalls, as well as all of the qualities described in brackets within each of the collective marks: rhythm, suppleness, contact and co-operation.”

Where free walk goes wrong

Most riders, when they reach the diagonal for free walk, do one of two things: they drop the contact entirely and lose all influence on the horse, or they hold on and never let the horse genuinely stretch down.

Neither approach produces what the judge wants to see.

Stephen sees the pattern repeatedly: “Often it is the extension and collection which cause the problem. Riders sometimes fall into the trap of restricting the horse with the reins to collect, which constrains the neck and stiffens the back, thereby limiting the steps. This will have a damaging effect on the regularity of the four beats. At worst, this ends up as almost a two-beat movement, where the horse moves his limbs in lateral pairs.”

A lateral walk – where the legs on the same side move together rather than in true four-time beat – is one of the most damaging faults a dressage horse can develop. And once it appears, it’s a sign that something in the training has gone wrong.

Stretch without losing the contact

The technical heart of free walk is allowing the horse to lower and lengthen the neck while maintaining a light, elastic contact through the rein. The reins lengthen – they aren’t dropped.

Carl Hester puts it simply: “The use of the head and neck is so important in walk. It should be like a rowing motion. The horse has to take your hand forward and not fiddle and get behind the vertical.”

That “rowing motion” is a useful image to hold onto. The horse is actively seeking the bit forward and down, and the rider is allowing that movement without losing the connection. If the horse curls behind the vertical, the stretch isn’t honest. If the rider holds the rein too short, the stretch can’t happen at all. If the rider drops the reins, the contact is lost.

Slower is usually better

A common mistake – particularly in tests – is for riders to push the walk forward, driving with the seat in the hope of looking impressive. “When you walk, make it a slow walk,” Carl says. “The quicker it goes, the smaller the overtrack.”

The mathematics of the walk are a little counter-intuitive. A horse that hurries will shorten his stride; a horse that takes his time will lengthen it.

Carl adds: “If we have a one-hoof overtrack, the horse needs time on the floor – he doesn’t need to come off fast. A one-and-a-half overtrack is better. And if the front legs move too quickly for the hindlegs to keep up, the horse has to learn to use his shoulder. Then we will get closer to two hooves overtrack.”

How to practise the free walk at home

We all know this, really, but the free walk shouldn’t only be ridden during dressage tests. Stephen emphasises that the walk needs work every time you’re in that pace: “Whenever you give the horse a period of rest between movements, be aware of what’s going on underneath you. You should feel the rhythm and swing in the back – and should be influencing the walk, always.”

Try incorporating these three practical exercises into your schooling to help improve your walk:

1. Improving overtrack with leg-yield in walk

A shallow angle of leg-yield on a circle or straight line can encourage a longer stride. Feel down the inside rein for a slight bend and ask the horse to move away from your inside leg. The pace becomes more relaxed, and the overtrack will improve.

2. Riding the free walk as it appears in your test

Sit centrally with loose hips and soft hands. Slowly let your arms move forward while maintaining a slight inside bend. Push the walk forward gently with alternate legs until your horse is reaching for the bit. The reins lengthen progressively, not all at once.

3. Practising the transition back

Some horses predict the upward transition and jog. Make a series of halt transitions in walk during training, then remind your horse in the test with a half-halt. Keep a soft leg contact to reassure him, and gather the reins carefully – keeping a slight inside bend through the transition.

4. Get eyes on the ground

The walk is one of the hardest movements to accurately feel what’s going on underneath you. The footfalls are slower, the overtrack can be deceptive, and tension in the back is easy to miss when you’re focused on the contact. A second pair of eyes can confirm whether the rhythm is genuinely four-beat, whether the overtrack matches what you think it is, and whether the horse is honestly swinging through the back.

If you don’t have a coach available, video yourself again and again – ideally from the side – and check that your sense of what’s happening below you matches what’s actually showing up on the ground.

When the walk goes bad

Although we often consider the walk a natural pace, a poor walk often isn’t the horse’s fault.

Stephen is direct: “A bad walk is usually created because a rider has a disturbing influence on the horse – either a backward influence on the reins or a poor riding position. If the rider is stiff, then the horse will be stiff.”

The walk is the gait where rider faults show up first. A tight seat, busy hands, or a fixed contact will all interfere with the natural rhythm. Even small habits – pulling on the reins when the horse curls, pushing too hard with the seat – can disrupt the four-beat pattern.

Stephen’s solution is patience: “It is important not to try to collect the horse too early. Collection develops naturally. Wait for the horse. It is the gymnastic training which makes the horse strong enough to collect within all the paces.”

Common mistakes and fixes

1. Your horse jogs into the free walk

Fix: Use small half-halts before the diagonal to settle the horse, then allow the rein gradually rather than all at once.

2. Your horse drops the contact entirely

Fix: Maintain feel through your fingers. The rein lengthens, but the connection doesn’t disappear.

3. Your horse curls inwards

Fix: Encourage him forward to the bit, not down. Think “out” rather than “down”.

4. The walk becomes lateral

Fix: Slow the walk down. Resist the temptation to push for more overtrack with speed. Allow the horse to find the rhythm naturally.

5. The return to medium walk is abrupt

Fix: Gather the reins progressively as you approach the next marker. Don’t snatch them up at the end of the diagonal.

Marching on

The most important thing, Stephen says, is to remember that the walk reflects everything else in the training: “Honest training is the only way to preserve the walk. The work is done before the walk happens – it is all about whether the horse is truly in front of the leg, in real balance and self-carriage.”

Carl agrees that the answer is more straightforward than riders often make it: practise correct walk at home, ride forward without rushing, and trust the horse to march resolutely.

Or, as Stephen puts it: “Just let it happen”.

• Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Olympic dressage horse Indian Rock has been withdrawn from contention for the US squad heading to the 2026 Aachen World Championships.

Indian Rock was a regular at senior championships with his former rider Emmelie Scholtens, with whom he represented the Netherlands at the 2022 World Championships, 2023 Europeans and 2024 Paris Olympics.

He was sold to the US after Paris and has had success in the States with new rider Christian Simonson, winning their first eight international starts and finishing runner-up in both the grand prix and freestyle at the 2026 World Cup final.

On Thursday (4 June), the 13-year-old stallion’s owner Zen Elite Equestrian Centre shared the news that Indian Rock (“Rocky”) would not be available for selection this year.

“After a lot of discussion with the team, we’ve decided not to include Indian Rock in our summer championship team plans this year,” said a statement from Zen Elite.

“Rocky has given us an incredible season, and we couldn’t be more proud of everything he has accomplished. He has exceeded our expectations in every way, and we feel the best decision for him right now is to enjoy a well earned break and some time to simply be a horse.⁣

“We believe that building great horses for the long term means knowing when to continue forward and when to give them the opportunity to recharge. Rocky has taken us on an amazing journey this year (one we couldn’t have dreamed up any better), and we want to set him up for continued success in the years ahead.⁣

“We are incredibly grateful for the support of our entire team and the many people who have cheered Rocky on every step of the way.⁣”

The statement added that the team will be “proudly cheering on the rest of Team USA” this summer, including Christian and his other top ride Fleau De Baian, also owned by Zen Elite.

“Thank you for being part of Rocky’s story. Christian, Adrienne Lyle and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this very special horse,” added the statement.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Carl Hester sealed his preparation for this summer’s World Championships with impressive wins on British team stalwart Fame in both the grand prix and freestyle at Wellington CDI.

But the mighty Fame wasn’t the only ace in Carl’s hand. His new ride Monet X made his grand prix debut at nine years old in the premier league – duly winning on 74.09%.

For all that fans of the sport tend to speculate on how much longer Carl might be spearheading the British dressage team, this latest young talent looks set to take Fame’s baton one day.

“I feel incredibly lucky to have two horses like this – two top-quality horses,” said Carl. “It takes me back to the Uthopia–Valegro days. I never thought that would happen again, and now I have Fame and Monet.”

Carl Hester takes on new ride: “It’s incredibly exciting”

Carl was offered the ride on Monet X, a “massive, powerful” black gelding by Guardian S, by Dan Bremner, who produced him up to inter II. The new pair made their competitive debut with an inter B win at Hickstead last month.

“I’m meant to be winding down, not winding up – I’m not gathering horses!” said Carl. “I said to Dan, ‘no promises, but if I fall in love with him, let’s see how it goes’.”

Carl didn’t hold back on the thrill this “hot, presencey” young horse gives him.

“He has a lot of highlights – his half-passes are incredible with the reach he has in those,” he said. “Everyone talks about his hindleg, and he has unbelievable natural activity. He finds all the difficult work very easy in a relaxed situation – a test is slightly different.”

Carl paid tribute to Dan, who worked for him 10 years ago, for how well he has produced the horse, who is co-owned by Susan Singer and bred by Sandra Biddlecombe.

“Dan’s done exactly the right thing and given him time. I’m just putting a bit of icing on it. I didn’t think he was really ready to go out and do the grand prix today, but before you know it six months of the year have already gone, so I thought I’d better have a go and run through it.”

It was an impressive grand prix debut for their second time together down the centre line. Just one mistake in the first canter pirouette blotted a super display.

“What you’re seeing with Monet is a lot of potential – it’s nowhere near the polish I’d want to produce at international level, because I know how good it will be,” said Carl, who is planning one more outing, at Hartpury, this season.

“I can feel the partnership beginning to gel and it’s incredibly exciting looking forward to the next few years.”

Could Carl Hester’s Fame be better than ever?

But the baton is still firmly in Fame’s grip. At Wellington, the 16-year-old stallion produced within 0.2% of his best ever scores in both the grand prix and freestyle, which he posted at the Riesenbeck Europeans in 2023.

“Fame does feel better than ever,” said Carl. “He keeps going out and winning. He’s done two five-stars this season and come here for a bit of an outing as that’s all he’ll do before the worlds.

“He’s like a fine wine, and so consistent. He tries never to make a mistake. While his canter work and pirouettes are his highlight, it’s his character and temperament that make him what he is. He has the coolest, kindest nature you could wish for in a horse, and he shows that to everybody.”

The pair’s freestyle was particularly remarkable – with exceptional expression and pizzazz despite the drizzle and minimal crowds – to win by nearly 15% on 85.21%.

“It felt amazing, and I don’t ever say that about my performances because I’m always so critical about what I could have done better,” Carl said. “But I hit every note, he was so attentive today. It’s incredible to have a horse able to do something difficult – like our extended canter to double pirouette – and make it look so easy.

“It’s like he’s read the encyclopaedia of dressage and just goes, boom, boom, boom.”

As Fame moves towards veteran status, could he still be on an upward trajectory? We’ve seen it with plenty of top horses – for example, TSF Dalera BB and Mount St John Freestyle both excelling in their late teens.

“The interesting thing is that Fame doesn’t feel any different to when he was 12,” Carl said. “At the prize-giving I gave him a Polo on my right and a Polo on my left, and he can just turn round and grab anything – he’s so young in his body and heart.

“He and I are still realising how much better we can be as we get older. He’s the classic cliche of you never stop learning – and I know I have to be relaxed for him to be relaxed.

“Shows and movements aren’t a problem for him – it’s been getting his head to be [right]. Of all the most difficult things in a grand prix, what gives me the most pleasure is him standing still in prize-giving on a long rein.”

Carl hopes he’s got the balance just right for Aachen.

“He’s done six tests this year and they’ve all been above normal – he loves it,” Carl says. “He’s been so enthusiastic about all of them and I want him to go to the worlds with that same enthusiasm.”

Roll on Aachen – and beyond.

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Laura Tomlinson shares her thoughts on her home-bred horses debuts and a sweltering Nations Cup in Lier, Belgium

I have to start by adding my congratulations to Ros Canter and her brilliant partner, Lordships Graffalo (Walter), on their Mars Badminton win. What an incredible role model Ros is as a rider but also as a mother. She is breaking both records and boundaries of what is achievable as a woman.

