The inaugural edition of the CDIO Fontainebleau on 16 - 19 April 2026 was a bull's eye. The show grounds "Le Grand Parquet" took over the baton from Compiègne to host a 5* FEI Nations Cup and the show venue ran an extraordinary international dressage competition under the direction of GL events. Fontainebleau set a new standard and brought real team flair to the FEI's struggling nations cup series.
Lifting Show Experience to a New Level
Le Grand Parquet is no newcomer to staging dressage shows. They hosted the 2012 European Pony Championships and 2018 European Junior / Young Riders Championships and since 2023 have been organising an annual, small CDI. For 2026 they put the big boy pants on and - holy moly - do the French know how to host.
GL Events built a massive village with VIP booths, a trade fair, a food village, a bistro and a restaurant spread out across numerous competition rings on a multiple hectare property in the renowned Fontainebleau forest, where the impressionist painters of the Barbizon school found their inspiration in the 19th century.
Huge main stadium in FontainebleauA massive grass derby field sits ready for next weekend's French Show Jumping Championships, while the CDIO was the dress rehearsal for the crew. The OC brought in the decoration from the 2024 Olympics in Versailles and even had the English speaking announcer from Paris calling out the combinations' names. Her soothing voice brought back great memories of two summers ago as that familiar sound worked its Proustian magic, rekindling the olympic feel and fire.
GL Events pulled out all the stops and involved the local town, community and department in the show. Posters, banners and flags hung all across Fontainebleau town and even in the Paris metro stations there were billboards with those posters on, bringing visibility and awareness of the competition to a larger population. The town offered a free shuttle service from the train stations and central market square to the venue, transporting the locals as well as visitors to the grounds without having to worry about driving or parking.
Blessed with sunny spring weather and an early date on the calendar, the CDIO Fontainebleau attracted a packed field of competitors across the levels, from young horse level to Grand Prix. Three rings were going simultaneously from 8 AM in the morning till late in the afternoon. A set of CPEDI classes upholstered the programme even more.
Versailles decoration all exposed in FontainebleauThe gigantic main competition stadium with Olympic decoration gave a grandeur to the show that many events struggle to achieve. The FEI Nations Cup series fails to find true purpose on the FEI calendar: sometimes they are team selection or observation trial, but often they are not; few countries feel the urge to send in a team, and it is unclear who the winner of the series is with no proper celebration for the winning team as there are no "finals" like in show jumping.
The CDIO 5* Fontainebleau immediately conjured a "Championship" feel with its magnitude and high quality field of international riders. Fontainebleau truly set the standard of what a Nations Cup should be all about. Not even the CDIO Aachen accomplishes this "team" feel because, let's be honest, Aachen is a German affair with "guests" from abroad for the game of dressage. In Fontainebleau the flags, the signs, the amount of nations participating; they all heroed team spirit.
Battle of the Bulge
Military gatekeepers making sense of dressageWith seven teams and one individual starter making a group of 30 competitors, the 5* Grand Prix was the main feature class of the weekend on Saturday 18 April 2026. The covered seating area was only half full but with a stadium that large and people having the liberty of roaming the grounds freely, the crowds were spread out across the arena and the attendance was certainly above average for a dressage show. Most people opted to watch from the grandstand and terrace near the bistro and food court, where they could sit in the shade, avoiding the surprisingly burning spring sun.
Germany, Great Britain, Belgium -- as well as Spain, France, and Portugal -- sent some of their strongest riders and their performances were a good gauge for this summer's World Championships: an Olympic armada was there: Isabell Werth and Frederic Wandres on their best horses, as well as Charlotte Fry and Carl Hester with their top rides. Belgium brought its European Champion Justin Verboomen and Olympian Larissa Pauluis for this early season battle of the bulge. The line-up was finger licking food.
The Black Trinity
The 5* was judged by Clive Halsall, Kurt Christensen, Ulrike Nivelle, Alice Schwab, and Raphael Saleh. The ground jury as well as well the crowds sat at the edge of their seat for the three key rides of the day: Verboomen, Fry and Werth.
