The First Qualification for 6-Year-Old Horses begins at 5pm AEST (9am local time) Wednesday 5 August, where Australia is represented by Tayla Desmet and Dark Diamond.
WATCH VIA CLIPMYHORSE.TV: Tayla Desmet and Dark Diamond, 7.10pm AEST (11.10am local time)
Bred in Australia by Tayla and her family, Dark Diamond is by Diamond Hit and out of Tayla’s Grand Prix mare Zaubermaus (Zonik). Last year at the World Championships, the duo competed in the Small Final for Five-Year-Old Horses, scoring 79.6% for sixth place.
Tayla has said that Zack – as he is known at home – loves learning and always tries really hard. He has progressed well in the last year, with Grand Prix the ultimate future goal.
Read more: SHINING A LIGHT ON AUSSIE BREEDING: TAYLA DESMET & DARK DIAMOND – Equestrian Life, August 2026
Last year’s five-year-old champion, KWPN stallion Proud James (Jameson RS2 x Johnson), is not part of this year’s six-year-old field – however the runner up, mare Viva Diamond OLD (Vitalis x Don Diamond) will once again represent Germany with Linda Weiß in the saddle. The third-placed five-year-old from 2025, Straight Horse Leonardo (Lord Europe x De Niro), will once again be presented for Denmark under Mette Sejbjerg Jensen.
View the start list for the 2026 First Qualification for 6-Year-Old Horses here.
View the full results from the 2025 Final for Five-Year-Old Horses here.
Further Aussies in action
Australia will also be represented in Verden by Jemma Heran and five-year-old mare Zauberfloete 10 (an Oldenburg mare by Zen Liquidity out of Hot Amour P.S., by San Amour), and Jessica Dertell with seven-year-old stallion Osaka P (a KWPN stallion by Escolar out of Capri P, by Florencio I).
The First Qualification for 5-Year-Old Horses takes place from 3.30pm AEST (7.30am local time) Thursday 6 August, while the First Qualification for 7-Year-Old Horses takes place from 3.30pm (7.30am local time) AEST Friday 7 August.
Full results and draws can be found here.
Watch the action from Verden live and on-demand with ClipMyHorse.TV.
Enjoy 26% off your CMH.TV Premium Yearly Membership
To help as many Australians as possible support our outstanding horse-and-rider combinations at the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses and the upcoming FEI World Championships in Aachen, ClipMyHorse.TV Australia is currently offering a 26% discount on Premium Yearly Memberships with the code AACHEN26.
Normally priced at $257.11 AUD*, a Premium Yearly Membership is currently available for $190.26 AUD*.
How to sign up:
- Visit: https://www.clipmyhorse.tv/en_AU/register
- Enter the code AACHEN26 during registration. (Please note that prices displayed on the registration page are shown in USD.)
- Complete your account registration and payment.
- Enjoy the FEI World Championships and cheer on the Aussies!
Terms & Conditions
*Offer valid from 14 July 2026 until 23 August 2026, 11:59pm AEST. Not valid in conjunction with any other discount or promotion. The AUD pricing quoted above is based on the USD to AUD exchange rate as of 4 August 2026 and may vary slightly due to currency fluctuations.
