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Great Britain have successfully defended their World Championship team silver medal at the FEI Dressage World Championship Aachen 2026, finishing behind hosts Germany as the home nation claimed a record-extending 13th team title.
Great Britain delivered when it mattered in Aachen, securing World Championship team silver and an early team qualification place for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games as Germany celebrated gold in front of their home crowd.
The British team finished on 231.445%, 3.618 percentage points behind Germany’s winning total of 235.063%, with defending champions Denmark taking bronze.
It means Britain have retained the silver medal won at the 2022 World Championships in Herning, while also achieving one of the major objectives of Aachen by securing their team place for LA28.
Defending individual World Champions Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale produced Britain’s highest score of the Grand Prix, delivering 80.311% to finish third individually and underline their credentials ahead of the battle for the individual medals.
Grand Prix Team Final & Individual Qualifier Lambertz-Prize. © FEI/Leanjo de Koster
“Glamourdale loves Aachen. He was amazing in there and the whole test felt like a highlight,” said Fry. “We had a small miscommunication going into the first piaffe, but I was able to correct it quickly. ‘Glammie’ took me around. It couldn’t have been better.”
Carl Hester and Fame also delivered under championship pressure, producing a smooth Grand Prix test for 77.314%. After more than three decades competing at the highest level, Hester admitted that the pressure of riding for a championship team never completely disappears.
Grand Prix Team Final & Individual Qualifier Lambertz-Prize. © FEI/Leanjo de Koster
“After 36 years of riding Grand Prix, you still don’t go in thinking that everything will simply work,” he said. “It still brings pressure, fun, sleepless nights and so much going through your head.
![Carl HESTER [GBR] and Fame - Dressage Team Final & Ind.Qualifier at the FEI World Championships 2026, Aachen, Germany, 12th of August 2026. PC (C) FEI/Łukasz Kowalski](https://i0.wp.com/everythinghorseuk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/55460223250_d8275d396e_k-1.jpg?resize=800%2C533&ssl=1)
“It doesn’t matter how long you have been doing it. It doesn’t necessarily get any easier as you get older, because after a few good results, people expect more from you.”
Their performances followed Britain’s opening-day scores, which had left the team sitting third overnight.
Becky Moody and the British-bred Jagerbomb scored 73.820% despite mistakes in their Grand Prix test, while Fiona Bigwood’s Donna Bella joined Jagerbomb in giving the British team two homebred horses at this year’s World Championships.
Germany strike gold on home soil
For Germany, victory marked a return to the top of the World Championship team podium and carried added significance on home soil.
Twenty years after winning World Championship team gold in Aachen in 2006, Germany repeated the feat to secure the nation’s 13th World Championship team title.
Raphael Netz and Frederic Wandres had established Germany’s advantage on the opening day before Katharina Hemmer and Isabell Werth completed the job on Wednesday.
Hemmer and Denoix PCH produced a personal-best 79.224%, before Werth and Wendy de Fontaine scored 79.876% to secure gold.
“It is very special to be back on the team here 20 years after our gold in Aachen and to win gold again,” said Werth. “There is nothing bigger or better than Aachen. It really is a welcome home.”
Despite Germany’s strength across the team competition, none of its combinations finished the Grand Prix inside the individual top three.
Denmark take bronze as Laudrup-Dufour leads individually
Denmark, who arrived in Aachen as defending World Champions, finished with bronze.
Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Flash Gordon 37 produced a personal-best 74.876%, before Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle delivered the highest individual score of the Grand Prix.
The pair scored 82.376%, moving to the top of the standings ahead of Friday’s Grand Prix Special.
Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus finished second individually on 80.885%, with Britain’s Fry and Glamourdale third on 80.311%.
Great Britain book their place at LA28
There was considerably more than a World Championship medal at stake in Aachen, with the competition providing the first opportunity for nations to secure team qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The six highest-ranked eligible teams earned team quota places.
Germany, Great Britain and Denmark secured qualification alongside fourth-placed Belgium, fifth-placed Netherlands and sixth-placed Sweden.
For Great Britain, it means Olympic team qualification is already secured almost two years before LA28.
Individual medals next
Attention now turns to the individual World Championship titles.
The top 30 combinations from the Grand Prix have qualified for Friday’s Grand Prix Special, with athletes representing 17 nations set to compete from 10:50.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle head into the Special as the Grand Prix leaders, followed by Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus and defending World Champions Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale.
With the team silver secured and Olympic qualification safely booked, Britain now turns its attention to the individual medals in Aachen.
Feature image: Podium team final at the FEI Dressage World Championship
1. Germany, 2. Great Britain, 3. Denmark
l.t.r. Darrell Scaife, Fiona Bigwood, Carl Hester, Fiona Bigwood, Charlotte Fry, Isabell Werth, Frederic Wandres, Raphael Netz, Katharina Hemmer, Susie Dannemand, Daniel Bachmann Andersen, Cathrine Laudrup Dufour, Carina Cassoe Kruth, Nadja Aaboe Sloth
FEI Dressage World Championship, Aachen (GER) 2026
Grand Prix Team Final & Individual Qualifier Lambertz-Prize
© FEI/Leanjo de Koster