Dressage World Championships 2022

The dressage World Championships in 2022 will take place at Herning in Denmark, from 6 to 14 August. The venue will also be the host for the showjumping World Championships, para dressage World Championships and vaulting World Championships at the same time.

Herning was confirmed as the venue for these championships after the FEI board held an in-person meeting in Moscow, Russia on 16 November 2019. The city currently holds a qualifier for the dressage World Cup, and in 2013 held the European Championships for showjumping, dressage and para dressage.

Between 1990 and 2018, the dressage World Championships were hosted as part of multi-sport World Equestrian Games (WEG). The last time the y were held as a standalone championship was in 1986, at Cedar Valley, USA.

The 2022 World Championships will serve as qualifiers in showjumping, eventing, dressage and para dressage for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.

Britain’s record at dressage World Championships

Britain has a strong record at dressage World Championships, particularly over the past 12 years.

The first British medal to be won at a dressage World Championship was individual bronze won by Jennie Loriston-Clarke and Dutch Courage on home soil at Goodwood in 1978. This was Britain’s first senior individual medal.

However, world championship medals eluded British riders for more than three decades following Jennie’s success, and it wasn’t until the Kentucky WEG in 2010 that British riders made the podium at the world championship. There, Laura Tomlinson (née Bechtolsheimer) led the team to silver – Britain’s first team medal at a world championships. Laura and Mistral Hojris also claimed two individual silver medals in 2010.

British riders have brought home team and individual medals from both dressage World Championships since. At the 2014 WEG in Caen, France, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro dominated to lead the team to silver, and also win two individual gold medals.

At 2018 WEG in Tryon, USA, it was again Charlotte Dujardin who dominated, this time riding Mount St John Freestyle. She won team bronze alongside Carl Hester, Spencer Wilton and Emile Faurie, and also won individual bronze in the grand prix special. The grand prix freestyle was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence.

The reigning dressage world champion is Germany’s Isabell Werth with Bella Rose 2, who also led their team to gold in 2018. Germany has won team gold at every dressage World Championship since 1990, except the 2010 WEG where the Netherlands took gold. Britain is yet to win team gold at a dressage World Championship.