Although she may make it all look so easy, it’s worth remembering that creating such a picture of ease and harmony takes an enormous amount of hard work and dedication day in, day out.

It’s also a testament to the team around them, especially when coming back from pregnancy. I know both my eldest daughter and I left Badminton feeling hugely inspired by so many awesome partnerships and fabulous riding.

I also feel my claim to fame here is that Walter’s grandfather was my old horse, Polarion, who I took from juniors through to our first grand prix together.

Since Badminton, I’ve had the privilege of competing another home-bred, Forest Hill, at his first international at Hickstead. It was emotional for me to have another horse at that level for the first time, and at a show that my father loved so much.

The atmosphere was wonderful, and the team there did a great job of combining so many classes across so many levels, both nationally and internationally.

Forest Hill had only two grand prix tests at a local venue under his belt before going down the centre line there, and so I was delighted with his top-three placing. There’s so much more to come from him.

The thing that struck me about him was how uncomplicated he felt and how happy he was to do his job – he was totally undistracted. The special was trickier as we had not practised it, but he gave it a good bash. The first half felt great; we came a little unstuck in the canter, but I felt all the things I wanted to feel for the future.

I also had a newer horse, Ostmarks Digal, out in the prix st georges (PSG) and was able to take the win there. Australian rider Tyla Schou, who works for me at home, took a six-year-old mare of ours, Vallemagia, to win the six-year-old classes with over 95%!

Lots to like in Lier

From Hickstead, it was on to the Nations Cup in Lier, where again, the Belgians put on a fabulous competition – although it did feel like riding in an oven with the heatwave having struck in full force.

Sadly, Full Moon really struggled to settle in his stable, which was right by the main thoroughfare of horses passing in each direction. We had some great moments, but we definitely took too much of that tension into the ring, which translated into silly mistakes that curbed the marks from reflecting his improvements elsewhere.

He’s getting stronger at this level now, but we need to do some homework on getting through the canter work clean or else the scores won’t improve.

But it was great fun to be on the team, as ever well looked after by Caroline Griffith and the World Class staff. Sadie Smith, Susan Pape and Lewis Carrier all put in superb grand prix tests, and I couldn’t have been prouder of how the team rode – each producing a lovely, harmonious picture with a happy athlete under saddle – or of our second-place finish.

I went from there to the National Schools Equestrian Association arena eventing championships at Hickstead with my eldest daughter to sweat some more. Luckily, she managed to win more rosettes than I did, and I was delighted to see so many children having fun and getting a taste for competing on such amazing grounds.

At the time of writing, next up is the international at Wellington, with Forest Hill in the grand prix and Ostmarks Digal in the PSG, and possibly a ride on the six-year-old mare potentially to qualify her for the World Breeding Championships, as Tyla cannot ride her for Australia.

It all seems rather like a whirlwind at the moment, but very exciting to be busy with such lovely horses that my team and I have put so much work into over the years.

● Who is the rider or role model who’s inspired you most this season? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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The race to Aachen World Championships is on! Which Brits are on song and what competitions are likely to be key in coming weeks?

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The first fully bridleless show in the UK has been described as inspirational, emotional – and a big step towards change.

More than 20 people competed in showjumping and dressage at the British Bridleless Competition at Merrist Wood on 31 May – and some 500 came to watch. Organiser Mia Rodley, of The Heart of Horsemanship, told H&H they had to turn spectators away as they were at capacity.

“It’s huge,” Mia said. “People were in tears of happiness watching, which was lovely – and it’s just blown up.”

Horse & Country live-streamed the British Bridleless Competition, clips have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times and Mia has been overwhelmed with requests for training, displays and shows across the world. She has even been given donations – she paid thousands to put on the event – to back the cause and help fund future shows.

“We’re definitely going to do it again because it was so unbelievably successful,” Mia said. “We’ve had three videos hit a million views and I could do with a full-time person to reply to emails about it – I can’t tell you how big it’s got.

“It was amazing and such a great atmosphere. All the horses were so calm. People said they’d never seen a warm-up so relaxed, no aversive behaviours and the crowd was buzzing. Everyone’s said how inclusive it was, really supportive, great energy and atmosphere. For me, the idea was that if the governing bodies won’t let us compete bridleless, we’ll run competitions parallel to it.”

The British Bridleless Competition had dressage from intro to elementary – and one grand prix freestyle test – and jumping up to 1.20m. Competitors had to apply by sending videos to show they were competent and safe, all warmed up with a bridle and had time for arena familiarisation, and organisers had a final say on whether each was safe to compete.

Mia has always said bridleless riding is complementary to, and can enhance, traditional horsemanship; it is not one or the other and that it is the epitome of a harmonious horse-human relationship because “if you haven’t got the horse’s mind, you won’t have his body”.

“Serena Kullich, who jumped the 1.20m, has just qualified that horse for a 1.40m at Horse of the Year Show and she says his jumping and rideability is a million times better since getting him good at bridleless,” she said. “We had all types of horses there; anyone can do it and that’s what’s really taking off. It’s fantastic.”

List One judge is “totally inspired”

British Dressage List One judge Mary-anne Horn, who judged the dressage with natural horsemanship expert Lyla Cansfield, told H&H she was “totally inspired”.

“I had to think outside the box; obviously I couldn’t talk about the contact because there isn’t one, but I can talk about connection from the hindleg through the body,” she said. “I don’t know what I thought I expected, but there was no spooking, no tension. The horses were very relaxed and it certainly teaches people to ride, because they have to use the seat and back and leg and not rely on the reins.

“I was just amazed by the horses’ attitude. You often comment, ‘Needs to step more through, relax, let go in the back,’ and these horses did, because they were relaxed. So they let go in the backs, then the horse did step through with the hindleg. It was quite moving, to see the relationship between the rider and the horse. This is going to be a thing, I think.”

Ms Horn said she judges many horses and sees a lot of imperfect riding and people relying on rein aids.

“I can see this will appeal,” she said. “Someone said, ‘This is what classical dressage should be,’ and I don’t think you can really compare the two as they’d have to tweak the tests above medium. They can do changes and piaffe-passage, but anything that needs lateral bend might be tricky to judge.

“I’m trying to promote this in a good way, but not set one against the other. British Dressage should embrace and support it, as it has its place and people are so enthusiastic about it.”

Ms Horn said she also saw some of the jumping, which she thought was “incredible; the horses were putting themselves right”.

“Everybody had a lovely time and the horses looked happy as Larry,” she said. “Mia made it really inclusive; I’ll certainly have a debrief with her and see how we can move it forward.”

Lynne Macleod, who rode the grand prix freestyle with her Lusitano Hermes, told H&H she competes in working equitation, which includes dressage and allows bitless, but only started bridleless riding last year.

“It felt amazing,” she said. “He’s the first horse I’ve ridden at grand prix and we’re quite new to it but I thought, ‘I think we could do that.’ I used to do it in a double but changed to a snaffle and the more I’ve gone less bit – the snaffle then taking the bridle off – the better his work.

“I’d have liked a bit more bend in the half-passes, as that’s where you can use a bit to influence the body in a positive way, but he did everything; one-time and two-time changes, they were straight and clean, and his pirouettes were small.”

Lynne added that all the feedback she has seen on the show has been positive.

“I still ride traditionally with bits, but there are certain things that can always be improved in everybody’s test and riding and if you can help that by doing things slightly differently, great,” she said. “And if it gets people talking and opens up other avenues – I’m not saying everyone should just whack their bridle off, but the feeling of being able to do that is incredible.

“And the atmosphere was incredible too, like everyone was willing you to do well. There was such positive energy about the whole thing.”

It is hoped that another British Bridleless Competition will be held this year.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The countdown to the FEI World Championships at Aachen (11 to 23 August) is continuing apace while the race for selection for British squads is set to draw to a head in the coming weeks.

Strong performances from Brits this spring, plus a clutch of significant fixtures still to come, make this point in the summer an intriguing time for followers of top-level sport.

Nominated entries meetings for Britain’s squads are set to happen around 22 to 24 June and the meetings for definite entries around 15 or 16 July.

H&H’s sport editors have shared their insight into who the movers and shakers look to be in the build-up to selection – and which competitions fans should be taking note of.

“In eventing, the selection race is really hotting up,” said H&H’s eventing and magazine editor Pippa Roome.

“There are a lot of different routes riders can take as they aim to be chosen, showing their colours at five-star, four-star long and four-star short – we’ve had Kentucky, Badminton and Royal Jump, plus fixtures such as Kronenberg, Belsay and Bicton. In the next few weeks we have Bramham and Luhmühlen.

“European champion Laura Collett (London 52), who has good four-star short form this spring, and Badminton winner Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo) are surely assured of their places, leaving two team and one individual place for everyone else to scrap over.”

Pippa added: “Tom McEwen (JL Dublin), last year’s individual European bronze medallist, needs to confirm his spot in the CCI4*-S at Bramham. Harry Meade (Annaghore Valoner) and David Doel (Galileo Nieuwmoed), Badminton and Kentucky podium finishers, can’t be ruled out and Gemma Stevens has laid her cards on the table with a win in the CCI4*-L at Royal Jump on Flash Cooley, who would be a championship debutant.

“Another grey, Its Cooley Time, defends his CCI4*-L title at Bramham for Bubby Upton as he tries to make amends for a fall at last year’s Europeans; it’s a similar position for Caroline Harris (D Day), who goes to Luhmühlen after elimination at the Europeans. Tom Jackson’s United 36 was super impressive at Badminton but perhaps needs a year’s more experience.

“It looks like time has run out for defending world champion Yasmin Ingham’s Banzai Du Loir – she needs a qualification at CCI4*-L or CCI5* before 6 July and, having withdrawn him from the final horse inspection at Royal Jump, she’d need a late entry at Bramham or Luhmühlen to achieve that. Yasmin’s Gypsie Du Loir, last year’s Bramham CCI4*-S winner, goes to Bramham again this time for the CCI4*-L and could be a wild card.”

“Competition is rife” in build up to World Championships selection

H&H’s showjumping editor Jennifer Donald reports on the landscape from the jumping scene.

“We’ve become used to the Olympic gold medal-winning trio of Ben Maher, Scott Brash and Harry Charles forming the core of Great Britain’s championship squads and the former two have an enviable string of horses to choose from this year,” she said.

“However Harry is currently rebuilding his string, meaning competition is rife for the remaining slots as the five-star Nations Cup/grand prix season hots up, with next week’s Longines League of Nations in Rotterdam (19 June) a key date.

“Among those building up for a big summer are Jessica Mendoza, Jack Whitaker and Joe Stockdale, while breakthrough stars Adrian Whiteway and Chacco Volo produced a standout performance in the Rome Nations Cup (29 May), jumping double clear for Britain.

“The Rolex grand prix at Aachen was the closest you can get to a championship ‘trial’ as the world’s top riders brought out their big guns for a prep run in the iconic arena and fourth-placed Ben Maher and Enjeu De Grisien were among the star performers.”

“Buckle up”

H&H’s dressage editor Oscar Williams said the “core trio from last summer’s European Championships is in fine form”.

“Lottie Fry’s 15-year-old Glamourdale has allayed any fears he might be past his best, recording successive grand prix scores of 80%+ on this winter’s World Cup circuit – the first time he’s broken that barrier since 2022, and a striking turnaround from his sub-76% grand prix at the Europeans,” he said.

“Carl Hester and Fame have looked as consistent as ever, while Becky Moody and Jagerbomb ascended to new heights. All three are shoo-ins. The drama is in the fourth spot.”

He added: “Charlotte Dujardin and Alive And Kicking would have been favourites, but the mare was sold in April. The considerable chasing pack are all averaging similar scores, but the battle looks to be between Charlotte with Brave Heart II and Fiona Bigwood with Donna Bella.

“Fiona looks the favourite, having edged out Charlotte in their head-to-head at Hickstead – but the battle between the two will go down to the last two home internationals, at Wellington (4 to 7 June) and Hartpury (3 to 5 July). Buckle up.”

