The UAE will field four horse and rider combinations in the dressage competition at the 20th Asian Games in Japan, as the nation returns to the championship three years after making its historic dressage debut.
Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri and Lotus-S, Bianca Schütz and Le Grand Ayden HB, Mohamed Jassim Al Serkal and Zen Liquidity, and Natalie Lankester and Tesla DXB have been selected to represent the UAE at JRA Equestrian Park in Tokyo.
Dressage competition runs from 25 to 27 September, with both team and individual honours at stake.
The UAE first fielded an Asian Games dressage team at Hangzhou 2023, finishing sixth. Three members of that team, Al Jahouri, Schütz and Al Serkal, return for a second Games, while Lankester also competed individually in Hangzhou and achieved the UAE’s best individual dressage result.
Meet The Team
Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri and Lotus-S
Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri will make his second Asian Games dressage appearance, having represented the UAE with Ecencka in Hangzhou.
This time he partners 10-year-old KWPN gelding Lotus-S. The combination began competing internationally together in October 2025 and have since built experience on the international Small Tour circuit in Europe.
Bianca Schütz and Le Grand Ayden HB
Bianca Schütz also returns to the Asian Games after representing the UAE aboard Fearless WS in 2023.
Her 2026 championship ride is Le Grand Ayden HB, a 10-year-old KWPN stallion with whom she began competing internationally last October.
The combination recorded a notable victory during their Asian Games campaign when they won the Intermediate I Freestyle at CDI1* Kronberg in June with a score of 72.340%.
Mohamed Jassim Al Serkal and Zen Liquidity
Mohamed Jassim Al Serkal will make his second appearance for the UAE at an Asian Games, having ridden Hermes V at Hangzhou 2023.
Al Serkal has partnered Zen Liquidity internationally since the beginning of 2026, with the combination producing a strong run of results during the qualification period.
One of their campaign highlights came in Abu Dhabi in February, where they won the CDI1* Small Tour and finished as overall champions of the division.
Natalie Lankester and Tesla DXB
Natalie Lankester returns to the Asian Games after producing the UAE’s best individual dressage performance at Hangzhou 2023.
Lankester finished 12th individually and became the first UAE dressage rider to qualify for an Asian Games individual Freestyle final.
For Tokyo, she will ride Tesla DXB, a 2015 KWPN stallion by Vitalis. The partnership is the newest of the four UAE combinations, having only begun in April this year.
Despite their relatively short time together, Lankester and Tesla DXB achieved the Minimum Eligibility Requirements during their European campaign to secure their place at the Games.
UAE dressage team prepares for Tokyo
The four horses travelled to Aachen, Germany, earlier this month for pre-export quarantine before making the journey to Japan.
The team heads into Tokyo following an extensive international qualification campaign across Europe and the UAE, as the country continues to develop its presence in international dressage.
The Asian Games dressage programme begins on Friday, 25 September, with the team medals decided on the opening day. Competition continues on Saturday before the individual medals are decided on Sunday, 27 September.
The wider Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games take place in Japan across late September and early October, with JRA Equestrian Park in Tokyo hosting the equestrian disciplines.
