Newsletter Editorial, August 13, 2026: World Championships in Aachen, Katharina Hemmer and Denoix, and the Judges’ Scoring Formula

Gooooooold! I guess that’s how a proper sports reporter is supposed to write it. Just like in soccer. But there, the saying goes, “The round thing has to go into the square thing.” Which, mathematically speaking, is roughly equivalent to 1+1=2. Well, Germany is the world champion in dressage. You know, that whole thing with the piaffe and seven judges. In mathematical terms, that’s roughly:

This formula worked out for about 75 percent of the rides. But at the back of the field, it was once again the riders’ names that had the biggest impact on the scores, rather than their performances. That doesn’t detract from the medalists’ achievements. There were some great rides in the team events—Germany, Great Britain, and Denmark. There were many moments that were a lot of fun.

Hemmer the Hammer!

If one performance stands out, it’s Katharina Hemmer’s ride. It was so moving that riding master Hubertus Schmidt didn’t even try to hold back his tears. What “Katha” and Denoix—whom she was allowed to take over after her mentor Hubertus Schmidt retired (and whom she had previously trained up to Dressage Level M)—achieved today was SENSATIONAL. Yes, indeed. In ALL CAPS. That was great—that was truly great sports. It’s just a shame that, even though Katha is an excellent rider, some judges still don’t consider her one of the big names. That’s why she “only” placed fifth.

But this ranking—which is irrelevant to the rest of the World Championships—shines like silver, if not gold. When Fokus magazine felt the need last night to ask about the future of equestrian sports, using an admittedly unflattering snapshot of one of Katha’s teammates, one is tempted to say: Check out Katha’s ride, find the right picture, and come up with a headline: “This is how beautiful modern equestrian sports are.”

At the official press conference, national team coach Monica Theodorescu suggested renaming Katharina Hemmer “Hammer.” Great idea!

If anyone wants to stone me as a lobbyist right now—go ahead. That was great; that was everything that makes equestrian sports special, and I’ll do whatever it takes to stand up for Katha and Denoix. And not just for them.

Sports teaches

Charlotte, Lottie, and Fry also presented Glamourdale with a ease and harmony rarely seen. This shows that the sport is evolving. When the pair became world champions in Herning four years ago, they were supposedly at their peak. And really, anyone who becomes a world champion shouldn’t feel the need to change anything. It hardly gets any better than this. The fact that Lottie—partly as a result of discussions—performed such a beautiful yet distinctly different routine today supports my theory about learning, I think.

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour not only delivered the best Grand Prixperformance (you can read about it here), but she also revealed that they had a royal visitor at the stable. Queen Mary stopped by. She’s not only a dressage enthusiast, but also quite down-to-earth. “At the stable, Her Royal Highness is just Mary,” Cathrine reveals. And she’s also the second cousin (is that the right term when referring to a cousin’s wife?) of Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, the trainer of, among others, Daniel Bachmann Andersen, who rode exceptionally well yesterday. (Nathalie’s cousin’s first name is Frederik, and his last name is King of Denmark.)

Carl Hester’s youngest fan

While cheering on the English team, a little tousle-haired boy with fiery red hair caught my eye—a “ginger,” as the English say. He was sitting on eventing rider Tom McEwen’s arm, still in his diaper, and clapping enthusiastically. I assume it was McEwen’s son, who was learning from his father how to show appreciation for a good performance from the stands: “Well done, Carl (Hester).” I’ll go ahead and say, I agree completely.

Our cross-country riders also officially kicked off their competition yesterday. Cross-country discipline coach Rodolphe Scherrer—who serves as the point person for official events on behalf of national team coach Peter Thomsen, who is still in rehab but getting better every day—expressed optimism. My colleague Dominique Wehrmann told me this. She was at the press conference. When asked by the grande dame of German equestrian journalism how he viewed the current situation, he replied that he didn’t understand the question. After all, he’s French. And then he pointed to Libussa Lübbeke and Malin Hansen-Hotopp—“look, European Team Champion”—then to Christoph Wahler, “Team World Champion,” and finally to Michi Jung and Julia Krajewski: “Olympic Champion!” Well, it’s that simple…

By the way, what’s on people’s minds beyond the medals is, once again, the heat (it was 26 degrees today, which some already consider Sahara-like temperatures). At least that’s what a colleague reporting for WDR told me. Yesterday, he had to do a live radio segment with SWR and answer exactly that question. He rolled his eyes, but also admitted that the question had its advantages. Since it’s being asked constantly right now, “you can drag me out of bed at night, hold up a mic, and I can explain everything to you right away.”

Let’s see how things go today and tomorrow—temperatures are supposed to go well over 30 degrees. It’s a good thing our favorite photographer, Stefan Lafrentz—also known as the “Helmut Newton of Plön”—has plenty of sunscreen with him.

So let’s get started! But first, here’s a listening tip: The second episode of our podcast with wehorse is now online!

With that in mind—see you tomorrow!

Jan Tönjes
jan.toenjes@equi-pages.de