Oscar said the race for spots on the para squad is “still in flux” but European medallists Jemima Green and rising star Fantabulous “look most assured for a team spot”.

“Mari Durward-Akhurst and 19-year-old Athene Lindebjerg have had just two outings since the Europeans, but with Paralympic qualification on the line, selectors should opt for the decorated mare’s experience – even if she might not make the LA team,” he said.

“Nicola Naylor and Humberto L have a strong case after a good run at Aachen in April. With Gabriella Blake’s Strong Beau retiring, another spot opens – likely to go to Sophie Wells (LJT Egebjerggaards Samoa or MSJ Gold Standard) and Erin Orford on LJT Nutbush.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Bestselling author Jojo Moyes reflects in her own words on her childhood riding in London, being chased by park-keepers, and why horses are her oxygen mask

Judy Harvey was one of my first role models. She had just taken over Lee Valley Riding School in London, where I started riding, when I joined. We’d work 20 hours for one hour’s riding and we thought that was great. I will always be grateful to Judy because she took us all seriously in a way that, given her own talents, she absolutely didn’t need to.

My first horse of my own was Bombardier. At the time there were lots of funny little yards around East London tucked away in side streets. You’d open a garage door and there would be four stables behind it in a small cobbled yard.

A man called Danny had found Bombardier chained to a lamp post, a section C stallion. Danny nursed him back to health, but had no idea what to do with him. And so I sort of took over some of his training.

I would ride in London Fields, which wasn’t well received by the park-keepers. I couldn’t afford a saddle and so rode bareback much of the time. One time, I was lying on Bombardier’s back listening to my Sony Walkman – which felt like the coolest thing – and was then royally bucked off when someone hit a tennis ball at him and he farted off across London Fields, with me – and the park-keeper – giving chase.

I had to sell Bombardier when I had A-levels coming and couldn’t spare the time to work to pay for him. I could never discover what happened to him after that – it broke my heart. No animal has ever left me since; they’re with me for life.

Jojo Moyes on competing: “Carl Hester doesn’t have to worry yet”

Now I have Joey, a warmblood. He’s a confidence-giver. He can be a bit complicated but he’s not sharp; he’s never made me think, “I might die now”.

I absolutely love him. He’s a bit like a large dog in that he likes to chew everything. If you’re mucking out, he’ll pick up a broom and start sweeping.

His favorite thing is to stick out his tongue and have you waggle it; he goes into a sort of reverie.

I took up classical dressage about three years ago. We’d moved to London and to a livery yard, and one day the owner barked at me, “Do you know anything about the outside rein?” I’d spent 20 years “hacking and yakking”! So I’ve had to unlearn everything, learn to ride off the outside rein and use my seat properly. I love it – even though it made me cry repeatedly for the first few months.

Joey and I have been out competing a few times and he’s often in the ribbons. We’ve got as far as elementary – Carl Hester doesn’t have to worry just yet!

“I don’t know who I’d be without horses”

Horses are so important to me because they fulfil so many of our needs in life. You can pour unconditional love into them, and riding is an intellectual challenge – you have to think about what you’re doing. Plus there’s a community and it’s great for you physically. It makes me happier than almost anything else that I do.

I draw something so deep and visceral from the company of horses. I couldn’t even explain it. I just need to be near them, and I don’t know who I would be without them; how I would navigate the world. Every horse person I’ve ever met is the same. It’s who we are.

I really notice the difference in my mood when I ride. I suffered from depression when my mum was dying, my marriage was ending and I’d overworked myself. I would struggle in the mornings, so would go out on my horse or walk the dogs.

And then I went to ride in Portugal for the first time and after a few days realised that I was waking up cheerful. I think it was being allowed to be “a horse-mad 14-year-old girl” with zero responsibilities, a lot of curiosity and room to learn, in an extraordinary landscape with beautiful horses.

It taught me an important lesson, especially in terms of being a woman and feeling like I’m always responsible for everything, which is that it’s vital to have periods when you get to just be an old horse girl. I don’t think it’s selfish; it’s putting your oxygen mask on first.

Jojo Moyes on the parallels between writing and riding

For both writing and riding, I believe, you have to love learning. My favourite thing with both is to lose myself in it to the point when I stop thinking and I’m just in it. You just have to go with it. I love not being in my head, and both riding and writing give me that.

Horses have been the biggest gift in my relationship with my daughter. All through her teens we would ride side-by-side at the weekend, and that was how we talked about stuff.

It taught her the discipline of doing your horse before you do anything else and she’s now this astonishing, hard-working, very capable 28-year-old. I think horse girls carry an air of capability that almost no other sports discipline gives.

I really feel like I had the best relationship with my daughter because of horses. We still ride together; it’s my favourite part of the weekend.

There are some really interesting questions being asked at the moment about our relationship with horses. I think it’s about actually observing what the horses are telling us and working with it rather than subduing them. I hope that we’re moving as a horse society towards something that’s a little more collaborative rather than dominant.

• Jojo Moyes’ latest book, We All Live Here, is out now in paperback

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Dressage rider, trainer and British Horse Society (BHS) Fellow Pammy Hutton’s recent exclusive H&H column, in which she asked “Should anyone ever use running reins?”, has prompted a wide range of responses, both online and via email.

Pammy clarified her opinion saying: “The simple response lies in the word ‘anyone’ – and the answer to that is no. The word ‘ever’ is where the conundrum starts…” She said she has used them “occasionally, when needed”, adding: “The art comes in learning the if, the how and the when.”

To continue the conversation, here are some of the responses we received at H&H this week. If you’d like to add your views, please email us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name and address (only name and nearest town will be published), for consideration.

“Most BHS Fellows would not recommend them”

Pammy Hutton is widely acknowledged as one of our most esteemed BHS Fellows. Her extensive knowledge and experience within the equestrian community are unparalleled, and her regular column is always a pleasure to read.

Prior to the publication of her column last week, Pammy and I had a conversation regarding the contentious topic of running (draw) reins, prompted by a recent post she had shared on social media. During our discussion, we both concurred that the insights of Nuno Olivera, as expressed in his book From an Old Master Trainer to Young Trainers, provided valuable clarity on the appropriate, and more importantly, the inappropriate use of this training aid. Pammy also emphasised the importance of exercising great caution when employing running reins.

I am confident that your readers appreciate that the more than 50 BHS Fellows each hold unique opinions on the use of this particular rein. Most Fellows, myself included, would not recommend its use. Furthermore, running reins do not feature in the teaching or doctrines of the British Horse Society.

“To what purpose are you using them?”

Pammy Hutton’s column was refreshing to read. I have been lucky enough to visit her school, Talland, recently through an Emile Faurie Foundation auction schoolmaster prize via another special lady, dressage judge and trainer Maryanne Horn, who also featured recently in H&H. I can honestly says it’s a rare and special place.

By making such high quality schoolmasters accessible to amateurs, who often don’t have the funds to purchase such horses but who have no less passion to keep dreaming, it’s an establishment which keep those dreams alive.

I’ve never been somewhere that balances that fine line between horse training and welfare so well. There is a sugar cube box available on every side of the school, and the principal knows every one of her horses inside out (with eyes everywhere and on everyone!). She is as quick as lightning and tougher on the riders than the horses, and rightly so!

This is no dead-eyed riding school, but a place full of humble trainers and riders and willing horses who are correctly worked and well managed.

It’s never about whips, spurs or, as Pammy’s article bravely took on, running reins, but to what purpose are you using them, and who is on the end of them (or indeed teaching those on the end of them).

Experience, empathy and an understanding of when to add, but more importantly, release the pressure, both on horse and human is key.

Beyond that still, what I saw first hand at Talland, and what I think makes the biggest difference, is an undeniable love of the horse.

“Usually ‘good’ riders don’t need them”

I spent many years having training with three-time Olympian Johanna “Jook” Hall whose opinion of running reins was that there was a place for them in training, but only ‘good’ riders are capable of riding with running reins and usually ‘good’ riders didn’t need them!

What do you think? Email us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name and address (name and nearest town will be published) for the chance to have your views published in a future issue of H&H magazine or online.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events, as well as exclusive insights from top names, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The competition timetable for para dressage at the LA28 Paralympic Games (15 to 27 August) has been revealed.

The first trot-up will take place the day before the opening ceremony (14 August) and competition will be spread across six days, including one rest day, from 16 to 21 August. As with the Olympic competitions, the para dressage events will take place at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia.

“Following the comprehensive presentation by LA28 at the FEI General Assembly 2025 and the confirmation of the Olympic competition schedule, the announcement of the Paralympic timetable is another important milestone,” said FEI president Ingmar De Vos.

“The schedule is compact, balanced and designed with horse and athlete welfare at its core. Three non-competition days are built in to allow horses and athletes to settle in, prepare and recover, while also providing flexibility should unforeseen circumstances arise.

“We are very pleased with the progress being made towards the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events and look forward to continuing our close collaboration with the organising committee over the next two years.”

Mr de Vos added that the FEI welcomes the fact para dressage retains its number of medals and quota places from Paris 2024.

“Strong foundations are now in place, and we are confident LA28 will deliver exceptional Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events in a truly outstanding venue,” he said.

Competition is set to take place in the mornings and from mid-afternoon into the evening, with gaps in the timetable from around noon until 3pm.

The timetable is provisional at this stage, but as it stands today (28 May), the para dressage competition opens with the individual medals (16, 17 and 18 August), followed by the team medals (19 August). There is a rest day on 20 August and all freestyle medals will be decided on 21 August.

The timetables for all other sports have also been revealed and the full schedule features more than 1,100 hours of competition.

“The Paralympic Games are a must-see elite sporting event,” said Janet Evans, LA28 chief athlete officer.

“As the world’s third largest sporting event, they celebrate athletic excellence at the highest level, demonstrating relentless determination and the limitless potential and power of sport. With more sports and days of competition than ever before, LA28 is setting the stage for a legendary Paralympic Games.”

Ileana Rodriguez, LA28 vice-president of Paralympic strategy and relations, added: “We have the opportunity to break barriers and redefine what the Paralympic movement and disability representation can mean for the next generation.

“We have the chance to shine a brighter light on more Paralympians than ever before, and I cannot wait for fans everywhere to witness the extraordinary athleticism and unforgettable moments that their performances are sure to bring.”

See the full para dressage timetable for the LA28 Paralympic Games below

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Pammy Hutton FBHS asks “should anyone ever use running reins?” and shares her thoughts on judging inconsistencies

I’ve been warned never to discuss this taboo topic, but here goes… Should anyone ever use running reins?

The simple response lies in the word “anyone” – and the answer to that is no. The word “ever” is where the conundrum starts.

Do I ever? Yes, occasionally, when needed. The art comes in learning the if, the how and the when.

The running rein – which runs from the rider’s hand, through the bit ring and back to the girth – has a sliding effect, and if gently used, can teach the horse about a soft contact. It’s far better than pulling the head in.

The great classical trainer Nuno Oliveira advocated using what he also called “German reins” with “tact and delicacy”, briefly and not daily. The big mistake, he says, is forgetting to give with the hand once the horse is in the desired position.

Interestingly, he points out that ecuyers – or classical horsemen – traditionally used running reins attached to a cavesson rather than the bit.

And I love this Oliveira observation on running reins: “A knife in the hands of a gentleman can cut meat into very small pieces, but in the hands of a maniac, it can be dangerous.”

Another well-known but modern trainer refers to “assistance reins”, which sounds kinder. But there’s never an excuse to ignore the need for care, caution and remembering that all-important “give”.

FEI must get its house in order

“Brilliant… but a pity all the scores were not more level,” was all I could say to a disappointed advanced medium gold competitor at last month’s Winter Dressage Championships.

“You rode a blinder!” was what I wanted to say after watching their mistake-free test. The only consolation was that another competitor was judged first, second and 19th.

Soon after the winters, I treated myself to an Addington trip. Wow, what an encouraging grand prix and all classes were full at this popular venue. Nothing was too much trouble. My only niggle is that the surface is a tad hard. Apparently, it suits the showjumpers, but I was busy trying to keep my “jumper” in the ring!

