World Championships in Aachen, Dressage Grand Prix Special: Gold for defending champion “Lottie” Fry (GBR), silver for Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (DEN), bronze for Katharina Hemmer

Right from the start of their test, Charlotte Fry (GBR) and Glamourdale made it clear: the pair hadn’t come to Aachen just to “go through the motions.” The black horse stood confidently for the salute and got off to a lively start. The 15-year-old marched off like a king in the first extended trot. But this wasn’t a show-ring trot—it was a genuine extended trot developed over his supple back. He performed the passage with evenness and plenty of sustained momentum. His mouth was rarely closed during the test, but that was true of nearly the entire top field.

Gold for Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale

The tail (enough for two) of the imposing KPWN stallion swayed effortlessly. Before the walk, the British-Dutch duo was at 81.5 percent in the interim score.

There was a slight hesitation before the first piaffe. But then Glamourdale willingly began the piaffe, and in the second piaffe, the pair certainly didn’t skimp on the steps. There was then another moment of uncertainty as they broke into a canter.

Gallop – Point by Point by Point

But then things really took off. Very good canter half-passes with a great silhouette. The two-tempi changes were very good, the one-tempi changes nearly perfect. It’s not easy to collect the stallion’s long canter. But as the mature Grand Prix horse that the black stallion has now become, he can now canter both “short” and “long.” This was also evident in the pirouettes. Two years ago at the Olympic Games, and even in Crozet at the 2025 European Championships, this movement looked quite different—stiff and twisted, a style that international judges had long tolerated without criticism. Now the stallion performs the pirouettes exactly as he should. The crowd in the stands grew louder and louder, especially when a 9.9 for his powerful canter appeared on the scoreboard.

Euphoria in the stadium

The final line—featuring a passage in which the horse actively worked from back to front, followed by a smooth transition into the piaffe, which was actively executed and performed with perfect evenness—underscored the pair’s ambition: the podium! And right at the top.

By the end, some people in the audience had already started clapping, while others tried in vain to stop them with loud “Shhh!”s. The judges awarded a score of 82.295 percent. That put her in the lead; only Katharina Hemmer remained on the start list. And it would mean she had successfully defended her title.

The secret to their success: partnership

Charlotte Fry said she now knows “Glamie” inside and out. The day before the Grand Prix, she already had a feeling that “he’s in top form—this could go well.” “Glamourdale loves Aachen, loves stadiums.” During the competition, she always said, “Whoa, be careful,” but he always replied, “No, come on, take a risk!”

Aachen and Glamourdale—it’s a perfect match

“I’ve never had a bad ride in Aachen—so far,” she said, noting that this had been her motto leading up to the event. The significant improvement shown by the stallion—who is now 15 years old—is rooted in their long partnership, according to Lottie Fry. “I know which competitions he likes; we’ve stayed home a lot. Fewer competitions, with a focus on collected work like passages.” And there’s one more thing: “Letting him breed when he wants to,” grins the world champion.

Silver: Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St. John Freestyle

Relaxed and supple throughout the entire trot sequence. Accentuated and swinging in the passage, launching immediately into a strong trot and transitioning smoothly back. Her mouth was constantly moving, but the mare never appeared dissatisfied at any point. For a long time, it looked like the Danish rider was on her way to a gold medal.

Before that move, the interim score was over 84 percent. A slight uneven step in the first piaffe went largely unnoticed at first. In the second one, Cathrine Laudrup Dufour had to step in to correct it. Those were the only few exercises that didn’t receive a score with an eight before the decimal point.

At first

, she

was clearly on track for gold

. Her canter half-passes were exemplary in terms of balance and rhythm. One of the two-tempi changes was shorter than the rest. But then: a mistake occurred during the one-tempi changes. A murmur went through the audience. Yet this was not to be the only problem. The left pirouette was borderline off-rhythm, though very centered. The one to the right was then performed with both hind legs braced instead of a clear canter leap from the hind leg.

Thanks to their smooth finish, the pair scored over 80 percent (80.127). “I was disappointed in myself. She’s in such great shape. She’s fit, and she loves the arena. She deserved for me to be in as good a shape as she is.”

But there’s still one day left. Tomorrow is the free skate. “She loves the new music,” Cathrine Ludrup-Dufour is certain. At the end of the ’80s-style melodies, the lyrics say, “nothing’s gonna stop me now”—well then…

Bronze for Katharina Hemmer (GER) and Denoix

. Katharina Hemmer held her index finger to her lips as she rode in, signaling quietly, “Please!” Once she reached the sand, she rode a half-step pirouette and galloped up briskly.

And from that point on, the pair delivered. Everything flowed smoothly—crisscrossing, effortless traversals to the left. Passages executed with absolute uniformity—not a single leg lifted higher than the other. Nothing jerked here; instead, everything flowed. The score before the walk was 80.93 percent. The walk wasn’t entirely free of tension at that brisk pace. But in collected form, it was one of the best in the World Championship test.

