A super-Saturday of equestrian action delighted fans at the FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany yesterday. It was the final day of the vaulting competition, with Britain’s Urssie Levett performing her free test, while the eventers completed their cross-country phase. The dressage finale, the Grand Prix Freestyle, rounded out a fantastic day of sport with a further gold for Britain.
In 60 years of Dressage World Championship history, no rider had ever done the ‘double-double’ – taking gold in both the individual and freestyle on back-to-back occasions. However, last night, in front of a capacity 40,000 crowd under floodlights in the stunning Aachen Main Stadium, Britain’s Lottie Fry had the chance to do just that.
Dressage – Grand Prix Freestyle for individual medals
Becky Moody and Jagerbomb
Britain’s first combination into the fray was Becky Moody and her homebred Jagerbomb, who she owns with Jo Cooper. Becky and ‘Bomb’ have continued to win a new legion of fans here in Aachen with their obvious partnership and love for one another. A slightly disappointing Grand Prix on day one was put firmly behind them on Wednesday in the Grand Prix Special, where they were back on form. Tonight, they wanted to end their Aachen campaign on a high, with their sights set on a podium place.
Drawn 10th to go, they were exceptional, with their Beatles medley enchanting the crowd and the dressage skill on display impressing the judges. The degree of difficulty for the test is incredible, with the first centre line cramming in almost a whole test’s worth of moves. However, it’s one thing to put together a difficult floorplan and quite another to achieve the marks – Becky and Bomb proved they were perfectly capable of doing both. The test was mistake-free, it brought crowds to their feet and the reception afterwards for the Yorkshire duo was incredible – a standing ovation by many.
With all artistic scores above 90% and the technical ones exceeding 80%, it was a performance of which to be proud. A final percentage of 87.479% gave them the lead at that stage.
“That was fun! It was quite a lot of fun going in there, so I was super-pleased with him because it’s a serious ask for any horse to go into an environment like that. He’s done a lot of big shows and he coped with Paris, but that’s another level. I wasn’t sure how he was going to go in there, but he was just amazing. He stayed super-chilled and really with me. I could have had a little bit more and sometimes my piaffe was a bit quiet, but I haven’t actually ridden that test since Texas, so it’s a little while since I’ve done it. He was just so with me that it was a pleasure to ride,” Becky explained.
“It’s another level – it’s crazy in there. The crowd is phenomenal and you could feel it building through the test. You’re not even aware of them visually because they’re quite far back, but you can still feel the atmosphere building as you’re doing it,” she said.
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale
The crowd was approaching frenzy level with every rider as we built towards the climax, but clapping and cheering is like nectar to Van Olst Horses’ black stallion Glamourdale, who simply loves to show off. His 30-year-old rider Lottie Fry, originally from Yorkshire, was already flying high in confidence, having retained her individual World Championship title in yesterday’s Grand Prix Special, so the scene was set for something wonderful.
The duo delivered. Their freestyle programme, which is themed on songs featuring ‘flying’, debuted at last year’s FEI European Championships in Crozet, but it didn’t quite land with the judges. After some refinement over the last 12 months, tonight was a very different story. The crowd was behind them as soon as Lottie’s voice boomed throughout the stadium to welcome everyone to “Glamourdale Airlines” and the music started.
Some 40,000 souls were totally invested in the music and level of dressage skill on display, with audible gaps during the canter work, particularly the tempi changes and their trademark extended canter but, most importantly, so were the seven judges. The final centre line was done to a slow handclap, which simply made Glammy’s passage better and better. They halted and the crowd went mad.
As the cheering rung out, the announcer gave the scores – a range of 84–86+% for the technical work and four of the seven judges awarding 99% for the artistic presentation. The final score was 91.907%, which might be just a shade of their personal best on paper but, for many, it was the best performance they’d ever seen the duo perform. It shot them into the lead over Belgium’s Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus, who had snuck ahead of Becky and Bomb earlier that night.
“It was my test of a lifetime – it couldn’t be better for me. He was completely relaxed, he was super-happy and we both enjoyed every second. I kept smiling in the test, then reminding myself to concentrate because we’re at a World Championship. It was just the most amazing feeling in the world – this was the best test of our lives so far. I hope we continue to improve but, for now, this is incredible,” said an excited Lottie.
