Classic Eventing Nation

Highs, Lows, and Heatstroke: Day One at the 2026 FEI World Championships

By on Aug 13, 2026 4:31 pm -

Spain’s Esteban Benitez-Valle and Utrera AA. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s been a long, hot, and enormously competitive first day at the FEI World Championships at Aachen, where 43 horses and riders took to the stage to get the week’s sport underway.

There were the ecstasies: Spain’s Esteban Benitez-Valle, for example, who looked like he might never leave the thrall of the arena after a sweet test with Utrera AA, and instead rode circle after circle, alternately punching the air and uproariously goading the audience into ever-bigger cheers for his 33.3. And then, moments later, Canada’s Jessie Phoenix beaming and patting before a screaming Kiss-and-Cry podium, full of love for patchy crowd-pleaser Fluorescent Adolescent, who has previously struggled with tension in this phase. Apparently she just needed to enter the arena to a full-scale riot of joy en Española to find her own five-star personal best.

There were also, though, the agonies: a TV camera on the corner by C and M had been the primary spook-maker of yesterday’s arena familiarisation sessions, but even some of those horses who’d passed by it happily enough then had issues today. One of the biggest cheers of the day went to Hungary’s Noemi Doerfer, who tactfully piloted last-of-the-day Piltown Harry through his sudden horror of the thing; Dutch pathfinder Splinter Bergsma had an even more heart-stopping moment when Vigo Key SR Z shied violently on his first sighting of it, but managed to course-correct over the remainder of the test.

That sort of thing, of course, is part of the unique drama of a World Championships, even if it’s a championship that’s happening on such familiar territory as Aachen. We’ve relocated to a new dressage area for this year, trading the usual sand stadium for the capacious grass expanse of the combined driving field; we’ve got grandstands that are actually at least halfway full; we’ve got pressures and intensities somehow over and above even those of a ‘normal’ Aachen, if such a thing even exists. It’s a formula for uncertainty almost more than anything else.

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That uncertainty, and that inescapable frisson of buzziness, could well have rewritten the story of the day for Great Britain’s Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, the most hotly-anticipated starters of the day. As they rode down the chute, the British supporters in the grandstand reached a sort of heat-and-Radler-induced delirium, screaming and bellowing as though they were already celebrating the end of the test. 15-year-old Dubs (Diarado – Canto B), who already wasn’t perhaps totally on side, then spooked at the flowers by A on his way into the ring after some rejigging of their planned final pre-entry route.

“I’m really pleased, and he always delivers, but there was actually a little bit more atmosphere than I expected to begin with,” says Tom. “He was a bit lit up straight away when I went in there, and I could feel it when I tried to trot and he kept trying to pop into canter. I thought, ‘right, we’re not quite where I want to be!’”

Once safely into the ring, though, “he delivered a really good test,” says Tom, ultimately earning a score of 26.6 to take the day one lead individually and steer Great Britain to equal gold medal position at this early stage.

“It’s a shame, because I know we can do a 21 or a 22 rather than a 26, but it’s great for the team and I’m really pleased with him,” he says.

Those loftier scores were precluded by a small lapse in communication on the final centreline, which features a flying change just after turning onto the line.

“He’s been annoyed by the flies all week, and I’ve been really struggling with that. I know he’s completely with me, because he doesn’t pay any attention to the flies, and I could feel him starting to go and I knew we’d lost all concentration, but it’s a tough test.”

Tom and Dubs’ score does leave the door open for day two’s major contenders. Chief among those, teammate Laura Collett with London 52 and German rivals Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH could reasonably have been expected to surpass them in any case, but now, there’s a broader entry point that could well be bested by the likes of Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo or Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel – or, indeed, partnerships such as Sweden’s Louise Romeike and Caspian 15, who have put mid-20s scores up at four-star.

Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

While much could change tomorrow, for tonight, there’ll be plenty to celebrate in the New Zealand camp: they’ve come into this competition hotly tipped to match or better their bronze medal from 2022, and at the end of day one, they’re sitting flush with the Brits on a score of 55.9.

The best of their two team riders today was Jonelle Price and the twelve-year-old Senor Crocodillo who, like JL Dublin before him, is a German-bred Holsteiner. They hold provisional silver on a score of 27.2, a career personal best for the former Sam Lissington ride at any international level.

“I think the highlight [today] was just really the evolution of this horse,” says Jonelle, who took the reins in 2022. “He’s not a fancy mover, and he hasn’t got a lot of high marks in him, so the aim over the last couple of years has been to produce a solid test, mistake-free. He can sort of do everything well enough and then pitch the odd high mark where we can, and we certainly managed to do that today. I’m delighted with him, and it’s really nice to get that phase out of the way.”

Both these leading horses have previously competed at Aachen in its ordinary CCIO4*-S iteration; both, too, had a mistake on cross-country when doing so, which their riders hope will have been formative educational moments that stop them from being caught by surprise by the venue’s quirks.

“This is a ten-minute Aachen on steroids,” laughs Jonelle. “There’s a lot of places where it can unravel, right to the very end. It’ll take a huge amount of accuracy, honesty, and bravery.”

Alexis Goury and Je’Vall. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.

France as a nation sits in the wings overnight in a close fifth place, just over eight penalties off the lead, but individually, they’re well in the hunt thanks to a super test from 30-year-old Alexis Goury and the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood Je’Vall, with whom he finished sixth and best of the French at last year’s European Championships.

On that occasion, the pair began their week on a score of 31.9. Today, they improved on that exponentially, delivering a 28.5 in this new version of the short, very intense FEI Olympic test. They have never previously broken the 30 barrier at four-star.

“I really felt that my horse was 100% focused on me,” says Alexis. “He’s making huge progress in the dressage; at first, he wasn’t at all sure of himself, but he’s gained a lot of confidence in me and now he allows me to ride him to his full potential.”

He is, continues Alexis, “a horse with real dressage aptitude – but when he gets a bit into his own bubble, he can become tricky, because he doesn’t have the easiest conformation for this phase. But in this test, he stayed with me and really gave his all, and I just tried to stay cool and enjoy it myself, which paid off.”

The pair’s personal best could well have been even punchier, but for a touch of anticipation coming out of the walk work into counter canter, which dropped them – barely – down to 6s from two of the judges.

“I really wanted to prepare him early carefully for the canter transition so as not to startle him, but then he thought it was time to go, so that was really my fault,” says Alexis. But, he counters, “I didn’t have any issues at all with the flying changes, so that’s one less source of stress for me – they used to be a real weak point.”

France’s tricky start – pathfinder Benjamin Massie and Figaro Fonroy posted an uncharacteristic 35.6, the worst score of the horse’s international career – was “definitely a motivation; it makes you want to push yourself to make up some ground. But I was certainly disappointed for Benjamin, who usually finishes ahead of me in France!”

Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.

Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp is no stranger to Aachen with her 14-year-old Carlitos Quidditch K – they’ve been here three times previously, never adding cross-country jumping penalties and always finishing in the top twenty. Nothing, though, quite compares to returning as part of the home team, particularly when that home team is also here to defend the gold medal they won four years ago. Germany also comes here as the European titleholders; Malin and Carlitos Quidditch K were part of that effort at Blenheim last year, finishing eleventh.

Pressure firmly on, then – and results decisively delivered. They sit fourth overnight, and in bronze medal position as a team, after earning a 28.6 as Germany’s second round pair this afternoon.

That excellent test, though, came after an inauspicious start: the son of Quiwi Dream was inspired by the electricity of the arena, and though Malin tried to signal the crowd to stay quiet, they were keen to welcome one of their own – and she had to sit deep and ride through a cavorting moment before entering the ring.

“In the moment I was just like, ‘oh my god!’” laughs Malin, who first took on the gelding as a resale project for a friend some nine years ago, and then gathered the funds to keep him in her yard.

Once they began their test, Malin used the extra impulsion to her advantage.

“He was really on [in there] but I could produce every movement so forward and how I wanted to. Even the walk was very good!”

But they were one of several pairs to have a mistake in the transition from walk to counter-canter at C, and they were nearly into the corner before they successfully stepped up in the canter.

“I can’t remember that he’s ever made a mistake when we’ve started to canter, but that’s life,” says Malin. “Afterwards, I really tried to make everything perfect so the marks wouldn’t go down and down after our failure, and I think we did that really well. It’s not a dressage competition, but I really enjoy that horse, and to be here is just awesome. We had a press conference with the German federation yesterday, and they asked Rodolphe [Scherer, interim team coach] what he thinks and how it works with his team, and he said ‘they’re all champions – Olympic champions and European champions.’ It’s just amazing to be in this kind of a team.”

Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

If it wasn’t for JL Dublin representing dark bays at the top of the leaderboard, we’d begin to suspect some sort of bias in today’s judging: places two through six are occupied by greys. The first of those to set a standard today was Rocket Man, who was second in the ring this morning under New Zealand pathfinder Clarke Johnstone, and whose 28.7 sees them sit fifth going into the second day of dressage.

“It was probably one notch down from what we could have done if it was as good as possible,” says Clarke, who has flirted with the low 20s at four-star with the eleven-year-old gelding, previously piloted by Eliza Bell. “I just thought the arena would have lit him up a little bit, but he was totally relaxed. Sometimes he’s better when he’s a fraction not so relaxed.”

But, he continues, “he did everything I asked, and everything more or less happened where it was supposed to, and I thought there were some real highlights. He’s a beautiful horse, and lovely to ride and train, but this is his first championship, and he took it all in like a pro.”

As second in the ring, Clarke was just the second person ever to ride this new championship test in a competition – Austria’s Daniel Dunst takes the unique privilege of having been the first.

“It’s pretty fast and furious, and while the Paris Olympics test was similar, this feels even more hectic in the canter section,” says Clarke. “But if your horse can do all the movements, then it’s actually a really fun test to ride – and it’s nice to get it over and done with nice and quickly, too.”

Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Great Britain’s Gemma Stevens holds sixth place overnight with the fourteen-year-old Flash Cooley on a score of 29.3 – a predictably competitive start for a pair who have so consistently been mid-20s scorers at four- and three-star.

This is a first five-star equivalent test for ‘Casper’, who won Royal Jump’s CCI4*-L in May, and though the pair had a slight misunderstanding on the tricky final centre line, which features a flying change on the mown straight line, there was much to like from the former Liz Halliday ride.

“I’m over the moon with all of [the test], apart from that last centre line, which was just such a shame and honestly, just a misunderstanding,” says Gemma. “He thought he were halting; it’s hot today, and I think he’d probably had enough today, and he just came up the centre line at the end and went to stop and I was like, ‘no, no, we’ve got to do a flying change!’”

Then, she says, “we were obviously completely muddled. It’s a real shame to lose that last mark because that’s actually been a real highlight in training, but the rest of it was so good and he was so relaxed and with me, and a real pleasure to ride.”

“This is a challenging test for an event horse,” she says. “He’s 14 and has got an amazing, amazing brain, so it’s fine, but I think with a hot horse of a more Thoroughbred type it would be a very tricky test. The difficulty of it is very high. But at the end of the day, it’s used for World Championships and Olympics – we do need to be at the top of our game.”

For Gemma, who last rode on a British championship team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, Aachen has long been the ultimate goal with this horse.

“We’ve been working towards this – to be honest, it’s been absolutely the plan set out since the beginning of 2025, and I literally worked out a plan for the whole of that year and then the whole of this year leading up to it, and we’ve pulled it off, so that’s cool,” she says.

In doing so, she doesn’t just make a long-awaited comeback – she also takes on the hugely pressurised pathfinder role, which is a job she relishes and has made sure to prepare for.

“I knew that if I was going to be on the team, that that’s where I’d be. I’ve done it before; they know that I can do it, and the other three aren’t going to go in the pathfinder role, so I’ve actually trained myself a few times this year to go out on course with no information at all on the course [from other riders and rounds]. I did it at Royal Jump with him, and I did it at Burgham with Chilli Knight, all just in the thought that that might happen. It’s just about training your mind.”

Sam Lissington and Lucas Stone. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

New Zealand’s individual rider Sam Lissington holds seventh place overnight on a score of 29.7 with ten-year-old Lucas Stone, the winner of October’s Strzegom CCI4*-L.

“I’m stoked with him,” she says. “He’s a little bit of an anxious person, and that’s definitely by far the biggest atmosphere he’s ever experienced – it’s about as big as it gets. So for him to stay with me as he did, as only a ten-year-old, and after only eighteen months together, is a big deal.”

Lucas Stone stepped into the game for Aachen after Sam had to withdraw her top ride, Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, from contention in June due to an injury.

“He’s got big shoes to fill, and I’d have loved to be sitting here on a horse I’ve been riding for ten years, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, it was the young gun that had to come through, and come through he did.”

It has been, she continues, “a busy four months. We were on form last year with multiple horses, and then all of a sudden it feels like all of that gets thrown out the window, and it feels like every single event you do is going to be the one that your selection depends on. Then you do one well, and you’re like, ‘shit, okay, I can’t make a mistake at the next one, or the next one.’ So it’s been a lot of pressure event to event on every horse, including him in case he needed to step in. In the end he did.”

Phillip Dutton and Denim. Photo by Haley Boothe / Impulsion Media.

Switzerland’s enormously experienced Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH once again demonstrated why they’ve been such lynchpins of championship teams, putting up a score of 30.1 for overnight eleventh and team fourth, while Australia’s Olivia Barton and her homebred APH Sodoku are ninth on a 30.6 – a huge personal best at four-star and above for the ten-year-old. Germany’s Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia FRH round out the top ten on a 31.3.

Olivia Barton and APH Sodoku. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Phillip Dutton got the US campaign started today as the fourth in the ring with Ann Lapides, Ann Jones, Neill Sites and Caroline Moran’s Denim. The score, a 32.6, was higher than what we’ve come to anticipate from Denim, who’s average a sub-30 consistently, according to EquiRatings. A better mark, Phillip said, comes down to needing more energy and power from Denim. But he remained positive and complimentary of his horse.

“He was pretty much mistake-free,” he said. “I got off the centerline a little bit at the entrance, but then the rest of it was good. I mean, he needs a little bit more power and energy to get a big score, I think, and but he was real professional in there. He was on the money for everything that I asked him to do, so I was really proud of him for that.”

Phillip is just behind Caroline Pamukcu in 15th overnight.

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Caroline Pamukcu was the second in the US order with her own and Deniz Pamucku, Sherrie Martin and Mollie Hoff’s HSH Blake. A 32.6 was not the score Caroline had worked to get today after a couple of bobbles in the canter work inflated an otherwise true-to-Blake stylish test. The counter-canter movement elicited fours from all three judges and her second flying change also got dinged — a frustrating result no doubt, but Caroline responded maturely.

“Obviously, I’m pretty disappointed with because I know we both could do better — or I could do better, not him,” she said. “I didn’t give him the ride I wanted to today, but it is a sport, and that’s the fun thing about a sport. I’ll go back and reflect. You know, there’s always a lot of things, but I’ve got an incredible team at home and with our federation. They gave me all the opportunities to do the best we can today. Sometimes it just falls short. I’ll obviously go home, work harder, and then come back swinging again. He picked up left lead instead of the right lead. I’m not quite sure. You know, shit happens. It definitely was a stupid mistake, but stuff happens.”

