Alex Vodermair and Exact place fourth in Small Final in Verden

Alexandra Vodermair and her own Exact have posted another PB at the 2025 FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses in Verden, Germany, scoring 81.8% in the Small Final for Six-Year-Old Horses on Thursday.

The pair improved on their Preliminary Test score from Wednesday’s Qualifier, where they were awarded 81%.

Finishing fourth in the Small Final, the Australian combination came agonisingly close to making the Final for Six-Year-Old Horses – according to the event schedule, the top three combinations progress to the Final. Nevertheless, two tests for two PBs on the world stage – you can’t ask for much more than that.

Exact (Escamillo x Hohenstein) was the Dressage & Jumping with the Stars Young Dressage Horse Champion of Champions this year in Australia and was bred by Thorsten Hogrefe. You can read more about Alex and Exact’s journey in the April issue of Equestrian Life here.

The First Qualification for Five-Year-Old Horses also took place on Thursday in Verden.

Riding for Sweden on this occasion, Australian Alicia Ryan scored 76% with Morricello II VH (Morricone I x Floricello), receiving an 8 for canter, 7.8 for perspective, 7.5 for walk, 7.5 for submission, and 7.2 for trot. The pair placed 25th. This stallion is bred and owned by Västra Hoby Stuteri AB.

Riding for Sweden on this occasion, Australian Alicia Ryan scored 76% with Morricello II VH (Morricone I x Floricello). Image by Leanjo de Koster/DigiShots.

Tayla Desmet, riding for Australia with Dark Diamond (Diamond Hit x Zonik), scored 71.4% for 35th place, receiving 7.3 for canter, 7.2 for walk, 7.2 for perspective, 7 for submission, and 7 for trot. This gelding was bred in Australia by Tayla and her family, and is out of their Grand Prix mare Zaubermaus. You can read more about Tayla’s journey with Dark Diamond and Zaubermaus in the July issues of Equestrian Life here.

Tayla Desmet, riding for Australia with Dark Diamond (Diamond Hit x Zonik), contested the First Qualification for Five-Year-Old Horses. Image by Leanjo de Koster/DigiShots.

The class was won by Dutch stallion Proud James (Jameson RS2 x Johnson x Variant), ridden by Mette Sejbjerg Jensen to a score of 89.6%. Highlights included a 9.2 for perspective and a 9 for both trot and canter. Proud James was bred by Y.M.M. Van Maasacker and is owned by Helgstrand Dressage.

Glenis Dyason of International Horse Breeders has named Proud James as one of the exciting new stallions on offer to breeders in Australia this season.

“Proud James was winner of the four-year-old class at the 2024 FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses,” says Glenis. “He also completed his stallion performance test in the Netherlands with a sensational score of 91 points, well ahead of his competition. He has incredible balance, very good movement technique and a very good, committed hind leg, with an uphill tendency and fantastic character.”

Second and third place went to German horses. Viva Diamond OLD (Vitalis x Don Diamond) and Linda Weiß were the runners-up on 87%; the mare was bred by Zuchthof Alberding.

Ferdinand de Fontaine (Franklin x Sezuan) with Merita Hagren placed third on 86.8%. This stallion was bred by Château de Fontaine.