Aachen, Germany – The Defender U.S. Driving Team sits in third place on a combined score of 81.84 at the 2026 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hands, held in Aachen, Germany, from August 17-23, 2026. Chester Weber (Ocala, Fla.) and James Fairclough (Newton, N.J.) drove down centerline Friday in the historic venue, finishing the dressage phase for the Defender U.S. Driving Team.
Weber brought the drama as he broke his own World Championship Dressage record, scoring an 81.083%, which translated to 30.40 penalties to put him in first place overnight. Coming out of the ring, Weber was complimentary of his team of horses, which consists of all Dutch Harness Horses.
“I've had most of them as young horses—the two lead horses I've had since they were three and a half and four,” Weber said of his very successful dressage team. “The left wheel horse I’ve also had as a young horse, he was actually a COVID purchase on Facebook.
“The right wheel horse is super special and has a huge piece of my heart, " continued Weber of Amadeus, a KWPN Gelding. “He's twenty-one years of age and he went to Windsor and Live Oak this year. It's always been our plan to have him ready for [Aachen]. He is in super, super form. It’s nice to have that PhD-level knowledge from a horse right next to you.”
Looking ahead to Saturday, Weber said the Marathon course, “has different obstacles, different questions. It will be all about courage, power, and speed.”
Flairclough brings to the team an impressive background as a six-time competitor in the FEI World Driving Championship for Four-in-Hand (2016, 2012, 2000, 1996, 1982, and 1980). His record includes a team bronze from Riesenbeck 2012, Tryon 2018 team gold, and Jerez de la Frontera 2002 team silver. Fairclough drove his team to finish dressage 31st individually on a score of 60.83.
During a rainy day of competition, Fairclough said, “Aachen always has a lot of atmosphere. The rain got a little slippery, but it was a nice test.”
The entire Defender U.S. Driving team and individual Jean Thornton will drive again on Saturday during the Marathon phase Marathon will begin at 11:00 a.m. GMT+2/5:00 a.m. ET.
Dressage Results | Team Standings
Competition Information
The 2026 FEI Driving World Championships for Four-in-Hands will be the first of two driving world championships this year and will be hosted during the second week of the 2026 FEI World Championships Aachen. The competition concludes on August 23, awarding both team and individual medals following the cones phase, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. GMT+2/3:30 a.m. ET.
Website | Schedule | Results | US Equestrian’s Content Hub
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