Caroline is in 14th overnight and poised to climb her way up with two strong jumping rounds — a feat Blake has accomplished many times throughout his very successful career.

Jessie Phoenix and Fluorescent Adolescent. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Canada’s sole representative, Jessica Phoenix, had a banner day with Sharon Hall and Makayla Rydzik’s Fluorescent Adolescent. At 18 years young, “Lacey” delivered a five-star personal best and earned a 35.1 to sit in 25th overnight. Jessie credits some recent work done with four-time dressage Olympian Ashley Holzer for helping Lacey (and Jessie) understand balance better, which builds confidence. Interestingly, Lacey also seems to prefer dressaging on grass — most of her personal bests have come when she competes on grass.

“Ashley has really helped me understand where I need to be with my own position to help the horses balance themselves better, and she’s just helped me get control over a lot of those little things where it just gives me and the horses so much confidence when we’re in the ring executing the movements,” Jessie elaborated. “I think that was really what showed today with Lacey. Every time she went to get a little bit too onward or lose her balance, I was able to just calmly put her back together, and then she’s such a beautiful mover — she can really shine when she’s in the right balance.”

Tomorrow’s second day of dressage will kick off at 9.30 a.m. local time (that’s 8.30 a.m. BST or 5.30 a.m. EST) with Moroccan individual Noor Slaoui and Legende P first in the ring. Like today, it’s going to be a serious scorcher tomorrow: temperatures are set to hit 36 degrees Celsius – over 100 Fahrenheit, if you, too, hate numbers – and have already necessitated a scheduling change for the pure dressage competitors, who tackle the Special tomorrow. Further to veterinary advice, we’re told, the eventing dressage schedule, with its much shorter test, will remain unchanged and access to cooling areas with misting fans will be ensured.

The line-up tomorrow will bring us the third and fourth rider rotations, plus another thirteen individual competitors, and by any metric it’s a fairly jam-packed sort of day, with many of the frontrunners of this week’s competition yet to come. You can check out the times and the line-up in full here or, if you’re planning your sleep schedule around tuning in for our three remaining US riders, here’s when you can catch them:

  • Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker – 10.50 a.m. local time/9.50 a.m. BST/4.50 a.m. EST
  • Tamie Smith and Lillet 3 (individuals) – 14.51 p.m. local time/13.51 p.m. BST/8.51 a.m. EST
  • Will Coleman and Diabolo – 15.12 p.m. local time/14.12 p.m. BST/9.12 a.m. EST

We’ll have plenty more coverage to bring you, both at the end of the day’s competition and well before then; make sure you’re following along on our Instagram, too, for plenty of BTS content, rider interviews, and much, much more. Until tomorrow: stay cool, and Go Eventing.

The top ten at the end of day one of dressage.

The team standings after day one.

A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Team Scores] [Live Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Nations Form Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products]

FEI World Championships Eventing: Thursday Dressage – Judging Break Update

By on Aug 13, 2026 4:46 am -

THURSDAY SESSION 5:

Jessie Phoenix and Fluorescent Adolescent go as individuals for Canada. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

THE LEADERBOARD:

1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Tom McEwen and JL Dublin came out meaning business in this session and totally threw down the gauntlet, taking over the gold medal position with a score of 26.6.

2️⃣ 🇳🇿 Slipping into silver is Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo on a score of 27.2.

3️⃣ 🇫🇷 Rounding out the rolling podium, currently in bronze medal position is Alexis Goury and Je’vall on a score of 28.5.

🇺🇲 Caroline Pamukcu and HSS Blake and Phillip Dutton and Denim are in 14th and 15th respectively on 32.3 and 32.6.

THE TEAMS:

We’ve had two team rider rotations and although it’s early days and there’s a drop score to be considered, at this point in proceedings the team standings look like this:

🥇 Incredibly, on exactly the same score, are Great Britain and New Zealand, who share the top spot after the first day with the combined score for both riders to have gone today totaling 55.9.

🥉 That means Germany is currently in bronze with a score of 59.9.

🇺🇲 The US are currently in 6th place on a score of 64.9.

You’ll find the full scoreboard right here.

THE ACTION:

🇬🇧 Tom McEwen and JL Dublin*

This accomplished pairing trends in the mid-20s at the beginning of their test. Dubs looks fit and well and is so confident. Tom’s able to push for the big marks with this gelding, he’s so willing, and it’s paying off. Tom rides so accurately and everything is spot on. Mid-way through the test it’s looking like they may go into the lead. The quality and accuracy continue. The change on the center line is a bit adrift. Where will they land? In the lead. British flags are waving in the crowd. Tom looks super pleased and Dubs is just a total pro. Well-deserved, great score for both of them.

26.6

🇮🇹 Paolo Torlonia and Zinny*

Paolo’s the last of the team riders for today. Zinny’s just a 10-year-old and she shows that sometimes, in the reinback for example which is particularly tricky. She’s trying hard for Paolo but the occasion is huge for a young horse. She performs all the movements but is a little fussy and Paolo rides very sympathetically. The first flying change is expensive, but she does the third nicely. She really got tense during the canter work but Paolo looks pleased with the mare. Lots of neck rubs and a happy horse walking out on a loose rein. Lots of experience gained and lots to come in the future.

40.8

🇪🇸 Esteban Benitez Valle and Utrera AA 35 1

We’ll finish up today’s dressage with individual competitors. This mare comes in totally focused and ears pricked. She looks to be a real trier. She’s not got the biggest movement for the big marks, but she’s performed and looks rideable and willing. Overall, this was a consistent test with a nice partnership between horse and rider on show. The final center line was super straight. What a sweet mare this is, standing still as you like at the end and soaking it all in. Very nice.

33.3

🇨🇦 Jessica Phoenix and Fluorescent Adolescent

“Lacey” is such a distinctive mare and she looks really well in the Aachen sunshine, putting her best hoof forward. Both horse and rider look very relaxed in the atmosphere and the score trends around the 30-mark through the trot work. Lacey gets a bit strong in the extended and we get a glimpse of what Jessie will have to contend with out on cross country. And the excitement continues with the changes proving to be expensive. The Maple Leaf’s flying in the kiss and cry at the end and Jessie waves to the crowd. Lacey looks pleased with herself.

35.1

🇫🇮 Axel Lindberg and Quelle Bonne

This mare seemed tense as she made her way round waiting for the bell but looks to settle once she’s in the ring. She’s an elegant horse who moves nice and rhythmically. She’s a little behind the vertical at times, shortening her neck, showing a bit of tension creeping in, and Axel encourages her with soft reins. A couple of mistakes creep in, the first change in particular is very expensive as it doesn’t really happen. The changes prove to be very difficult overall. A mixed bag overall. A shrug and a rueful look of disappointment from Axel, but a pat for the horse and wave to the crowd nonetheless. The mare walks out nice and relaxed and gets a big fuss from the team.

38.6

🇮🇳 Ashish Limaye and D’avril du Pinier

This is a tall horse, really striking and powerful. The halt was very impressive and established and Ashish held it to really show it off. There’s an unfortunate miscommunication in the trot afterwards though, but Ashish gets things together quickly enough. The walk’s purposeful but the flying changes are tricky and there are some further bobbles in the canter work. A tricky end to the test and Ashish does a good job trying to keep a lid on things. Big pats nevertheless and some moments of really nice work.

44

🇦🇺 Olivia Barton and APH Sodoku

Ooo, this horse has four lovely long white socks. The trot is very bouncy and light, very nicely rhythmical and you can really see the crossing of the legs in the half pass thanks to those socks. This pair really do make a nice picture together. There’s some jiggy jog in the walk though and very tactful riding from Olivia. The canter is expressive like the trot, lots of knee action and feathery footwork. It’ll be cool to see this horse using that out on cross country. Solid stuff and a really exciting combination. Huge cheers for an enjoyable test to watch. Aussie flags are out in force.

30.6

🇳🇿 Samantha Lissington and Lucas Stone

The talent of this young horse is clear from the start. There’s moments of unbalance but such quality on show. The trot is impressive and powerful, a lot to contain for Sam. They trend sub-30 in the early stages of the test. You can see the gelding wants to have a look around during the walk but he’s trying so hard to listen to Sam. The extended gives us a taste of the kind of gallop this horse will have on Saturday, lots to look forward to, for sure. The changes are nicely established, despite some excitement brewing. An exciting prospect this one.

29.7

🇭🇺 Noémi Viola Doerfer and Piltown Harry

We finish up the day with a striking chestnut, another one to take up the Aachen sunshine and gleam it back at us. He’s a bit looky at the start of the test and there’s a spook in the corner. Noémi does a good job at trying to keep things under wraps. The halt is difficult, that ghostie’s back in the corner up at that end of the ring. But once he’s had a look, he’s back on track. It’s impressive that the walk stays walk, given how tense this horse has been. Another little spook at the flowers but it doesn’t disrupt things too much. He’s trying hard but it’s all a lot. Big smiles at the end though and pats for the horse. Lots of education under that horse’s cinch after that.

41.9

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

🧦 The socks award goes to Olivia Barton’s APH Sodoku who has four long white legs which really showed off his expressive footwork.

💃 Let’s hear it for the ladies – we’ve seen A LOT of mares today, which is great for the sport.

🎉 And the overall prize for the most enjoyed celebration for sure goes to Spain’s individual rider Esteban Benitez Valle who was clearly thrilled to be at the World Championships with his sweet mare and Utrera AA 35 1, as were his supporters. The Spanish flags in the crowd were at the ready from the start and the test was followed by numerous fist pumps and punches of the air. Esteban enjoyed every second of his time in the ring and totally made the most of the moment afterwards with joyful celebration.

THE CROSS COUNTRY QUESTION:

Eventing is not a dressage competition, we all know that. It’s an important part of the overall picture, sure, but everything can change come Saturday with overnight leaderboards moving and shaking like they’re country girls at a Luke Bryan concert. Here’s a look at the most reliable cross country horses in the field, according to EquiRatings (with 100% XCJ in Eventing Manager), and how they fared in this session of dressage:

Canada’s Jessica Phoenix and Fluorescent Adolescent cut a striking figure on the cross country and they’re pretty smart on the stats too. They’ve been clear cross country jumping since 2023, bar a single frangible device penalty. The fancy mare showed she can be strong in the ring today. They scored 35.1.

Horses who turn their hoof to dressage like pros and are also good for quick clears on cross country are a valuable prospect and Great Britain’s Tom McEwen’s got just that in JL Dublin. They’re here off the back of two wins at 4*-S and are a safe bet for a strong showing in all three phases, which they proved when they stormed into the lead with a 26.6 and every chance they’ll stay on, or very close, to that on Saturday.

THE STATS:

Sub-30 is the benchmark for real success in the dressage phase and two more combinations cracked that barrier at in this session, making seven in total on the first day of dressage.

Eyes on EN – more World Championships action coming up soon.

Go eventing!

A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products

THURSDAY SESSION 4:

Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlito’s Quidditch K are the second rider out for the home team. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

THE LEADERBOARD:

1️⃣ 🇳🇿 Holding the lead in the clubhouse, in gold medal spot, is Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo on a score of 27.2.

2️⃣ 🇫🇷 Going into silver as things stand during this session is Alexis Goury and Je’vall on a score of 28.5.

3️⃣ 🇩🇪 Rounding out the rolling podium, going in bronze medal position for the home team, is Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K on a score of 28.6.

🇺🇲 Caroline Pamukcu and HSS Blake Phillip Dutton and Denim are in 11th and 12th respectively on 32.3 and 32.6.

You’ll find the full scoreboard right here.

THE ACTION:

🇧🇷 Raphael Mamprin Losano and Withington*

Brazil are fielding a team of three, so all three scores will count, and Raphael’s the first of them. They get off to a nice enough start with a straight center line. There’s a bit of tension going on though and a spook comes in the corner but Raphael knows this guy well and gets him straight back. It looks sunny and hot in the ring this afternoon and the sun’s gleaming off this striking gelding. Overall an accurate clear round in dressage terms, but a little tentative. The horse looks happy walking out though. There are fans in the crowd, in both senses of the word – cheers and fanning happening out there.

34.4

🇮🇪 Aoife Clark and Full Monty de Lacense*

This is a sensitive horse but he looks to be coping well with the big atmosphere at the beginning of his test. Aoife rides tactfully and accurately and the gelding’s responding. Scores trend in the low 30s for the trot work and hold consistent through the walk. He shows off his stride in the extended, that’ll feel good out on cross country on Saturday, he’s a powerful looking guy. Aoife looks delighted at the end and the horse is very relaxed as he walks out. A total clear round in the dressage for them and a solid start to their competition.

31.5

🇫🇷 Alexis Goury and Je’vall*

This pair start off superbly, trending in the low 20s at the start of their test. The horse looks rideable and willing and very rhythmical and consistent in his movements. Everything’s very flowy and smooth and the walk is a particular feature, really over tracking and stepping through, lovely. Sadly, there’s a misunderstanding in the canter transition but once they get there, the quality’s clear in this pace too. Another sub-30 score headed onto the board. The crowd show their appreciation and Je’vall decides to trot off. He’s pleased with himself and so he should be. Into 2nd place for this great showing and an exciting score on the board for team France. Hugs galore going on.

28.5

🇨🇭 Mélody Johner and Erin*

This mare really does look totally ready for these Championships, strong and confident and well up for it. Mélody rides for every mark, really accurately and getting the best out of what she’s sat on. The horse is soft and consistent and rhythmical, albeit not the biggest mover of the bunch for the top marks. Overall though, very harmonious work and Mélody is thrilled at the end, huge grins and a big punch of the air. Super showing from them and a competitive score put down given that this is a great cross country horse.

31.5

🇩🇪 Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K*

Malin asks the home crowd to curb their enthusiasm as she comes into the ring and they manage, at first. But they can’t contain it and there’s a cheer which does get to Carlitos Quidditch K a bit. Malin takes her time to settle the horse before responding to the bell and entering the ring. All’s well once they’re in there and they trend in the low-20s in the early stages of the test. This horse is so supple and expressive, really athletic and impressive. It’s a day for the grays, for sure. The top 4 are all gray, will this guy head into the mix too? It’s looking good… until there’s a bobble into the canter transition. She was trending in the lead but that mistake was expensive. Malin regroups. The changes are a real highlight. But there’s another bobble in the corner onto the center line. The flags are going in the crowd but Malin looks a little disappointed. Small mistakes that cost a lot, probably the lead. It’s good enough for 3rd though.

28.6

🇸🇪 Amanda Staam and Corpoubet AT*

The sun shining off this chestnut’s rump is stunning, really striking. He looks like he’s doing his best for Amanda and is listening and delivering everything asked of him. He’s not a huge mover but he’s for sure a trier. Everything looks confident and solid and the horse seems very happy in his work. He walks out looking like he’s out for a nice hack. Good to see the horses enjoying their time in the Aachen ring.

34.9

🇳🇱 Sterre van Houte and Crossborder Radar Love*

This combination deliver a sweet test, working nicely together to perform each movement. Everything’s clean and clear and as it should be. The changes are particularly solid. This is a young rider and she’s done a really impressive job on the world stage. The horse looked very rideable and confident too. A very nice start to the competition for them.