The show was a great leveller for me as I was not good enough; there’s work to do to compete at this level again. Oh, the terrors of failing to achieve the exclusive 70% – yet most judges’ marks were on the money with helpful comments.

As someone who has regularly shuddered at mark discrepancies and favouritism, I totally understood all the points H&H dressage editor Oscar Williams raised in his article on the subject of artificial intelligence.

I’m also a little nervous that widespread use of AI analysis of every movement, although helpful, could terrify some into giving up.

Yet for now, the most urgent thing is for the FEI to get its house in order and make some clear decisions on issues that have been left hanging for far too long.

It needs to determine if we really like four-time canter pirouettes? What about the trot that is not in two-time? The walk that is not in an accurate four-time beat? Is it acceptable for the foreleg to be behind the vertical in piaffe? Does conformation of horse and rider matter?

Even if we went totally down the AI route, dressage will always be subjective.

I’ve always applauded high marks for ease and harmony, but surely measuring the extent to which a test looks easy and harmonious can only ever be a matter of the judge’s perception?

Opinion aside, some well-defined guidelines from the FEI down would go a long way towards removing arbitrary marks based on uncertainties and inconsistencies.

Equestrian answer to farmers’ choir?

The Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir nailed it on TV’s Britain’s Got Talent. It might have started to promote a certain beer, but it turns out that singing together is a wonderfully uniting force in an often lonely profession.

Now, which equestrians can sing? One slot on Britain’s Got Talent did more for farming’s image than any advertisement. Surely the horse world could pull off something similar… Any sponsors out there?

● Where do you stand on running reins – sometimes or never? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events, as well as exclusive insights from top names, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy reading:

Can AI judge dressage? The technology exists – but is the sport ready for it?

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Dressage has a future – but we need to accept there are things that are not right, and there is a shared responsibility to see and change them.

This was a key message from an Intelligent Horsemanship (IH) webinar titled “Can dressage be saved”, last month.

Speakers Dr Sue Dyson, Dr James Cooling and Lisa White considered the situation, and the future.

Dr Dyson has developed the ridden horse pain ethogram (RHPE), a list of behaviours that, if eight or more are shown, indicate that the horse is in pain or discomfort.

She said she has watched more than 1,400 horses warming up for or competing in dressage, and many have shown open mouths, heads behind the vertical or repeated tail-swishing, all behaviours identified in the RHPE.

“When we compare upper-level grand prix horses in dressage compared with, for example, five-star event horses, frequency of mouth opening with separation of the teeth is far higher, 68% versus 44%,” she said.

“If we compare World Cup qualifiers and the championship with, for example, the British Dressage national championships, we see a worse statistic, mouth opening with separation of the teeth in 81% of horses.

Why is this happening?

“We have to ask why this is happening, and how horses doing this can apparently be rewarded by judges. There was a study performed at Aachen, a fantastic level of competition, and horses that had their heads further behind the vertical did better than those with their heads in a vertical position. That seems wrong.”

Dr Dyson said we need to discover why horses are opening their mouths in this way; is it pain, and if so, what causes it. She pointed out that a major difference between top grand prix and eventing dressage is that until this year, double bridles were mandatory for the former.

“I question whether riders and trainers appreciate the biomechanical consequences of the horse’s head being behind a vertical position,” she said. “Often, shortening of the neck doesn’t allow the horse to appropriately move through its back, engage the muscles of the thoracic girdle, which enable it to elevate the forehand, which allows the horse to sit more behind, flex at the lumbosacral joint, engage the hind limbs and push appropriately from them.

“When any of these things go wrong, we’re compromising the potential athletic development of the horse, and also potentially predisposing to the development of injury. In young horse classes, we’ve got extravagantly moving horses, forced into a constricted frame which doesn’t allow them to develop the appropriate musculature, and it is going to compromise their longevity. We need to be discussing this future of dressage with respect to training, the equipment we put on the horse and what the riders are doing.”

Dr Dyson said she “questions the use of young horse classes” and the stallion grading systems.

Slowing young horses’ development

“There are commercial pressures from breeders producing these extravagantly moving horses, which are not necessarily suited to amateur riders,” she said. “There’s the pressure to produce them quickly, so stallions are graded, young horses sold for high prices.

“We must slow down with the development of young horses; that’s crucial for optimisation of longevity and quality of performance, and we need to have judges who don’t reward what’s not regarded as appropriate.”

Top dressage rider and coach Ms White said she believes horses must be developed for the long term.

“We have to all get better,” she said. “We’ve got to all understand that to fix the sport, or certainly make it more palatable.”

She said she believes riders need to think far more about how they use their bodies in riding; a steady, “immovable” contact is often held up as the ideal and it “becomes fixed”, which means horses going behind the vertical.

“My passion is helping people learn how to ride more with their bodies, so we can take the pressure off the horse’s mouth, ride better and more connected and balanced, and more happy with the horse.”

Conflict behaviour

Bit and bridle fitting consultant Dr Cooling said use and fit of bits and bridles and how they work with each horse can of course affect conflict behaviour.

“If you’re riding dressage, why would you want to restrict the horse in that way?” he said.

“The main thing is that the horse has to be comfortable with what’s on its head and in its mouth. How do you ensure that and make the horse comfortable? Standards need to be increased in terms of fitting across the board at all levels.

“I think the message is generally getting out, that bits and bridles should be fitted like saddles, and checked on a regular basis. They have physical and psychological effects on the horse as well. If they’re not comfortable, horses go into pressure; if they’re uncomfortable in their mouth or head, they’ll go forward, which can be seen as the horse being keen, and sometimes encourage poor riding or training, or use of more restrictive equipment to try to control that forwardness.

“Horses need to be able to find relief of pressure and if they have restrictive equipment, they can’t.”

Noseband tightness

Dr Cooling added that there is “no excuse” for over-tight nosebands, citing the FEI’s two-finger limit on tightness and measuring tool, but that “nosebands need to be looser than this” to avoid excess pressure and discomfort.

“If you’re having to tighten your noseband, or the horse is opening its mouth, it’s information to you as a rider or a trainer; what’s going on?” he said. “There is a problem, and whether that is a riding problem, training, contact, biomechanical, lameness, a problem with the fit or comfort – those things need addressing, rather than just trying to mask it or tighten it.”

Host Kelly Marks of IH also raised the issue of lameness in dressage horses, citing a study that found more stress on the suspensory ligaments in extended than collected paces.

Dr Dyson said she advises anyone whose horse is naturally willing to extend not to train or warm up in those paces, as the horse can do it anyway, to avoid repetitive strain that can result in injury.

“The panellists feel dressage can potentially be saved, but it requires the acceptance that currently there are lots of things that are not right,” Dr Dyson said. “It’s going to be the responsibility of the owners, riders, trainers, judges and rule-makers collectively to recognise what’s going wrong and change in accordance.”

> What action do you think should be taken? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, World Cup champion Becky Moody explains why good circles start with knowing your arena, your horse and yourself

We ride more circles than anything else in dressage. So it’s a bit of a problem that many of us don’t fully understand how to ride a circle for optimum benefit, whether that’s in tests or during our dressage training.

The 20m circle looks innocuous on a test sheet. Easy, even. You pick it up at the marker, swing round, and from the saddle it feels fine. Then the sheet comes back: “Loss of bend.” “Not round.” “Falling in.” “Falling out.” Sometimes the full set – or my most common comment: “Not 20m.”

The 10m circle, meanwhile, is where a lot of riders first learn the hard way that a circle isn’t a steering exercise. It’s a test of balance, suppleness and awareness rolled into one.

How to ride the perfect circle

Becky Moody is, by her own admission, a geek about riding a circle.

“When I was younger and even more of a geek, I used to have my little to-scale arenas that I would draw, and then I’d draw my tests so that I could really understand the distances,” she says. “I’m quite a visual person.”

The work, in other words, starts long before you actually start turning. Here are Becky’s tips to help you ride the perfect circle – and they’re relevant to riders at all levels.

1. Know your arena

“My first thing is, know the dimensions of an arena,” Becky adds. “And I don’t just mean 20×40 or 20×60. I mean the distance between the letters.”

In a 20m by 40m arena, the markers down each long side sit at 6m, 14m, 14m, 6m from the short side, shown below.

In a 20m by 60m arena, it’s 6m, 12m, 12m, 12m, 12m, 6m.

Which means K, F, M and H sit only 6m from the short side – they’re not where a 20m circle from A or C should touch the long side. That point – where the circle brushes the track – is 10m from the short side, which is four meters beyond K, F, M or H in both arenas.

This matters because most circles drift towards markers. They feel like circles, but they’re really ovals with squared-off ends. A correctly ridden 20m circle from C in a short arena (shown below) touches the track at C, momentarily touches the track on the long side halfway to B (or E), crosses over X, then mirrors that on the other long side and returns to C. No straight lines. No corners. You should, in effect, never not be turning.

“If you understand technically where it has to go, then it’s about having your horse between two legs and two reins so you can actually steer properly around where you’re trying to go,” Becky says.

2. Know your horse – and yourself

This is where the most-repeated phrase in dressage – inside leg to outside rein – needs a closer look.

“The whole inside leg to outside rein thing really depends,” Becky says. “A lot of horses tend to over-bend on the left rein and fall out through the right shoulder.

“So if you ride inside leg to outside rein on that rein, and you’re not on it enough with your outside rein, you can actually make it worse. You can push that outside shoulder out further.”

But no single rule fits every horse. “Horses are like us,” Becky adds. “They’ve all got a bendy side and a straighter side. It’s understanding that, and then that will help you know what you need to do.”

Riders have a dominant side, too. “If you’re a bit dominant with your left hand, the likelihood is on the left rein you’re going to bend the horse too much to the inside and let it fall out the outside,” Becky says.

The fix isn’t something that’s easy to put down in words as a simple formula. It’s awareness, feel, of where your horse is genuinely supple and where they’re compensating, and of which of your own habits are making things worse.

3. Bend, not neck-bend

A circle asks the horse to bend uniformly along the curve. The judge wants to see the body follow the shape, with just enough flexion at the poll to glimpse the inside eye, ear and nostril. That’s it.

The classic error is hauling on the inside rein and producing a neck-bend – the horse’s head turns in, while the shoulders, and ribcage carry on in the original direction. The horse falls out through the outside shoulder, drifts wide, and loses the very thing the circle is designed to show: that your horse is actually supple and listening to the rider’s leg, not their hand.

Riding out of a circle is just as revealing. The return to a straight line should be immediate – shoulders in front of the quarters, neck straight, body aligned. If straightness is a problem, riding on the inside track rather than against the wall or edge of the arena stops your horse from using the boards as a crutch to lean on.

How to ride a 10m circle

A 10m circle is quite an effective test of a horse’s balance.

“One of the biggest factors in being able to turn a really good smaller circle is balance,” Becky says. “If a horse is out of balance, then it’s difficult to turn on a smaller circle. So another thing to come back to is think about your scales of training and how it impacts your ability to influence the horse.”

In practice, that means a 10m circle exposes whatever is missing further down the scale. A horse lacking in rhythm loses a regular tempo on the turn. A horse struggling with suppleness resists the bend and pops the outside shoulder. A horse without honest contact down the rein hollows or curls. The circle isn’t the problem, it’s a diagnostic for the problem.

When your circle keeps going wrong

Some riders – like myself – ride consistent 16m circles and call them 20m. Some ride lopsided shapes and never realise. The fix, Becky says, is honest feedback.

“If you rode a 16m circle despite everybody telling you that you were riding a 16m circle and you needed to make it bigger, you have to understand, or your coach has to help you understand, why.

“Is it because the horse is falling in? Is it because you’re being idle and not forward-planning and steering properly? You have to understand what is causing your circle to go wrong consistently, and how you’re going to fix it.”

Good eyes on the ground are the gold standard. Failing that, Becky rates video.