Piaffing at Its Best

The first piaffe came off perfectly. The Oldenburg worked rhythmically in place. The second piaffe and the transitions were of even higher quality. At one point, Denoix “stole” the flying change from his trainer between the half-passes. A flawless series of 15 single changes without the slightest tail movement. The right pirouette wasn’t the smallest of the day. With passages and the piaffe at the X mark, followed by a long, confident halt to finish, “that’s when I told him, ‘We really have to stop now, even if the crowd is applauding.’” She talked a lot during the test. But less to Denoix than to herself: “Focus, on the inside leg…” 80.866 percent, bronze!

For the 32-year-old, today is a day she never could have imagined. “I never would have dreamed of winning an individual medal.” Her focus had always been on the team, for which she had performed perfectly with a personal best. “Today is the cherry on top.” Then she paused briefly. “He’s my best friend.” Then the tears started to flow.

No Freestyle for Denoix

Then came a surprise. Hemmer will

not

be riding

the freestyle

. Because the chestnut gelding had been sidelined shortly before the German Championships, the freestyle is “not as well prepared as it should be.” She has ridden the freestyle only once this year.

Isabell Werth and Wendy Fourth

Good traversals, smoothly executed trot extensions, and passages—though at times more drive from the hind legs would have been desirable—placed Isabell Werth and Wendy at 80.6 percent in the interim standings before the walk. A stumble at the start of the first piaffe lowered the score for the collected walk. The piaffe itself, however, was executed confidently. In the second piaffe, the Danish mare moved with the precision of a metronome, keeping her nose clearly ahead of the vertical.

Repeated snorts accompanied the canter half-passes. The double changes were executed without error, just as in the Grand Prix. Then came the 15 single changes: there was a mistake right at the start. In the left pirouette, Wendy’s hind legs didn’t move quite as smoothly. Mistakes also occurred again in the subsequent single changes. The following right pirouette went well.

Points on the final centerline

. The pair was then able to make up some points with the piaffe at X and the passages. They scored 79.544 percent, placing fourth, a few points ahead of Belgian rider Justin Verboomen.

Justin Verboomen (BEL) and Zonik Plus

Even though there was little expansion of the frame visible in the strong trot, the pair appeared more focused than in the Grand Prix. Passages with plenty of sustained momentum, a relaxed, strong stride. In the piaffes, the black horse did not shine to the same extent as we have seen before.

A routine like a roller coaster

There were errors in the single changes during the canter. The pair also struggled to stay in sync on the short side that followed. But then: a pirouette that was practically flawless, followed by single changes—more errors—and another fantastic pirouette. All the ups and downs in a single line. On the final line, featuring a technically sound passage and piaffe, the Zonik son’s head wobbled slightly back and forth; 79.362 percent.

Carl Hester (GBR) and Fame

Smooth but less strongly crossing trot traverses, sublime passages to start. At times, the gelding repeatedly fell slightly behind the vertical. After coming to a halt from the passage, the KWPN gelding immediately extended to the rider’s hand with a deep neck.

The first piaffe was solidly in place; the second was livelier and showed better alignment of the forehead-nose line. That one was at least almost vertical.

Hester’s last championship

Throughout the test, Fame cantered at the very edge of the three-beat rhythm, not only in the forward movements but also, to some extent, in the traversals. He executed the flying changes flawlessly, straight and balanced.

The single changes were among the best of the test. A second pirouette on a small circle and a very even passage-piaffe sequence on the center line rounded out a well-executed test: 78.298 percent—with that score, the 59-year-old, who will conclude his career with the freestyle on Saturday evening, had temporarily taken the lead. In the end, he finished in sixth place, ahead of his student Becky Moody and Jagerbomb.

Marieke van der Putten (NED) and Zantana

The mare and the experienced rider are definitely “ones to watch”—and have been for a few months now. While their championship debut at the 2025 European Championships in Crozet was still marked by a great deal of nervousness, the Oldenburg black mare bred by Paul Schockemöhle showed herself to be significantly more mature in Aachen.

But it was evident more than once that she hadn’t quite found her rhythm in the Grand Prix Special. First, the mare broke into a canter from a strong trot on the left lead, and later did so again on the long side. A three-stride flying change at the start of the two-tempi changes cost her additional points. The 15 single jumps were executed, but poorly timed—they were simply started too early. Ambitiously executed pirouettes and a technically complex passage at the end made it a “personal best” despite the mistakes: 76.426 percent, eighth place.

Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD

It started off so well. The opening salute, certainly. Suddenly, the stadium fell completely silent—an almost graceful silence. Frederic Wandres rode from point to point with millimeter precision. Springy movements, clearly discernible expansion of the stride in the strong trot.

The first piaffe was forward-moving and in three phases. The second piaffe went better—on the mark—but with a few too few steps.

At first, everything went according to plan during the canter. But after the first pirouette, Frederic Wandres rode eleven instead of nine half-passes. In the following right pirouette, the son of Bordeaux also stumbled once in the hind legs. An especially costly mistake—this fault is also multiplied by two. 74.24 percent. With that, it was clear: Raphael Netz will compete in the freestyle. However, following Katharina Hemmer’s decision to withdraw from the freestyle, “Freddie” will also be able to ride under the floodlights on Saturday.

Results of the 2026 World Dressage Championships Grand Prix Special