32.9

🇧🇪 Wouter de Cleene and Ragdoll de Tamise*

This is a young horse at just 9 years old and it shows a little when she spooks at the flowers by the judge’s box. Things are a little tense at the start of the test but the mare is trying to focus, it’s just a big deal out there in the World Championships atmosphere. She does a nice job in the walk though and all the potential’s there for the world to see. Wouter gives her a peach of a ride, really understanding and sympathetic. A very nice showing from this pair overall and an exciting prospect for the future, for sure.

37.6

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

🤫 Aoife Clarke asks the crowd to hold off the cheers as she comes into the arena with her sensitive horse, Full Monty de Lacense, as does Malin Malin Hansen-Hotopp for Carlitos Quidditch K. The audience manage for Aoife but the home crowd don’t contain their enthusiasm for Malin so well. We love the support but it can make things tricky too.

👣 Alexis Goury’s Je’vall’s sure got the walk, a real highlight – in fact, the horse is strong in all three paces and confidently put in a sub-30 round.

💪 Mélody Johner punched the air in delight at the end of her test with Erin, thrilled with her horse’s efforts out there.

🏆 Sterre van Houte’s Crossborder Radar Love is a true Championships horse, having been to the Junior, Young Rider and Senior Championships.

THE CROSS COUNTRY QUESTION:

Eventing is not a dressage competition, we all know that. It’s an important part of the overall picture, sure, but everything can change come Saturday with the maracas coming out and overnight leaderboards being shaken up and then some. Here’s a look at the most reliable cross country horses in the field, according to EquiRatings (with 100% XCJ in Eventing Manager), and how they fared in this session of dressage:

Switzerland’s Mélody Johner and Erin stand out from the crowd in terms of cross country jumping according to the stats, with just one mishap on their record from 27 FEI competitions. They’ve put themselves into a great position with their efforts in the dressage ring, scoring 31.5 and sitting in the top 10 as things stand.

THE STATS:

Sub-30 is the benchmark for real success in the dressage phase and two combinations cracked that barrier in this session. That makes five in total now.

Eyes on EN – more World Championships action coming up soon.

Go eventing!


A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products

THURSDAY SESSION 3:

Ryuzo Kitajima and Feroza Nieuwmoed get Japan’s campaign underway. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

THE LEADERBOARD:

1️⃣ 🇳🇿 Taking over the lead from her teammate, Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo* are the new leaders in the clubhouse right now, in gold medal spot on a score of 27.2.

2️⃣ 🇳🇿 Dropping into silver as things stand is Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man on a score of 28.7.

3️⃣ 🇬🇧 Rounding out the rolling podium, currently in bronze medal position, is Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley on a score of 29.3.

🇺🇲 Caroline Pamukcu and HSS Blake Phillip Dutton and Denim are in 7th and 8th respectively on 32.3 and 32.6.

You’ll find the full scoreboard right here.

THE ACTION:

INDIVIDUALS:

🇨🇭 Angelika Dubak and Felin de Chignan

This horse and rider pair seem like a nice partnership. He was a little fancy in the walk, a smidge of tension creeping in and Angelika had to be cautious in the extended canter, she knows just how much horse she’s sat on. Overall, a proficient test and well-deserving of the punch of the air at the at. Solid work and a happy looking team.

35.1

🇸🇪 Christoffer Forsberg and Hippo’s Sapporo TSF

This 18-year-old horse has a lovely big blaze, very striking. He’s a bit of a show off in the trot, really flicking out his toes and dancing across the grass. Very athletic and expressive. He puts in a stunning square halt, very solid. The walk is a little tentative although the scores trend consistently around the 32 mark, dropping slightly through the canter work. There’s a bit of a fumble in a flying change which sees the marks go up again but overall, what a happy horse. His bottom lip’s flapping as he walks out of the ring looking round at the crowd. A very pleasing test from this cute horse who looks like a fun ride.

32.6

🇧🇪 Maarten Boon and Gravin van Cantos

Maarten looks super happy to be here and the mare looks to be enjoying herself just as much. She’s very expressive and supple and seems to be enjoying her work. She’s a pretty cool horse, having been to Junior Championships with Maarten’s son as well as making her second appearance at the Senior World Championships, a versatile lady, for sure. She’s just as happy in the canter work as the rest of the paces and really is a picture of a horse who loves her job. Maarten’s smiling as he comes up the center line to finish. Nicole Brown in the commentary box says this has been “joyful”.

31.4

🇦🇹 Harald Ambros and Vitorio du Montet*

Harald brings us into the second team rotation. All’s very accurate from this experienced pair, clean and tidy but not necessarily the most expressive for the big marks. Everything’s very consistent and clean although the changes bring the score up slightly, but they happen. Big pats from Harald and cheers from the Austrian supporters in the crowd. Thumbs up from Harald to the camera. Right back at ya.

35.1

🇳🇿 Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo*

This horse really has a lovely trot, very rhythmical and athletic. They’re trending in the mid-20s at the early part of their test, a great start for them. He’s really listens to Jonelle through the walk, clearly trying his best for her. She’s super brave in the extended canter, pushing for big marks. The changes are great. Could they be heading into the lead? Jonelle’s steely faced at the end. What a competitor. Sub-30 for sure. A superb showing and straight to the top of the leaderboard.

27.2

Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo head into the lead. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

🇨🇿 Matěj Sukdolak and Qaid*

This homebred got off to a bit of a shaky start, almost trying too hard. The pair get settled in though but the pressure of the occasion is clear to see. They hold it together in walk which is mighty expressive considering the fizz that’s bubbling under the surface. The horse really tries for his rider in the canter work although it’s all a little shaky. Big pats at the end though and really well ridden by this young rider.

41

🇺🇸 Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake*

Caroline and Blake get off to a neat start, showing off expressive extension in the trot, which is bouncy and light and beautiful. Caroline’s daughter Blake has spotted herself on the big screen, cute. She’s waving a US flag with her dad. Her mom is putting in a pro performance although there’s a miscommunication in the canter transition which is an annoying mistake. And then there’s another in the changes. They were trending towards the top but those mistakes will be expensive. Blake stops to scratch his nose on the way out. Hugs for Caroline who looks disappointed.

32.3

Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake are the second rider for team USA. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

🇯🇵 Ryuzo Kitajima and Feroza Nieuwmoed*

This horse is so confident in his work and puts in a solid performance at the start of his test. He’s not the easiest in the contact but he’s accurate in the movements on the whole. He’s blowing through his nose and it seems like there’s a little tension creeping in which comes out in the changes. A solid test, overall, but a higher mark than would have been hoped for. Ryuzo waves to the crowd on the way out and Feroza Nieuwmoed decides to trot off. He’s ready for Saturday.

35.4

🇦🇺 Sam Woods and SS Eight Count*

Apparently this horse’s name is rodeo influenced, with eight seconds being the magic number for staying aboard. Let’s hope there’s more ballet than broncing today. The gelding has a particularly nice trot, powerful and expressive. He looks totally rideable and is trying his best in his work. The walk is a real highlight, strong and swinging, very nice. Sadly there’s a problem in the corner for the canter transition and Sam has to put things right. The tension creeps in then. It’s a shame because this test was trending in the very low-30s but the marks have increased as the tension rose. Big cheers from the Aussie fans at the end and huge pats for the horse. Sam gives a thumbs up to the crowd. He’s perhaps a little disappointed but there was an awful lot to like in that test.

36.7

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

💯 Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo got their World Championships off to a super smart start with an international personal best for the horse and a second best Championship score for Jonelle.

👌 Angelika Dubak and Felin de Chignan picked the perfect time to deliver a PB at the top levels (4 and 5*).

😁 The prize for the smiliest rider for sure goes to Maarten Boon whose ride Gravin van Cantos seemed to be smiling along also.

🧸 Christoffer Forsberg’s Hippo’s Sapporo TSF totally gave us the warm and fuzzies when he walked happily out of the ring with his bottom lip flapping happily.

THE CROSS COUNTRY QUESTION:

Eventing is not a dressage competition, we all know that. It’s an important part of the overall picture, sure, but everything can change come Saturday with overnight leaderboards truly throwing some cats amongst the pigeons. Here’s a look at the most reliable cross country horses in the field, according to EquiRatings (with 100% XCJ in Eventing Manager), and how they fared in this session of dressage:

Japan’s Ryuzo Kitajima and Feroza Nieuwmoed have jumped clear at 5* on three occasions and have just one jumping penalty on their record since 2021. They scored higher than they perhaps would have liked, putting down a 35.1 and sitting in 16th, but there’s every chance they’ll be climbing on Saturday.

Belgium’s Maarten Boon and Gravin van Cantos have beef with World Championships, having been eliminated at Pratoni out on cross country, but that was very much an anomaly on their card. They’ve had a couple of frangible penalties, but as far as jumping goes, they haven’t had a 20 since 2018. They had a “joyful” time of things between the white boards and sit in 6th on 31.4. Looking forward to seeing them on Saturday.

THE STATS:

Sub-30 is the benchmark for real success in the dressage phase and one combination cracked that barrier in this session, joining one from the first session and one from the second.

Eyes on EN – more World Championships action coming up soon.

Go eventing!

A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products

THURSDAY SESSION 2:

Italy’s Giovanni Ugolotti and Duke of Champions wrap up the first team rotation. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

THE LEADERBOARD:

1️⃣ 🇳🇿 Leader in the clubhouse right now, in gold medal spot at this early stage of the competition, is Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man on a score of 28.7.

2️⃣ 🇬🇧 In silver as things stand is Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley on a score of 29.3.

3️⃣ 🇨🇭 Rounding out the rolling podium, now in bronze medal position, is Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH* on a score of 30.1.

🇺🇲 Phillip Dutton and Denim are in 5th on 32.6.

You’ll find the full scoreboard right here.

THE ACTION:

🇸🇪 Sofia Sjoborg and Bryjamolga VH Marienshof Z*

Sofia made the best of a difficult situation during this test, which wasn’t the easiest ride but she managed it well. The horse seemed to be a bit agitated by the flies and did have a nose net on. There was some tension throughout which made things tricky, and anticipation, a bit looky looky really. There was very nearly a mishap when it seemed Sofia had forgotten the halt and reinback, but she remembered albeit a little late. The horse put in one beautiful change, so clearly all the talent’s there, just a whole lotta World Championships atmosphere in there.

39

🇳🇱 Splinter Bergsma and Vigo Key SR Z*

This test got off to an incredibly hard start, with a big spook coming at they made their way up the center line, throwing them right off course. Splinter got the horse back though and they continued on, albeit a little tentatively. But the spooks kept coming in the corner by the judge’s box. Actually, both horse and rider do a great job of trying to stay together and some nice changes really show off what this horse can actually do. A little spook at their shadow at the end. Big occasion, big spooks. But a World Championships and senior team debut test completed for this young rider and a happy, relaxed horse walking out on a loose rein.

40.3

🇧🇪 Senne Vervaecke and Google van Alsingen*

There’s another spook at the judge’s box – who you gonna call? Not so dramatic from this horse though and they continue on to perform a polite and consistent test. A little tension creeping in towards the end of the walk, but they settled into canter and delivered four clean changes and finished up with a nice halt. Pats from Senne and claps from the Belgian team watching on.

35.1

🇬🇧 Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley*

Trending in the 20s throughout this proficient test, we got a display of accurate riding as we’ve come to expect from Gemma. A huge highlight was a beautiful square halt which Gemma made the most of, standing for a good amount of time to show it off. Another highlight was the extended canter which Gemma rode for every mark. The horse was relaxed and totally with his rider right to the end, when a little mishap in the tricky final change on the center line threw them off a smidge, but overall a very sweet test and huge smiles from Gemma at the end and big cheers from the crowd.

Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley put in a flasy performance. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

29.3

🇮🇹 Giovanni Ugolotti and Duke of Champions*

This horse has a really elegant and elevated trot, really pushing through from behind but unfortunately he decides to show it off in the walk work too. Giovanni does a masterful job to keep a lid on all the excitement brewing under the surface, overall, and he’s super brave in the extended canter, really covering the ground. A disappointing score for this pair, really, based on what they can do, but the atmosphere must be electric and this horse was really feeling it. He is very ready for Saturday.

36.3

🇹🇷 Kumru Say and Baladin de L’ocean LA

It’s a World Championships debut for this pair, and this country. They have a bit of an awkward center line, veering off slightly, but Kumru convinces the horse to come back on track and they continue on with their test. She’s really sitting on a lot of excitement and manages really well, overall. The walk actually comes off for them, which is impressive considering how hot this horse is feeling. Tricky times but a proud moment all the same, and incredibly well ridden.

38.7

🇮🇹 Francesco Aondio Bertero and It’s Athene

This elegant little mare started off producing a very neat test but the sense of occasion caught up with her as it went on, she’s only a 10-year-old so is still developing. She wanted to have a look round and take in the sights and Francesco does a nice job to support her, not asking too much. He has a big grin on his face at the end and really plays up the pats, thinking very much of having a confident horse in the future. Nice horsemanship.

40.9

🇹🇭 Korntawat Samran and B.Grimm Carouzo Bois Marotin

This horse’s trot is particularly nice, very rhythmical and balanced. There’s moments of inattentiveness, like on the center line and in the halt, but when they get going, they create a really lovely picture. The horse is relaxed in the walk and seems to be nicely rideable. They’re not pulling in the biggest marks as there’s tiny inaccuracies, but overall they put in a clear round in dressage terms. They finish up with a very straight and square halt. The horse looks proud and Korntawat is grinning. Big cheers and congratulatory hugs in the team.

35

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

👻 It was spooky central in the second session, with Splinter Bergsma’s Vigo Key SR Z and Senne Vervaecke’s Google van Alsingen seeing a g-g-g-ghost in the judging box.

🌱 Sofia Sjoborg’s Bryjamolga VH Marienshof Z decided her performance was worthy of a bite of World Championships grass on the way out of the ring.

🎆 Fireworks came courtesy of Giovanni Ugolotti’s Duke of Champions, and Kumru Say’s Baladin de L’ocean LA with some tactful riding on show through what were a tricky tests.

🇹🇷 History was made in this session by Kumru Say and Baladin de L’ocean LA, who became the first combination to compete in eventing at the World Championships for Türkiye.

THE CROSS COUNTRY QUESTION:

Eventing is not a dressage competition, we all know that. It’s an important part of the overall picture, sure, but everything can change come Saturday with overnight leaderboards being shaken up like an atom in the Cern Collider. Here’s a look at the most reliable cross country horses in the field, according to EquiRatings (with 100% XCJ in Eventing Manager), and how they fared in this session of dressage:

Thailand’s Korntawat Samran and B.Grimm Carouzo Bois Marotin are the combination to watch for a jumping clear on Saturday from this session; you have to go all the way back to 2019 to find a cross country jumping penalty on this gelding’s record. They’re sitting on a score of 35 after the first phase.

