-- WCYH press release
The consolation Final for six-year-old dressage horses was on the program at the 2026 FEI WBFSH World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden, on Thursday afternoon 6 August 2026 and the winner was – just like last year – the Dutch stallion Roman Empire.
Back in 2025, Roman Empire (by Romanov x Sir Sinclair), bred by Stal Zogland and owned by Rom Vermunt and Stephanie Scheerder, qualified for the 5-YO Final by winning the consolation final. Even then, he was under the saddle of his trainer Bart Veeze, who knows exactly what made the difference.
“On the first day, things were a bit chaotic for us,” the rider admits. “We had mistakes in both changes, and he went against the rein once – those were real rider errors. Today, everything was a bit more relaxed, and I was more focused mentally.” The stallion was so much more relaxed today, and he’s always absolutely well-behaved. “And that’s despite the fact that he has a dual role – he’s also serving as a stud.” With a final score of 8.62, the tall dark bay secured the victory. The individual scores: 8.8 for the trot, 8.6 for the walk and canter, 8.2 for submission, and 8.9 for prospects. Roman Empire is the full brother to double world champion Red Viper.
Second place went to the Swedish stallion Sundown (by Suarez x Bellagio), ridden by Sofie Lexner, with an overall score of 8.48 (breeders: Per Grönkvist and Johan Svensson; owner: Christinelund Dressage).
Third place went to Pina Colada (by Governor x Dayano) bred in the Netherlands and ridden by Kirsten Bouwer. His final score: 8.20. Stephanie Scheerder and Rom Vermunt thus had double reason to celebrate: they are the owners of both the winning horse and the third-place finisher, Pina Colada. This means they’ll get to cheer on two horses in the Final.
The top three finishers from the Small Final have secured their spots in Saturday’s final. The World Championship final for six-year-old dressage horses begins Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in the HORSE24 Arena.
The Spanish contingent has never been this “large” at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses: They arrived with twelve horses – four in the five-year-old class, three in the six-year-old class, and five in the seven-year-old class. Their fan club is definitely the largest on the entire World Championships grounds. With a group of 50 people, the Spanish horse fans – in their bright red team outfits – are everywhere on the World Championships grounds and are spreading great cheer. The goal is clear: “In a few years, we want to be competitive in these World Championships,” reveals a beaming member of the fan club.
-- Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!
Related Links
Scores: 2026 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses
Eurodressage Coverage of the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses