Looking Back on the European Dressage Series

What a season it's been...

Europe’s biggest Dressage stars have produced their best throughout what has been an enthralling FEI Dressage World Cup™ season.

The qualification series concluded in March with a brilliant win for World champions Charlotte Fry & Glamourdale in Den Bosch. Great Britain’s finest recorded a second victory in the 11-leg series following their stunning triumph on home ground in London in December.

On that occasion they scored a huge personal best of 90.995, which was the top score of the series. Let’s enjoy it again…

Great Danes

The season began in October in Vilhelmsborg, Denmark, where the home country’s top talents looked to build on their success at August’s FEI World Championships. Sure enough, Carina Cassøe Krüth topped the podium and, indeed, the Danes took the top four places!

Cassoe Kruth wasn’t done there however, as she and Heiline's Danciera would also take top spot in Gothenburg towards the end of the season. Their boy band medley was the perfect melding of music and symmetrical choreography, crowned by a one-handed passage down the centre line to the final salute.

There was more Danish success during the season as Nanna Skodborg Merrald and the fabulous Blue Hors Zepter reigned supreme in Neumünster. The German fans are used to toasting home success, but this time they had to toast a champion from their northerly neighbours. “He’s simply wonderful!” Nanna said of Zepter after the win.

The Mighty Germans

The Germans, of course, had a fair amount of success of their own, which is illustrated by Isabell Werth and Ingrid Klimke finishing in the top two positions in the Western European League standings.

While Werth was rewarded for her consistency, Klimke took top spot in Stuttgart in November as well as Zakrzow, which was part of the Central European series. Klimke & Franziskus scored a personal best in Stuttgart and then broke it again in Amsterdam.

Another German who hit the top of the podium with a PB was Fredric Wandres, who won in Madrid with Duke of Britain FRH. Wandres and Duke of Britain made daunting transitions a high point in their performance to ‘80s pop and dance music.

Of course, the highest profile German Dressage star at present is reigning Olympic, World Cup and European champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl. She returned from six months of maternity leave to compete in Lyon in October, and unsurprisingly took top spot with TSF Dalera and a score of 90.140.

They topped that in January in Basel, with Jessica bowled over by her partner’s performance as they posted 90.795 – their highest score since 2021’s Olympic Games.

“I think this might have been our best Freestyle ever! The very first half-pass wasn’t perfect but after that she was 100% with me," said Von Bredow-Werndl.

Here’s that brilliant performance in Basel…

Dutch Double

Another athlete who won twice during the series was Dutch athlete Dinja van Liere, who took spot in Mechelen and Amsterdam with Hermes NOP.

Speaking of her win in front of her home crowd in the latter, she said: “The crowd expected a lot but it worked out well and it was really cool at the end. The spectators were so enthusiastic and so crazy! It is so cool to ride here at Jumping Amsterdam.”

We can’t wait to see Europe’s finest taking on the cream of the rest of the world in April’s FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final in Omaha. Follow all the build-up on the FEI’s dedicated Facebook Dressage page…