⭐ A horse who turn his hoof to dressage like pros and is also good for quick clears on cross country is Great Britain’s Gemma Stevens’ Flash Cooley. They’re sitting in 2nd on 29.3 and are on a streak of five consecutive clears inside the time.

THE STATS:

Sub-30 is the benchmark for real success in the dressage phase and 1 combination cracked that barrier in this session, two overall so far.

Eyes on EN – more World Championships action coming up soon.

Go eventing!

A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products

THURSDAY SESSION 1:

Austria’s Daniel Dunst and Chevalier 97 were first up the center line, getting the eventing at the World Championships underway. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

THE LEADERBOARD:

1️⃣ 🇳🇿 Leader in the clubhouse right now, in gold medal spot at this early stage of the competition, is Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man on a score of 28.7

2️⃣ 🇨🇭 In silver as things stand is >Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH* on a score of 30.1.

3️⃣ 🇩🇪 Rounding out the rolling podium, currently in bronze medal position, is Libussa Lübekke and Caramia FRH on a score of 31.3.

🇺🇲 Phillip Dutton and Denim are in 4th on 32.6.

You’ll find the full scoreboard right here.

THE ACTION:

🇦🇹 Daniel Dunst and Chevalier 97

The trailblazers for the eventing competition took on the huge pressure and atmosphere of being first to go at this immense venue in fine style. In particular, delivering a nicely relaxed walk, with Chevalier 97 really listening to his rider, and putting in four clean and true changes including the very tricky one on the final center line. Huge pats at the end and Austrian flags waving in the stands. The horse looked very pleased with himself and so was the rider. “Woo hoo!” he shouts to his team.

33.3

🇳🇿 Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man

This striking gray horse cut an elegant figure throughout his test and was beautifully presented by Clarke. The transitions were smooth as butter and everything was low-key, really, just all super pro and accurate. The flying changes were especially neat and tidy. Big smile from Clarke at the end and pats for Rocket Man. Thumbs up to the crowd and a very relaxed horse walking out, nice to see. Very deservedly sub-30. A pleasure to watch.

28.7

Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man rocket themselves into first place with a pleasing performance. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

🇨🇿 Miroslav Trunda and Mellevue van Rechteren

It’s the first time in 90 years that we’ve seen a Czech team at the World Championships and this pair got off to a great start. The trot work was nice and relaxed and the halt was particularly impressive, stock still. A little sticky going into the rein back but the mare was very responsive in the walk work, taking the contact out when asked and keeping a cool head in the atmosphere. This 9-year-old has a little developing to do in the canter work but a very polite early part of the test and much more to come from her, for sure. Pats and a pensive look from Miroslav at the end.

41

🇺🇸 Phillip Dutton and Denim*

Overall a total pro performance from this talented horse and super experienced rider, although the score ended up slightly higher than might have been expected from this pair. It all started out well, beautifully presented and accurately ridden and the walk was a particular highlight, expressive and relaxed. A little tension crept into the canter work though, just enough to keep them from the top marks. Phillip looked very serious at the end; Denim looked very relaxed walking out.

32.6

Phillip Dutton and Denim get the US team effort underway. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

🇦🇺 Sophia Hill and Humble Glory*

Sophia rides this thoroughbred very tactfully between the white boards, he doesn’t find this phase easy, it’s fair to say. He tries his best for Sophia though and performs what’s asked of him on the whole, staying quiet and consistent throughout. Three out of four changes come off nicely. There’s a sigh of relief at the end from Sophia and a jig jog from Humble Glory. Flags waving and chants from the crowd.

37.6

🇮🇪 Ian Cassells and Millridge Atlantis*

This horse is beautifully expressive and powerful in the trot work, very impressive and striking as he bounds across the arena and lovely and light on his feet. A little tension crept into the walk work though and that continued in the canter, tightening in the neck a smidge although the changes were are clean and rhythmical. This pair totally nailed the final halt, dead straight and square, surely nothing to take off there? The horse looked proud of himself at the end, although the score was perhaps a little higher than we might have expected.

33.5

🇫🇷 Benjamin Massie and Figaro Fonroy*

This horse really does flick his toes in trot, very fancy. There’s a little resistance in the reinback but they manage a quiet enough walk, albeit a little tentative. The horse relaxes into the canter work though and they hit the four changes. They finish up with a nice straight, square halt. Big pats for Figaro Fonroy, who stretches his neck as he walks out of the ring. They’ve been sub-30, but not today.

36

🇨🇭 Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH*

This is a third World Championships start for this pair, very impressive, even more so when we take into account that Robin’s only 27 years old, it’s his ninth senior championship appearance. This 18-year-old was strong and secure in his work but for an annoying break into canter during the trot section – Ronin was really going for it though, high risk, high reward, but it doesn’t quite come off. The rest of the trot is expressive and rhythmical and the walk work is nice and relaxed. Overall a solid test, well ridden and confident work from the horse. Huge pats at the end and a very happy-looking horse.

30.1

Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH head into 2nd place. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

🇩🇪 Libussa Lübekke and Caramia FRH*

There were big cheers as this pair came into the ring but the horse stayed unflappable and totally pro. This mare’s expressive and totally on the rider’s side. The transitions were smooth and overall it was a flowing and pleasant test, although some tension creeping in, particularly in the changes proves expensive. Huge cheers from the home crowd at the end but a higher score than the Germans would have liked and been expecting.

31.3

Libussa Lübekke and Caramia FRH for the home team. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

👌 Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH picked the perfect time to deliver a personal best, putting down a 30.1 to sit in 2nd.

🪩 Libussa Lübekke’s and Caramia FRHgets the prize for shiniest horse in the Aachen sunshine.

🩰 Benjamin Massie’s and Figaro Fonroy showed off some fancy toe flicks in the trot work.

🐮 Sophia Hill’s and Humble Glory went cowboy with a cheeky lil’ cow kick in the first flying change.

👏 Dutton fans were in da house, with a huge cheer for Phillip Dutton and Denim at the end of their test.

👍 Trailblazer Daniel Dunst finished up his test with Chevalier 97 with a big thumbs up to the camera.

THE CROSS COUNTRY QUESTION:

Eventing is not a dressage competition, we all know that. It’s an important part of the overall picture, sure, but everything can change come Saturday with overnight leaderboards being shaken up like a Boggle cube. Here’s a look at the most reliable cross country horses in the field, according to EquiRatings (with 100% XCJ in Eventing Manager), and how they fared in this session of dressage:

New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man have nary a cross country jumping penalty on their record since getting together in 2023. They’re in top spot as things stand and have put themselves in a great place with a sub-30 score of 28.7in the first phase.

Ireland’s Ian Cassells and Millridge Atlantis – the last time this pair picked up a 20 it was 2021. They’re on 33.5 but will be looking to climb on Saturday.

Switzerland’s Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH are on a streak of 20 clear cross country jumping rounds, spanning five years. They’re sitting in second on 30.1 so it’ll be exciting to see how close they can stay to that on Saturday.

🪜 A combination we can expect to be in the ascendency on cross country day is Australia’s Sophia Hill and Humble Glory are classic cross country day leaderboard leapers due to this pair’s penchant for pace. They’re on 37.6 and will likely still be close to – or on – that score after all’s said and done on Saturday.

THE STATS:

Sub-30 is the benchmark for real success in the dressage phase and 1 combination cracked that barrier in this session.

Eyes on EN – more World Championships action coming up soon.

Go eventing!

A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products

Thursday News & Notes for Dressage Day 1

By on Aug 13, 2026 12:01 am -

What’s On at Aachen: Dressage Day 1
9:30 am CEST / 3:30 am EST  —  [Start Order & Ride Times]

It’s here, it’s real, and it’s happening right now — let’s get this Aachen started!!

If, like us, you plan on being chronically online this weekend, make sure to keep a tab open to EN’s Ultimate Guide to the FEI Eventing World Championships so you have all the important links in one place and won’t miss any coverage.

You can keep another tab open to some of our favorite social media pages to catch the action there as well — here are some great posts to kick off Day 1 for you:

Read up on Team USA’s #Supergroom squad @useventing — don’t forget that they’re the ones keeping this entire weekend running!

Sally brings us her @equiratings Eventing Manager team — who are your picks? If you haven’t already, make sure to join the EN team and see if your picks will reign supreme!

FEI’s official channel @fei_eventing walks us through some of the riders at the top of the World Rankings — you’re going to want to tune in when these combinations take to the sandbox:

And finally, here’s the full schedule for today from @fei.tv, and not just for eventing! This is the first time since the 2018 World Equestrian Games that nearly every FEI discipline is contesting nation-to-nation, so take the time to check out our other equestrian allies in the coming days as well.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Nations Form Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products]

Major International Events This Weekend

Hartpury International & the British Championships CCI4*-S (GBR): [Website] [Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [Live Stream]

Bromont Horse Trials CCI4*-S (CAN): [Website] [VIP Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [Watch – YouTube]

US Events This Weekend

Applewood Farm YEH, OEH & Mini Event (NJ): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times]

Caber Farm HT (WA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

The Event at Archer (WY): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]

Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club HT (NY): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Waredaca Farm HT (MD): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Ocala Summer HT II (FL): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]

River Glen Summer HT (TN): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map]

Full Gallop Farm August HT (SC): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]

More Reading from Aachen:

Training Tip of the Day

Many riders find it challenging to coordinate the aids, keep their horse straight, and maintain steady rhythm through a leg yield, so Amelia Newcomb is here to help break it down:

Go Eventing

Recent FEI Eventing U25 World Bronze Medalist Olivia Dutton announced the retirement of her good pal Sea of Clouds — and while we’re going to miss watching this pair tackle the upper levels together, we look forward to seeing him packing at the lower levels. Happy trails Socs!

All 88 Horses Representing 27 Nations Accepted at FEI World Championships Horse Inspection

By on Aug 12, 2026 6:44 am -

Phillip Dutton and Denim will serve as pathfinders for Team USA. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Let the games begin!

This morning’s First Horse Inspection for the eventers at the FEI Eventing World Championships Aachen 2026 was our first real opportunity to lay eyes on the 88 competitors who have come forward to represent their countries. Presided over by the Ground Jury headed up by Anne-Mette Binder (GER), joined by Peter Gray (CAN) and Joanne Jarden (IRL), the Horse Inspection yielded its fair share of drama.

With horse welfare ever at the present, the Ground Jury and veterinary team at each show is tasked with assessing readiness to compete. Today’s inspection took place inside Stadium 2, which will be the site of dressage for the eventers over the next two days. There is plenty of atmosphere in this stadium, which is a different location for dressage than typical, and it adds the element of dressage on grass versus footing; the last time we did dressage on grass in this stadium was in 2021, the year CHIO Aachen was won by the USA’s Will Coleman and Off the Record. With the jog strip located right up against the grandstand and spectators packed in, there were more than a few high-spirit moments with eight riders asked to jog their horses twice.

We also did have three holds, all of which were accepted upon re-presentation out of the holding box: Matěj Sukdolák and Quad for the Czech Republic, Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia FRH for Germany, and Sanne de Jong and Enjoy for the Netherlands.

Shortly after the jog, the Chef d’Equipes for the team nations submitted their running orders. We already knew the order in which we’ll see the nations come forward (view that here), but here’s what we know so far:

Will Coleman and Diabolo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

For the USA, Phillip Dutton and Denim will be the pathfinders and subsequently the first to see in dressage and on cross country Saturday (the U.S. is fourth in the nation order). Kentucky CCI5* champions Will Coleman and Diabolo will be the anchor final riders out, and Tamie Smith will ride Lillet 3 as an individual competitor. For the defending World Champion Germans, Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia FRH will be the pathfinders, with Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH serving as anchors. The full running order for dressage is now available here.

Dressage gets underway on Thursday, August 13 at 9:30 am CEST / 3:30 am EST (refer to this website for handy time zone conversions elsewhere in the world), with Austria’s Daniel Dunst and Chevalier 97, making their World Championships debut, leading us off. You’ll be able to tune in live with a subscription to ClipMyHorse.TV here. You can also follow along with Cheg Darlington’s live blog here on EN for all phases; we’ll kick things off with a new style of live blog featuring judging break updates throughout both dressage days.

A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products

Wednesday News & Notes

By on Aug 12, 2026 12:01 am -

One Big Thing: World Championships, but make it Paracanoe

While we prepare for the FEI Eventing World Championships this weekend, former international eventer Saffron Cresswell is preparing to represent Great Britain at the World Championships for a different sport: Paracanoe.

Saffron, 25, will compete in two boats: a va’a and a kayak, in 200m sprints, at the Paracanoe World Championships in Poznan, Poland (26-30 August). Saffron, who sustained a serious spinal injury in a cross-country fall in 2024, told Horse & Hound that her first time in a paracanoe was only 23 December last year. Through the Women’s Sport Trust unlocked programme, an initiative bringing elite female athletes together, Saffron met Olympic canoeist Deborah Kerr, who encouraged her to try it.

“I tried loads of different sports, but hadn’t really found one that I loved,” said Saffron. “Debs said, ‘You should really have a go at para canoes’. I’d had a few people suggest it in the past but hadn’t taken them up on the idea, then after meeting Debs I ended up going along to Leamington Spark New Club.

“December was completely the wrong time of year to start a water sport, but coming from a horsey background, it didn’t really cross my mind that it was going to be wet and cold. I turned up and since then have been training. My coach Attila Herbent made it really fun, and then I realised I wanted to do it more seriously so the World Championships became a quiet aim.”

Saffron said it was important to her that she found a sport that she really enjoyed and that provided a challenge. “I tried wheelchair racing and stuff, but once you had the technique it was a case of pushing for longer and faster, a bit like running,” she said. “Whereas canoeing is quite technical, and coming from a technical sport, particularly the dressage phase of eventing, I think it’s probably more relatable to the elements of sport that I really enjoy.”

Saffron, who won eventing medals for Great Britain in ponies, said getting selected for the paracanoe World Championships was “unexpected”.

“It’s not quite what I had in my January bucket list at the start of 2026,” she said. “It’s all a bit of an unknown, but I’m so excited. I never thought I would be representing my country this soon. Two years ago I was in a hospital bed-bound not knowing what my life would look like, so this has come around really quickly and probably a lot quicker than I anticipated. There’s not a huge expectation on me for the championships, but that’s something I’ve learned from having my accident, that it’s really important just to enjoy the sport as much as trying to perform and be the best athlete I can.”

Saffron is making her final training preparations before heading to Poland. “We’ll have some days before the race to train there and get used to the water, because all the different lakes feel different. The plan until then is to keep doing what I’m doing and not overcomplicate it,” she said. “My family and friends are coming out to watch and will make a bit of a holiday out of it. They’ve obviously all been so supportive since my accident, helping me find new sports and challenges, so it will be lovely having them there.”

Major International Events This Weekend

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products]

Hartpury International & the British Championships CCI4*-S (GBR): [Website] [Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [Live Stream]

Bromont Horse Trials CCI4*-S (CAN): [Website] [VIP Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [Watch – YouTube]

US Events This Weekend

Applewood Farm YEH, OEH & Mini Event (NJ): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times]

Caber Farm HT (WA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

The Event at Archer (WY): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]

Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club HT (NY): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Waredaca Farm HT (MD): [Website] [Schedule] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Ocala Summer HT II (FL): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]

River Glen Summer HT (TN): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map]

Full Gallop Farm August HT (SC): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Volunteer] [CrossCountry App XC Map]

Other Links and Reading

Chewy Pick of the Day

This post contains affiliate links, and Eventing Nation earns a commission on qualifying purchases as part of Chewy's ambassador program.

