Grete Puvi Has Two Irons in the Fire for Qualification for 2026 World Championships

Dressage

Estonia

Grete Puvi-Ayache has two irons in the fire with which she hopes to qualify for Estonia to compete at the 2026 World Championships in Aachen.

Grete Puvi

The 43-year old Estonian rider is based in France with her husband, French Olympic team rider Alexandre Ayache.

Grete has represented Estonia at the 2011 European Championships on O Hot Chocolate (by Hendo x Indiaan), the 2014 World Equestrian Games on Talent (by Lennard x Voltaire), the 2017 European Championships on Aleandro (by Sandreo x Ferro), the 2022 World Championships in Herning and 2019 and 2023 European Championships on Farao da Raia and 2025 European Championships on Vertigo (by Vivaldi x Florestan).

Two Irons

For the 2026 show season Grete has taken over the ride on Ayache's top mare (Holmevangs) Jolene, a 14-year old Danish warmblood mare by Johnson out of Bogelys Contica (by Continue). She is bred by Tove Lund Bovbjerg.

Alexandre debuted the bay mare at international Grand Prix level in 2022 in Lipica and rode her on the French team at the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck (26th in the Special with 70.866%) and the 2024 Olympic Games (19th in the Special with 70.821%). In 2025 Jolene showed at CDi's in San Giovanni in Marignano, Ornago, Fontainebleau, Compiegne, Verolanueva, and Macon, but Ayache returned on the French team for the 2025 Europeans with his second GP horse, Ruling Olivia. Grete has now debuted Jolene at the CDN Nice on 18 January 2026, scoring 71.3%.

Grete and Nectar Plus at the 2026 CDN Nice

"I am very lucky to compete with Jolene at the moment, she is an amazing horse," Grete told Eurodressage. "I’m planning to compete in Aachen this summer."

Grete's second option for this season is her own and Olivier Arnal's 9-year old Portuguese bred Lusitano Nectar Plus (by Acucar do Pinheiro x ) with whom she scored 71.08% at the CDN Nice. Grete has been riding Nectar for two years. He was previously trained by Gilberto Filipe, who at the time in Portugal owned him in partnership with Augusto Norberto.

"I’m very lucky to have several options and very lucky to ride such wonderful horses," Grete told Eurodressage. "Nectar might also be my dancing partner in Aachen, but he is still young and I don’t want to push him. So time will tell."