2026 Dressage World Championships

The 2026 Dressage World Championships took place in Aachen, Germany this week (11-15 August). The competition started on 11 August with the first of two consecutive days of grand prix. Germany triumphed in the team competition, ahead of Britain in silver on 12 August. The top 30 riders in the grand prix went through to the grand prix special to decide the first set of individual medals on Friday 14 August. The grand prix special times were adjusted because of the high temperatures forecast, but Lottie Fry and Glamourdale proved unbeatable, despite the heat. The freestyle was held in the evening under floodlights on Saturday 15 August and once again no-one could beat Lottie Fry and Glamourdale.

Horse & Hound brought you in-depth reports on all the action from the FEI World Championships as it took place. From the Dressage World Championships entries to our ultimate form guide and exclusive podium predictions, we had every angle covered.

H&H dressage editor Oscar Williams was on the ground in Aachen watching the action and interviewing the riders in the mixed zone after every performance. He was supported in providing our live news reports service by H&H’s wider editorial team, based back in the UK. We brought you all the stories behind the scores throughout the competition. Oscar's complete Aachen report will be in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 20 August.

A Horse & Hound website subscription gives you instant access, wherever you are, to all of our coverage with no limit on how much you can read, from as little as £1 a week. Sign up now

Key stories

Medals

2026 Dressage World Championships timetable

Dressage World Championships format

The World Championships are split into three stages, with one set of medals awarded for teams and two sets of individual medals.

Each nation can enter a maximum of four horse and rider combinations, but only the top three scores count towards the team result. Nations without a team can send up to two riders as individuals.

The team contest

The action kicks off with the horse inspection (10 August), then the grand prix, taking place over two days: 11 and 12 August. This is the only test that counts towards the team medals, which are awarded on Wednesday 12 August. It also serves as the first stage of individual qualification for the special and freestyle, with all riders taking part, including those not on a team.

The individual contest

From there, things shift to the grand prix special on 14 August, where the top 30 combinations from the grand prix (including ties for 30th) compete for the first set of individual medals.

A score of around 69–71% has been enough to make that cut at recent championships (68.88% at the 2025 Europeans in Crozet, 71.15% at Herning 2022). However, scores across the board have depreciated since Herning, suggesting this year’s cut-off may land nearer the lower end of that range.

The week concludes with the freestyle to music on 15 August. The top 18 riders from the grand prix special (again including ties) are eligible to compete – historically requiring around 72.5–74% – but only a maximum of three per country may advance. If four from one country are in the top 18, the lowest-placed of them is replaced by the next-highest-placed eligible combination. This round decides the second set of individual medals.

The starting order

The running order for the grand prix is set by a draw. Teams are grouped based on their FEI world rankings, with lower-ranked nations riding earlier and the top contenders going later. Each team’s chef d’equipe submits their preferred rider order in advance, which is maintained during the draw.

Riders competing as individuals (not part of a team) are drawn separately and slotted into the schedule accordingly.

For the special and freestyle, the start order is based on performance. Riders compete in reverse order of results – so the best go last.

Why are the 2026 worlds important for the Olympics?

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

Remaining team places are then decided across 2027 through the Europeans and other regional championships. A strong result in Aachen is therefore the most direct route to booking a nation’s place at the Games.

Aachen World Championships officials

Dressage officials

A panel of seven judges will decide the medals in Aachen, led by Germany’s Ulrike Nivelle as president of the ground jury. She’s joined by Kurt Christensen (DEN), Clive Halsall (GBR), Maria Colliander (FIN), Michael Osinski (USA), Maribel Alonso (MEX) and Alice Schwab (AUT).

Vincenzo Truppa (ITA) serves as technical delegate, with Didier Deschauwer (BEL) as chief steward, and a separate Judging Supervisory Panel – Andrew Gardner (GBR), Henk van Bergen (NED) and Mary Seefried (AUS) – overseeing standards throughout.

Veterinary officials: week one

Veterinary commission: Friedrich-Wilhelm Hanbücken (GER) (President), Kirste Neil (AUS), Juliana Ramalho De Freitas (BRA)

Veterinary delegate: Mark Sinnott (GBR)

Why is it not the Aachen World Equestrian Games?

Aachen previously hosted the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in 2006. WEG brought together the World Championships in multiple different equestrian sports every four years between 1990 and 2018. Financial challenges associated with hosting so many disciplines at a single venue proved prohibitive and so since 2022 each of the disciplines have have their own World Championships. For 2026, Aachen was granted the World Championships for six disciplines, so is running a two-week combined World Championships – but it is not a WEG.

Dressage World Championships news