As someone who’s had a recent string of easy-keepers, I’m all for ration balancers — especially when they eliminate the need for other supplements in your senior horse’s diet. Buckeye Nutrition is known as one of the best North American brands out there for a reason, and their Joint Support Pelleted Senior Ration Balancer truly does do it all. With its “Low Feed Rate”, there’s no need to add all those extra vitamin and mineral supplements — you truly do only need 1-2 pounds a day of this ration balancer for a 1000-lb horse (depending on level of daily work) and they will get all the nutritional intake they need. As an added bonus, this ration balancer not only has a bit of an extra ‘oomph’ being high in antioxidants to support senior horses’ immune health, it also contains 2,500mg of MSM per pound to keep your horse’s joints healthy and well-supported.

And best of all: Chewy ships directly to your door, so no more last-minute feed store runs — choose Autoship at checkout to not only receive a sweet discount, but also receive your monthly supply of ration balancer like clockwork so your horse never misses a day.

Training Tip of the Day

Of course we’ll all be glued to the screens this weekend, but here are some things you can keep in mind to help you walk away this weekend with some educational moments:

Go Eventing

All we can say is… welcome to Aachen:

 

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Secret Weapons and the Importance of Impact: EN’s Form Guide to the Nations of the 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships

By on Aug 11, 2026 7:30 pm -

Welcome, welcome to Aachen, Germany: the site of a special edition of the FEI World Championships, which unite nearly all FEI disciplines for the first time since the 2018 World Equestrian Games at the site of the 2006 Games.

We’re eager to get underway with competition as, oddly, it feels as if we’ve already been in residence here for two weeks versus two days. Aachen does that to you: sucks you in, whirls you around for 12-14 hours, and spits you back out, bewildered on a trudging media shuttle while you contemplate/question/celebrate your life decisions that led you to this point. It’s the best kind of show that both asks for and takes everything from you, but rewards you with the reminder of the privilege we all have to call this sport our livelihood.

And so it’s a special week. While we’re approaching it with awareness and reflection of recent tragic events in the weeks preceding this event, we also want to celebrate this pinnacle of equestrian sport and honor those who have contributed to it in the service of making it a better, safer world for us all.

This week’s Form Guide takes on a slightly different flavor. We’ve honed in on each nation for this go-round, diving into their current state of affairs, what their week hinges on, and who they’ve got in their corners. If you scroll to the lower part of this Guide, you’ll see we’ve also ticked through the nations who’ve sent individuals.

The countries are listed in draw order and separated by those fielding teams and those sending individual riders.

Tilly Berendt and Sally Spickard contributed to this Form Guide.

Click on the nation below to jump to their section:

Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
China
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Great Britain
Hungary
India
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Morocco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Poland
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
Türkiye
United States of America

A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutionshere.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products

THE TEAMS

* = Individual Rider

Chef d’equipe: Stuart Tinney

The lineup:

  • Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar
  • Sophia Hill and Humble Glory
  • Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos
  • Sam Woods and SS Eight Count
  • Olivia Barton and APH Sodoku*

What’s the vibe? While previous Aussie teams have leaned heavily on experience, this year’s line-up features one rider who’s done more championships than the rest of us have had hot dinners – that’s Andrew Hoy, of course, who makes his 16th championship start here – and then, a very up-and-coming set of younger riders. Notable, too, is the prevalence of Aussie-based competitors here, including 22-year-old Oliver Barrett, who won Adelaide CCI5* this spring. It’s clear that Australia is aiming to create strength in depth, home and away. 

Previous form: Australia had a slightly turbulent time at the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, finishing tenth of sixteen teams. Just Tokyo individual bronze medalists Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos reappear this year from that line-up, and while they had a couple of uncharacteristic issues on course that year, they’re generally very consistent and will be the stabilising central point of this squad. In Paris, the Australian team finished fourteenth, though with an individual medal for Chris Burton and Shadow Man, and so this sea change in strategy looks designed, in part, to shake up this more recent run of form. Australia’s last team medal was silver at Tokyo in 2021 – five years on, they’ll want to show they’ve still got it. 

Last medal: At Worlds level, that bronze at Aachen in 2006 was both their first and their last team medal. They tend to excel more at the Olympic, and won silver in Tokyo. 

The secret weapons: Time is always a major factor at Aachen, but Sophia Hill and Humble Glory represent one of the fastest combinations in the field over long-format courses. They’ve romped home inside the time four times at five-star level. 

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Chef d’equipe: Thomas Tesch

The lineup:

  • Harald Ambros and Vitorio du Montet
  • Daniel Dunst and Chevalier 97
  • Katrin Khoddam-Hazrati and Renegade
  • Lea Siegl and Watermill Giorgio RS

What’s the vibe? Austria doesn’t have the structural support or sheer number of riders that we see in western Europe, but that does mean that these four riders know each other very, very well – through good and bad times, and at championships around the world, they’ve ridden together and learned to understand one another whatever comes their way. Austria has always been in the tricky position of having to field a three-rider team, so while they don’t have the extra bods to spring to an additional individual rider, they’re here with a full berth of four riders for the first time this year, and that’s not worth nothing. For what it’s worth, just 96 horses were registered for eventing with the FEI in Austria this year; with that sort of context, Austria’s presence on the world stage is an impressive accomplishment. 

Previous form: Foundational, largely. Led by their youngest rider, Lea Siegl, the Austrians have been largely trailblazing, forming a pathway that the federation can follow in years to come. In real-world terms, that looks like 15th of 16th at the 2022 World Championships, where they had the tricky situation of fielding just three riders – something that haunted them when Katrin Khoddam-Hazrati was eliminated with Oklahoma 2, and they were forced to carry the 1000-point penalty. They were on the up and up last year, finishing fifth of nine teams at the European championships, ahead of global superpower Great Britain – again with just three riders. Lea, for her part, finished in the top ten individually there. At the 2023 Europeans none of their three riders completed. Austria last fielded a full team at the Olympics in 2004, and getting back there by hook or by crook has to be at the forefront of their minds. 

Last medal: Never at Worlds, Olympics, or Europeans. 

The secret weapons: Lea Siegl is hardly a secret – she was fifteenth at Tokyo when barely even into her twenties. Harald Ambros’s partnership with the former Maxime Livio ride Vitorio du Montet, a FOD king at five-star when with the Frenchman, doesn’t feel very secret either – they were at Badminton last year, after all. So perhaps we’ll give the nod here to one of the team coaches, a former Badminton runner-up and a top-ten finisher in the 2014 World Equestrian Games, Germany’s Andreas Ostholt. Building a nation’s sporting profile takes time, and this is not a bad man to have involved. 

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Chef d’equipe: Kai Steffen-Meier

The lineup:

  • Maarten Boon and Gravin van Cantos
  • Wouter de Cleene and Ragdoll de Tamise
  • Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Kiarado d’Arville
  • Karin Donckers and Leipheimer Van’t Verahof
  • Senne Vervaecke and Google van Alsingen

What’s the vibe? We’ll tackle the elephant in the room straight off the bat here: it feels strange not to see an in-form Tine Magnus and Dia van het Lichterveld Z on this line-up, particularly after they were crowned Vice Belgian National Champions at Arville last month and looked better than ever in doing so. Belgium, whose hard-won upward trajectory hit a thrilling peak at the Paris Olympics, where the team finished fourth, has struggled since with the extraordinary blow of being subsequently eliminated for a positive doping test for Dia van het Lichterveld. While the FEI Tribunal found that Tine bore “no significant fault or negligence” for the presence of trazodone, which was traced back to a supplement, that moment has felt like a dark cloud over Belgium ever since. That they want to get back to the trajectory they were on is clear – that they’re doing it without one of the country’s best competitors feels odd. 

Previous form: Fourth at Paris, of course, was their best appearance and no fluke: Belgium has been on the up and up over the last six years or so. In Tokyo they didn’t field a team at all, which really demonstrates how decisively they turned things around, especially as the two Olympics had just a three-year cycle, rather than the usual four. The team was eighth and thus middle-of-the-pack at the 2022 World Championships, and 13th of 16 in Tryon in 2018. They were seventh of nine at last year’s Europeans. 

Last medal: Never at a Worlds. They took team bronze at the European Championships at Luhmühlen in 1999, and the same again at Punchestown in 2003 and Fontainebleau in 2009. Oh, and they won bronze at the Olympics in 1920 on home soil in Antwerp. It’s been a minute, basically.

The secret weapons: Coach Kai Steffen-Meier’s recent strategy of taking his riders to tackle big, bold five-star competitions like Badminton — a tactic that he hopes will get them comfortable at a level above championship level, so they can ‘punch down’ when they come to these competitions, rather than ‘punching up.’ It’s certainly something we’re seeing pay off for the team’s five-star winner, Lara — now, we’ll see the impact on teammates Wouter and Senne.

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Chef d’equipe: Leonardo Vani Fernandes

The lineup:

  • Marcio Carvalho Jorge and Royal Encounter
  • Rafael Mamprin Losano and Withington
  • Carlos Parro and Safira

What’s the vibe? Under pressure, as three-berth teams are, because there’s no such thing as a drop score and everyone needs to deliver – or, at least, make it home. Fortunately, these three have a lot of mileage together, and that takes out a lot of the guesswork that can be a part of forming a team dynamic. Their major goal? That’ll be to earn one of the first qualification slots for the LA Olympics, which will go to the top seven countries (excluding the USA) in the final standings. Yes, it’s a lofty aim for a country that often secures their spot via the Pan-Ams. Yes, it’s nonetheless achievable. What’s eventing without its gutsy underdog teams? 

Previous form: Thirteenth of sixteen at the 2022 World Championships, where they had a four-berth team but a fairly unlucky day on that volcanic cross-country course. 11th of sixteen at the Paris Olympics, and 15th of 16 at the Tryon WEG in 2018, which does demonstrate a conservative upward trajectory that shouldn’t be ignored. 

Last medal: Never at Worlds or Olympic level, but consistently at Pan-American Games, which tends to be their pathway to qualification for the Olympics. They were silver medallists in Santiago in 2023, which got them into Paris. 

The secret weapons: Royal Encounter may well become the shining star of the Brazilian line-up this week. The eleven-year-old was impressive at Badminton this spring, scoring a sub-30 on the flat and pressing onward on cross-country despite tiring in the final stages. He may well find himself best suited to these shorter ten-minute cross-country tracks – the excellent JL Dublin for Team GB is similarly better equipped for these rather than long five-star tracks, which takes nothing away from his quality – and could even be a dark horse top ten finisher individually. In any case, it’s heartening to see a very good three-phase athlete coming up to this level for the nation. 

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Chef d’equipe: Adela Svobodova

The lineup:

  • Pavel Brezina and Turin
  • Matej Sukdolak and Qaid
  • Miroslav Trunda and Mellevue van Rechteren 

What’s the vibe? Really delighted to be here, we imagine – the Czech Republic hasn’t had a team at the World Championships since at least 1986. There’s every chance this is their first one ever, and it’s certainly their first as the Czech Republic – as most of us know (except, perhaps, the announcers at last year’s European Championships), the Czech Republic as a country was formed in 1993 following its dissolution with Slovakia. The more you know, eh! Anyway, the Czechs have a small pool of riders, but nevertheless have pulled together teams for European Championships and have sent individuals to the Worlds and Olympics, too. But getting together even a three-berth team on the world stage has been a challenge and now represents a huge accomplishment. 

Previous form: Foundational, really. We don’t have world stage team form to work with here, so we have to look at Europeans: the first and last time they fielded a team was at Avenches in 2021, and despite only having three partnerships to bring forward, they all completed and logged a tenth place finish out of thirteen teams. 

Last medal: None yet. 

The secret weapons: They know they’re not here to try to win, but instead to bring their three combinations home safely and show the small pool of aspiring eventers back home that it can be done. That sort of trailblazing is so crucial to our sport; one only has to look to Turkish individual rider Kumru Say, the first FEI eventer of her nation, who has inspired the launch of grassroots events in Turkey thanks to her presence at these major events. Similarly, interest in equestrianism in Morocco has been bolstered by the successes of Noor Slaoui, also here this week. Everything starts somewhere, and that somewhere is simply pure interest and passion. There are just three FEI events in the Czech Republic, but this year there are 61 registered athletes – sixteen more than the last year we had a World Championships. Baby steps. 

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Chef d’equipe: Jean-Luc Force

The lineup:

  • Alexis Goury and Je’Vall
  • Gaspard Maksud and Zaragoza
  • Benjamin Massie and Figaro Fonroy
  • Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe
  • Astier Nicolas and Alertamalib’or*

What’s the vibe? Beyond pure Gallic testosterone and the feeling that nearby, someone is making one of those reels about how to find a French boyfriend in your summer abroad, this is a team that feels pretty gutsy. There’s a beyond-the-barricade scrappiness to the French team that can see them log incredibly competitive results or languish well out of the medals, without much in-between, but you could make a realistic case for any of these combinations to finish in the top ten individually, and that feels like a compelling enough case for the team on the whole. Allez les bleus and all that.  

Previous form: Silver medallists at last year’s Europeans, where young gun Alexis and the then-eleven-year-old Je’Vall were best of the bunch and sixth individually. Astier and Alertamalib’or were also part of that line-up. They were bronze at the Europeans on home soil in Normandy in 2023 and had a disastrous trip to the 2022 World Championships, finishing 14th of 16 but securing a top ten placing individually thanks to sixth-placed Gaspard and Zaragoza. In Paris, they were silver medallists, in Tokyo bronze, at Tryon in 2018, bronze again.  Very strong medal contenders here, if you hadn’t worked that one out. 

Last medal: At Worlds, that was bronze in Tryon. They were Olympic gold medallists at Rio in 2016 so you can never take your eyes off the French.

The secret weapons: Leaving strides out in order to make the time? Just kidding! Sort of! 

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Chef d’equipe: Dickie Waygood

The lineup:

  • Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo
  • Laura Collett and London 52
  • Tom McEwen and JL Dublin
  • Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley
  • Caroline Harris and D. Day*

What’s the vibe? Down, but not out. Once again, the Brits come forward with an eye-wateringly strong team, but also with a bit of a demon on their shoulders: as hosts of last year’s European Championships they were roundly expected to storm to the team gold, but in the end, just two riders made it to showjumping. Both finished in the individual medals, with Laura Collett and London 52 taking the individual title, so all was not lost – but it was absolutely a wake-up call and a wound that runs deep. It proved that even the best team in the world (arguably, anyway) isn’t infallible, and the Brits are hungrier than ever to return to form here. That can go one of two ways: the hunger can bring out the best in riders, or it can fuel a desperation that makes the system unravel under pressure.

Previous form: Further back than that tough Blenheim last year, it’s pretty excellent: team gold at Paris, team gold at Tokyo, team gold at the 2023 European Championships. 2022’s World Championships at Pratoni saw them finish a frustrating fourth as a team after some little wobbles (though they did take individual gold that year, too, thanks to Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir), but they did take team and individual gold at the 2018 World Championships. Ros Canter, who won on that occasion with Allstar B, will be a hot favourite to take that title again after excusing herself from selection for last year’s Europeans due to her pregnancy. 

Last medal: Team gold at the 2018 Worlds and the same at the Paris Olympics. 

The secret weapon: Sheer bravado. Great Britain is by far the most successful nation at World Championships, with 87 total medals – 42 of which are gold. To contextualise that, the second-most successful nation, Germany, has 42 all-time medals, 12 of which are gold. Their all-time medal count matches the Brits’ gold medal count. That’s wild, and that will give them confidence – and, okay, yes, a bit more pressure to deliver, too. 

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Chef d’equipe: Andreas Dibowski 

The lineup:

  • Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K
  • Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH
  • Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel
  • Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia FRH
  • Christoph Wahler and D’Accord FRH*

What’s the vibe? Safe. This isn’t a line-up that takes risks and adds new faces into the mix, but rather sticks with a formula that’s paid off previously. Which is fair enough: all these riders have been part of medal-winning teams, and even the youngest in the line-up, Libussa Lübbeke, was part of the gold medal at last year’s European Championships and has finished top ten at five-star, so it hardly feels as though she’s here for the experience. As always, Germany will come in as one of the major contenders for gold, even if their bid for it seems somehow quieter this year. Don’t be lulled into complacency (and don’t be surprised if Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel become your new World Champions, either). 

Previous form: They’re on super form, and come in as reigning European Champions after a gold at Blenheim last year. They also took gold at the last Worlds, at Pratoni in 2022, and at Normandy in 2014. Oh, and they won the gold last time the Worlds was at Aachen, back in 2006, which will not be at all far from their minds – how can it be, when they’ll see those medal-winning horses’ shoes inlaid into the walk of fame at the venue every day? 

Last medal: Gold at the 2022 Worlds and at last year’s European Championships. 

The secret weapons: Home-side support. Aachen always attracts a very enthusiastic, hugely knowledgeable audience, and they’ll make their support known. They’re so loud and proud, in fact, that they nearly changed the course of the individual competition twenty years ago: final rider in the ring Zara Tindall (then Phillips) didn’t hear the bell go, because the rider before her had secured the gold for the German team and the audience was in such raptures. Fortunately, she got going and made it happen, but the fact remains that the Germans at Aachen will pick you up on the take-off side and set you down on the landing side if you’re one of their own. That has power that can’t be quantified. 

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Chef d’equipe: Sam Griffiths

The lineup:

  • Ian Cassells and Millridge Atlantis
  • Aoife Clark and Full Monty de Lacense
  • Padraig McCarthy and MGH Zabaione 
  • Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue
  • Georgie Goss and Kojak*

What’s the vibe? Bolstered and ready to carry on last year’s successes. It’s no secret that things have been a bit… complicated at Horse Sport Ireland, with riders and owners feeling far from robustly supported as they tackle international competition goals for the nation. An open letter signed by many of the country’s top eventing riders expressed fears that mismanagement and lack of infrastructure would leave owners and investors to defect; in a country in which retaining good horsepower has always been a primary struggle, that has been no small worry. We’ve seen changes since: in January, Australian Badminton winner Sam Griffiths was announced as the new chef d’equipe, replacing Dag Albert and departing from his own former role with team New Zealand. It’ll be interesting to see how his appointment plays into the team’s performances this year, but in any case, it’s evidence that change of some sort is happening in the HSI camp. Will it be enough? 

Previous form: The Irish were silver medallists at last year’s European Championships, and fourth in 2023 at Haras du Pin. They were fifth and qualified for the Paris Olympics at the 2022 World Championships; at Paris, they had a bit of a mixed bag and were eighth. Individually, they bring a lot of exceptional form to the table, particularly in the case of five-star winners Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, one of the field’s fastest, most reliable cross-country partnerships. 

Last medal: At a Worlds, that was team silver in 2018 at Tryon. Padraig McCarthy was also individual silver medallist on that occasion. 

The secret weapons: It’s hard to call Padraig McCarthy a secret weapon with his back catalogue of performances, but maybe it’s fairer to call his MGH Zabaione one. The ten-year-old won Blenheim’s eight- and nine-year-old class in 2024 and took his debut CCI4*-L at Ballindenisk in early 2025 before coming achingly close to another victory in the CCIO4*-L at Boekelo last autumn. He comes into this week off the back of a fifth place finish out of over 100 starters in the CCI4*-S at Aston, where he put up a 26.1 in the first phase. This feels like a week in which the world beyond the UK and Ireland will learn his name. 

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Chef d’equipe: Zilla Pearse

The lineup:

  • Andrea Cincinnati and Cecelia Lad
  • Vittoria Panizzon and DHI Jackpot
  • Paolo Torlonia and Zinny 
  • Giovanni Ugolotti and Duke of Champions
  • Francesco Aondio Bertero and It’s Athene*

What’s the vibe? Better now that Vittoria Panizzon, stalwart of the Italian team, is back in business. She returned last year after missing out on the 2024 season due to a contentious suspension from the national anti-doping organisation, in which she was deemed to have missed a dope test while on holiday, and while she was originally handed a four-year ban, after a year of fighting her corner the ruling was overturned. That’s a huge boost to Italy, who have been so well-represented by Vittoria on the world stage, and who were unable to use her for the Paris Olympics two years ago. Now, their team of three British-based riders and two continental ones feels ready to chip away at their bigger goals again. 

Previous form: Italy’s a nation that still feels as though its figuring out its tactics and strategies in team competition. They were ninth in 2022’s World Championships and 12th in 2018; at last year’s Europeans they were eighth of nine teams and at Haras du Pin in 2023 they were ninth of ten. They did qualify for the Paris Olympics through the Nations Cup pathway, and finished 12th there; in Tokyo they found some better form and were seventh of 15. 

Last medal: None at a Worlds. They did win team bronze at the 2017 Europeans, though, and a silver medal at the 1980 Olympics. 

The secret weapons: A new commitment to funding education and preparation. The Italian federation has brought in grant allocations to allow its riders to maximise their access to training, which will no doubt be a boon to a group of competitors scattered around the continent. The Italian front hasn’t always felt the most cohesive, and in recognising the geographical spread of its riders and bolstering individual systems, rather than trying to force a more conjoined training regime, we could see an uptick in performances. 

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Chef d’equipe: Atsushi Negishi 

The lineup:

  • Ryuzo Kitajima and Feroza Nieuwmoed
  • Kento Nagura and Vinci de la Vigne JRA
  • Toshiyuki Tanaka and Jefferson JRA

What’s the vibe? Strangely… embryonic, considering the extraordinary efforts of the Japanese team over the last decade and a half or so. They pulled themselves up from ‘who dat?’ nation to Olympic medallists through a combination of enormous hard work, huge personal sacrifice and global relocation – plus, savvy horse-purchasing, too. But now, after taking bronze at the Paris Olympics and so nearly putting an individual rider on the podium at Tokyo, too, they’re back down to just three competitors, and only two with any significant team experience. After Paris, the Japanese federation opted to send Kazuma Tomoto back to Japan to take on a teaching role, and reallocated his horse, Vinci de la Vigne, to young up-and-comer Kento Nagura, and Kazu’s absence feels – look, we’ve got to say it – pretty sad and strange. This is a hugely exciting opportunity for Kento who, at 27, is in just his third season of international eventing, but it also feels like we’re operating on a basis of unknowns again with Japan, and that hasn’t been the case for a while. 

Previous form: Bronze, of course, at Paris; 11th of 15 at Tokyo (and fourth individually for Kazu); 11th of 16 at the 2022 World Championships; fourth of 16 at Tryon in 2018. 

Last medal: Never at a Worlds; just the once at the Olympics. 

The secret weapons: Kento Nagura remains a bit of an unknown quantity, so it could be him, and it certainly could be the stalwart, evergreen Vinci de la Vigne, who’s been a World Championship partner for two previous riders – Astier Nicolas, of course, had him first. It’s also a really exciting moment for Ryuzo Kitajima and Toshiyuki Tanaka to take on the A-team mantle, which had previously been jointly held by Kazu and Yoshiaki Oiwa. 

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Chef d’equipe: Andy Heffernan

The lineup:

  • Splinter Bergsma and Vigo Key SR Z
  • Jillian Giessen and Seattle Park
  • Florinoor Hoogland and Hontoni
  • Sterre van Houte and Crossborder Radar Love
  • Sanne de Jong and Enjoy*

What’s the vibe? Largely newcomers to team Orange. The “elder statesman” of this lineup is Sanne de Jong who, at 31, has already done two European Championships, the 2022 World Championships, and the Paris Olympics, all with Enjoy. Ordinarily, she’s the young gun of squads that have included the likes of Merel Blom, but now, she’s the head honcho. It’s unusual not to see Janneke Boonzaaijer, who has been on roughly the same trajectory as Sanne, in this line-up – but keeping horsepower in the country has long been tricky for the Dutch, and omissions from line-ups often come down to being underhorsed. In any case, it’s an exciting chance for the next-gen of the Netherlands to gain serious mileage on the world stage. 

Previous form: Admittedly shaky. The Netherlands has had – and continues to have – some really excellent competitors, but making it happen as a team hasn’t always been the most straightforward process. At the 2022 World Championships they didn’t field a team at all; in Paris, they were ninth of fifteen. At the 2023 European Championships in Haras du Pin they were eighth of ten and at last year’s Europeans at Blenheim, they were once again teamless, though individually, they were twice represented in the top ten, by Janneke Boonzaaijer and by Florinoor Hoogland, who returns with the exciting Hontoni for this week’s competition. If this young, fresh line-up can hold their nerve and fight for what’s theirs, perhaps we could see a Dutch renaissance this week – not in the medals, perhaps, but closer to them than we’ve seen in a long time. The last Dutch team medal came at the World Championships back in 2014, when they won bronze in unbelievably tricky conditions in Normandy.

Last medal: Bronze at the Normandy WEG in 2014. That’s their only team medal at a Worlds. Otherwise, it’s back to 1989 for silver at the Europeans, or back to 1932 for their silver at the Olympics. 

The secret weapons: Championship debutante Jillian Giessen, who just a few years ago was grinding away to try to get rides at 2* and 3* level, selling the good ones as they came along and wondering if she’d ever make it further up the levels. One, two, skip a few, and after a stint in the UK working for Andrew Downes, who let her gain mileage on his former top level horse Gold Nugget, she returned to her long-time base at Tim Lips’s yard in Breda in mid-2024, found herself some new rides, and, following Tim’s car accident that sidelined him for an extensive period, found herself as the stable’s head rider. She and Seattle Park are incredibly swift across country without even trying: the former ride of Sophia Hill of Australia made the time by an almost ludicrous margin at Strzegom CCI4*-L this spring, and even Jillian herself couldn’t fathom how they’d been that quick. Keep an eye on them, and add Jillian to your list of rise-and-grind heroes to cheer on throughout the week. 

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Chef d’equipe: Jock Paget

The lineup:

  • Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man
  • Jonelle Price and Senor Crocodillo
  • Tim Price and Falco
  • Monica Spencer and Artist
  • Sam Lissington and Lucas Stone*

What’s the vibe? Confident. New Zealand doesn’t always have as much strength in depth as it might appear, because when push comes to shove, you really can only put Tim and Jonelle on a team on one horse apiece. But this year, there was a wealth of talent to choose from, and if there’s any pressure on the Kiwi powers-that-be at all, it’s the pressure of proving that they made the right choices. We could easily have seen a very different line-up for this squad and it would still be just as compelling. In any case, this looks not just like a very obvious medal contention team, but one that wants to go for the jugular and take the gold. 

Previous form: They were bronze medallists at Pratoni in 2022, with a team that featured four of our five riders named this year (just Sam was absent from that line-up) and two of the same horses, too, in Falco and Artist. Tim and Falco, for their part, also took individual bronze. Their Paris was a touch out of form after that, though, and they finished seventh in the team competition, which is also, coincidentally, where they finished at the 2018 World Championships, which feels like ancient history right now. 

Last medal: Bronze at Pratoni in 2022.

The secret weapons: Frankly, all the Kiwi team’s weapons are pretty loud and proud. You’d hardly call Tim and Jonelle ‘secret weapons’ – they’re valuable lynchpins, and Clarke and Monica alike both have team experience behind them, though Artist’s showjumping form will always make for a nailbiter of a finish on Sunday. Perhaps Sam Lissington then, somehow, becomes a secret weapon, although can we call someone who’s had the run of form she’s had over the last couple of seasons a secret? Hardly: she made history in the CCI4*-L at Royal Jump last year by taking every single podium place, and her ‘side hustle’ with EquiRatings means she has access to data analytics that must surely help with the marginal gains. Maybe the secret weapon is her husband Brayden Lissington, host of Eventing Weekly and consummate hypebeast of the sport, for no reason other than that we’ve seen him on the dance floor and can confirm he is a weapon of some sort, anyway. 

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Chef d’equipe: Dominic Berger 

The lineup:

  • Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH
  • Mélody Johner and Erin
  • Nadja Minder and Top Job’s Jalisco
  • Felix Vogg and Frieda
  • Angelika Dubach and Felin de Chignan*

What’s the vibe? Hungry. We’ve watched the Swiss go from a ‘yeah, they were there I guess’ nation to serious contenders over the better part of the last decade, and none of their successes have come about by coincidence. Rather, it’s all been strategic: the introduction of tough-love trainers such as Andrew Nicholson, for example, has taken the Swiss riders out of the mentality of riding to complete, and instead shifted them into the calculated-risk territory of riding to compete. They know that they can push for a medal, and they know they can do it now. It’ll be a huge moment when it comes off for them. 

Previous form: Switzerland is arguably at the highest peak of their steady upward trajectory so far, after a fourth place finish at last year’s European Championships at Blenheim. Prior to that, they’d been fifth at the 2023 Europeans and fourth at the Paris Olympics (upgraded by one spot after the post-Games disqualification of Belgium). Compare that to the prior four-year cycle, where they were at the beginning of that upward climb: 7th of 16 at the 2022 World Championships, 10th of 15 at the Tokyo Olympics, 16th of 16 at the 2018 World Championships. A fourth place finish at the 2021 European Championships on home soil at Avenches gave some inkling of what was to come, at a venue at which all team members had plenty of course form. In the last four years, Switzerland has also banked two five-star victories, both thanks to Felix Vogg, the sole team member who largely trains outside of the Swiss team mechanism. 

Last medal: Never at a Worlds. At a Europeans, you’re going all the way back to team silver at Horsens in 1981, and there’s a couple of Olympic medals in the trophy cabinet, too, but that really pushes you back into the first epoch of Swiss competitive excellence in 1960, when the team won silver in Rome. Like those five-star wins – the first since Badminton was won by a Swiss rider back in 1951.

