Nations Cup Fontainebleau: Germany wins, Isabell Werth third behind Justin Verboomen (BEL) and Charlotte Fry (GBR)

If the Nations Cup dressage in Fontainebleau, France, has shown one thing, it is that the World Championships in Aachen in August will be exciting! It was almost a small “mini World Championships” that took place in France. Except that there were no US-Americans at the start. And the World Cup Final in Fort Worth showed that the Americans are once again a force to be reckoned with in a team competition.

Justin Verboomen (BEL) in front for a while

The strongest Belgian rider, Justin Verboomen and his black stallion Zonik Plus, came out on top of the field. With 83.5 percent, they finished well ahead of second-placed Charlotte Fry (GBR) and Glamourdale. Verboomen, who had recently been replaced by Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour as number one in the world, delivered a faultless Grand Prix with highlights in the passage-piaffe tour.

The walk recapitulation was weaker, especially the collected walk, in which the Zonik son tends to step a little “stompy” in the front leg. However, the judges still gave him a score of 7.0 or better in the spring weather. In the trot reinforcement, one would have liked to see a clearer frame extension in the neck, but these were the points that did not go quite so well. The pair received seven out of ten possible 10.0 marks for the canter pirouettes.

A misunderstanding at Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale in Fontainebleau

The British rider Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale had a couple of minor issues in the first third of the test. At one point, the impressive stallion did not respond to the first aid and the pair lost a few points in the strong walk. The 2022 world champions then easily regained these points in the entire canter tour. With 80.848 percent, second place, the strongest ride of Team GB, who came second.

Carl Hester and Fame had a “hick up” in the flying changes to two jumps. They finished in fifth place behind Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth with 76.152 points. Third best British rider was Fiona Bigwood with the mare Donna Bella, a daughter of Bigwood’s Atterupgaards Orthelia. The chestnut mare is a striking appearance. She still lacks strength, so that she sometimes had to make compromises in terms of self-carriage. At the same time, however, she walked with fine contact. In some lessons she lacked suppleness in the topline (71.63/10.)

Good team performance by the Germans in the Nations Cup Fontainebleau

Benjamin Werndl kicked things off with Quick Decision. It was the Hanoverian’s debut in a CDI5* Nations’ Cup. The Quaterhall son had a beat error in the first piaffe and the transition into the passage didn’t really work either. A top backwards and balanced pirouettes were on the credit side for the pair, who finished seventh in the end.

Svenja Kämper-Meyer’s Amanyara also delivered these, jumping diligently around the inside hind leg. Once again, the dentist from Münsterland and her family’s Ampere daughter impressed with their harmonious cooperation in the arena (72.369/9th).

Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth to

Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth made a good return from the long break The Bordeaux son completed his program. “Freddie” was able to make good use of the pair’s shared routine, having won team gold at the Olympics. The right pirouette could have been better. But apart from that, the pair from Hagen am Teutoburger Wald could recommend themselves as a safe combination for a World Championship start. Fontainebleau was the Oldenburg’s first performance of the year. He had last competed in the Frankfurt Festhalle shortly before Christmas.

Third place for Isabell Werth and Wendy

That doesn’t apply to Isabell Werth and Wendy. After Frankfurt 2026, they have already competed in Basel, Amsterdam and Herning. Werth did not compete in the World Cup Final. Her full concentration is on competing at the World Championships in Aachen.

The pair scored particularly well in the piaffe. The strong walk was relaxed and clear in the footfall, but tension arose in the collected tempi and the transition into the following passage was unsuccessful. The Sezuan daughter tended to jump the first flying canter change short at the start of the single changes. The pirouettes scored points – just Werth style…

Curious: The Austrian judge Alice Schwab gave the pair a 9.5 for the strong trot shortly before the end. Her colleagues were otherwise between 7.0 and 7.5 for the trot reinforcement, which tended to be performed in a hurry. Werth received 10.0 several times for the piaffe and came third in the individual classification behind Verboomen and Fry (80.587).

Larissa Pauluis and Flambeau, the winners of the World Cup qualifier in Neumünster, achieved the second-best result in the Belgian team. They finished in sixth place with 73.022 percent.

Individual results

Team result Nations Cup CDI5* Fontainebleau