Isabell Werth Leads Germany to Massive FEI Nations Cup Win at 2026 CDIO Hagen

-- Text and Photos © Astrid Appels - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED (no screenshots for social media!)
This article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition.

Isabell Werth and her Olympic silver medal winning mare Queenparks Wendy led Germany to a massive win in the FEI Nations Cup  at the 2026 CDIO Hagen on Friday 3 July 2026. Eleven years after staging their first FEI Nations Cup in 2015, Hof Kasselmann welcomed riders from six teams to the penultimate leg of the 2026 series which concludes next week in Falsterbo.

The 2026 CDIO Hagen became the replacement show for the CHIO Aachen, which is not taking place this year as Aachen is host to the 2026 World Championships in August.  The Kasselmann family decided to take over the baton and host the FEI nations cup at their yard as the dates were critical for final many countries final team selection with the nominative entry deadline for the WCH on Monday 6 July.

With a CPEDI as side programme taking place in the garden arena, the main stadium at Hof Kasselmann welcomed riders from a plethora of nations for a 1* small tour and no less than three Grand Prix divisions: a 3* which took place Friday noon and was won by American Adrienne Lyle on Helix, a 4* which unfolded on Thursday with Hemmer reigning supreme, and the 4* CDIO Grand Prix on Friday afternoon as concluding highlight class of the day.

The morning started overcast with thick clouds and brisk wind sweeping over the show grounds. Only in the late afternoon the wind disappeared for a mild summer sun to warm up chilled bones on this unusual summer weather day.

Werth Leads the Way

In the absence of Germany's biggest challengers for team medal glory in Aachen in one month time -  i.e. Denmark and Great Britain - Germany had a field day on home turf in Aachen, running unopposed to the Nations Cup win with 230.834 points. A surprisingly strong Spanish team with two riders exceeding expectations landed second place (212.892 points) ahead of the U.S.A. with 210.957 points. For all three podium finalists Hagen was an essential team selection and observation event. 

Germany's queen of dressage, Isabell Werth, spearheaded her team to the top of the leader board in a very convincing way aboard Bolette Wandt and Madeleine Winter-Schulze's 12-year old Danish bred mare Wendy (by Sezuan x Soprano). As the penultimate rider to go on the day in the setting sun at 20h30h, Werth and Wendy produced a confident ride in which Isabell showcased her total control over her horse, at least in the first part of the test. The trot extensions were not the greatest in overtrack but carefully ridden, the half passes had good crossing and ground cover, the passage was very regular and rhythmical with very smooth transitions into the piaffes that were on the spot. The extended walk had plenty of overtrack and showed active marching of the mare, but in the collected she got rather slow and short.  The second piaffe was very nice but early to the marker, three meters before the centerline. Werth was really controlling her mare, which led to a rather strong curb contact and in canter the hand control led to issues in the tempi changes with both tempi lines broken and changes short behind or with the legs together. The extended canter, on the other hand, was powerful, uphill and the flying change at K spot on. The pirouettes were small but quite hand held, which again led to both hindlegs jumping together.  The final centerline was really lovely with a wonderful piaffe at X and square end halt.

Judges Isobel Wessels, Christof Umbach, Kurt Christensen, Katrina Wüst, and Alice Schwab was thrilled despite the mistakes and rewarded the ride with a high 81.051%. Their individual marks went from 79.891% to 82.717%. Werth proved herself ready to lead Germany to another thrilling battle for team glory at the World Championships, where it is set to beat reigning world champion Denmark as well as the favourite for the gold, Great Britain. 

“I was really happy with Wendy. It’s always a bit more difficult when you wait the whole day and then into the evening to start, but she was really focused and concentrated,” Werth shared. “She was really relaxed and I think with a lot of highlights. I was really happy with the piaffe-passage. The walk tour was really relaxing, and I was happy with my pirouettes…The whole test, I could really sit and wait and enjoy it.”

The rumours floating round that 2026 would be Werth and Wendy's last season as a pair were debunked by co-owner Bolette Wandt, who wiped that gossip off the table and told Eurodressage last week no changes in the partnership will be made after Aachen.

