There it was – the “Weber fist pump”: After his team had marched to the final halt and salute in an expressive trot, Chester Weber could no longer contain his emotions. The American driver knew he had delivered an outstanding dressage performance. However, the extent of that excellence – as reflected in the scores – even surprised the 51-year-old himself. “30? Are you sure?” Weber asked incredulously, as if needing a moment to fully grasp what he had just achieved. “Wow, wow, wow,” he exclaimed. Moments later, he turned his attention to his four-legged partners, who had played a pivotal role in his success: “What a great team, great horses!” With a score of 30.40 penalty points, Weber – a versed dressage specialist, who presented his team of Julius V, Kadora, Amadeus and Nico Teusje C with great verve and exceptional harmony – secured the best score of the day.

Australia’s Boyd Exell was close at his heels. The seven-time World Champion, who has set himself the goal of claiming his eighth title here in Aachen, was highly satisfied with his score of 31.86 penalty points. He particularly enjoyed the exceptional atmosphere in the stadium: “The atmosphere is truly magnificent. It was wonderful to experience the enthusiastic crowd cheering ecstatically.” The Belgian driver, Dries Degrieck, who had completed his dressage test the day before, is currently lying in third place on 38.19 penalty points. Anna Sandmann finished fourth as the best German competitor. “The pressure was high. That makes me all the happier with how things went for us today. I am very proud of my horses,” said the 33-year-old, delighted with her score of 38.32 penalty points.

In the team standings ahead of tomorrow’s Marathon in the Prize of schwartz Group, the Australian team leads with 81.17 penalty points, followed by the USA (81.84) and Germany (83.10) in third place.