The secret weapons: Proximity, and also cohesiveness. Sometimes upward trajectories span a very long period of time with a sort of one-step-forward-two-steps-back thing going on. For Switzerland, the progression has been clear and nearly linear in its decisiveness. There’s a pattern that’s been established that sees the Swiss elbowing their way into Big Six nations’ territory, and they know it. They’re also largely the same riders, time and time again, so there’s a real sense of understanding and often camaraderie that permeates the whole endeavour. That means that they have a system that works and that they can stick to, even as they bring new horses into the fold or, as in the case of Angelika Dubach, new riders. 

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Chef d’equipe: Fred Bergendorff

The lineup:

  • Frida Andersen and Box Leo
  • Louise Romeike and Caspian 15
  • Sofia Sjöborg and Bryjamolga van het Marienshof Z
  • Amanda Staam and Corpoubet AT
  • Christoffer Forsberg and Hippo’s Sapporo TSF*

What’s the vibe? Bolstered, definitely, by the return of Louise Romeike and Caspian 15. They sat out last year’s European Championships due to Louise’s pregnancy, and had a generally fairly tricky week there – just Amanda Staam and Corpoubet AT completed, which meant the team finished ninth of nine. They, like the Swiss, have been working on a multi-cycle upward trajectory; they, unlike the Swiss, haven’t totally locked in on the secret sauce to make it really decisive, despite all of their riders demonstrating considerable talent. This time, though, the A-team is back, with Frida Andersen back on her Olympic mount – she rode the much less experienced Stonehavens Baby Blue at Blenheim – and Sofia Sjoborg similarly returning to her Olympic ride, Belle, to rewrite the story this week. 

Previous form: Let’s shelve Blenheim last year for a moment, because god knows the Swedes will want to. In 2023 at the Europeans they were sixth of ten, at the 2022 World Championships they were sixth of sixteen, and at the Paris Olympics they were fifth of sixteen, and actually just a frustrating and uncharacteristic flag for Sofia kept them out of the medals. Yes, yes, we know that sport is no place for ‘couldas’ and ‘wouldas’, but in terms of contextualising how strong they can be on their day, you don’t get much more solid than that. That three-berth team is here in full this week, with the addition of Amanda and Christoffer, and in terms of Swedes getting the band back together, ABBA Voyage is pretty much keeping the London economy afloat, so a similarly hotly-anticipated reunion here feels set to be fairly fortuitous, too. 

Last medal: They’ve never won a team medal at a Worlds, though they did take individual bronze in 1998, thanks to Paula Törnqvist. At the European Championships in 2019 and 2021 they were bronze medallists, and silver at Strzegom in 2017. That last period of very competitive form had some crossover, rider-wise, with this generation’s team, so they just need to refind that magic. 

The secret weapons: In a funny sort of way, the disaster of Blenheim could be it. When you hit rock bottom there’s only one way up, and it’s clear that there’s been some serious strategizing about horses and tactics in the lead-up to this event. The return of perennially sunny Louise, who crucially didn’t have the Blenheim experience to bring her vibe down, will also add a certain je ne sais quois to the mix. Helpfully, Caspian has also spent the last year or so showing that he is actually very capable of mid-20s scores, and that’ll be a great boon for a team that’s often forced to climb after the first phase. (This journalist personally thinks he’s one of the greatest horses in the sport, and will be rooting for the pair as individual medal contenders.)

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Chef d’equipe: Leslie Law

The lineup:

  • Will Coleman and Diabolo 
  • Phillip Dutton and Denim
  • Boyd Martin and Cooley Nutcracker
  • Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Blake
  • Tamie Smith and Lillet 3*

What’s the vibe? Confident after the 2022 World Championships, which saw them take a silver medal to Germany’s gold at the end of an excellent week. But also, arguably, a fairly classic US team: there are, of course, no reserved spots for riders in the line-up, but sometimes it can feel like it. This is a very competitive roster of horses and riders, but it has also eschewed some considerable talent based outside the USA, which can sometimes feel like a bit of the party line for these teams. It’s interesting, really, to look at the broader conversation around US teams: twenty years ago after Aachen, there was much discussion about the idea that, in order to raise standards and be truly competitive on the world stage, US riders needed to travel to Europe more than once a year for shows, and would be best served making the sacrifices that come with relocating for a season or more. Twenty years later, it can sometimes feel that those who follow that pathway are benched for their efforts. Without the necessity of achieving a qualifying result for the LA Olympics on the table (the US will have earned an automatic berth as the host nation), one side of the coin would argue that this year’s World Championship would be an ample opportunity to test lesser experienced team riders in the pressure cooker that is this level of competition. As we’ve said here on EN recently, equally the argument to build off of the Pratoni silver medal and make a real threat for the gold is strong. The US development pipeline continues to churn out a greater amount of depth than the country had seen in recent cycles, and that luxury of choice now deepens the conversation. 

Previous form: Variable, but generally pretty good – silver at Pratoni in 2022 was a considerable uptick on eighth of 16 on home soil at Tryon in 2018. At the Paris Olympics they were sixth of 16, and at Tokyo they were also sixth of fifteen. 

Last medal: Silver at Pratoni in 2022, which was their first team medal since winning gold at Jerez in 2002, the Worlds’ last hurrah at long-format. They were sixth of fifteen in Paris – seventh of sixteen, originally, before for the subsequent disqualification of Belgium – and sixth of fifteen again at Tokyo. They are, of course, very strong at the Pan-American Games, held a level down. 

The secret weapons: Karyn Shuter, who stepped in to be the USEF Eventing High Performance Advisor when Leslie Law took over the Chef d’equipe gig in 2025. Since Karyn has been involved with the Americans, the riders have been vocal about how instrumental she’s been as support for them. She’s unafraid to call bullshit on bullshit, but she’s also always ready with a shrewd observation or a moment of validation when it’s needed. Her influence on a squad that has performed strongly in the lead-up to this week is palpable. Leslie Law, of course, has also had a positive impact on the team since he stepped up from Development Coach to High Performance. Leslie’s got experience in spades, and combined with Karyn’s strategic skills, the support duo have got the squad humming right along so far.

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THE INDIVIDUALS

Of course, while these teams duke it out for the honors and the Olympic qualification spots like it was the last vote on Love Island, 11 additional nations stand poised to make statements of their own, albeit without a team. Countries who are unable to field a team may send up to two individuals as representing athletes. For many of these countries, the pathway to the Olympics looks a bit different: they’ll be vying to qualify an individual for the Olympics via FEI points and rankings in their respective groups, they’ll look to build up a team for the future and fit younger horses and riders with the experience that’s so foundational to future international success, and some are making history one ride at a time.

And that’s really the fascinating part of a major Championship like this or the Olympics. Yes, it’s the cream of the crop, the best of the best, duking it out for the title. And while individual athletes do rise to the top (take our reigning World Champion, Yasmin Ingham, who won as the individual for Great Britain in 2022, becoming the first individual rider in eventing’s history to accomplish the feat), it’s important to remember that the scope of impact extends far beyond just the podium and the prizegiving.

For some countries, fielding a single representative represents a huge step. As we mention in China’s write-up below, it’s thanks in many ways to Alex Hua Tian’s Olympic eventing debut in 2008 that has contributed to a larger amount of growth and investment in equestrianism in China. This year, the Czech Republic has fielded its first eventing World Championships team, after many years of sending individuals to the likes of the Olympics. Kumru Say, Türkiye’s rider this week, has been a linchpin of growth for her country — her success and visibility on the world stage has helped eventing establish itself in Türkiye, which now hosts eventing competitions.

So the ripple effect is large — and important in a sport that needs growth to survive — and we should remember that even for the riders who won’t be here to compete with the Ros Canters of the world (at least not yet!).

We’ll stick close to the same format we used for the teams above to tell you a bit about where each individual nation is aiming this week.

Chef d’equipe: Rebecca Howard
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Jessica Phoenix and Fluorescent Adolescent

What’s the vibe? Canadian Eventing continues to make strides toward LA. The team spent much of the previous year fundraising for both these World Championships as well as 2027’s Pan American Games and 2028’s Olympics in LA. Canada’s led by the ever-steady Olympic rider Rebecca Howard, and while the country hasn’t sent a full team as they’d initially hoped, they’ve rested their hopes on the very experienced Jessica Phoenix with the splashily colorful Fluorescent Adolescent for the task at hand. British-based Canadian Mike Winter was meant to make the trek down with the veteran El Mundo, however an injury in training has sidelined El Mundo for the timing being.

Now, Canada truly did intend to send a full team to these Championships; in fact, the objective of their High Performance program was to qualify for the LA Olympics by earning a top-seven team finish this week. However, after the leadership opted to ask for just a slightly more difficult qualification criteria to be met for the 15 declared pairs, just two (Jessica and Mike) earned those qualifications. This, an effort to up the quality ante on the squad, could be seen as a backfire, but we see both sides of the coin: on one hand, to beat the world, you’ve got to be the best you can be, and raising standards for performance tends to raise all ships. On the other, it could have also been useful to send a full team to see if the ultimate finish could be pulled off (stranger things have happened).

That said, though, a very clear pathway to Olympic qualification still exists for the Canadians. With the U.S. already securing their berth as the host nation, the Pan American Games (which have historically yielded two qualified teams who didn’t already have one) loom large next summer. Canada should have no trouble picking up a top-two placing in Lima — and the other extra boost here is they have a number of quality younger horses paired with experienced riders who are just slightly off that peak of being ready for a World Championship, but who could likely compete at the Pan Ams level tomorrow, if needed.

With LA qualification not in the cards with just one individual this weekend, Canada’s success here at Aachen will come down to how well Jessie and “Lacey” can finish — and they’ve definitely got a strong shot at a good finish here as the mare has proven herself to be an all-out jumping machine and Jessie, well, is Jessie — she knows how to get the job handled.

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Chef d’equipe: Dapeng Jia
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Alex Hua Tian and Chicko

What’s the vibe? Four-time Olympian and three-time World Championships rider Alex Hua Tian has embraced his role as a trailblazer for his home country — and while it’s true he hails from a country that historically hasn’t held a huge presence in the sport, he’s hardly here to solely represent. Alex is a veteran of the sport, one who with a sympathetic touch has produced many a top horse (Chicko marks his sixth horse competed at this major Championship level, not including Asian Games) capable of competing, not just completing. Chicko, for his part, comes in strong off two FEI wins and has also finished top five and top 10 at the five-star level. A top 10 individual finish for the Alex, who’s also collected four Asian Games medals throughout his career, and 16-year-old Chicko is not out of the cards this week. After fielding a team for both eventing and show jumping in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) and then winning team gold at the 2023 Asian Games, China’s not quite had the athletes needed for team competition on these big stages since. This isn’t due to a lack of investment — and Alex has been a key driving force in bridging that gap in these smaller, far-reaching countries (in terms of equestrianism, at least) where the sport does not have the foothold it does in other “hub” locales. Thanks in large part to Alex’s Olympic debut in 2008 (in Beijing, no less), the sport continues to show growth. Some of Alex’s Chinese teammates still event and are producing horses for future championships, while others have branched into show jumping. It’s no mean feat to build a sport in a country where history does not yield much connection to it, but Alex’s visibility — and competitiveness — here this weekend will have a large impact that’s felt far beyond the leaderboard.

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Chef d’equipe: Kerstin Dallmann
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Peter Flarup and H. Carald Z

What’s the vibe? Well for one, Mr. Flarup is one of our athletes here this week who also competed at the 2006. Now, Peter is here proving that longevity is a real thing in this sport. He’s a three-time Olympian who first competed at the World Championships in 1998. H. Carald Z competed at the FEI Eventing World Championships for Young Horses both as a six- and a seven-year-old and now steps up to make this debut for Denmark.

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Chef d’equipe: Pedro Rey
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Esteban Benetiz Valle and Utrera AA 35 1

What’s the vibe? The well-traveled individual pair for Spain brings forward Olympic experience — they finished top 50 as individuals in Paris two years ago that would’ve been a shade higher had it not been for a pesky flag penalty on cross country. This year, they’re coming in to Aachen on strong form, including a podium finish at Kronenberg’s CCI4*-S earlier this season. This is a pair here to represent a country flush with blood horses but not particularly flush with top-level eventing athletes, and while they won’t be in the hunt for a title this week, they shouldn’t be counted out of the competitive mix especially if they can secure clear jumping rounds to finish off strong.

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Chef d’equipe: Elmo Jankari
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Axel Lindburg and Quelle Bonne
  • Sanna Siltakorpi and Bofey Click

What’s the vibe? After Finnish Olympic rider Elmo Jankari stepped into the Chef d’equipe role for his country (while also still actively competing himself), he’s very much taken on the coach role with aplomb. Finland continues to develop its talent for the future, and they do have some experience on their squad at this juncture. Sanna Siltakorpi, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics with the 17-year-old Bofey Click, comes forward for her third World Championship berth, is joined by senior team debutant Axel Lindburg with Quelle Bonne, representing a spread of experience to build on from here.

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Chef d’equipe: Sándor Fülöp
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Noémi Viola Doerfer and Piltown Harry
  • Balázs Kaizinger and Clover 15

What’s the vibe? Present and future are on display this week for the Hungarian contingent. On one side, we’ve got Balázs Kaizinger, an Olympian in Paris and also a Pratoni World Championships competitor in 2022. Balázs teams up once more with his Pratoni partner, Clover 15, providing a depth of experience to complement the fresh-faced Noémi Viola Doerfer, who is young in her eventing career but has already represented Hungary at the European Championships (2025). Noémi, who got her start in vaulting and eventually picked up eventing in the waning days of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Since then, she’s worked with the likes of Irish five-star winner Austin O’Connor and has experienced every move-up with the 11-year-old Piltown Harry. After missing out on Paris qualification, this World Championships debut surely feels sweet. Now, it’s time to bring it on.

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Chef d’equipe: Sandeep Dewan
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Ashish Limaye and D’Avril du Pinier
  • Fouaad Mirza and Mokatoo

What’s the vibe? Riding the high that comes with reaching the next rung on the developing nation ladder — a second horse and rider qualified and presenting on the world stage. For years now, the very capable German-based Fouaad has been India’s trailblazer, putting the south Asian country’s flag successfully into the mix at the Olympics and beyond. That sort of work tends to have a knock-on effect in terms of interest and support, and we’re seeing the fruits of that writ large in Ashish Limaye, who steps up to the global spotlight after winning the Asian Games last year (India’s first-ever gold medallist in the equestrian sports, no less). One champion for a nation can be dismissed as a fluke by naysayers. Two is very, very hard to argue with.

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Chef d’equipe: Deborah Fellous
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Noor Slaoui and Legende P

What’s the vibe? Noor is another trailblazer for her home country, and a big advocate for furthering equestrian sports in Morocco. After growing up riding donkeys in the mountains and later moving to the UK to base and train (and establish a small breeding program, much of which features Moroccan breeding lines), Noor got her first call up to the Olympics with her veteran partner, Cash In Hand, in 2024. This year, Noor demonstrates her depth as well as her skill in developing horses with a new debut horse, Legende P. Noor’s impact in Morocco and beyond can’t be understated, and again: equestrian sports’ growth here can directly be attributed to the visibility of their athletes on the world stage. This matters a lot. Legende P is shorter on experience at this level, having just stepped up at the end of the 2025 season, but he’s finished in the top 10 at Strzegom’s CCI4*-L and should have an experience to build off of this week in Aachen.

