First Indonesian Ever Set to Compete at 2026 World Championships Dressage

Dressage

Indonesia

Dara Ninggar Prameswari will write history for her country Indonesia when she goes down the centerline at the 2026 World Championships Dressage in Aachen on 11 - 15 August 2026.

A First for Indonesia

Never before has an Indonesian rider competed in a major FEI Championship at Grand Prix level. Prameswari is only the second Indonesian to ever compete at international Grand Prix level in general.

Larasati Gading blazed the trail in 2015 when she rode Sabine Rueben's Diamond Boy (by Diamond Hit x Salerno) in her first and only GP test in her career at the CDI Perl. Gading disappeared from the show scene in 2019.

Prameswari has officially been nominated by the Indonesian Equestrian Federation for WEG in Aachen.

From Asian Games to the World Stage

Dara began riding at the age of six after signing up for an equestrian extracurricular program at school in Sentul. She rode in the FEI World Challenge in 2014 but her first national level milestone was winning gold in the open dressage class at the 2016 Indonesian National Sports Week.

The 26-year old made her international show debut in 2018 representing Indonesia at the Asian Games held on home turf in in Palembang near Jakarta (INA). With the Games being at small tour level, Dara rode the Portuguese bred then 20-year old Commodore to a 10th place in the Inter I kur to music finals.

In the winter of 2018-2019 Dara went to study International Business Administration at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She stepped away from high-performance competition for several years and graduated in November 2021.

"After graduating I worked in the corporate world for several years before returning to professional sport," Prameswari explained. "Balancing education, a conventional career and high-performance riding has not always been easy, particularly after being away from international competition for several years. Returning to the sport full-time was a major decision, but I wanted to give myself the opportunity to see how far I could go."

Full-Time Riding, Move to Europe

Her next international start was seven years later at the 2025 South East Asian Games in Pattaya, Thailand, where she piloted Fine Art von Bellin (by Fidertanz x De Niro) to a fourth place in the individual and Kur final, just missing out on a medal.

Dara Ninggar Prameswari warming up Miestral

Dara was invited to "join an equestrian project supported by NEPI (Nusantara Equestrian Performance Institute), with the initial goal of preparing for the 2025 SEA Games. Through the programme, I moved to Germany to train with Nuno Palma e Santos," Dara told Eurodressage.

With big dreams onboard Dara stepped it up and moved to Portugal in February 2026 to begin her campaign at Grand Prix level on Miestral d'Ferraria, a 10-year old Lusitano by Escorial x Nautico, owned by Ana Sofia Valenca Rodrigues. She has been helped by Filipa Valença and Inês Valença Câncio under Luísa’s overall guidance.

"My connection with the Valença family goes back almost my entire riding career," said Dara. "I started training with Luísa Valença in Indonesia when I was around nine years old, and she has remained my coach and mentor ever since. Because they have known me since I was a child, the transition felt very natural and like a continuation of a relationship that had already existed for many years."

At the moment she is a full-time athlete with her focus on representing Indonesia at the highest possible level.

Qualifying for Aachen

Dara debuted Miestral at the CDI Beloura in February 2026 and scored 56.630% in her first Grand Prix test. Two weeks later they trailered the horse to Spain where she boosted that score to a 65.152% at the CDI Jerez. A week later she notched her first MER in Jerez with 66.217% in the Grand Prix.

With Miestral at the 2026 CDI Alter do Chao

"Miestral was originally intended as a training horse while I continued preparing Fine Art von Bellin for the Asian Games," said Dara. "At that stage, the main plan was still to prepare Fine Art, while Miestral would give me the opportunity to gain more experience at Grand Prix level. The partnership developed much more quickly than any of us expected. After our first international competitions, we realised we understood each other very well, and qualifying for the FEI World Championships became a realistic possibility."

The pair returned to Portugal and showed at the CDI Golega where they were excused from the test. Two weeks ater at the CDI Alter do Chao they got close to their second MER with 65.587% but it required another trip to Spain to achieve the feat. At the CDI Camerma de Esteruelas on 8 May the pair scored 66.696%. It was their last show as a pair.

"He is an incredibly intelligent, talented and generous horse," Dara explained. "He is sensitive and requires trust and understanding from his rider, but he always tries his heart out. He has a wonderful work ethic, a strong character and a great ability for the collected movements."

Dara has been staying in Europe non-stop to train more intensively and hone her dressage skills.

"My programme is divided between Portugal and Germany," she said. "In Portugal I train and compete with Miestral together with the Valença family. In Germany, I continue training with Nuno Palma e Santos and prepare Fine Art for the Asian Games. At the moment, riding and competing are my full-time focus."

Making it a Double

Prameswari is also scheduled to compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan in September; two major FEI Championships in one year.

She took over the ride on Fine Art from German junior Hubertus Stallmeister, who last competed the horse in May 2025 and has not returned to competition sport since. Fine Art is now listed as owned by Kellin Baquita Osorio Soares.

"Luísa Valença and Nuno Palma e Santos worked together to identify and match suitable horses with the Indonesian riders involved in the programme," Prameswari explained. "Fine Art was selected for me through that process and became my partner for the 2025 SEA Games."

In 2026 she campaigned Fine Art at higher profile shows than the CDI's on the Iberian peninsula. She rode him at the CDi's in Tolbert, Hagen, Hamburg and most recently in Kronberg, where she won the Prix St Georges on Fine Art von Bellin (69.265%) and placed third in the Inter I (68.294%).

Prameswari is now set to ride both at Aachen and Tokyo this summer.

"I hope this milestone can inspire more Indonesian riders and show that, with the right opportunities and long-term support, Indonesia can compete at the highest level of international dressage," she concluded.