-- WCYH press release, edited by Eurodressage
(a detailed Eurodressage report on the Finals is coming at a later point, but we had to head straight to Aachen for the World Championships which start on Monday morning with the horse inspection. Please bare with us...)
“Wow, Tessa!” Those were the first words from Dutch judge Monique Peutz. With an overall score of 83.429 per cent, the Dutch warmblood mare Odi Murona (by Blue Hors Farrell x Johnson) secured the gold medal in the seven-year-old dressage horse class at the 2026 FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Verden.
Stunned
The individual marks in the quality assessment were 9.5 for the trot, 8.5 for the walk, 9.0 for the canter, and 9.5 each for submission and prospect. The two technical marks were 74.429 per cent and 75.286 per cent.
The rider was stunned: “I’ve been riding this mare since she was three and she’s simply incredible.” At the age of five, the new world champion had already had a foal; at six, she was selected for the World Championships, but… “Last year, the rule was still in place that you couldn’t compete in two championships, and I was also competing at the European Young Riders Championships,” explains Tessa, “so I wasn’t allowed to ride at the World Championships. Fortunately, I was allowed to this year.”
The World Champion is bred by≈. “I saw Farrell at De Ijzeren Man stallion show back then and immediately thought he was a brilliant stallion. We first covered a few other mares with him and always had wonderful, long-legged and expressive foals. And then Odi Murona came along and found the perfect rider in Tessa.”
Runner-up Secret Agent
The Hanoverian stallion Secret Agent (by Secret x De Niro) became World Championship runner-up with 83.115 per cent. His walk prevented him from winning – just as it had in the qualifier – but rider and owner Charlotte Dujardin was nonetheless bursting with pride in this horse.
“I saw this horse on the lunge when he was two years old and knew straight away that he was the one for me,” explained the Olympic champion. “And we’re a great match in terms of temperament too. He’s a born ‘performer’. He loves an audience. He loves to work. And his qualities are phenomenal. He’d only been to one overnight show before, but he makes it all look so effortless. I couldn’t have imagined a better weekend here with him.”
The stallion was bred by Nicole and Friedrich Sievers and is Westfalian licensed, but not currently used for stud duties. Charlotte Dujardin’s aim with this exceptional beauty is clearly not breeding, but Grand Prix competition. “The Olympic Games in Los Angeles aren’t that far away now,” Dujardin smiles. “It would be lovely to have him as an option for that.”
Bronze for Brandtbjerg’s Divya
Last year’s 6-year old bronze medal winner Brandtbjerg’s Divya (by Hesselhoej Donkey Boy x Don Olymbrio) reclaimed bronze with a new rider and owner, 20-year old Danish young rider Theresa Rosenkilde. Divya is bred by Brandtbjerggaard/the Buhl family. Maibritt Rosenkilde bought the mare following her World Championship.
For all three riders on the podium, it was their first time competing at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses – and they thoroughly enjoyed it.
The verdict from commentator Monique Peutz:
“We had a few spine-tingling moments during today’s final for the seven-year-olds. We saw some wonderful horses that were presented really well. Dressage has changed and, in my view, for the better. There’s more of a focus on the natural quality of the movements and the harmonious partnership between horse and rider. We need to focus on the ‘happy athlete’.”
-- 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