7.175 points on average in the final standings for the Luxembourger
Full results of Aachen 2026 available here
When Philip Bäcker, his horse Ballantines and lunger Alexandra Dietrich entered the actual dressage stadium in Aachen at exactly 2:30 p.m. last Thursday — the stadium having been fitted with a temporary roof specifically for vaulting — it was already a special moment: it was to be the very first time a vaulter from Luxembourg was going to take part in a seniors World Championship. That moment became even more extraordinary when stadium announcer Arnaud Petit welcomed the trio in Luxembourgish. Bäcker himself, highly focused in the arena, noticed nothing of this at the time, but Luxembourgish fans later said they were pleasantly surprised — that’s Aachen too!
Sportingly, Bäcker tried not to put too much pressure on himself and simply wanted to do his best, as he explained before the World Equestrian Games. He promptly performed the compulsory routine with a personal best of 7.514 points. The technical program, however, did not go entirely to plan (6.401), while in the free test Bäcker still managed to get 7.392 points. In the final tally an average of 7.175 was calculated, which placed him 18th out of twenty competitors. For comparison: winner Quentin Jabet (F), with Estado Ifce, scored 8.794 points. Silver went to Sam Dos Santos (NL, Hero, 8.508) and bronze to Bela Lehnen (D, Max, 8.448).
“The score is not the most important thing, I’m simply satisfied with the performance,” Bäcker said on Thursday after the compulsory. “My coach was satisfied, my horse performed great.” The 25-year-old student had already met some World Championship competitors at qualification shows. “There are definitely quite a few in Aachen whom I know from CVI competitions in Belgium or the Netherlands and I know what level they are at. I clearly don’t have that level yet. I’m working my way up to it step by step; it’s getting better and better,” he added.
Bäcker: “We worked toward this for two years”
Bäcker and his team have not set a specific target score for the future. They are taking it step by step, as he explained shortly after his World Championship debut in an interview. They are looking at where they want to go. “Now the big goal, for example, was Aachen. We worked toward this for two years.” After his previous horse got retired, everything was done to be able to attend this World Championship — a goal that was achieved with Ballantines. “We trained him entirely ourselves. He didn’t know vaulting beforehand,” Philipp Bäcker explained about the horse, which originally came from amateur dressage and had competed at L and M level.
“As a vaulting horse he must be able to perform at that level. It’s important that we can work with him on the lunge line. Much of what he learns — the strength, holding balance, the evenness — comes from the ridden work.” A consistent, steady canter is important for horses like the ones Bäcker and his colleagues require. “I have two grooms who take riding lessons with him every week from a good horse trainer.” During preparation for the World Championships his eleven-year-old Hanoverian was also ridden by the team manager, who could work with Ballantines even more. The focus was on strength and a better rhythm. “The horse is also judged,” Bäcker explained, stressing the importance of a good presentation of the animal itself. Up to a quarter of the total score is determined by the horse’s gait.
Even on Monday, after completing the three program parts, the 25-year-old remained satisfied with his performances at the World Championship, from which he says he learned a great deal — which should also prepare Bäcker well for future tasks.
Translated from German by AI and adjusted by Paul Krier. Original article will also be published in the “Lëtzebuerger Bauer” weekly newspaper.