“You can think as a rider that one thing is happening, and then when you actually see it back, you understand that maybe that’s not what’s happening at all,” she says.

“You think you’re riding a horse that’s between leg and hand, and aligned in the suppleness, and then you watch a video, and you’re like, ‘Holy crap, I’m bending their neck way more than I think I am, and I just need to take better control of that outside shoulder’.”

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US Olympic dressage rider Adrienne Lyle has paid tribute to her former top ride and London 2012 horse Wizard, who has died aged 27.

Adrienne and Wizard made their Olympic debut at London, finishing 35th individually. In 2014 they helped the US team to fourth place at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Normandy, France.

“Rest easy big boy. Wizard, you were larger than life and I loved you, and your many opinions, fiercely,” said Adrienne.

Adrienne got the ride on the Oldenburg gelding, owned by Peggy and Jane Thomas, through her trainer Debbie McDonald in 2007. They made their international grand prix debut together in February 2009 at the Burbank CDI-W in California.

Over the next few years Adrienne and Wizard were consistent on home soil, scoring wins at venues in California, Florida, Pennsylvania and New York, and rarely finishing outside the top 10.

“I will never forget the day Debbie first let me ride you in the jumper ring at River Grove. You were young and fiery and powerful, and I was in love,” said Adrienne.

“Because the Thomas family and the McDonalds chose to take a chance on a young girl from a farm in Washington state, my life was changed forever. Together you and I learned grand prix, became under-25 national champions and went on to represent the USA at the 2012 Olympics and 2014 World Equestrian Games.”

Wizard’s final international outing was WEG; Adrienne had hoped to aim for the 2015 World Cup Final, but she announced his retirement in January aged 16, after he sustained a field injury. He spent his retirement at home at the Thomas family’s River Grove Farm.

“You always kept life exciting and kept me laughing, while teaching me every day how to tame a dragon with love and patience,” she said. “I hope heaven knows what they are in for when you come charging through the gates.”

A spokesperson for US Equestrian said the governing body is saddened to learn of Wizard’s passing.

“USA Dressage sends our condolences to all who worked and loved Wizard throughout his life,” he said.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘It felt like flying’: Olympic medallists deliver another personal best

‘I just sent Carl Hester a message’: Justin Verboomen on the British legend who inspired him, making history – and what came next

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Four-time dressage Olympian Richard Davison reflects on British success abroad and difficult questions closer to home

This season may have got off to a troubling start for some, but the past few weeks have offered plenty to celebrate. Becky Moody and Carl Hester have done more than fly the flag on their travels – they’ve restated our position as a nation that strives for harmonious test riding.

Becky and Jagerbomb’s tests at their first World Cup Final were a joy to watch, and finishing head and shoulders above the field was no less than they deserved. Carl and Fame were superb in the grand prix special at the Fontainebleau CDI5*, where Lottie Fry and Glamourdale ran Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus close in the grand prix.

At the notoriously demanding German show in Hagen, Sadie Smith and Swanmore Dantina pulled out a strong result, and Dannie Morgan shone with his up-and-coming ride Fever Tree in the small tour.

Looking ahead to the World Championships at Aachen in August, a number of contenders are vying for the fourth team slot alongside Lottie, Carl and Becky, who are certainties.

Despite being only 10 years old, Fiona Bigwood’s chestnut mare Donna Bella shows great talent across the board and especially in piaffe and passage. Her temperament seems exceptional too – hardly surprising, given that she is out of Fiona’s former Olympic mare Atterupgaards Orthilia.

Gareth Hughes continues to make steady progress with Mowgli-Olympia MC, as does Annabella Pidgley with Vamos Amigos and Gio.

Currently these combinations are returning consistent scores in the low 70s. With plenty more in the tank, it’ll be fascinating to watch them all progress.

Sympathetic use of the aids

When Owen Slot lobbed British Equestrian (BEF) a hypothetical hand grenade in his Sunday Times piece earlier this season, he forced a question our governing bodies struggled to dodge. Citing a video of one of our riders at an FEI event, he asked whether the techniques on display accorded with the BEF’s own welfare codes.

As Laura Tomlinson pointed out in her recent column, that was a valid question, particularly when many of our top riders are publicly funded through the BEF’s World Class Programme. Other parts of the federation also benefit directly from this funding. So even on this narrow point, what the public perceives matters.

The jurisdiction question is academic – my view is that, as the rules currently stand, it would be a stretch to argue the welfare codes of British Dressage (BD) apply to British riders in FEI competitions. But that was not Slot’s point.

Ad hoc discussions between international riders also identified that this was not solely a matter of rules but more significantly a tangible example of social licence in action.

Accordingly, riding and coaching techniques need to keep up with the public’s ever-changing perception and expectations.

BD’s rules state that artificial aids such as bits and spurs must be applied “sympathetically”, and if they are not, their use is deemed abusive. Every British rider should be especially mindful of how that term is interpreted.

We have countless ambassadors for the sympathetic application of the aids – Carl and Gareth among them – and on the international stage, riders such as Justin and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour.

Not one of us is perfect, and any of us can unintentionally misuse a bit or a spur, especially in the heat of competition.

When that happens, the best response is to look through the eyes of others, own the error and strive to ride better. That serves our horses, preserves dressage for younger generations and eases the burden on those who administer the sport – many of them volunteers – who are too often left to defend it when we fall short.

Looking ahead to Royal Windsor

Let us hope that the remainder of the season delivers more British successes. With that in mind, I’m looking forward to the dressage masterclass at Royal Windsor on Thursday (14 May) with Carl and Becky, before heading to Hickstead CDI – I hope to see you all there.

● Who would you pick for the fourth team rider slot at the upcoming World Championships? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events, as well as exclusive insights from top names, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy reading:

‘It felt like flying’: Olympic medallists deliver another personal best

‘The two best routines of our career’: Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus raise the bar again at Fontainebleau

‘It was like a championships’: Britain second in Nations Cup opener as Carl Hester returns to team duty

‘I’ve nearly got a stronger set of horses than ever’: Gareth Hughes returns to winter championships after 20 years with stunning victory

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Tickets are now on sale for London International Horse Show. An absolute highlight of the festive season, London International is synonymous with Christmas for equestrians.

Whether you’re heading to London’s Excel for the showjumping, showing, dressage or even just the shopping, here’s everything you need to know about the ticket options before you book.

London International Horse Show tickets

The show will run from Thursday 17 December to Monday 21 December 2026 and there are a range of tickets available across the week.

General entry

These tickets are the cheapest option and give you access to the shopping village and the free standing area for The New Horizons Plastics Arena. You also have the option upgrade to unreserved seating access for the morning session in the The New Horizons Plastics Arena.

Entry from 8am. Prices are the same for each day of the show.

Show entry: From £36.20

Unreserved seat and show entry: From £40.95

View tickets at londoninternationalhorseshow.seetickets.com

Grandstand tickets

These tickets give you all-day access to the show, shopping village and Talk Horse Live Zone, unreserved seating in the New Horizons Plastics London Arena and a reserved seat in the International Arena during your chosen session.

Ticket prices vary throughout the week, depending on which session you attend and where you sit. There are four standard pricing tiers, plus two hospitality options and a limited view option.

Ticket prices (from cheapest full view) and session highlights are as follows:

Thursday afternoon: FEI Dressage World Cup grand prix (From £40)

Thursday evening: Puissance (From £73.95)

Friday afternoon: FEI Dressage World Cup freestyle (From £64.70)

Friday evening: Showjumping (From £64.70)

Saturday afternoon: Showjumping inc. Six Bar (From £73.25)

Saturday evening: Extreme Driving Challenge and showjumping (From £64.70)

Sunday afternoon: FEI Jumping World Cup (From £82.75)

Sunday evening: FEI Driving World Cup and showjumping (From £40)

Monday extended afternoon: FEI Driving World Cup and showjumping (From £64.70)

View ticket and seating options at londoninternationalhorseshow.seetickets.com

Season tickets

Season tickets for access and a reserved seat on all five days are available for £852.95.

Meet and greet tickets

To manage high demand, the incredibly popular meet and greets at the Live Zone will be ticketed this year. Tickets will be free of charge and can be booked here by anyone with a general admission ticket. The line-up will be announced later in the year.

London International Horse Show discount code

We have an exclusive H&H discount (HHLIHS26) that gives you 25% on 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier tickets for the following performances. Follow the links and enter the code at checkout – valid from 1 May 2026.

• Thursday afternoon (plus top price seats)
• Friday afternoon
• Friday evening
• Saturday evening
• Sunday evening (plus top price seats)
• Monday afternoon

Group bookings can also receive a 25% discount – find more information and register interest at londoninternationalhorseshow.seetickets.com

London International hospitality tickets

Premium seats

Phoenix Club seats are a prime VIP seating option within the International Arena. You can order drinks to your seat via QR code or book a table in the Club Restaurant to enjoy behind-the scenes action.

View options at londonhorseshow.com

Private boxes

This is where world-class sport meets luxury and style. Entertain guests in an private box and enjoy buffet or waiter‑served dining, a champagne reception or an indulgent festive afternoon tea.

Private boxes give excellent elevated views of the international area, as well as access to VIP entrances and exclusive areas for their guests. Dining and drinks options can be tailored to each package, making it the perfect way to entertain clients, colleagues, family or friends.

View options at londonhorseshow.com

About London International Horse Show

The London International Horse Show feels quite settled into its new home at the Excel London in the Royal Docks area of Newham, East London, where it has been held since 2021.

London International signals the start of the festival period for equestrians and is the only UK show to host all three FEI World Cup qualifiers in dressage, showjumping and driving. It takes place from 17–21 December this year.

As well as the show’s traditional favourites, such as the Shetland Pony Grand National and the Christmas finale, the show also features top-class action from across the disciplines, including The London International Showing Series, supported by Horse & Hound.

There are also an array of shops located in the retail village and plenty of food and drink outlets for you to choose from.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from London and other major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy:

Places to stay near the London International Horse Show

Royal Windsor Horse Show tickets are now on sale for 2026

The countdown is on – HOYS tickets for 2026 are on sale now

How to get to Excel for the London International Horse Show by rail, road, river – or cable car

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Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle have delivered another personal best, as the world number ones continue to go from strength to strength.

On Sunday (26 April) the Olympic and European medallists won the Hagen CDI4* grand prix special on 83.09%, more than 8% ahead of runners-up Ingrid Klimke and Vayron, who scored 74.92%.

“We unlocked a new level together and it brought tears to my eyes feeling how much we’re just one unit now,” said Cathrine, who also won the CDI4* grand prix with Freestyle on Friday.

“It literally felt like flying in our grand prix special, and with a personal best 83%. I’m left speechless. Humble and thankful for how generous Freestyle is to our little family.”

Cathrine and Freestyle are continuing their brilliant run this spring; their success in Hagen follows a double victory in the Herning CDI5* in March, where they scored a personal best grand prix of 84.17%.

On 1 April Cathrine set a new record when she climbed 24 places to take the number one spot in the dressage rider world rankings – while Freestyle moved up 22 places to top the horse rankings.

Emma Blundell of Mount St John, who co-owns Freestyle with Cathrine and the Zinglersen family, said “what a start to the outdoor show season”.

“I can’t believe in this next chapter of life, at 17 years young, how fit, well and happy she’s looking. Achieving new personal bests and loving her show time more than ever, with her relaxed but ultimate showman style shining through and their partnership and trust in each other strengthening with every outing,” she said.

Emma added that she could not have imagined, when Freestyle missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, that she would “return to this pinnacle again”.

“But after a couple of years’ nurturing I knew she was ready, and all the stars aligned when Cathrine came into the picture,” she said.

“I truly couldn’t have wished for a better partner for Free and I am eternally grateful for the care, love and compassion Cathrine implements throughout her training and management everyday, and the full support team around her, which has opened a whole new level of magic with Free who continues to amaze us in how exceptionally generous she is to all of us.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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When Justin Verboomen made European Championship history last summer – double gold, Belgium’s first-ever dressage medals – the messages flooded in. But there was one he sent himself, to the person who had inspired him since he was a child watching dressage. He messaged Carl Hester.