Germany's second best performance came from Olympic team bronze medalist Frederic Wandres aboard  the 16-year old Oldenburg Bluetooth OLD (by Bordeaux x Samarant). They landed second place with a rather generous 76.087% as the pair did not put in their best performance of the season, maybe because the pressure was so high to prove their worth in the final team trial at their home show.  The pair begun very strongly with a fantastic halt at entry, big trot extensions, and much crossing in the trot half passes, but in the rein back the tall bay dragged his feet,  and the horse overreacted to the spur aid in the transition to passage.  In the first piaffe he got wide behind. The extended walk had plenty of overstep but there could have been more clarity in the 4-beat rhythm. The second piaffe was the best one of the three. The uphill extended canter was a highlight, in the zig zag the hindlegs came together, just like in the right pirouette. Overall Wandres had to carry his horse more through the test than in previous performances with the curb rein rather "on" and the mouth on the right sometimes opening up. They did finish with a strong last trot extension and energetic final centerline. 

“Bluetooth is now a very consistent team player; he’s always delivering good scores,” Wandres said. “We worked at home on several things—the halts and the piaffe work a little bit and also the pirouettes. All of those things improved today, and I was pretty happy about that.”

Germany celebrated a full top three with Raphael Netz edging out the other team candidate for Germany's fourth team spot, Semmieke Rothenberger. The Bavarian rider piloted Sonja Krall's 15-year old KWPN bred Great Escape Camelot (by Johnson x Turbo Magic) with much finesse. The pair showed the most fenomenal halt before the rein back (a textbook 10 for a halt), good half passes and two tempi changes, as well as a clear zig zag, but  the extended walk barely had overtrack and in the piaffe the bay leans on the forehand. The one tempi changes were straight but one change appeared shorter behind. The final passage on the centerline was the best quality in the test. They posted 73.696% and gave Germany's team trainer Monica Theodorescu much to think about as fellow team contender Rothenberger landed 5th place with 71.935% on her long-time partner Farrington, a 16-year old KWPN gelding by Jazz x Samba Hit.

“I’m very proud and happy to have such a good team—a young team,” Theodorescu said. “We go through all of our age categories, and it proves that our system is working well in Germany. The young riders—Semmieke and Raphael—they [rode] like this was any other competition…That gives us confidence.”

Spain Surprises

Spanish team trainer, Dutch former team rider Rien van der Schaft, was beaming with pride as his team riders lived up to the task today and two of them exceeded the expectations.

The last time Spain finished in a top three in an FEI Nations Cup was in Compiegne in 2022. Their last top three finish in a German Nations Cup was back in 2015.... at the CDIO Hagen. They were third then.

The Spanish team was anchored by routinier Jose Antonia Garcia Mena aboard Lourdes Ariza Alduncin's 15-year old Lusitano Gladiador do Lis (by Peralta dos Pinhais x Spartacus). The pair was last to go on the day, after Isabell Werth, and convinced the judges into giving the high marks. The bay is a bit scratchy in the trot work but has a textbook, sitting piaffe, and overall performed reliably under his rider. They received 71.696% to finish 6th in the Grand Prix.

Right behind them was the brand new pair, Olympian Severo Jurado Lopez aboard Wolfram Wittig's 12-year old Oldenburg mare Flaconi W (by Foundation x Breitling). The tall liver chestnut mare was previously in training with Danish Carina Cassoe Kruth before Jurado took over the reins. The new duo premiered internationally at the CDI Olomouc at the end of May (71.522%) and was allowed to skip the first Spanish team selection trial (Spanish Championships in Murcia) to get his second MER score first at the CDIO Rotterdam (69.565%) before being lined-up on the team for the Nations Cup in Hagen. Severo, an experienced Grand Prix producer who rode for Helgstrand in Denmark before settling down in Riesenbeck (GER), showed his control on the big mare and particularly impressed with an outstanding canter tour in which the two-tempi changes were phenomenal, the zig zag very well ridden and the one tempi's dead straight. He rode a very rhythmical pi-pa tour and ended up posting 71.652% for 7th place. 

Jordi Domingo's student Lucia Gallardo and the 15-year old KWPN gelding Hip by Johnson (by Johnson x Negro) proved their worth on the Spanish team at the Nations Cup in Fontainebleau earlier in April, but surprised today with improved form. The piaffe-passage was very regular, energetic and rhythmical and Gallardo was able to not lean on the reins so much as before. Her eager bright bay gelding produced a super zig zag and very straight one tempi changes. They were 14th with a personal best score of 69.544%.

Spain's fourth rider was Olympian Claudio Castilla Ruiz on the 12-year old Lusitano Jota das Figueiras (by Epico das Figueras x Peralta dos Pinhais) with 68.848% The duo rode strong trot extensions and a very good extended walk, but the bay stallion got very tense in canter and had a hiccup in the two's.

