Why has Germany dominated world dressage for 50 years?
From Charlemagne to the CHIO Aachen — A Journey on Horseback

=> August 17, 2026, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Centre Charlemagne, Katschhof 1, Aachen

In keeping with the spirit of the symposiums organized in recent years by the World Library of the Horse — notably the one held as part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Château de Versailles, which explored, among other things, the future of equestrian sports in the Olympic program under the title "Games and Stakes" — the next symposium will take place in Germany, in Aachen, on the occasion of the World Equestrian Championships.
This time, the key question is to understand why Germany, host of these World Championships held every four years (as was the city of Caen in Normandy in 2014), has dominated the discipline of dressage for fifty years without interruption — and, as a result, what its responsibility is for the future of this discipline, both today and tomorrow.

This is a question with many possible answers, one that a panel of experts led by champion Kyra Kyrklund — the Finnish Olympic medalist based in Great Britain — will set out to explore. Having lived through and followed the evolution of the discipline and its key figures, she will ensure, throughout the session, a "freestyle" performance worthy of the discipline's finest test!
Several different "approaches" will be presented:

Historical By Dr. Britta Schöffmann, holder of the German Equestrian Federation's Gold Badge.
Ethical By Professor Sabine Döring, research professor at the Walter Eucken Institute and the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies.
Economic By Dirk Willem Rosie, Dutch journalist and publisher.
Political By Monica Theodorescu, former international dressage rider and renowned trainer like her father Georg, and Bernard Maurel, former director of the Haras nationaux and dressage judge.
With, in conclusion, a message from Diana Al Shaer, president of the FEI Dressage Committee.

Other presentations are planned throughout the day, including a historical retrospective on the CHIO Aachen, which over the course of a century (since 1924) has become the most famous equestrian competition in the world — an account illustrated with relevant documents, presented by Stefanie Peters, President of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein, and Frank Kemperman, Vice-President. On a more classic note, there will be a fascinating overview of German libraries and public and private collections on horses, presented by Dr. Ulrich Johannes Schneider, former director of the Leipzig University Library, followed by a presentation of some rare German equestrian books from the prestigious Émile Hermès collection, by Pearce Groover. This will be followed by a study of a special 17th-century book (1672) by Mario Gennero, renowned Latinist with a passion for Italian treatises on the horse from the 13th to 15th centuries: Neuer Tractat von der Reith Kunst in zwey Haupt Theil, by Georges Simon Winter d’Adlersfluegel.

The closing remarks will be given by Frank Pohle, director of the Centre Charlemagne in Aachen, which is hosting the symposium, who will tell us all about his favorite subject: "Charlemagne on Horseback." What is really known about the rider and the contemporary perception of Carolingian cavalry?

To learn more:

• You can find the full program here.
• Registration (free) is done by email at: xavierlibbrecht1@gmail.com.
• The symposium will also be livestreamed on ClipMyhorse.