Aachen, Germany – Marathon day commenced on Saturday, August 22, at the 2026 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hands. It was a rainy day in Aachen, Germany adding a new level of challenge to the already precise eight-obstacle course. The Defender U.S. Driving Team is currently placed fifth on a combined score of 333.26 and will contest the final phase of competition tomorrow where they will be back in the ring for individual and team medals.
Chester Weber (Ocala, Fla.) drove his team of Despardo, Kadora, Amadeus, and Nico Tuesje C to a strong finish to sit third on an overnight score of 149.61, only 4.27 points behind first place.
“They did a fantastic job,” Weber said of his team. “I had some issues in the beginning of the season—getting Kadora really to match the other horses. He has a much flatter canter and I need to get the speed out of him. But, he got better and better all season, so I was super proud of him today.”
James Fairclough (Newton, N.J.) was the first out of the startbox for the U.S. team, returning to the championship marathon stage with a team that includes two leaders making their first Four-in-Hand World Championship appearance with Fairclough. With the atmosphere surrounding the course adding another element to a challenging track, Fairclough focused on a consistent round.
“I feel a little rusty doing it, but it was nice,” Fairclough said. “The footing got a little slippery, but my horses were full of power, so that wasn’t a problem. In America, we don’t have crowds like this, it adds to the excitement of marathon”
Fairclough focused on accuracy over speed today, “Pretty much every turn, we went a little bit slower than I’d like, but I’d rather not have a mistake,” he said.
Taren Lester (Citra, Fla.) continued the day for the U.S., guiding his team through the eight-obstacle marathon course and completing the second phase of his first FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hands in Aachen on a combined score of 183.65 sitting him in 24th overnight.
Jean Thornton (De Leon Springs, Fla.) is competing as an individual for the U.S. For Thornton, competing at Aachen represented a milestone as something she has dreamed of.
“I’m just thrilled to have finished this incredible course here at Aachen,” Thornton said. “It’s been a lifelong dream for me to be able to compete here and to work with these beautiful, talented horses. It’s such a privilege. They’re the stars here.”
Jean’s marathon phase moved her up in the rankings, giving her a combined score of 266.74.
The 2026 FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hands concludes on Sunday, August 23, beginning at 9:30 a.m. GMT+2/3:30 a.m. ET. with the cones phase, where the Defender U.S. Driving Team will look to close out its championship campaign in Aachen.
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