AACHEN, Germany--Twenty years after winning team gold in Aachen, Germany repeated the feat in front of their home crowd at the FEI Dressage World Championship 2026.

Christian Simonson on Fleau de Baian (Photo by Sarah Miller for MacMillan Photo)The hosts finished on a team total of 235.063%, 3.618 points clear of Great Britain with 231.445, while defending champions Denmark won bronze on 229.426.

The U.S. finished eighth of the 19 teams on a score of 210.621.

Only the top six teams qualified for the Los Angeles Olympics, but the U.S, as the home nation was pre-qualified.

Christian Simonson on Fleau de Baian was the highest U.S. rider, placing 26th on 71.394 and qualifying for the Grand Prix Special on Friday.

Kasey Perry-Glass on Heartbeat W.P., who had competed Tuesday, finished 31st on 70.606 and just missed qualifying, but may still make it if someone drops out.

Ashley Holzer on Hawtins San Floriana, last to go, scored 68.711.

It felt surreal," said Simonson. "I'm a little speechless, honestly, at the moment. But it's just something I'll never forget. It was just really special. I try to be incredibly present with him, and I know that I can do my best job if I don't worry about anything else.

 

"HOW CAN I do the best job for him at that moment in this movement?" he said. "And just try to do my personal best for the feeling that I would like, and so that's really like that just fills my thoughts so much that then I usually don't have much more room to think about anything else, and so that's part of it."

Ashley Holzer on Hawtins San Floriana (Photo by Sarah Miller for MacMillan photo)Simonson has ridden Fleau de Baian for three years.

 "it's been kind of a long journey, but building step by step with him,"Simonson said. "We did the U25 series last year. So to be here with him at a show like this after last year is a testament of how amazing of a horse is. He just gave his all every step, and it's been so good in progressing each step by. I'm so unbelievably proud of him and of the team. It makes you a bit emotional. It's really special."

 "I have a small book that I wrote every my all my goals," said Smonson. "When I was 13 or 14, it had Pan Ams, a World Cup and a World Equestrian games in it, and so that was the first thought that went in my head was, Wow, I can't believe this. One of these things got fulfilled today."

"She's such an amazing mare and a great partner of mine, and I knew this atmosphere would be a little tense for her, and I kept trying to relax or, but she was a little tense with the atmosphere," said Holzer.  "I was really pleased with the piaffe and passage, she felt really, really with me, so I just have to try to be very positive and go on. Some parts got a little tense, and then the harmony came back again."

Cathrine Laudrup Dufour on Mount St Johnleadsindividually (Photo by Sarah Miller for MacMillan photo)"I knew that it was going to be a lot of electricity in the air, with the crowd being with these top riders before me, and I think that affected me a little bit more than I would like to honestly admit," said Holzer. "She's so incredible. she's such an athlete, and you see that in moments when she relaxes, but that's not her nature. She's not relaxed by nature. She's really a very active horse, you know, even out in the paddock."

"I feel very, very grateful that at my age, 62, I can still do this sport," said Holzer.

 Christine Traurig, team coach and chef d'equipe, said the team is building towards the Los Angeles Olympics.

"We're looking at La 28, but also, because wer're the hosts and thus qualified, we have this wonderful opportunity to bring in the younger riders and younger horses at an event like this and give them the experience," said Traurig.

"Los Angeles is right around the corner," she said. "We have to look at these in the younger generation like Christian Simonson and Meagan Davis so that we have greater depth in horses and riders. That's what we have to look for going towards L A." 

Despite Germany’s commanding team performance, no German combination finished inside the individual top three.

Isabell Werth on Eendy de Fontaine, was fourth on 79.976, Katharina Henner on Denoix  PCH was fifth on 79.224, Frederic Wandres was ninth on 75.963 and Raphael Netz  was 13th on 73.338.

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark on Mount St John Freestyle leads individually on 82.376%, Justin Verboomen on Zonik Plus is second on 80.885, and Charlotte Fry on Glamoudale is third on 80.311.

The six highest-ranked eligible teams secured a team quota place.

Alongside medalists Germany, Great Britain and Denmark, qualification went to Belgium in fourth, the Netherlands in fifth and Sweden in sixth.