August 19, 2026 
If the applause meter happened to be measuring the always-enthusiastic crowds inside CHIO Aachen’s Hauptstadion, there’s no doubt which German combination drew the biggest cheers on Wednesday during the FEI Jumping World Championships Team & Individual Qualifier.
After all, when the reigning European Champion and (potential) soon-to-be World No. 1 Richard Vogel trots into the arena on the most famous show jumping stallion in the world, United Touch S, the crowds at Aachen know who they’re cheering for.
But it wouldn’t be Vogel who jumped a flawless, top-five clear for Germany on August 19.
That honor would go to 28-year-old Sophie Hinners, 38th on the startlist and the second team rider to jump behind German pathfinder Marcus Ehning. Seamless, confident, and oh-so very fast, Hinners and Iron Dames Singclair rode their round like they stole it.
“Iron Dames Singclair, he jumped absolutely fantastic. The whole course, he was so focused and with me. We had our plan, and luckily, everything went according to our plan,” Hinners said after the speed class. “He was jumping so easily over the fences.”
Hinners’ fault-free time of 72.28 seconds made her the early class leader on a score that held for more than 40 combinations, until she was just pipped by Scott Brash (GBR) and Hello Mango. Hinners currently sits in fourth place on the leaderboard, the highest-placed female rider in the competition, and well within striking distance of the individual medals in the days to come.
“Of course, I watched Marcus, he had already ridden a really great [round], and even before I got on the course, we talked about the track once again,” Hinners explained of her pre-ride routine.
“That always helps [if] you still have a teammate who supports you and shares his experience. And [I] also had the chance to watch several riders [before I went].
“I wouldn’t say that we went full-risk,” Hinners continued, describing her round. “We just made a plan beforehand, which I think was best suited for Singclair, and I would say it [came] full-circle.”
Paired together for almost three years, Hinners and the 11-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding—a former Peder Fredricson (SWE) ride—clicked right from the start. The pair currently jump clear at 58% in 38 rounds at 1.60m+, and are clear and on the podium at an even more impressive, 67% clip at 1.55m—the height of Wednesday’s First Competition—according to Jumpr.
Hinners and Singclair are also clearly comfortable on the grass at CHIO Aachen, where they finished third on the podium this May in the Rolex Grand Prix, just behind Hinners’ teammate, Vogel, who won the class with United Touch S.
Having jumped on the team in this same order before, Hinners said, she and Vogel are happy in their respective positions—second for her and fourth for him—for a very simple reason. “Richie has always liked to be in the fourth [anchor] rider place, so it’s perfect for us, that we don’t have to stress about not being able to help each other,” she said.
“Maybe those are our lucky numbers!”
And it’s not as if the course plan for Iron Dames Singclair and United Touch S would have had much in common, anyways.
“As we know, United Touch, he has his own individual plan. He has such a big gallop [and] jump. So I can’t really share my experience with [Richie] and give him any tips,” Hinners said. “But, as with all [our teammates], we will be there if we need something, then we can support.”
And while the German rider admitted to feeling some nerves, herself, on Wednesday morning, by all accounts, by the time she walked into the sonorous arena, Hinners was feeling right at home.
“The atmosphere [at Aachen] is, of course, very special,” Hinners said. “When we got in, the people were already applauding, but you can’t really get impressed by that.
“I’m just super proud, and I had a great feeling, and I was just very, very happy when we crossed the finish line. The ‘No. 1’ was up there [on the scoreboard], and so many people were cheering. That was a great feeling.”
