Riders & Horses Prepare to Participate in Aachen’s World Quality Dressage Competitions in Florida Mid-Summer Conditions
6 months ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Riders & Horses Prepare to Participate in Aachen’s World Quality Dressage Competitions in Florida Mid-Summer Conditions
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
AACHEN, Germany, July 1, 2025–Dressage riders and horses from almost 20 nations prepared Tuesday for the premier World Equestrian Festival team and individual competitions in hot and humid conditions similar to Florida in mid-summer.
With temperatures of 95F/35C and humidity so stifling riders admitted it was tough preparing themselves and their horses for the world’s top-rated competitions. Last year was so cold at times, this correspondent had to spring for a coat designed to stand against Switzerland’s Alpine winters.
Buckets and big boxes of water kept cold with lots of ice were spread throughout the show grounds.
Marcus Orlob, who rode for USA, walked both Jane that he rode at last summer’s Paris Olympics and Small Tour horse JJ Glory Day to get used to the warmup and competition venues for the CDI4* Grand Prix and the CDI1* Prix St. Georges on the schedule for Wednesday.
A noticeable addition to the USA team was two-time World Cup pair of Kevin Kohmann on the Diamante Farms-owned Dünensee being coached by Hubertus Schmidt, the German Olympic and world championship rider and one of the most respected trainers in the world.
Hubertus also coaches Katharina Hemmer on the U.S.-owned Denoix PCH who is competing on Germany’s Nations Cup team with a possibility of making her first championship team at the Europeans next month.
Kasey Perry-Glass, one of the American stars with Dublet at the 2016 Olympics earning bronze and the 2018 World Equestrian Games silver medal team, is making her Nations Cup debut with Heartbeat W.P., coached by her 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games team mate Allison Brock.
