Para Postcards from Aachen 2026: Everybody Wants To Be There

-- Text and photos © Silke Rottermann - no reproduction without permission

“Everyone wants to be here,” reads the sign under the roof of the Mercedes-Benz Grandstand in Aachen as I walk across the surprisingly deserted grounds of the Soers early Wednesday morning 19 August 2026. It’s hard to believe that just a short while ago, crowds of people were here, and that on Saturday night, the main stadium had been transformed into a dressage party that was hot in both the literal and figurative sense.

Of course, I, too, wanted to go to the World Championships in Aachen and watch the para dressage held during the second week, but I certainly didn’t want 36 degrees in the shade. The heavy rain that greeted me in Aachen on Wednesday morning, though, did dampen my spirits a bit, especially since it had only been drizzling an hour earlier when I left the Eurodressage headquarters in Belgium.

Typically for me I’d left the rain cover for the camera in Belgium, but I had two rain jackets in the car, which I put on one over the other, topped with my photographer’s vest, and ran like a Michelin Man through the rain to the press office where the friendly lady at the counter helped me transform a plastic bag for shoes into a camera protector. So I was a little late and barely made it in time for the vet check of the para horses.

Everything looked grey; the rain was pouring down on the horses, riders, officials, and photographers who were bravely holding their ground. The latter, and we’re talking about a world championship here, are having a pretty hard time taking good photos, but that’s not only because of the sudden, almost autumnal weather; it’s because they aren’t allowed to take photos from the front, as is usually the case. Unfortunately, the small grandstand set up next to the track and the wooden fencing in front of the trot-up lane doesn't really help either.

The whole atmosphere is pretty much the anticlimax to what the first week had seemed to be.

Like a ray of sunshine in the monotonous grey of this morning, the tiny Australian pony Penmain Promise came around the corner, a horse that had also impressed audiences at the Paralympics in Paris with its excellent riding and one I had been looking forward to seeing. I had no way of knowing at the time that his appearance in Aachen wouldn’t happen, as her rider, Bridget Murphy, unfortunately had to be hospitalized. I wish her a speedy recovery, and here’s hoping for another chance in the future.

Getting Familiar

After the vet check iwa over, Austrian EQWO photographer Petra Kerschbaum kindly took me to the press center and treated me to a little culinary pick-me-up, while outside the rain continued to patter cozily.

One cappuccino and two cinnamon croissants later, with my soaking-wet top rain jacket crumpled up in my locker and the one under still on, I made my way to Aachen’s dressage stadium, which had been fitted with a not-so-pretty roof for the World Championships. The rain let up a bit, but a brisk wind was blowing, though it was a warm 20 degrees. I felt damp, a mixture of sweating in a non-breathable rain jacket the entire morning and chill from the wind.

No sooner had I arrived at the Allianz Stadium which looked completely different than usual with its roof than I realized that not all roofs are created equal, and in some places, water was dripping into the corridor behind the barrier where some photographers were standing. The rain had subsided and some riders used the opportunity to ride the horses in one of the two Olympic sized outdoor arenas which are the warm-up rings.

From 11 a.m. until after 6 p.m., horses and riders, sorted by grade, familiarized themselves with the championships arena and the rather unique surroundings, of course. I saw not only many familiar faces, but also new ones; whether it was riders from Australia whom we’ve only seen on TV so far, or familiar riders on new horses. The two defending champions in Grade I, Rihards Snikus and Sara Morganti, are both riding new horses. Snikus, whom one can’t imagine riding anything other than his force of nature, King of Dance, has brought along the 6-year-old Latvian mare Rise and Shine, a dainty lady who comes across quite differently from his previous champion horse and hopefully lives up to her name one day. Morganti, whether on purpose or by chance, has established herself as a ‚mare rider‘ with the pretty, compact Hanoverian Bonds Girl whom she has only been riding for a few months.

Compared to last year's European Championships in Ermelo, some horses appeared more mature and gained muscle mass, which of course proves that para-equines should be trained and conditioned just as carefully as any other sport horse.

Observations

What does the attentive observer take away from a few hours of familiarization across the different grades? “Horses for courses,” as the English say. To each what he needs. In para-equestrian sports, this can look completely different and that’s what makes it so interesting.

The majority of horses are, of course, standard warmbloods, many of extraordinary quality, but there are also competition partners you’d hardly ever find in mainstream equestrian sports. Ponies, a Friesian, an Appaloosa, and a Pinto bring unusual shapes and colors into play. Canada certainly gets the prize from me for the most interesting lot of horses: A small Appaloosa, a piebald son by Secret, and a KWPN with a distinctive head. They all start for the maple leaf. And they all have a chance if they’re presented appropriately which is what makes this FEI discipline so fascinating.

Which brings us to another observation from this familiarisation day: There is good riding and less good riding. This is nothing new, nor is it something that applies only to para-dressage. A well ridden horse is a true delight, even if the horse is merely performing arena figures at a walk. If the horse does so with motivation, diligence, good posture, and suppleness, it can be just as enjoyable for the spectator as a well ridden Grand Prix. A horse ridden less well of course also exists in para-equestrian sports; the lesser "presentations" are not dependent on the degree of disability, but the individual skills of the riders.

All horses were checked by the steward and it is interesting to note that in the majority of cases I have seen the FEI measuring tool slip easily through on the nose ridge.

The end of a grey day was approaching with the last group of (Grade 2) riders and I called it a day, walking back to the parking about 10 walking minutes away to tackle the 60 minutes drive to the Eurodressage headquarters in Belgium. There Astrid Appels took me to a fabulous Belgian restaurant to feed starving me whose appetite for more para dressage the next days got aroused by this day.

Photos © Silke Rottermann - no reproduction without permission

Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2026 World Championships Dressage