Werth and Wendy win the Basel 2026 World Cup stage

On fire yesterday – much more focused today. Isabell Werth was more than satisfied with her Sezuan daughter Wendy at the World Cup stage in Basel. The jury awarded her a good 86 percent. Wendy was much more focused, Werth praised the Danish mare. The longer break from competition following the death of Werth’s husband in the fall of 2025 only ended for Wendy with the tournament in Frankfurt on the fourth Sunday of Advent. Basel was the first World Cup stage for the pair this season. The World Cup Final will take place in the USA in April. In Fort Worth, Texas, the “Dickies Arena” awaits the best dressage and show jumping riders on the second weekend in April for the final of the winter season.

World Cup final probably without Wendy

Wendy is unlikely to fly to Texas, as Werth already made clear in Basel. The World Championships in Aachen is the declared goal of the season, to which everything else is subordinate. Which does not mean that Werth is not toying with the idea of competing in Fort Worth. Quantaz, her 2022 World Championships horse and 2023 European Championships horse, is due to compete in the World Cup leg in Amsterdam. Then it’s off to Wellington in Florida. “And then we’ll see,” says Isabell Werth. Wendy should become even more relaxed in the arena, “we are still working a little on the lègèreté,” said Werth in English. The mare was not yet tension-free in canter, and that needs to be improved.

Kiki can’t believe it

The Swiss rider Charlotta Rogerson had already surprised the experts and herself with second place in the Grand Prix. With a personal best score of 81.29 percent, she made it onto the podium again. Again it was second place. Kiki couldn’t believe that Isabell Werth was standing next to her at the award ceremony. “I was just a pony rider,” said the Swiss rider. But that was some time ago. In March, the new Swiss number one will be 28 years old. She was still 33 at the European Championships in Crozet in the summer of 2025. She won the Grand Prix Special in Stuttgart in 2025 after the Grand Prix winners Anabel Balkenhol and High Five slipped before the prize-giving ceremony and were unable to compete on Sunday.

Raphael, who was full of praise for the accommodation of the horse and the general conditions in Basel, came third. His sensitive Dieudonne knew how to come to terms with the indoor atmosphere. With 80.725 percent, he finished well ahead of the Dutch rider Dominique Filion and The Boss (76.785). Fifth place also went to Germany. Svenja Kämer-Meyer and the “family product” Amanyara M achieved 76.42 percent.

Results of the Basel 2026 World Cup stage