Justin Verboomen on Zonik PlusReigning European Champion Justin Verboomen was first to go in of the trio and one could hear a pin drop in the stadium as all went silent for the Belgian to begin his dance on the 10-year old Hanoverian stallion Zonik Plus (by Zonik x Hohenstein). The trot work was so soft footed, all the halts were dead square (bit maybe a bit stretched). The horse achieved good overtrack in the extensions, but the nose could have come out a fraction more. The transition into the first passage was exceptional. In passage the stallion does not truly move the hindlegs under the body, but he's active, springy and regular. There is much suspension in the movement. The collected walk is a little peacocky in front, but there is the correct instep and clarity of rhythm. In canter the stallion uses the full length of the diagonal to do the ground covering two tempi changes, the ones are straight and big too, in the zig zag the half passes to the right are a little less supple than to the left, but it all flowed so well. The extended canter was rather stiff in the back and straight legged, but the horse is so obedient and willing with his ears pricked forward. The pirouettes cannot get any smaller and are balanced and well jumped. One can see that Zonik's range of mobility in his skeleton/body is bigger to one side than the other (noticeable in the tempi changes, even passage and piaffe) and one could wish for a little bit more elasticity and stretch in the topline and back from nose to tail, but what truly sets this pair apart is the effortlessness, the harmony, the lightness, and willingness in the union between this rider and horse. Not once does Verboomen give a visible aid with his hands or legs and this partnership and level of communication are the new direction high performance dressage sport has taken and which the judges reward. The pair scored a personal best of 83,500% for the win.
Charlotte Fry and GlamourdaleBritain's Olympic bronze medal winner Charlotte Fry landed second place on Gert-Jan van Olst's 15-year old KWPN stallion Glamourdale (by Lord Leatherdale x Negro). The top two place-getters are both black and breeding stallions but they couldn't be further apart from one another. While Zonik Plus is small, elegant, light-footed as if on twinkle toes, Glamourdale is all masculinity, power, scope. Gaits-wise Glamourdale is far superior to Zonik, but all that energy is much more difficult to bolster and although petite Lottie Fry succeeds at managing the powerhouse, the horse gives her a much more laboured ride than Verboomen's invisibly conjuring magic. Lottie had one of her best rides ever though: the trot work was strong, ground covering. The rein back had big steps. The first passage was bouncy and the first piaffe on the spot and okay in rhythm. In the second there was some tiny back-stepping and a double beat in the transition out. The canter work is huge: massive two's, expansive extended canter but with a flying change early to the marker, big ones and the pirouettes worked out this time, although the exit of the right one needed a bit more polish. Also the piaffe at X was in good rhythm, but the horse's trembling lip reveals tension in the movement. They scored 80.848% and stayed almost three percent behind Verboomen despite a fault-free ride.
Isabell Werth and WendyThe world's most decorated dressage rider, Isabell Werth, also brought her A-game to Fontainebleau on Madeleine Winter-Schulze and Bolette Wandt's Danish warmblood mare Queenparks Wendy (by Sezuan x Soprano). Werth and the 12-year old black mare were last to go on Saturday afternoon and also showed improvement from the last competition ride we saw live in Crozet. The trot extensions were much better ridden - less hectic and hurried - but they still are not a true extension as overtrack is barely achieved. The first piaffe was ridden on the spot. The collected walk a bit short-long in front in the first part on the short side and also rather "slow". There was a bobble in the passage that followed. Wendy is quick on her feet in passage and the second piaffe showed much improvement with the mare no longer getting tense and snorting. In the two tempi changes the mare still swings too much to the right with the hindquarters but the extended canter was really nice and uphill. In the zig zag to the right the mare tends to go in double beat behind. In the one tempi line two changes were not entirely through behind (7.4). The pirouettes were small but not as supple. The final centerline had a very secure rhythm also in and out of the piaffe at X, except maybe right before the end halt. They scored 80.587% to stay on Fry's heels in third place.
Germany Prevails in the Nations' Cup
Led by Chef d'Equipe Monica Theodorescu, Germany’s four-rider squad of Benjamin Werndl (Quick Decision FRH), Svenja Kämper-Meyer (Amanyara M Frh), Frederic Wandres (Bluetooth OLD), and Werth (Wendy) finished on a winning total score of 230.065 points. Great Britain finished second (228.630), followed by Belgium (224.761).
Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth“To be honest, my plan was to come to Fontainebleau to have a nice training start to the outdoor season," Isabell Werth commented after her ride. "Then I saw the [start] list and I said, ‘Wow, this is not a good idea!’ It was a super field; it couldn’t be better…I think the whole team did really well. I’m pretty happy with Wendy for her first outdoor start [of the year].”
The German team was the only group to have each of its riders score above 70 percent, and all four athletes finished among the top 10 individual scores. Frederic Wandres (GER) — who anchored Germany in the series’ opening leg at Wellington (USA), where the team finished second — put up a score of 76.826% with his Olympic gold medal-winning partner, Bluetooth OLD. Since Crozet the Hof Kasselmann based duo only competed at the CDI Frankfurt in December; Fontainebleau was their first outdoor show of the season with them aiming to re-qualify on the German team for the WEG in Aachen. Bluetooth showed good energy in the trot work, with clear extensions. The piaffes were a bit difficult today with the horse getting wide behind or creeping forward in the second piaffe. He also gets wide behind in the pirouettes but the left one is clearly better than the right. The extended canter was very well ridden but the flying change was four strides early to the marker. One change was short in the two's. Overall Bluetooth looked better in the frame and contact and they finished their test with a square end halt. They scored 76.152%.
Benjamin Werndl on Quick DecisionGerman team mates Werndl and Kämper-Meyer delivered with less experienced horses. Benjamin Werndl had his first team start on the 10-year-old Quick Decision FRH (by Quaterhall x Rotspon), a Grand Prix horse he took over from Uta GräfiN December 2024. The pair produced a very neat ride with a proper execution of the movement and a horse consistent in the frame and contact. The extended walk does not have the greatest overstep but is clear in the 4-beat rhythm. The trot half passes lacked some suppleness and the rhythm was a bit hesitant in the first piaffe. The ones were straight and the pirouettes good. They scored 72.652% for 7th place.
While Svenja Kämper-Meyer’s score was ultimately the drop score, the amateur rider (who is a dentist by profession) finished less than three-tenths of a point behind Werndl. With the 13-year old Amanyara M (by Ampere x Davignon), which her father bred, she scored 72.369% for 9th place. Amanyara looked more athletic in her body and delivered wonderful trot extensions and solid piaffe-passage work. In the second piaffe she got wide in front though and the extended walk could have achieved more overtrack.
“It was amazing riding on this team today, in this arena,” she said. “The mare is amazing. The longer she goes in the arena now, the better she gets. We really had a great time today.”
British Sandwich
Carl Hester and FameCharlotte Fry (GBR) and Glamourdale did not quite catch the leading pair, but they put Great Britain into second place in the Nations Cup.
"I'm really happy! Glamourdale was incredible," said Lottie. "I had a fantastic time. We ride in the most incredible arena here, and it reminded me a lot of Paris. It was amazing. We've been coming to Fontainebleau every year since it started, because the atmosphere here is excellent and the horses are happy. We really enjoy coming back every year!"
After the European Championships in Crozet, British team stalwart and veteran rider Carl Hester gave everyone a good scare - once again - by hinting at his possible retirement from competition sport. However, he has retained the ride on Fiona Bigwood's 16-year old KWPN gelding Fame (by Bordeaux x Rhodium) for another season and kicked off his 2026 campaign at the CDI Doha invitational in February. Fontainebleau was his first "real" show of the year and the pair finished fifth in the Grand Prix with 76.152% although he easily could have placed fourth. Fame is always quite short in the neck, but the horse does not look squeezed. He has the poll as the highest point and is foaming with a relaxed mouth. The nose should come out a little more, especially in the extensions, but the overall picture is very harmonious. The first piaffe was super on the spot, the trot work meticulously ridden. The passage lacked some power behind though and especially in the second passage the hindlegs were dragging. The two's had a slight sway, and there was a hiccup in the ones, but the zig zag was very tidy, although the half passes to the right could be a bit more uphill striding. The pirouettes were tiny and the final centerline attentively ridden.