“For me – rider, teacher – he’s really the example I have had since I was a kid,” Justin says. After the European Dressage Championships, he reached out to ask whether Carl might occasionally be able to help him. “He answered me,” Justin adds, “but we haven’t planned anything specific yet.”

So while we might not see Justin and Zonik Plus coming down the lane at Oaklebrook Mill just yet, it tells you everything about the man that his first instinct after making history was to reach out and ask how he could be better.

Raised in a household shaped by horses – his father was a riding instructor, his early education rooted in classical dressage and Lusitano breeding – Justin spent years building quietly, developing a philosophy he still lives by today.

“My goal – and I don’t say I succeed all the time – is always to find the way in which the horse will be able to do the exercises in a beautiful but comfortable way,” he says.

Last summer’s breakthrough arrived, in his own words, “naturally.”

“There was really no plan,” he says. “It was one competition after another because we were invited.”

Staying grounded through it all was, he admits, the hardest part – and working with a mental coach helped.

“I try to stay focused just on my horse and what I have to do in the arena,” he says. “When I enter the arena, I just want to do something good. I was not expecting to be first. So after, it’s like a kind of surprise when you hear the scores, and you are first.”

He’s carrying the same approach into this summer’s World Championships. “If I start thinking about the placings, it really puts a different pressure on things. It has a negative impact on the training.”

Away from competition, life is built around the horses, his husband Jonathan, four dogs, and plans for his own stables – a childhood dream inching closer to reality.

On a normal day, he rides 10 horses, starting when the first groom arrives at half past seven. “I prefer to be alone with the horses,” he says, “and not surrounded by too many humans.”

The Europeans, for all their glory, were in that sense the hardest part. After the test came the media, then the doping test – and by the time he got back to the stable, two hours had passed.

“Nobody is there anymore, and you’ve missed all the nice parts,” he says. “When you do something like that – a good test – the only thing you want is to spend time with your horse and go back to the stable.”

Read the full Justin Verboomen interview, including life on the yard, his riding philosophy, and the European Championships moment that changed everything, in this week’s Horse & Hound, in shops from 23 April.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also like:

What’s in this week’s Horse & Hound, in shops from Thursday 23 April

‘Zonik Plus is not for sale’: why top dressage rider Justin Verboomen will never let him go

‘The two best routines of our career’: Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus raise the bar again at Fontainebleau

Watch history in the making: Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus’ breathtaking test for European dressage gold

Can AI judge dressage? The technology exists – but is the sport ready for it?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Carl Hester shares his views on the importance of the give-and-retake in dressage and the need for collective marks

Some 18 months ago, I wrote about introducing give-and-retake of the reins at small tour and grand prix level – an idea that came out of a conversation with Kyra Kyrklund.

That initiative gained great support at the FEI General Assembly last year, tabled under “changes in the rules that cannot await because of their impact on the welfare of the horses or the safety of the athletes”.

I advised anyone who doesn’t already incorporate give-and-retake in their training to start practising – it should be part of everyone’s routine.

At the recent FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne at the end of March – where it was reported that stretching on a long rein was recently trialled at a test event at Warendorf, Germany – it was discussed again as “being worked on”.

What I hope is achievable is a guideline as to what amount of stretch is expected and acceptable. My opinion is that horses stretch a lot better in rising trot, so I hope that whether to sit or rise will be left to riders.

Of course, these matters have to be trialled and worked out properly, but all I can say at this stage is that the FEI seems to be moving at a collected walk rather than an extended canter on things that “cannot wait”!

Collective marks

The 2017 FEI General Assembly voted in favour of the Dressage Judging Working Group’s proposal to remove the collective marks for paces, impulsion and submission and replace them with a single collective mark for the rider’s position, seat, correctness and effect of the aids.

There was an outcry, with German team trainer Monica Theodorescu and German five-star judge Dr Dietrich Plewa in particular producing very valid reasoning in opposition.

As Monica said at the time: “The collectives are essential to highlight the value of the principles of dressage. The judge gets the opportunity to weigh the rider’s focus positively or negatively, the clarity of gaits, throughness, connection, activity from behind and much more.

“I hope that because of this change we won’t return to seeing horses who are not loose, nor relaxed and lack natural expression.”

Dr Dietrich Plewa – who retired in 2019 – admitted at the time that judges had used collectives to influence the overall score but made some pertinent points, particularly about the marks for paces and for submission.

On the paces mark, he said: “When a horse shows mistakes in the rhythm in the test, which are not enough to eliminate the horse, then we could have expressed our remarks on balance and clarity in that collective mark.” Makes sense to me.

While some argued that the collective qualities should be addressed in the mark for each movement, collectives for paces and submission – but let’s call that something else, please – play a valuable role, it’s hoped they will be reinstated after consultation.

After all, if a rider sits perfectly for a nine yet the horse has its mouth open or tongue out, that does not make sense and does nothing to promote harmony in our sport.

Sunshine time

With the recent change to decent weather and a bit of sunshine, it’s fantastic that all the horses are able to get much more turnout. The difference in their bodies after several months of limited turnout is incredible to feel. It just validates the reasoning for turning out. I can feel the difference in them almost immediately, not just physically, but mentally, too.

Finally, while it was sad to see so few high-class entries at the World Cup Final in Texas – it seems people don’t want to travel these distances in the current climate – our Becky Moody took the plunge, and what a decision it proved to be, with her and Jagerbomb taking the title. Congratulations to them both – it’s thoroughly deserved.

● How do you think the reintroduction of collective marks would change dressage judging – for better or worse? We’d love to hear from you at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events, as well as exclusive insights from top names, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy reading:

‘What are we waiting for?’ asks Carl Hester following the FEI General Assembly

Improve your dressage scores: how and why to ride a give and retake of the reins

5 places most riders lose marks in the dressage arena (and how to win them back)

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The owner of a family-run venue that has gone from working farm to livery yard to competition centre said she hopes it will become a three-generation project – and that all who ride there will enjoy it.

Foxton Equestrian Centre, in Market Harborough, had its official opening on 17 April. The first competition, unaffiliated schools showjumping run by Spratton Hall, took place today (26 April).

Julie Kanjurs told H&H that the idea of the centre came by chance, after British Showjumping bought nearby Home Farm in Hothorpe to become the national training centre, and no longer a competition venue.

“It was during a Covid walk, I said to my husband: ‘Why don’t we build a new Hothorpe for the farm? He said yes, and I said ‘Oh my god’!”

Foxton is on Julie’s father’s farm and there was a DIY livery yard there; he gave the Bevins the land and they were ready to go.

“But when we were about to start working, it was when the Ukraine war started, and prices literally doubled overnight, so we had to save a load more money,” she said. “So it’s taken years but here we are today.

“It’s a real family business. I’ve got three daughters and we’re all horsey, apart from my husband! But because he’s in construction, he was the best person to do it.”

A huge amount of work was involved in the creation of Foxton Equestrian Centre as there was not even an outdoor arena on site when the family embarked on their project.

Starting last autumn, Brett built the main 72×40 indoor arena, with seating and cafe area, from scratch; this is attached to a 60×40 outdoor surface, giving a 100m stretch on which riders can canter from one to the other.

“We had just a paddock at the start so a lot of work had to be done,” Julie said.

“Just to make it level – to me, it didn’t even look like it wasn’t flat! But we had to bring a lot of earth in to make it level. We had to build a pond, a car park – luckily, my husband is in construction, because it cost more than we thought it would, as these things always do.”

The aim is to have arena hire, training and competition, and more.

“We haven’t got anything major in the books yet; we’re going to start off unaffiliated, but then hopefully, maybe over the next year, try to encourage some British Showjumping and British Dressage events,” Julie said. “Next year I’m hoping to have Pony Club camps as it’s perfectly set up for it, and there are fields around so if we need to extend. The idea would be to make the arenas bigger or have more arenas, and we’d like a cross-country field, my husband’s talking about doing that this summer.

“I like the idea of eventually having some small industry here too; tack shops or a vet, or some places have a local butcher’s there too, a play area maybe. I’ve got three daughters, all nearly leaving school, it’s my dad’s farm and he’s really behind it; I really hope this will be a family thing.

“We’re so passionate. Even my husband, who’s not horsey, is so passionate about it, it’s blown me away. It’s not him, but now it really is.”

Julie said British Eventing competition may also come eventually, and that the Foxton Equestrian Centre family is enjoying the ride.

“We have had people say ‘What the hell are you doing that for?’!” she said. “But most of the reaction has been really good, people saying finally they’ve got something around here.

“We’re open to everything, because we understand. There are different types of horsey people but at the end of the day, we all want the same thing. We all just want to have a bit of fun with our horses, whether it’s low level or top competition, we can all get that from a venue.

“That would be the dream. My youngest daughter lost her confidence a bit, and Dan [Delsart] came yesterday and gave her a lesson on my other daughter’s horse, and she was absolutely flying; I was gobsmacked. It made Dan happy, it made me happy, it made my child happy. All three of us are happy because of this venue, and that’s what it’s all about.”

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There was nothing inevitable about Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus – known on the yard as Zozo. The partnership that delivered Belgium’s first-ever dressage medals at last summer’s European Championships – double gold for the quietly spoken 38-year-old from Wauthier-Braine – could easily have been broken up before it ever truly began.

After his first grand prix outings on his Lusitano, Tamino, Justin knew he needed a horse capable of taking him higher. “I was always struggling – always searching for a horse that could put me at a higher level,” he says.

The search took him through Belgium, Germany and Ireland, trying horse after horse, none of which worked out. In the end, it was a conversation over dinner in Portugal that changed everything.

“At the end of the day, we were eating at a restaurant and there was a breeder there,” Justin recalls. “He told me, ‘Maybe I have a horse for you, just come and see him.’ So just before we took the plane, we went to see him – and I directly fell in love.”

Zonik was not quite two and a half years old, a little wild, but there was something there Justin couldn’t ignore. “He had the capacity to focus on me after five or 10 minutes, and that was there from the beginning,” he says.

“Even now, it’s really incredible how he can focus on his rider, even when a lot is going on around him.”

He laughs, recalling how he tried to keep his cool as they haggled over the price. “I said, ‘OK… maybe I can buy him if the vet check is OK.’ But really, I was astonished that they wanted to sell him to me!”

But as the partnership developed and the bills mounted, Justin came close to making the most painful decision of his career.

“To reach my goals, I had to spend money that I just didn’t have,” he says. When Zonik was six – talented but still unproven – Justin came close to selling him.

It was the yard’s previous owner who pulled him back from the edge. “She really saved me,” he says. “Thanks to her, I was able to keep Zonik, because at one point I was in trouble and almost obliged to sell him.”

Two years ago, with success finally arriving, Justin made himself a promise. “I decided: it’s finished. I will keep him until the end of his life. Even if people propose whatever they want, I will say no. He is not for sale.”

Watching them together, it’s difficult to imagine one without the other.

“He’s really part of my family,” says Justin. “I don’t see my life without him. I don’t have kids, but I have four dogs and a lot of horses.”

He pauses, laughs. “Well, my husband, too – not at the bottom of the list, of course. But yeah, they are my family: four dogs, my husband, and Zonik.”

Read the full Justin Verboomen interview, including life on the yard, his riding philosophy, and the European Championships moment that changed everything, in this week’s Horse & Hound, in shops from 23 April.

• For more exclusive interviews with top riders and trainers, and to stay up to date with the latest news, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also like:

What’s in this week’s Horse & Hound, in shops from Thursday 23 April

‘The two best routines of our career’: Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus raise the bar again at Fontainebleau

Watch history in the making: Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus’ breathtaking test for European dressage gold

Can AI judge dressage? The technology exists – but is the sport ready for it?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus posted back-to-back personal bests at the Fontainebleau CDIO5*, winning Saturday’s Nations Cup grand prix (18 April) on 83.5% then lifting the mark again to 91.86% in Sunday’s freestyle to underline their status as the pair to beat in 2026.

