The officials for the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen have been confirmed, with two Australians appointed to key roles.
FEI 5* Judge Mary Seefried has been selected for the Dressage Judges Supervisory Panel (JSP). The JSP is responsible for ensuring no unnecessary discrepancies occur within the scores. They have the authority to lower marks (if a judge has missed a clear mistake) and to rise marks (if the JSP is sure that a rider has been punished for a mistake which did not happen) if there are a minimum of 2 marks difference between the judges.
Mary will be joined on the JSP by Andrew Gardner (GBR) and Evi Eisenhardt (GER).
The Dressage Ground Jury (judges) for Aachen will comprise of:
Ulrike Nivelle (GER) – President of the Ground Jury
Kurt Christensen (DEN)
Clive Halsall (GBR)
Maria Colliander (FIN)
Michael Osinski (USA)
Maribel Alonso (MEX)
Alice Schwab (AUT)
Australia will also be represented on the veterinary team, with Kirsten Neil appointed to the Veterinary Commission for Week 1. Kirsten has previously served as Vice Chair of the FEI Veterinary Committee.