“It’s been an amazing week. Glammy’s performed beyond all expectations and he’s been a complete dream to ride from the stable to the arena. He’s so happy here – he loves it. I was in the warm-up arena and he kept looking over every time there was clapping, like ‘can we go yet?’ and I was like ‘no, it’s not our time, we have to wait’. He’s whinnying the whole way because he’s excited to get in, then as soon as he’s in there, he’s quiet, calm and relaxed. This is his place. It’s just been the most incredible week for us.
“The crowd was amazing. To be honest, when you go in, you know there’s a huge atmosphere, but you don’t really look up to see what’s going on around you because you’re so focused, but you can just feel everyone there, especially when he does an extended canter – I can hear them, which is really good and I think Glammy likes it as well. It’s the most amazing atmosphere to ride in – I don’t think I’ve ever ridden in quite an arena like that,” she reflected.
Carl Hester and Fame
The final British pairing and the penultimate overall was Carl Hester and Fame, who he co-owns with Fiona Bigwood and Mette Dahl. Carl had already ridden two masterful tests with the bright bay stallion this week but admits that Grand Prix Freestyle isn’t his favourite thing. However, having competed at Aachen for many years, he knows how to win over a crowd, so he decided to put together a new Freestyle programme. In his words, “I’ve done a crowd-pleaser, not a me-pleaser!”, with inspiration from David Bowie songs including, of course, ‘Fame’.
Carl’s high hopes for a medal were soon dashed, however, when Fame got a touch of the nerves – he wasn’t the relaxed, ridable and responsive horse he’d been in the arena on their two previous visits. The bay stallion took exception to the speakers, spooked at his shadow on the floor from the floodlights, wouldn’t go into the corner and just wasn’t with his rider. Carl once again proved exactly why he’s so highly regarded as a producer of horses by nursing Fame through the test, holding his hand when he needed it most and managing his worries.
The final halt brought a sense of relief for the rider. There were still some good scores on the artistic side, but the technical percentages were sadly below what he achieved in the week. Their final score was 82.304%, which put them down the order behind Becky and Bomb.
Never knocked down, Carl said; “I’m not disappointed at all because I’ve had an amazing week – he’s been fantastic all week and, without him, the team would be struggling.
“We need every single one of those horses and he’s proved again this week what a competitive horse he is – top 10 in all three tests at a World Championships. I can’t complain.”
“As usual, I’m glad it’s over. It’s been a long year to get here, and it’s been another successful year for British dressage, which I couldn’t be more grateful for – our support team, the owners, everyone, we’ve got an army out here with us.”
“But I shall be in my car at six o’clock in the morning, and I’m looking forward to Sunday lunch at home tomorrow with my dogs – that’ll make my life complete.”
Making history
The final combination into the electric arena was the Queen of Aachen herself, Isabell Werth, riding Wendy de Fontaine – just one final pairing who could spoil Lottie and Glammy’s evening. After missing out on the podium by a whisker in the Grand Prix Special, Isabell had a point to prove. The largely German crowd was certainly behind their home nation heroine, but there were some small errors and miscommunications which prevented them from getting the top marks.
It was a tense few moments where Lottie once again couldn’t look at the big screen in the warm-up area, but many reassured her that she’d done enough. After what felt like an agonisingly long time, the score flashed up as 88.650%. Lottie had done it. She’d successfully defended her Freestyle title won in Herning in 2022 and done the double in Aachen – two unbelievable tests, two gold medals and a place in history as the only rider to have ever retained both titles, all alongside her faithful black stallion, Glamourdale. Becky finished fifth overall and Carl seventh, making Britain the only nation to have three riders in the top seven.
Eventing – Brits extend their lead in the team, with individual medals in their grasp
The stifling temperatures seen during the week gave way to overcast, muggy conditions for a full day of cross-country in the fields of Soers, adjacent to the main showground. Designer Giuseppe Della Chiesa (ITA) had set a test with plenty of options – some 80 fences around the course when factoring in all the various routes. The 5,600 metre-long course had an optimum time of 9:50, which many predicted would be hard to achieve and, with a sold-out 35,000 spectators anticipated, it would be a day of huge support, whatever your nationality.
Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley
British team pathfinders Gemma Stevens and Pru Dawes’s Flash Cooley certainly fulfilled the role in the dressage phase, putting a solid score of 29.3 on the board for the British team, which also left them 16th individually going into cross-country. ‘Casper’ and Gemma have galloped on Aachen’s hallowed turf twice before and took a podium placing at last year’s Nations Cup meeting, but this year’s championship edition offered a new dimension.