First of the three anchor riders to go in a closely contested team competition, the European champions set a benchmark the rest of the field could not reach.

The test drew 10s for the canter pirouettes and earned the highest individual score of the weekend, built on ground-covering tempi changes, seamless transitions into passage and the kind of near-invisible riding judges are increasingly rewarding at the top of the sport.

“Zonik was absolutely fantastic. I haven’t quite grasped the progress yet,” said Justin. “I’m not quite able to do everything I truly want to do yet, but he showed tremendous progress today.

“In my dream, the horse is even more independent in the arena, with a sense of ease.”

Sunday’s freestyle pushed the benchmark higher still. Returning to the arena to a packed grandstand, the pair scored 91.86% – their second personal best of the weekend – with what Justin described as the strongest two routines of their career.

“Fontainebleau is an absolutely exceptional setting,” he said. “I was really looking forward to riding Zonik in an outdoor event because I felt that he would want to put on a show in this environment.

“For our return to outdoor action this week, we performed the two best routines of our career. I’m just so happy. At the end of the test, when you leave the arena and during the prize ceremony, it’s great to see all the people supporting you.”

Lottie Fry and Glamourdale were runners-up in both tests – and look on top form ahead of this summer’s World Championships – scoring 80.85% in the grand prix and 88.23% in the freestyle. Germany’s Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD took third in the freestyle on 81.09%.

The strong British team finished second in the Nations Cup behind Germany.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also like:

‘It was like a championships’: Britain second in Nations Cup opener as Carl Hester returns to team duty

‘He’s still improving’: European champions go two for two at Lyon World Cup

Can AI judge dressage? The technology exists – but is the sport ready for it?

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

While the Winter Dressage Championships were in full swing at home, a strong British team finished second in the opening European leg of the FEI Dressage Nations Cup at the inaugural Fontainebleau CDIO5* (16–19 April).

The German squad won, in a competition that went down to the final ride and offered the first meaningful measure of form ahead of the World Championships in Aachen this summer.

The lead changed hands repeatedly between Germany, Britain, and Belgium throughout the grand prix, and all three nations were still in contention going into the anchor rides.

Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus set the bar first, posting a personal best of 83.5% – the individual win of the day, with 10s for their canter pirouette – to secure third for Belgium.

Lottie Fry and Glamourdale followed with a fault-free 80.85%, briefly putting Britain into the lead and leaving Isabell Werth needing 79.15% or better on Queenparks Wendy to deliver for Germany. Isabell found 80.59%, so Germany finished on 230.065 to Britain’s 228.630 and Belgium’s 224.761.

For the British team, Lottie’s second-place individual finish led the way in one of her strongest outings with the now 15-year-old stallion to date.

Carl Hester came fifth with Fiona Bigwood and Mette Dahl’s Fame with 76.15% – his first win since a dominant double at Doha CDI5* in February – and Fiona contributed a 71.63% aboard home-bred mare Donna Bella for 10th. Lewis Carrier’s 67.67% with the veteran Diego V was the drop score.

The grand prix special again went Isabell’s way, but Carl and Fame were second on 77.32% and Fiona and Donna Bella third on 72.28%. Lottie took another runner-up finish in the freestyle with Glamourdale; Justin and Zonik were again unbeatable.

Carl, who had stepped back from Nations Cup duty in recent seasons to free up team spots for younger riders, returned with Sadie Smith and Laura Tomlinson’s up-and-coming horses heading to Hagen CDI4*.

“I always say, look, give those spaces to the kids who want to be on teams,” Carl said. “But they asked me to do it, and it worked out perfectly. The special finished at 11.30am Sunday morning, so I got home in time for dinner!”

The 16-year-old stallion Fame continues to reward the lighter campaign Carl has planned for him this year. “He was amazing in both tests – so good to ride and so up for it,” Carl said. “A really good mix of keenness and relaxation.

“His pirouettes scored really high, his changes scored really high, and I think his outline’s improved again this year. He was just cool. That’s what he was.”

The result in the special was built on a test Carl rated among his best on Fame. “It was mistake-free, full of power. They were very complimentary about him and gave him some very big scores.

“He’s possibly the most incredible horse – I’m running out of nice things to say about him. There’s always something to improve, we know that – but it’s a very good start to the season, and he’s still as fresh as ever.”

He was quick to credit the calibre of the field. “That was the leading group there. The only one really missing is Cathrine [Laudrup-Dufour]. Everyone kept saying it felt like the championships are here now – that’s how strong it was.

“Especially at this time of year, to get them out and have a good strong showing like that is good. You can imagine, if you added Becky [Moody] to the mix, you’d have near enough the top team.”

“She’s an exciting horse, that one”

Fiona’s third-place finish in the special was another bright spot. Her 10-year-old home-bred Donna Bella (Don Juan de Hus x Gribaldi) is the daughter of Atterupgaards Orthilia, who, with Fiona, was a member of the British team that won silver at both the 2015 European Championships in Aachen and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio – a family connection that clearly shows.

“That’s a very exciting mare she’s bred,” Carl said. “What you could really see is how much trust she had in her, because the mare is very like her mother.

“She’s got so much temperament and talent, and she just needs some easy rides to give her confidence. Fiona knows the mother so well, the family so well – she’s so tactful in her way of riding with her, and she just guided her around to do some really lovely tests. She’s an exciting horse, that one.”

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Three final-day title stories closed out the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships and the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships (15–19 April) at Addington Equestrian – a young rider’s two tests in a day, a measured approach on an improving partnership and a narrowly-missed first place turned into a championship sash.

Young rider Demi Howard-Cartwright – who represented Britain at junior European Championships before aging up this season – took a close-fought Magic prix st georges (PSG) silver on Newton Astro Nascente (Apache x Don Schufro), scoring 69.75%. Holly Bates and Hillgrounds Feinline were close behind on 69.36%.

It was Demi’s second test of the day, after finishing third in the Nupafeed advanced medium silver (70.61%).

“He was amazing,” Demi said. “He was a little bit tired because I’d done the advanced medium not long before – it was a little bit flatter, but he was really good. Just another clean round.”

The tactic had been deliberate. “I used the advanced medium a little bit as a warm-up,” Demi said. “I cut my warm-up down a bit, and my aim in the PSG was to get another clean test. That’s what we got – so I was happy.”

Demi and 10-year-old “Astro” are a partnership growing into the level together. “We’re literally learning together,” she said. “He hadn’t done PSG before this season.”

The Newton Stud-bred gelding’s trot work is coming on fast, Demi said. “In the advanced medium, the canter work is always the highlight – and because the canter’s harder in the PSG, I think it’ll become a highlight too. But at the moment, the trot’s slightly better.”

The pair have a grand prix future in their sights. “We’re starting to learn the moves now,” Demi said. “He’s got his piaffe and passage, we haven’t started the ones yet or the twos, but we’re starting to get there.”

Next up is Hickstead CDI, followed by Wellington CDI. “Potentially then the Europeans, if we get selected,” Demi adds.

“Let’s get this job done”

Holly Bates took the Superflex inter I silver on 70.69%, on her own nine-year-old Hillgrounds Feinline (Feinrich x Sorento).

“He was not quite as relaxed in the PSG,” Holly said, “but in this test, he was like, ‘I’ve got this, mum.’ He loves his changes. When he went down the diagonal, I could feel him thinking, ‘Let’s get this job done.’”

Going into the second small tour test of the day, Holly had taken a more measured approach. “I just wanted to take a breath before this one, and make sure he enjoyed it. He deserves it more than anything – he’s a wonderful horse, and he tries his heart out.”

Hillgrounds Feinline looks set for a promising top-level career, but Holly is taking her time. “It’s rare he makes a mistake in a test – the PSG could’ve been a touch more relaxed, but it was still good. He goes in and just does his job, regardless of what’s going on.”

Grand prix is on the horizon, but not an urgent target. “Grand prix would be lovely – but I’m enjoying the moment. Anything like that would be a bonus.”

Winter Area Festival Championships: A big ride rewarded

Sofia Mirza and Sheepcote Adios (Amper x Dalibor), a 10-year-old gelding bred and owned by the Pincus family, won the advanced medium bronze to round out the 2026 Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships, scoring 69.17%.

The win made up for a narrowly-missed first place earlier in the week. “We came second in the medium – it just wasn’t our day,” Sofia said. “I felt like he did a really good test, but some of it just didn’t quite come off. I was really pleased today that he was able to connect it all and give a really nice test.”

Sheepcote Adios – who stands well over 18hh, by Sofia’s estimation – is a challenging ride to keep together, but the feel is worth the effort. “He’s a really big horse to put together,” Sofia said. “But when he is together, the feeling he gives is fantastic.”

Sofia started with the Pincus family – owners of the Sheepcote Stud – as a working pupil around two and a half years ago, and transitioned into an apprenticeship nine months in. “The opportunities have been fantastic,” she said.

Long-term, the plan is to keep building. “Just carrying on up the levels,” Sofia said. “I’ve got a few really cool horses at home I’m starting to ride. I’m just really excited to get out more and go up the levels – just keep training.”

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Charlotte Dujardin has won her first national title since her return to competition, winning the Horselight medium gold at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships (15–19 April) with the seven-year-old Secret Agent (Secret x De Niro).

Charlotte and the stallion, whom she co-owns with Peter Belshaw, scored 77.87%, the highest mark of the non-freestyle classes of the championships.

Only five competitive outings since 2024, combined with 97% scores at four- and five-year-old level, had built an air of mystery around the stallion. The grandstands and ringside were full in anticipation.

Charlotte was unequivocal. “I think he’s one of the best horses I’ve ever ridden,” she said. “Everything becomes so natural for him. He’s incredible to ride – so much power, so elastic, and built to do what he does.”

Secret Agent is a striking athlete, with massive power in the extensions – for which he picked up several nines – and suspension in the trot. But what pleased Charlotte most was how he handled a high-pressure setting with so little competitive experience.

“He’s a very green horse,” she said. “He’s done a couple of medium tests to qualify. He’s literally come in and gone straight to medium; he’s that talented.

“I didn’t do an arena walk at regionals because he’s a stallion – and you just never know what you’re going to get. But I thought, I’ve got to give him a bit more of a chance here, so I made sure I did one.”

Secret Agent handled the atmosphere with maturity. “Although he’s still a bit nervous with people moving in the stands, he still gives the most incredible feeling,” Charlotte said.

“For a young horse, it’s our job to help them grow and give them new experiences, and while for any green horse a competition like today can be a little daunting, he stayed with me. He’s amazing in that sense – he never lets me down.”

A stallion who is so biddable, Charlotte noted, is a rare thing. “It’s a great feeling to have a stallion who’s that with you.

“They can be tricky sometimes – their minds aren’t always on the job. But he just gets it. He’s learning about it all still, but he’s doing really well.”

Charlotte Dujardin: “There’s so much more to come”

Charlotte received a big reception from the crowd after her test. Her first championship title back came with a clear sense of perspective. “I absolutely love it,” she said of competing. “To ride today, to ride on him – it’s what you do it for.

“He’s such a special horse. My score didn’t matter to me. For him, for me, that test was brilliant. He’s done his absolute best given how little he’s done.”

The future, she added, is already taking shape. “There’s so much more to come. He’s only seven. You put him in the balance, and it’s just all there. The future for him is very, very exciting.”

Secret Agent is part of a wider string of talent Charlotte is bringing on. “I’ve got lots of young ones coming through – good young ones that I’m hoping to get out more soon.”

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Dannie Morgan became the third rider to win three titles at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championship (15–19 April), taking the Nupafeed advanced medium freestyle gold with Kristina Rausing’s Belinski on 72.33% – joining Sadie Smith and Gracie Catling on three titles apiece at the close of the week.

The three-way tie is a rarity. “The last couple of times, it’s been Sadie and me at the top. But now you’ve got Gracie up there too – and she’s only 22,” Dannie said.

