More highlights from the first part of the Grand Prix at the World Championships in Aachen

Among the competition’s top-ranked teams, Denmark’s Nadja Aaboe Sloth and her horse Favour Gersdorf got off to the best start. The ride by the pair—who made their championship debut last year at the European Championships in Crozet—was a well-rounded performance. The 13-year-old son of Foundation appeared relaxed and content, with highlights in his piaffe and passage work. With a score of 71.956 percent, they improved upon both their European Championship result in the Grand Prix (71.227) and that of their last appearance in Aachen at the CHIO 2025 (70.848)—although they have also had Grand Prix rides scoring over 73 percent.

The reason was a (doubly) costly mistake in the single changes. “In the 13th of the 15…,” Nadja Aaboe Sloth sighed regretfully later. Still, she was extremely satisfied. “We worked on the details beforehand—making everything a little smoother, getting him to move more fluidly over his back. That paid off today. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had in a competition.”

Fiona Bigwood and Donna Bella

A name still completely unknown on the continent is that of British rider Fiona Bigwood and her ten-year-old mare Donna Bella. It has been eleven years since the British rider won silver at the European Championships with the dam of this chestnut mare, the Oldenburg mare Atterupgaards Orthilia. Now she has returned with her daughter, Donna Bella, and delivered an appealing but still very “green” performance. Bigwood asked very little of the mare; Donna Bella gave her best, piaffing with enthusiasm, on the diagonals and in time with the beat while carrying her weight, but overall one would have liked to see a more supple back, and despite carrying her weight, she has not quite found her natural balance yet. One would also have liked to see more suppleness in her posture and bend. In addition, the curb rein on the left side was slack.

In England, the two Grand Prix results reached 74.609 percent. They were quite far off that today. They scored 69.348 percent, with the judges’ scores varying considerably, ranging from 67.174 percent for B (Ulrike Nivelle) to 71.522 percent for H (Alice Schwab/AUT).

Personal Best for Austria

Austrian rider Felicita Simoncic had every reason to celebrate with her 16-year-old KWPN stallion, Four Legends. Simoncic is 21 years old. Last year, she and the 16-year-old KWPN stallion Four Legends were still competing at the U25 European Championships. In the fall, they made their debut in the “real” Grand Prix. And today, they set a personal best of 70.730 percent at their first World Championships—and it was well deserved. Everything went smoothly; they didn’t make any major mistakes. Above all, it’s wonderful to see what a happy athlete the young Austrian—who only started riding ten years ago—has turned this black horse into, a horse that as a youngster once placed sixth and fourth at World Championships for young dressage horses. After the final salute, Simoncic’s arms shot up into the air—how wonderful to see such well-deserved joy.

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the U.S. replacement rider

. The U.S. team was hit by two withdrawals in the run-up to the World Championships. Most recently, news came that Genay Vaughn and Gino would be unable to compete. On Saturday, the phone rang for the second alternate, Meagan Davis. On the other end was the team management with the news that she and her Totilas son, Toronto Lightfoot, would be stepping in. “We were ready,” says Davies. They had prepared as if they were part of the team and had also enjoyed the same level of support. So all she had to do was pack, load up, and head out. And then she and her Totilas son were completely exhausted at first. “It’s the first time for both of us in front of such a crowd,” she reported. Back home in Florida, the pair had already distinguished themselves with scores of 72 percent in the Grand Prix, and this year they were part of the team that sensationally defeated Germany in the Nations Cup at Wellington. They were quite a ways off from that 72 percent today, finishing with 67.624 percent. The 36-year-old was overjoyed nonetheless—so much so that she was practically floating. The U.S. team’s goal for this World Championship can be summed up quickly: “to do our best.” From that perspective, she’s already achieved her goal today. And unlike other teams, the U.S. team doesn’t have to worry about qualifying for the Olympics. As the host nation, they’re automatically qualified for LA 2028.

Spain with New Combinations

One pair that had already turned heads with their beautiful rides at the Nations Cup in Hagen was Spain’s Lucia Gallardo and her KWPN gelding Hip by Johnson. They were already part of the team there, and today at 8:51 a.m. they opened the World Championships for Spain with a very solid round free of dressage errors, which was scored at 68.370 percent.

Next, Severo Jurado Lopez and the 12-year-old Foundation daughter Flaconi W entered the arena. The “W” stands for the Wittig family, who bred the mare and, through Kira Wulferding and Brigitte Wittig, also trained her up to Grand Prix level. Since the beginning of the year, Severo Jurado Lopez—who is now based in Riesenbeck and previously worked as a trainer at Helgstrand Dressage—has been riding the mare. Aachen is her fourth international competition and her first championship. They finished their debut with a score of 68.913 percent.

Simone Pearce Makes an Impression

Australian team rider Simone Pearce delivered a successful performance with her Spanish sport horse gelding, Will Marq. He, too, is only ten years old and has been ridden internationally by Pearce since last fall. Her World Championship debut ended with a strong score of 72.391 percent in the Grand Prix. The bay is a true “piaffe-passage machine” and doesn’t put a foot wrong here. He completed the first half of the test with great ease, demonstrating excellent balance and self-carriage. In the canter sequence, the transition to the right in the zigzag half-passes could have been smoother. The single changes were faultless but a bit wobbly. In the pirouettes, the grandson of Rosario (by Rio Marq) braced himself and pushed against the bit instead of continuing to jump through on a small circle. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful round, with Finland’s Maria Colliander on M finishing ahead of Raphael Netz and Camelot.