Back on the British squad after an eight-year gap, Gemma headed into the start box with the aim of getting a good round on the board for her team. At just 16.1hh, Casper isn’t the tallest, but his striking grey coat ensures he catches the eye. The pair set off with great intent and negotiated the first few fences in a good, forward rhythm. The fence at six was an imposing Silver Birch Trakehner and Casper had a bit of a look, but took it on, along with the following Turkish Airlines Fruit Table. They came round to the first element of the Coffin at eight, a hanging white birch rail, and Gemma presented him, but he just didn’t lock on and came to a halt. She circled to attempt the long route and again he uncharacteristically stopped, twice. The rules mean three cumulative refusals are elimination, so their World Championship campaign came to a heart-breakingly abrupt end. Gemma walked Casper off course and back to the stables.
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin
Tom McEwen and his championship regular partner, JL Dublin, owned by James and Jo Lambert and Deirdre Johnston, certainly got the job done in the dressage on day one with a score of 26.6. The duo has matured into a picture of consistency over the past few years and, having lost the first combination from the team, the British camp would need that reliability.
They set out from the start box, assisted by groom Adam Short, to huge cheers from the sizeable crowd. The course started with a long stretch of gently inclining terrain and four or five inviting fences, which perfectly serves to get the horses in a good rhythm, and Tom used it to good effect. He and ‘Dubs’ popped thorough the Birch rail coffin at eight like a training exercise at home, then Tom rode with determination through the Turkish Airlines complex at nine to keep the line required over the very narrow fences.
There was just a moment of uncertainty at the huge step of the Longines Challenge at 17, but Dubs popped down, and Tom steered him through the right-to-left direct route over two skinny fences. At the SAP Village complex at 24, Tom elected to take the slightly longer route for safety, but kept a good rhythm to waste as little time as possible. The final combination came at the penultimate fence, the Mercedez-Benz Challenge, and Dubs knocked the flag with his shoulder but appeared to be clear, and they safely crossed the finish line in 9.55 – five seconds over the optimum time to add 2.0 penalties to their dressage score of 26.6 for a two-phase total of 28.6 and into the lead. The news came through that there was a flag penalty under review at fence 27 and, if enforced, it would be an additional nine penalties to this total. However, some 20 minutes later, the penalty was removed and a two-day total of 26.6 stood.
“I couldn’t be happier – Dubs knows what he’s doing. Having that minute of cantering up the hill with the crowds helps them settle into the course. It walked like a decent track and it’s producing scores like a decent track. For the good horses and riders, it still takes a lot of riding – you’ve got flags everywhere, skinnies, lots of corners,” explained Tom.
“For me, Dubs went brilliantly – I set sail and I never at any point felt I was rushing. I tried to leave enough petrol in the tank, hoping I was feeling enough on top to go the direct way at the corner combination but, for me, he felt like he was wondering ‘why am I going away from home again’ so I made the quick decision to speed round the long route.
“He was a little bit tired at the second-last, but he was never going anywhere but between the flags. As we’re all aware, seven minutes around Aachen is knackering for the horse, not just physically but mentally, and it’s the same for the rider. This course isn’t done until the bitter end,” Tom concluded.
At the end of the second rotation of riders, it was clear that the course was proving influential, with a number of teams incurring jumping penalties or finishing well over the time.
Laura Collett and London 52
Tom’s expert cross-country trip renewed British team hopes, but the pressure was building and clear rounds were essential. Aachen marks Laura Collett and London 52’s seventh consecutive championship together, with owners Karen Bartlett and Keith Scott with them for every step – and every medal. Experience like this was just what the British team needed to call on.
German-bred ‘Dan’ approached the start box with his diminutive rider. The starter counted them down and, at zero, they were off. They took the first few fences with ease, as Dan ate up the ground with his athletic frame. They neatly popped through the coffin at eight and were straight and clear at nine, the Turkish Airlines Complex. Laura did her best to use the spaces where she could to up the tempo, ever mindful of how tight the optimum time was.
They were copybook through the two Allianz Water Complexes at 11 and 13, and the Longines Challenge at 17, which was proving to be influential as it came at a point where petrol tanks were beginning to empty. They were foot-perfect through the imposing Picnic Tables, but had a few slips and loss of footing on approach to the DHL Water Complex. However, Dan listened to Larua and stayed true. There was a collective holding of breath among the British contingent as they approached the final combination, the Mercedes-Benz Challenge, but there was never a doubt. They took the final fence, the Welcome Home, in their stride and stopped the clock at 9.52, just two seconds over the time to add 0.8 to their dressage of 22.8, meaning the worst they could finish was third.
