Personal bests at the 2025 FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses

Australia’s rising stars in Dressage made their mark on the world stage last week, delivering personal best performances at the 2025 FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Verden, Germany.

Riding her own Exact (Escamillo x Hohenstein), bred by Thorsten Hogrefe, Alexandra Vodermair impressed in the 6-Year-Old Horse division from the very first day.

In Wednesday’s first qualification round, the combination scored 81% to place equal 15th in a field of 40 of the world’s top young horses. 

Alex says of the First Round  "We came 15 out of the 40 best 6yo Dressage horses in the world . It just sounds incredible and a International PB of 81%, I cant believe it, Chewy (Exact) your are a rockstar".  Then after the Small final, "Chewie you have always been the Worlds greatest for me! I can't put in words how much this horse has fought for me. He loves to hit the centreline, he loves to entertain and it is the most incredible feeling to have him dance underneath me. We had another PB with 81.8% what was amazing and was 4^th place, a snippet away from the big final!"

"And of course my Aussie team – Maree (chef) Tayla and her family. Im so very grateful to be Australian and part of this amazing team."

Returning for Thursday’s Small Final, Vodermair and Exact produced yet another personal best, scoring 81.8% to finish fourth - just one place shy of the top three required to qualify for the Final. Despite the near miss, two consecutive PBs at this level mark a significant achievement for the Australian combination.

Tayla Desmet also produced standout results in the 5-Year-Old Horse division with her homebred gelding Dark Diamond (Diamond Hit x Zonik), out of the family’s Grand Prix mare Zaubermaus.

In Friday’s Small Final for Five-Year-Old Horses, Desmet and Dark Diamond delivered a personal best score of 79.6%. This was a remarkable improvement of more than 8% from their qualifying round score of 71.4%, where they placed 35th.

Tayla says "So proud of my Dark Diamond. 6^th place in the 5yo Small final, Australian owned, bred and ridden…. My little champion. Thank you for giving me your best and trusting me in this atmosphere where it truly mattered Zack (DD). The judges kind words about his willingness to work, positive mindset and bright future was so nice to hear. Excited for the journey ahead with this special horse."  

The Small Final result placed them sixth from 30 combinations, just outside the top three required for progression to the Final.

Both combinations demonstrated the depth of talent in Australian Dressage and the quality of horses being produced and developed. Competing among the world’s best, they achieved career-best scores, showcased Australian breeding, and gained invaluable international experience. 

Chef d'equipe Maree Tomkinson says, "My first gig as a Chef d’Equipe and I couldn’t be more proud – beautiful horses, very good riding, professional attitude and presentation.  Very proud to be Australian and part of a brilliant team, Alex, Tayla Chewie and Zack – superstars making us all proud."