FEI Dressage World Cup 2026/27: Werth's Lyon Win, Stuttgart Next

FEI Dressage World Cup 2026: what happened in Lyon

The FEI Dressage World Cup 2026/27 is a winter series of Grand Prix freestyle classes that decides who rides at the World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden, in March 2027. On Oct. 30, 2026, at Equita Lyon in France, Germany's Isabell Werth won the season's second Western European League qualifier on the 10-year-old stallion Viva Gold OLD with a personal-best 87.890%.

It was the horse's first World Cup start. According to Dressage-News, all five judges placed the pair first, and the Chronicle of the Horse reported Werth saying she was very proud of him.

Belgium's Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus, who had won the Grand Prix the day before, finished second on 85.810%. Belgian riders took three of the top four places.

Fifteen pairs were placed. Spain had three riders in the class, and the best of them was Claudio Castilla Ruiz, eighth on Jota Das Figueiras. For the rest of the Lyon week, which also hosted jumping and driving, see our Equita Lyon 2026 guide.

Who is Viva Gold OLD?

Viva Gold OLD is a chestnut stallion by Vivaldi, out of a mare by For Romance. He is owned by Gestüt Westfalenhof and Madeleine Winter-Schulze, and he is a grandson of Weihegold OLD, Werth's former star mare.

He is new to the top level. Dressage-News noted that Lyon was only his third freestyle since he moved up to the Big Tour nine months earlier, and his ninth international Grand Prix win with Werth.

"Big Tour" is the name for the top international classes: the Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Special and the Grand Prix Freestyle. For context, the third-placed horse in Lyon, Flambeau, is 16. Many Grand Prix horses compete well into their teens.

How the World Cup series works

Leagues and legs

The series is split into regional leagues, and each league runs a set of qualifiers, also called legs. For the 2026 Final, British Equestrian listed four leagues feeding into it: Western European, Central European, North American and Pacific.

The Western European League has the most legs. For 2026/27 it has 10 qualifiers, starting in Herning, Denmark, in October and ending in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, in March. Gothenburg dropped its usual February leg because it hosts the Final.

Each leg has two classes. The Grand Prix is a set test that every rider performs the same way. The Grand Prix Freestyle comes after it, and that is the class that earns World Cup points.

How points are earned

On the scale printed on the league's official standings, freestyle placings earn points like this:

• 1st: 20 points
• 2nd: 17 points
• 3rd: 15 points
• 4th: 13 points, then 12, 11, 10 and down one point per place to 2 points for 15th

Only a rider's four best results count. That means a rider can skip legs, or shrug off a tense day, and still qualify. It's also why you'll see top riders spread their horses across the calendar rather than ride every leg.

How Final places are earned

1. Collect points. Riders add up their four best freestyle results in the league standings.
2. Finish high enough. For the 2026 Final, the top nine riders in the Western European League earned places, according to Eurodressage. Check the FEI's 2026/27 rules for this season's numbers.
3. Accept or decline. Qualifying is an invitation, not an obligation. In 2026 several top-ranked European riders, including Verboomen and Werth, chose not to go, and their places passed down the ranking.
4. Title defender. The reigning champion is automatically qualified. That is Britain's Becky Moody, who won the 2026 Final in Fort Worth, Texas, on Jagerbomb with 88.330%. The defender doesn't earn standings points. Recent league standings also required the defender's horse to have ridden the freestyle in at least two qualifiers that season. Check the FEI's 2026/27 rules for this season's exact conditions, including any minimum freestyle score.

At the Final itself, every pair rides the Grand Prix first. A score of at least 60% is needed to start the freestyle, and the freestyle decides the title.

What is a Grand Prix Freestyle (kür)?

The Grand Prix Freestyle, often called the kür (German for a freely chosen routine), is the top level of dressage ridden to music. Riders design their own choreography, but it must include the required Grand Prix movements.

Those movements include piaffe (trotting on the spot), passage (a slow, springy, elevated trot), canter pirouettes, and flying changes every stride or every two strides. Judges give technical marks for each movement and artistic marks for things like music, choreography, difficulty and harmony.

At the 2026 Final, four movements counted double: the canter pirouettes left and right, the passage and the piaffe. To see how the percentages are built, read our explainer on how dressage is scored. Tests are also changing, so see the new FEI dressage tests for 2027.

What to look for when you watch

• Music that fits the horse. The beat should match the footfalls, and the music should change when the gait changes.
• Piaffe and passage. Look for an even rhythm, with no stalling or hurrying.
• Pirouettes. The horse should canter almost on the spot, turning around its hind legs without losing the rhythm.
• One-tempi changes. Changing lead every stride looks like skipping. Clean, straight lines score well.
• Harmony. The rider's aids should be nearly invisible. If you're new to the terms, our glossary helps.

The 2026/27 calendar: Stuttgart, London and Gothenburg

Here are the Western European League legs as announced. Show timetables can shift, so check each organizer and the FEI before you travel.

The Stuttgart show runs Nov. 11-15, with the World Cup dressage on Nov. 13-14. The London International Horse Show runs Dec. 17-21 at ExCeL London. The organizer has scheduled the World Cup Grand Prix for Thursday, Dec. 17, and the World Cup Freestyle for Friday, Dec. 18. The Final shares the Scandinavium arena with the jumping and vaulting Finals.

How to follow the FEI Dressage World Cup

You don't need to be in the arena to follow the series. Here's a simple routine:

• Watch live. FEI.TV, which runs on ClipMyHorse.TV, has carried World Cup dressage live for subscribers. Some highlights are posted too.
• Check results. Shows post live scores, and the FEI publishes league standings after each leg.
• Track the standings, not just the winner. A steady fourth place (13 points) can matter as much as one win, because only four results count.
• Buy tickets early. Stuttgart and London sell through their own sites. The Gothenburg organizers say Final tickets will be released in 2026, so check their site.
• Learn the basics. If dressage is new to you, start with our disciplines guide.

Going to a show? Arena etiquette

• Stay quiet and still while a horse is in the arena.
• Turn off your camera flash.
• Save your applause for the final salute.
• Keep children close and away from the warm-up arena and horse walkways. Our safety page has more tips.

What to watch next

• Stuttgart, Nov. 13-14. Everything Horse UK reports Werth is heading there after Lyon. Check the start list to see which horses she and the other riders bring.
• Verboomen and Zonik Plus. They won the Lyon Grand Prix and their personal best is 91.855%, so their next freestyle is worth watching.
• London, Dec. 17-18. London entries hadn't been confirmed when we checked.
• The standings after each leg. Watch who is close to the top nine as the season passes its halfway point in January.
• Gothenburg, March 24-28, 2027. The Final will decide who follows Becky Moody as champion.

Want more competition coverage? Browse all our trend stories, or read about Dressage at Devon 2026, a North American League leg.