“Oh, that horse is just unbelievable. He felt like he’d walked the course and knew what I wanted him to do before I even got there. He gave me so much confidence from start to finish – never wavered off the line. We had a bit of a scary moment because he pulled a shoe and, turning to the last water, he was nearly on his side – I don’t know how he jumped quite a big fence into water, but he is just the most amazing horse,” a very proud Laura said.
“Look, it’s that kind of course where there’s never an easy stride – every stride, you’re either turning, jumping, setting up, moving away, trying to make up the time that you lose doing the combinations.
“I was umming and ahhing – obviously, Tom [McEwen] went long at that last combination [24ABC] and it was very tempting to play it safe, but I thought to myself; ‘this horse is on fire, he’s reading everything’. He felt so with me and I could just trust him one hundred percent, and I’m glad I did.
“I was always going long off the bank but then, having watched a few go this morning, that three strides just looked so short and Tom made it look so easy [going straight], and he said he felt like he had loads of time. Chris Bartle grabbed hold of me and said ‘go straight, I believe in you’ and, with the feeling I was getting, there was no reason to doubt him,” she explained.
After she did her mixed zone media duties, Laura had a surprise visitor in the form of Ocke Riewerts, Dan’s proud breeder, who’d come to Aachen to support them. He told her that he has ‘the next London 52’ due in the spring by Landos and with the same damsire, Quinar. Laura was keen to ensure she had first refusal on the new arrival!
Caroline Harris and D. Day
As the nominated individual for Britain, it could be said that the pressure was off for Caroline Harris and she could ride D. Day for herself and her supportive owners, Lucy Matthews, Fiona Olivier, Marie-Anne Richardson and Heather Royle. However, she had ghosts to lay to rest after the cross-country phase of her championships debut, last year’s European Championships at Blenheim, ended in a walk home. The pair won the Luhmuhlen CCI5* in June, which brought some redemption, but the Gloucestershire rider and her owners arrived in Aachen with a point to prove.
D. Day is a cross-country specialist, with the heart of a lion and the skills of a cat, and today he set off meaning business. He fought for his head in the first few fences, keen to get on with the task at hand, but soon settled and they skipped through the Coffin and Turkish Airlines Complex with ease. Caroline set him up beautifully for both Allianz Water Complexes and he duly obliged with foot-perfect progress.
The Billy Mexico-sired gelding was brave through the SAP Village and DHL Water Complex – never wavering from the line Caroline set him on. They took the Mercedes-Benz Challenge in style, with D. Day still keen and full of running. Over the last fence to a huge British cheer, they crossed the line three seconds over the optimum for 1.2 penalties to add to their dressage of 34.2. With many combinations having trouble, it was certain that the pair would make a decent charge up the leaderboard, but we’d have to wait until the last combination to find out quite how far.
“Oh my God, that horse is just something else – he was class,” beamed Caroline. “I knew as soon as we jumped the Trakehner [fence six] that he was going to be on it today. He can sometimes go a little bit ‘ditchy’ but, I think, this year he’s just grown up and phenomenal to ride cross-country. He’s always got his ears pricked and we just have 100% faith in each other now. We learned a lot last year, as everyone likes to keep reminding me, but we’ve come out this year and he just feels like a totally different horse.
“We did the straight routes everywhere and he just felt so on it. He’s so straight, and always wants to look for the flags and go between them,” she said.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, owned by Archie and Michele Saul, have come to Aachen in a purple patch of form. Their win at the Badminton CCI5* – an unprecedented third – has been followed up with a few easy runs to just get ‘Walter’ to peak for this week. Ros also has the huge benefit of living in the Lincolnshire Wolds, with plenty of hills to help with the fitness work. Their dressage test on Friday showed the uniqueness of this horse – in an already tense atmosphere, the noise from the adjacent main stadium was reaching fever pitch as the Grand Prix Special dressage neared the end. Walter didn’t bat an eyelid, instead deciding that the cheers were for him and going on to score 23.4 to lie fourth.