Fiona Bigwood and Donna BellaBritain's third score came from 2016 British team Olympian Fiona Bigwood on her home bred 10-year old mare DonnaBella (by Don Juan de Hus out of Atterupgaards Orthilia). Bigwood does not seem to like riding in with a double bridle. She holds the right curb rein between two fingers and the left one with finger; both curb reins are sagging. Makes you wonder if she were to go for a snaffle if they were allowed at 5* level. Would be a nice development for the sport. The chestnut mare is very elegant and the combination paints a friendly, harmonious picture. The first trot extension was not entirely even in the tempo and the rein back a bit crooked but the mare achieved good overstep in the extensions and Bigwood rode a nice transition into the first piaffe. The mare is very light footed in piaffe and passage. In the canter work the mare appeared a bit underpowered and definitely needed to move in a more uphill frame, but she executed a clear zig zag and two tempi changes and good ones. Overall it was very nice, pleasant, carefully ridden test that needs to improve in canter with more weight taking behind. They scored 71.630% for a 10th place and assisted in Britain's team result.
Britain's scratch score was 67.674% achieved by Lewis Carrier on the 18-year old KWPN bred Diego (by Spielberg x Welt Hit II). The horse looked fresher than last year in Compiegne and has been a treasure for his rider Lewis, who went from Young Riders level to senior Grand Prix with him in nine years time.
Belgian Breeze
Belgium breezed to a third position in the Nations ranking led by Justin Verboomen (BEL) and Zonik Plus with their personal best of 83.500%.
Charlotte Defalque on First Step Valentin“Zonik was absolutely fantastic. I haven't quite grasped the progress yet,” Verboomen said. “I'm not quite able to do everything I truly want to do yet, but he showed tremendous progress today. In my dream, the horse is even more independent in the arena, with a sense of ease.”
Double Olympic team rider Larissa Pauluis and the Lepage family's 16-year old KWPN gelding Flambeau (by Ampere x Zeoliet) have had a very busy winter with no less than 8 CDI starts to their tally and then ultimately passing by on the World Cup Finals although qualified. They headed to Fontainebleau and secured a sixth place in the Grand Prix with 73.022%. Although the left half pass was no so supple and regular, there were many highlights in the test: the second piaffe, super two tempi changes and zig zag, a rhythmical final centerline and a very good extended walk.
Belgian European and World Championship team rider Charlotte Defalque has taken over the ride on Pauluis' recently gelded Westfalian First Steop Valentin (by Vitalis x Fidermark) and seems to have found a great successor for Botticelli. Her career making horse was announced to have been retired from sport, but that was only short lived as Botticelli is now being competed by a Belgian young rider. Defalque and Valentin had a good Belgian team premier, scoring 68.239% for a 22nd place. The two fit well together and Defalque rode nice piaffes out of the liver chestnut gelding.
Wim Verwimp on Jedai de MassaFourth team rider Wim Verwimp had a bit of a challenging ride on the Korean owned 12-year old Portuguese sport horse Jedai de Massa (by Don Juan de Hus x Galopin de la Font). The pair competed shortly after lunch time when the temperature was rising in Fontainebleau and gnats came out of the trees to pester the horses. Fly spray was the common scent on the show ground but some horses were not so keen on the nasty pests. The highly sensitive dark bay Jedai was visible plagued by them and shook his head repetitively. Verwimp's rather visible half halts to keep the horse from shaking did not help the overall picture and while the rider constantly tried to bring the calm and quiet into the frame, the ride was a task. The first bit of passage on the final centerline was world class and Jedai de Masa is an exceptional horse, but not yet an entirely reliable performer. They got 64.631% for 28th place but there is so much more in the tank.
Exciting Season Ahead
The CDIO Fontainebleau was a first taste of what the exciting 2026 show season will bring. Germany, Great Britain and Belgium are clearly contenders for team podium places this summer, but Denmark and Sweden will certainly make their push as well. The next FEI Nations Cup leg will be in Lier, Belgium, on 21 - 24 May 2026.
Show director Sylvie Robert with judge Ulrike Nivelle at the prize givingShow director Sylvie Robert was thrilled with how the inaugural edition of the CDIO 5* went. "We're so happy and proud to be able to welcome such a great line-up. We try to surround ourselves with the best in the world in each discipline in order to keep improving. We had a great crowd to cheer the riders on this weekend, and the weather was perfect. The event also had a big following on television. This sport is developing in the best possible way, particularly in France, and I think we are contributing to that. We also welcomed para-dressage riders this week, which is something extremely important to us. We need to keep moving forward in the same way and improve things when we can."