 

Team U.S.A. Finishes Third

The American team has undergone a big transformation since the 2024 Paris Olympics with Marcus Orlob's Jane sidelined with an injury, Endel Ots' Bohemian not up for team consideration, Adrienne Lyle's Helix not declared for team consideration, and Steffen Peters' Suppenkasper retired from sport. Having to rebuild a team from the ground up, U.S.A. is a little bit in a pickle as they play home hosts to the 2028 Olympics and only have two years time to come back swinging. New faces have are stepping into the spotlight.

The best scoring pair in the Nations Cup today was total newcomer Jordan LaPlaca and Nancy Hutson's 11-year old Oldenburg gelding Gold Play (by Grey Flanell x Sir Donnerhall). The star duo was already spotted as emerging talent by Eurodressage in 2025 in the national ring in Wellington and they had their international break through this winter. They got short-listed for team nomination and Hagen was LaPlaca's first ever show in Europe in his first ever season at Grand Prix level. Their arrival in Hagen hasn't been smooth sailing as Gold Play did not pass the vet check on Thursday and had to be re-inspected this morning, fortunately getting a green card to compete.  They rode trot extensions in a rather conservative way and were careful in the half passes, but the first piaffe-passage was super. The extended walk had two hooves overtrack but the horse could have marched more through the body. The second piaffe was lovely. There was a mistake in the two's and in the zig zag the ground cover to the right was significantly greater than to the left. The straight, uphill one tempi changes were a highlight. They posted a personal best of 70.631% to finish 8th. The pair used to train with Albrecht Heidemann but was coached in Hagen by Christine Traurig.

Right behind them were Christian Simonson on Zen Elite's 16-year old KWPN stallion Fleau de Baian (by Jazz x Ulft), previously competed at international Grand Prix level by Adelinde Cornelissen (and a full brother to her Olympic medal winner Parzival). Simonson and his team have opted to rest his number one in the barn, Indian Rock, and the U25 rider is focusing fully on his "schoolmaster". Trained by Adrienne Lyle, Christian was first to go for team USA today and rode a clean, tactful test. Although the liver chestnut loudly ground his teeth, Simonson kept his hands as quiet and the contact as elastic as possible. The trot extensions were ridden in a safe way, the passage was careful but lacked engagement from behind and in piaffe the stallion stayed too wide in the frame, not enough shifting the hindlegs under the body to take the weight. Also the extended walk was underwhelming, barely showing overtrack and the nose needed to stretch more forward (6 - 7) and also the collected walk was short (5.5 - 6.5). Fortunately in the canter work the duo redeemed itself and showed highlights with a great extended canter, straight tempi changes, good pirouettes and a well executed zig zag. They scored 70.478% for 9th place. 

California based Genay Vaughn and her 15-year old Dutch warmblood gelding Gino (by Bretton Woods x Haarlem) were last to go for Team USA. The black gelding is so handsome and such an eye catcher. The trot extensions were energetic, the half passes supple, and the passage lightfooted. The first piaffe needed to be a bit more secure in the rhythm. The extended walk could have achieved more ground cover. The second pi-pa was okay. The two tempi changes were very nice, the extended canter had much power but got wild at the end of the diagonal. The zig zag was lovely but there was a mistake in the ones. The final centerline was really nicely ridden but the horse ran out of steam in the final passage part, anticipating the end halt. They scored 69.848% for 11th place. 

USA's fourth rider was Meagan Davis on Scott Durkin's 13-year old Oldenburg gelding Toronto Lightfoot (by Totilas x Onassis). They placed 18th with 69.565%. The left half pass was more fluent than the right one, the passage was lightfooted and regular, but the onset of the first piaffe was hesitant. The second pi-pa was well ridden. The two tempi changes and uphill extended canter were strong, but there was a bobble in the zig zag and one tempi changes and the horse lost the balance in the right pirouette. The final centerline was smoothly ridden although the piaffe at X got a bit wide and swinging in front.

Falsterbo Conclusion

Germany’s win — the team’s second of the season — allowed them to extend their lead in the series, now boasting 44 points from four legs. Belgium moved into second on 29 points, followed by Great Britain with 23 points.

The 2026 FEI Dressage Nations Cup series concludes Saturday, 11 July 2026 at CDIO5* Falsterbo (SWE)

-- Text and Photos © Astrid Appels - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED (no screenshots for social media!)
Eurodressage took photos of all big and small tour riders, Under 25 and pony riders.

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