As the penultimate pairing of the day, it was a long wait for them to leave the start box but, when their turn came, they gave the 35,000 spectators lining the Soer parkland a masterclass in cross-country riding. From clearing the first to crossing the finish line, it was foot-perfect. The rhythm, the technique, the tempo were all effortless and it appeared as if Walter was on rails. They stopped the clock at 9:44, some six seconds inside the time and the second fastest of the day.
“I’m over the moon and just quite relieved, to be honest. It’s been a long day and it’s a very, very intense track to ride. The Badmintons and Burghleys feel a bit easier for Walter because you can cruise along in between, whereas today you have to go so fast in between and there doesn’t seem to be any space to go because, all of a sudden, you’ve got another jump to jump,” Ros commented.
“What an amazing horse he is – he just absolutely loves it. As soon as he came over here, his ears pricked and it just gave me the utmost confidence.
“Having watched Tom [McEwen] go the long route at the last corners [24ABC], I had that in my mind. Even coming out of that last water [23], I was really tempted to go long because he just felt like he’d gone a little bit strung, but I was just like ‘for goodness sake, you haven’t come to the World Championships to wimp out, so get on with it because you know you’re on a good horse’. So, I’m really pleased I made that decision and it was all pretty much sticking to the same plan as we walked it.
“It is quite a juggle [having baby Senah here], but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m absolutely loving being able to combine the two and I think it’s actually amazing just to look around the stables and see how many children are involved in everybody’s teams now. It’s a proper family affair across all the sports. I’m not the only one who’s just had a baby and who’s going round the eventing. I think it’s fantastic to see that we can do both,” she explained.
Britain widen the gap, while Michi gives the home crowd reason to cheer
In the team standings, Britain retains their lead and built more of a cushion over second-placed Germany. The three-rider total is 75.6, while Germany sit on 90.4. Switzerland is third on 106.5, Ireland fourth on 110.1 and the USA close out the top six on 112.3.
Individually, home nation hero Michael Jung put in an exemplary round with the evergreen fischerChipmunk to stay on his dressage score of 23.0. However, he has Ros and Laura breathing down his neck from the next two steps of the podium. Ros has moved up a place to second, just 0.4 behind the German, Laura’s 0.8 time penalties move her down one on 23.6, while Tom McEwen is fourth on 28.6.
Individual Caroline Harris has made a strong march up the leaderboard – her fantastic round ensured she moved from 38th to 14th.
Sunday medal decider
Sunday is the final day of the eventing, when the team and individual podiums will be decided. First up in the morning is the final horse inspection to ensure the horses are fit and able to jump following today’s cross-country test. It’s then on to the jumping, where clear rounds will be essential to secure the medals. The final jumping will take place in the iconic Main Stadium from 13:00 (12:00 BST).
Vaulting – free finale
Ursula Levett completes her senior World Championship debut
Over in Stadium 3, today marked the final round of the individual vaulting competition. This meant that Ursula Levett, Britain’s sole representative, would be showcasing her free routine alongside Shannondale Jedi and lunger Pauline Riedl, set to Good Enough by Evanescence.
The 21-year-old came into this second round in 35th place, having averaged a score of 6.158 in round one across the compulsory and technical tests. She started well with a standing sequence, before moving onto a side cartwheel. However, there was a slight hesitation and Urssie wasn’t quite able to get the height she needed to go over the top. She controlled it well, though, and recovered quickly to continue her routine. Her transitions between movements were smooth and the harmony between her and Jedi – who moved to Germany with her three years ago after Urssie chose to base herself with coach and lunger Pauline Riedl – was clear for all to see.
There was one small wobble as she prepared for the dismount, but the landing was clean and the test was complete. There was just time for a hug for Pauline and a pat for Jedi before they exited the arena to await their scores.
Before long, they flashed up – a total of 6.712, giving Urssie a final average score of 6.615 across the competition. This put them into 37th place in the final standings.
“It was alright – some messy errors, but my horse was good,” said a pragmatic Urssie afterwards. “There’s a bit more atmosphere today, so he felt a bit uncertain, but he tried his best and I’m really proud of him. He did a really good job. It wasn’t really the programme I wanted to show, but that’s the way these things go.”
When asked what her particular highlights from the test would be, she commented: “The handstand sequence was nice and the beginning stand was nice. The music is a piece that I found during the winter that I really liked and enjoyed. I thought it suited me well for a freestyle.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind week, but I’m very appreciative that I got to compete here, in such an arena – it’s been an amazing experience,” she concluded.
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