Dannie’s winning freestyle was set to a compilation of Imagine Dragons tracks — Believer for the trot, Whatever It Takes and Thunder – put together by Tony Hobden at Equidance. “It’s quite fun and modern, which I’ve not really had before. I really enjoyed that.”

The floor plan itself was a last-minute rework. “I was trying to work out a pattern last night that might show off the changes in a better way,” Dannie said. “I hadn’t run through it before – I just thought I’d have a go. I’ve done quite a lot of freestyles now, so I’m able to adapt quite easily.”

Belinski, previously ridden by Henry Boswell before the latter’s move abroad, is a newer ride for Dannie.

“It’s taken a while to get to know him,” he said. “He definitely has a lot of highlights, but he’s quite a sensitive soul. We’re still quite green with things like our changes – but he’s so talented.

Dannie had a generous word for his joint title-holders too, particularly for Gracie, who was also second in this class with Gaynor Morris’ Friesian mare Fraithwens Wytske Fan Ter Lune. “Gracie’s mare is such a superstar, and so is she – she’s a super talent for the future.”

Winter Dressage Championships: “I thought we were going to get pipped”

Bethany Edginton and Nelson HD won the Spillers medium freestyle silver, scoring 73.06% – the week’s first title for Bethany, having been runner-up twice earlier, including with her Irish cob Lakeview Buddy in the elementary freestyle.

Going in early, Bethany had a long wait to see if the score would hold. “I thought we were going to get pipped – we were in the lead for ages,” she said. “I was thinking, ‘The last one’s going to come in, and we’re going to have another second.’ But when we got to the last two, I thought, ‘At least we’re going to be in the presentation’.”

Her winning freestyle was set to music from Pirates of the Caribbean, chosen for Nelson’s personality.

“It’s dramatic enough for him without being overpowering – just the right amount of dramatic,” Bethany said. “Equidance did my music, and it was spot on. I managed to hit it everywhere. I love his music – it really suits him.”

Bethany warmed up with Jezz Palmer of Anmore Dressage. “It’s so good to have someone there to actually be saying, ‘No, come on, you can do it,’” she said. “It was a massive help.

“He’s a little bit tricky sometimes – he thinks he knows best, and the majority of the time, he probably does,” She laughed. “It’s a bit like the blind leading the blind some days. But when he’s on it, he’s unstoppable”

Bethany’s two rides this week – Nelson, a traditional dressage type, and Lakeview Buddy, her hogged Irish cob – are, she said, “chalk and cheese”. They need to be trained completely differently. “It’s showing that what I’m doing is right with both of them. It’s paying off – it’s working.”

Winter Area Festival Championships: Another long wait rewarded

Jessica Allen and her Welsh cob Hendrewen Desserts Lady won the prelim silver in the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championship classes, scoring 71.03% – after another long wait to see if the score would hold.

“That was brutal,” Jessica said. “I couldn’t look. I was having lots of messages from friends and family who clearly were scrolling through the results, but I had to just leave it and wait until the last moment, and then check.”

The wait was well worth it. “I think that was probably the best we’ve ever ridden that test,” Jessica said of her 12-year-old mare.

“She tried exceptionally hard. She was with me the whole week – today she just took the opportunity to shine.” The pair also finished sixth in the novice class on Friday; there were more than 30 combinations in each of the classes she contested.

Hendrewen Desserts Lady, a Welsh section D, was bought as a pandemic project. “I had a break from horses while I was consolidating my career,” Jessica said. “I got married, and then Covid hit. Working hours went up, but I still thought it’d be a good idea for my evenings and weekends to be spent with a horse again!”

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Six under-21 titles were decided at the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships at Addington Equestrian (15–19 April), led by a double win for Worcestershire’s Amelia Dovey.

Amelia’s second crown of the week came in the novice silver under-21 with Hannah Dovey’s New Forest pony Artists Ambassador (Bear), scoring 69.06% – her earlier title had come on the palomino Pencwarre Butty Bach (Buddy) in the elementary silver under-21 on 70%.

The two ponies, she said, could scarcely be more different.

“They’re totally different,” 12-year-old Amelia said. “Buddy is very playful, he likes running away in the field. Bear wants to be in your face and space all the time; he’s also very ‘I’m the best, look at me’.”

Both, it seems, know how to perform at this level. “In Buddy’s test, we had quite a few eights, and the medium trots are always a highlight for him. Bear’s only eight, and although he tried to exit the arena, we kept him under control, and the rest of it was great.”

It was native pony power elsewhere on the podium too in the novice silver under-21 – Neve Moran and the Connemara Clareville Golden Knight took second (68.28%), with Olivia Staples and the Welsh pony Celton Orsino third (68.11%).

A familiar face returned to the top of the novice bronze under-21, but with a new rider. Caramelle – winner of the same class for two consecutive years with her former rider Lydia Holmes – took her third successive title, this time with 16-year-old Sophia Parry, scoring 70.17%.

“It’s insane,” said Conwy-based Sophia. “I’ve never felt anything like it.” Having only taken the ride at the end of last summer, the pair have bonded quickly. “Even in the first week, I could just tell she was going to be amazing. She’s really sweet, and she’ll do anything for a treat.”

Abigail Harrington and her own Pauldary’s Alia took second (69.11%), with Beth Harrison and family pony Garthfach Whisky Rocks third (68.94%) – matching her sister Megan’s placing the day before.

Lilly-Ella Newcombe and her own Lagos took the Petplan elementary bronze under-21 on 70.26%. The North Yorkshire-based rider, who works for Melissa Chapman, won the under-21 prelim silver in 2024, but this was a smoother week.

“We came two years ago and did really well, but we couldn’t warm up, and I had no control,” she said. “We’ve come back now, and he’s amazing. He just went in and was ‘I know what I’m doing now’.”

Next on the horizon: medium and some young rider classes.

Lacey Owen-Morgan and Sulaatik’s Vingino took second on 70.16%, with 2025 Team Quest champion Megan Harrison third on Garthfach Whisky Rocks (68.18%).

Warwickshire’s Freddie Spicer crossed disciplines to claim the prelim bronze under-21, scoring 70% on Ali Butler’s Connemara Cityview Moving On.

“He’s not a dressage pony,” Freddie said. “We do a lot of eventing with him, so to come here and do this is great.”

He added a third-place finish too, on Karena Spicer’s Carrigoir Spidal (68.65%). Basil is next headed to Badminton Grassroots before being passed on to Freddie’s sister.

Lola Rega took the prelim silver under-21 on Llynhelyg Gambler (Ace), a five-year-old she bought from a close friend 10 months ago – scoring 69.68%.

“I’m just shocked,” Lola said. “He’s only five, so to come out and do this – he was with me all the time, that’s all I could ask for. The hope was a clean test, so to do this, every expectation is out the window.

“I bought him off one of my really close friends, who had him as a project pony, so he’s only really done proper dressage work for just over a year. I’m a bit gobsmacked.”

Amelia Dovey added another second-place finish on Artists Ambassador (68.02%), with Gracie Stanbrook and Fabriarna third (67.94%). Lola, a Royal Holloway law student, now heads home to revise for her exams.

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The final classes of day four at the Petplan Winter Area Festival Championships and the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championship (15–19 April) at Addington Equestrian delivered two more memorable stories – a 19-year-old former eventer winning the prelim bronze in his first British Dressage (BD) season and an Aberdeen-based chartered accountant collecting a second title.

Hannah Comery won the massive, 46-strong prelim bronze Area Festival championship, which ran all day, scoring 72.06% with Ballylahive Prince.

Going early in the class, Hannah then faced a long wait. “We were on at 9am – we literally sat all day watching the scores come in,” she said. “There have been a few close ones – I was thinking ‘Oh gosh’. It’s a bit surreal.”

The test itself had a nervy start. “He was a bit upset about the commentary from the loudspeakers, so when we were going around the outside, he was a bit hot. But as soon as we went in, he just got on with it.”

Ballylahive Prince may be new to affiliated dressage – but far from new to his rider. “I’ve had him 11 years, so we know each other inside out,” Hannah said. “Which is why I wasn’t bothered when he was messing around in the prize-giving afterwards – he used to do that on the day eventing.

“He’s 19 now, would you believe,” Hannah added, with a touch of emotion in her voice. “So I was a bit thinking ‘I don’t know if I want to keep running him.’ But he was always really good at the dressage in the eventing, so we thought we’d try this. For me, he’s one in a million.”

Winter Dressage Championships: From Aberdeen to Addington

Aberdeen-based Carmen Gammie, on her own Lets Make An Opera M, won her second title of the Winter Dressage Championships, scoring 71.33% to win the Nupafeed advanced medium freestyle silver, having won the prix st georges (PSG) silver in the Winter Area Festival Championship classes earlier in the week.

“The good bits were really good,” Carmen said. “We had a bit of a mishap going into canter – a bit of a communication breakdown between the two of us. But once we got into the canter, it was really good.”

Wednesday’s (15 April) PSG silver was only their fifth outing at the level. “We want to consolidate the PSG work a bit – feel a bit more confident doing that, because it’s sort of a wing and a prayer at the moment,” Carmen said. “Maybe then we’ll try an inter I by the end of the year.”

For all the championship success, Carmen is clear-eyed about where dressage fits into her life. “I’m a chartered accountant – I work for an investment bank, so it’s kind of just an extreme hobby,” she laughed.

“I just enjoy it as long as we’re having a nice time and ticking the boxes. But he’s really coming into his own in the last year and a half. It feels like we’re unlocking potential I didn’t really know we both had.”

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Gracie Catling, 22, and her own 18-year-old gelding Qwinton capped a remarkable week at the NAF Five Star Winter Dressage Championships (15–19 April), winning the Superflex inter I freestyle gold on 75.13% – a third national title in four days.

The pair had taken the Magic prix st georges (PSG) freestyle on 74.83% and the straight inter I on 70.83%. Only a fourth in the straight PSG – the only class of the four not ridden to a win – stood between them and a clean sweep of the championships’ top classes.

“I was second five times here last year – so it definitely makes up for that,” she said. “I was delighted last year because it was better than I was expecting. But it definitely adds a bit more fight in the belly to improve, and actually show they can win.”

An exuberant chestnut who clearly loves a prizegiving – and after three in a week, was getting the hang of them – Qwinton showed no sign of his age. “He doesn’t act 18 at all,” Gracie laughed. “At home, he’s just got so much energy – at shows, he’s got so much energy. He’s amazing for his age.”

The freestyle itself, set to music from Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, was built around the gelding’s personality. “It’s just so perfect for him – he’s so jolly to watch. It’s proper feel-good music, and it provokes an emotion, which is really important for us with our freestyles.”

Capturing personalities

The floor plan and music were designed by Gracie and her mother. “We do it together – all the music and the floorplan. It sometimes causes a few arguments, but because we know the horses so well, we can really capture their personalities.”

The test itself showed Gracie’s trademark accuracy, the pirouettes and extended trots a highlight

“He was definitely more rideable today, because he can be hot to ride,” Gracie added. “Normally, he comes out ready and raring to go on the last day, which he did. It was mistake-free, which is always the most important thing with him – he likes to throw in something somewhere.”

Reflecting on the week as a whole, Gracie said the scale of the result was still sinking in. “I was hoping he’d perform to the best that he could, and he did. This year, he’s paid back all the hard work.”

A third small tour national title before her 23rd birthday marks Gracie out as one of the most exciting young riders in British dressage. “To win the biggest classes – it’s hard to put into words, really, because he’s older, and I’m young. It was a surprise – I wasn’t expecting it.”

Now a graduate, Gracie is riding full-time. “I finished uni last year, so I’ve got my degree, and I’m doing the horses full-time now,” she said. “Mum said it’s like a gap year – but I think it’ll go on a bit longer than that.”

Longer-term, the plan is to build from here. She’s looking at a spell in the Netherlands further down the line. “I’ll make the most of him this year,” Gracie said of Qwinton. “Maybe go abroad to the Netherlands at some point to work – but not yet.”

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