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Chef d’equipe: Pawel Spisak
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Joanna Pawlak and Armin de Monsieur

What’s the vibe? Poland is another country that has fielded teams at the major Championship level in the past, but has found themselves thinner on horse and rider power in more recent years. One veteran for the Polish is Joanna Pawlak, who got her first Olympic call for Tokyo in 2021 and who also has ridden for Poland at the European Championships as a junior and a senior rider. She brings forward a new horse for this effort in the 13-year-old Armin de Monsieur, who’s got a couple seasons of four-star experience under his girth at this stage and has really come into his own on cross country over the last season. Sometimes, the bigger the challenge, the better the step up is, and that will be Joanna’s hope this week. Even more, earning experience like this for a horse that will be 15 at the next Olympic Games will have value in spades for Poland.

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Chef d’equipe: Maxime Livio
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Weerapat Pitakanonda and B.Grimm Chateau de Versailles M2S
  • Korntawat Samran and B.Grimm Carouzo Bois Marotin

What’s the vibe? Thailand fielded their first-ever eventing team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and they return two of those team members for this week’s action in Aachen. One of the biggest supporters of equestrian sport in Thailand is one Harald Link, CEO of B. Grimm Group. He’s supported venues like the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club in Pattaya, Thailand (site of the most recent FEI Asian Championships) and also retains ownership on the two horses paired up with the Thai riders this week. The southeast Asian community has put massive amounts of effort into growing the sport in their region, and with veteran riders such as Maxime Livio (FRA) stepping in to lend expertise as a coach and mentor, the future is bright for a region of the world that’s long gone underserved within the sport of eventing.

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Chef d’equipe: Emrah Haluk Akdere
Individual Rider(s) and Horse(s):

  • Kumru Say and Baladin de l’Ocean LA

What’s the vibe? Glowy. You may recall Kumru Say from a feature we ran on her during the 2025 FEI Eventing European Championships, where she made her senior team debut just a few years into her eventing career, putting Türkiye on the European Championships roster for the first time. Originating from a show jumping background, Kumru made the transition to eventing after experiencing her first event and catching the bug. She approached India’s Fouaad Mirza after watching him ride at a show — happenstance made it so she was just a short distance from his home base in Germany — and has trained with him throughout her burgeoning career. Her success in the sport has breathed new life into her home country of Türkiye (and for our U.S. readers, a connection: Kumru spent much of her childhood living in New York), which now hosts eventing competitions of its own. This week marks the first time Türkiye has sent a rider to the World Championships, so it’s a monumental occasion for yet another country in which eventing now has a future.

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A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products

2026 Defender Burghley Entries Go Live with 58 Combinations

By on Aug 11, 2026 1:39 pm -

Harry Meade and 2025 Defender Burghley podium finisher Cavalier Crystal. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

We have a fresh new five-star entry list to peruse right as World Championships kick off this week! Defender Burghley has published their 2026 entry list, which features 58 combinations representing seven nations. Burghley this year will take place September 3-6 near Stamford, Lincolnshire, England.

Featuring on this list are 2025 third-place finishers Harry Meade (GBR) and Cavalier Crystal; we won’t see last year’s champions Ros Canter (GBR) and Lordships Graffalo nor runners-up Austin O’Connor (IRL) and Colorado Blue, both of whom are slated to compete this week for their respective countries at the FEI World Championships at Aachen.

Will Coleman and Very Dignified. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

We also have five entries representing the USA on the list: Jennie Brannigan and FE Lifestyle, Will Coleman and five-star debutant Very Dignified, Tiana Coudray and D’Artagnan, Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Tolan King and Cassie Sanger with Redfield Fyre. U.S.-based Aussie Ema Klugman also will make her Burghley debut with Chiraz, and while we’re on the U.S.-based theme, Sophia Hill of Australia also gets a shout as she’s been at least part-time, temporarily based with New Zealand’s Monica Spencer leading up to World Championships with Humble Glory; both Humble Glory and Tulara Baltango are entered at Burghley.

World #1 Tim Price (NZL) has two horses entered in former Georgie Campbell ride Global Quest as well as MARS Badminton runner-up Falco.

World #2 Harry Meade returns two of his 2025 Burghley starters in Cavalier Crystal and Et Hop du Matz, who finished third and ninth respectively. This year he’s also entered Superstition, who finished 12th at Defender Kentucky earlier this year.

Tom Jackson and United 36. Photo by Sophie Robins / Girl In The Field.

Other notables on the list include (but certainly are not limited to):

  • 2026 Badminton fourth-place finishers Tom Jackson (GBR) and United 36 (one of this writer’s current favorite horses, if that’s allowed to be said here, which it is)
  • Badminton fifth-place finishers Katie Magee (GBR) and Treworra, as well as Tayla Mason (NZL) and Centennial, who were sixth at Badminton, and Felix Vogg (SUI) with 2025 Maryland 5 Star winner Cartania, who were also top 10 at Badminton this year. In fact, the majority of our top 10 Badminton finishers, save a handful competing at World Championships, will feature at Burghley, including also Ben Massie (FRA) and Filao de Perle and Sarah Bullimore (GBR) and Corimiro
  • 2024 Badminton winner Caroline Powell brings forward High Time, who finished eighth at Burghley last year

You can view the full entry list here or below.

For those of you planning to attend in person, Burghley offers up a great spectator experience that features multiple educational opportunities throughout the weekend. Part of this schedule include the Burghley Masterclass series, which will feature heavy hitters such as Dan and Harry Skelton, Clayton Fredericks and Andrew Heffernan, Carl Hester and the Howden Way. You can learn more about the Masterclass series here.

Defender Burghley (England): [Website] [Tickets] [Entries]

Nations Drawn Order Published for FEI Eventing World Championships at Aachen

By on Aug 11, 2026 12:35 pm -

Harald Ambros and Vitorio du Montet representing Austria in Paris. Austria will now be the first country to see at the 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We have a nations drawn order ahead of Wednesday’s First Horse Inspection here at the FEI Eventing World Championships. To follow will be the actual individual order the nations will send their riders, if they have fielded a team or more than one combination. We’ll have that information tomorrow after the trot-up.

In the meantime, here is your drawn order by nation (* indicates a nation fielding a team of at least three riders):

1. Austria*
2. New Zealand*
3. Czech Republic*
4. USA*
5. Thailand
6. Spain
7. Poland
8. Japan*
9. China
10. Australia*
11. Canada
12. Brazil*
13. Ireland*
14. France*
15. Finland
16. Switzerland*
17. Germany*
18. India
19. Sweden*
20. Netherlands*
21. Denmark
22. Belgium*
23. Türkije
24. Great Britain*
25. Morocco
26. Italy*
27. Hungary

This means we’ll see a rotation, in this order, through each team’s three to four representatives, with individuals allotted also according to the nations draw.

You can view the full order for Wednesday’s Horse Inspection here (bear in mind that the actual order of riders is likely to change for dressage and cross country as the Chef d’Equipes make their final calls on running order. Full timing and scoring for all events can be found here.

A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products

World Championship Flavor at the Woodside Summer Horse Trials

By on Aug 11, 2026 12:05 pm -
Fary Prince and Helen Alliston won the Intermediate level that included riders that have been on the national teams of the United States, Canada, and Brazil. Photo by Tina Fitch Photography. Fary Prince and Helen Alliston won the Intermediate level that included riders that have been on the national teams of the United States, Canada, and Brazil. Photo by Tina Fitch Photography.

Taking place the week before the FEI World Championships, the 2026 Woodside Summer Horse Trials had elements of an international eventing competition held on a local level. The Intermediate level, the highest offered at The Horse Park at Woodside’s second of three USEA-recognized events, included California-based riders that have represented their countries of the United States, Canada, and Brazil in international competition.

Fary Prince, the youngest of the Intermediate horses at 7 years old, and Helen Alliston won by leading after each phase — 25.7 for dressage judged by Dayna Lynd-Pugh, double clear show jumping on the course designed by William Robertson, and clear jumping with 10.4 time penalties on Bert Wood’s cross-country course for a finishing score of 36.1. 

“He was phenomenal in all three phases,” Alliston said. “His cross-country was the most polished we’ve had at the level. He’s a beautiful galloper, and when I can get a little more accurate out of the gallop, he will be a mile inside the time. For today, I focused on smooth and confident, and I think he finished with a big smile on his face.” 

The bay British Sport Horse gelding (The After Party – Farytale Cooley, by Ustinov) owned by Hulme Equestrian was the reserve champion five-year-old at the USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Championships in 2024.

Karma and James Alliston returned from a 15-month layoff. Photo by Tina Fitch Photography.

While the the Intermediate level represented a step forward in the young and precocious career of Fary Prince, it served as the comeback event for Karma and Helen’s husband, James Alliston, who represented the United States in Aachen, Germany, the site of this year’s FEI World Championships, back in 2024. They were the top American finishers in ninth out of 45. The 12-year-old bay Oldenburg mare (Escudo II – Travita, by Lavita) came to Woodside off a 15-month layoff because of a tendon injury following a ninth-place finish out of 35 in the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*. Woodside is the local event for Alliston Equestrian, based 45 minutes away in Castro Valley, California. 

“Hopefully we’re on the comeback trail, and we can get [to Kentucky] next year,” James said. “She’s been in work for a while now, just doing dressage and small jumps. In theory, I could have brought her back sooner in April, but I waited a few months just to make sure.” 

Karma and James took second at Woodside with a score of 40.2. They had the fastest cross country round, which still represented James’s goal of “quietly going around the cross-country” in their comeback, as they eye a return to 4* competition in the fall. 

Source: ShowConnect.org

D. Marie and Grace Brownrigg finished third in the first ever Intermediate competition for the rider and the nine-year-old grey Hanoverian mare (Diacontinus – Nadja, by Narew) owned by Margaret Burchell.

Woodside’s Intermediate also marked the return to the level for Hawley Awad, who represented Canada at the last World Eventing Championships held at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy in 2022. 

Awad’s World Championship mount Jollybo retired in 2023, and that was the last year Awad competed at Intermediate before this weekend on Levino. Awad started partnering with the 9-year-old bay Holsteiner gelding (Lint – R-Cora II, by Graf Grannus) she owns with Dominic Rioux this summer. Marc Grandia previously rode Levino to wins at the 3* and Intermediate levels. Meanwhile, now a spry 22 years old, Jollybo won at the Modified level on the East Coast this summer with new partner Lauren Chumley.

The 2026 Woodside Summer Horse Trials were also the first Intermediate-level competition in the United States for Saulo Tristao, who represented Brazil in eventing at the 2007 Pan American Games and 2008 Olympic Games. Tristao rode Cartaleyo JF, an eight-year-old grey Swedish Warmblood gelding (Mr Vain GJ – Cantara, by Casantos). “It feels good,” Tristao said about the return to competition. “It has been almost 15 years.” 

Adding to the international flavor was having Australian announcer Shaun Lowry, the voice of horse shows like Equestrian in the Park in Perth, join regular Woodside announcers Jonathan Horowitz for show jumping and Louis Blankenship for cross-country. 

The Woodside Summer Horse Trials also put the spotlight on eventing’s lower levels. This was the first USEA-recognized event in Area VI to offer the Introductory level with 18-inch jumps since it was approved for debut on August 1, 2026, by the USEA. 

The Horse Park Founders’ Novice Stakes also offered $2,000 in prize money to each Amateur and Rider division of the Novice level. The show jumping finale had an upper-level atmosphere, complete with an upscale breakfast served in the viewing area around The Horse Park at Woodside’s newly-remodeled Bay Arena that features the Ebb & Flow irrigation system with footing for upper-level sport. 

The Horse Park Founders’ Junior Novice Rider Stakes was won by Summer Nelson and her 13- year-old bay Irish Sport Horse gelding Paulank Pepper Pot (Pointilliste – Calendar Girl). The Senior Novice Rider Stakes went to Lauren Masi and her 16-year-old chestnut sport horse gelding Far N’ Away (Weltmeyer – Sunley Way), and the Novice Amateur Stakes was won by Natalie Barton and her 17-year-old grey Thoroughbred gelding Storm Watch (Trickey Trevor – Ashley’s Golden). 

“It’s really cool to see the lower levels be given more attention,” said Barton, a sophomore at the University of Michigan. “This is actually my first event in four years. We used to event a ton, but I just finished my first year of college. It was super cool to enter into that and super fun.” 

The final USEA-recognized event of the year at The Horse Park at Woodside will be the Woodside Fall International from October 2-4 featuring FEI competition from the 1* to 4* levels. The CCI4*-S will be the final qualifier in the US Equestrian Open Series, taking place the week before the $200,000 Final at Morven Park in Virginia. The Introductory level will return to Woodside in October as well. 

As The Horse Park at Woodside celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2026, the Woodside Fall International will continue the tradition of awarding the Combined Training Equestrian Team Alliance (CTETA) Founder’s Cup given to the 4* winner every year since 2006. That will combine with the Directors’ Cup that has been presented to the one-star winner since Woodside hosted its first CCI1*-S in 2024. 

Traditional and newer innovations are what mix to keep eventing thriving at The Horse Park at Woodside. 

Woodside Summer HT (CA): [Website] [Scoring]

The full list of winners from the 2026 Woodside Summer Horse Trials: 

  • Open Intermediate: Helen Alliston and Fary Prince (36.1) 
  • Open Preliminary: Emma Slocum and Patito (33.0) 
  • Open Modified: Rylin Clarke and Nehoa (26.9) 
  • Open Training: Sigourney Jellins and Cobain PJ (28.2) 
  • Junior Training Rider: Samantha Ehrlich and Midnight Endeavour (25.0) 
  • Senior Training Rider: Rebecca Severt and Mischievous (31.1) 
  • Horse Park Founder’s Novice Rider Stakes:
    • Junior Rider: Summer Nelson and Paulank Pepper Pot (26.8) 
    • Senior Rider: Lauren Masi and Far N’ Away (27.8)
    • Amateur: Natalie Barton and Storm Watch (23.8)
  • Open Novice: Kendra Mitchell and Pirate Boy Van De Blauwendraad (26.2)
  • Open Beginner Novice: Sigourney Jellins and LS Hancock GK Z (23.3) 
  • Junior Beginner Novice Rider: Sophia DeVault and Designer (27.2) 
  • Senior Beginner Novice Rider A: Lia Colombi and Devonshire Cream (27.8)
  • Senior Beginner Novice Rider B: Suzanne Harvey and Killian’s Irish Pearl (23.1)
  • Open Starter: Harper Korol and Ringwoods Bariloche (26.7) 
  • Junior Starter Rider: Penelope Pejcha and Mother Teresa (24.7) 
  • Senior Starter Rider: Stephanie Oliveria and Velvet Brown (25.9) 
  • Open Intro: Isabelle Franchini and Smudge (30.6)

 

EN’s Ultimate Guide to the FEI Eventing World Championships

By on Aug 11, 2026 9:00 am -

It’s very nearly go time for another World Championships, and this time we’re taking things back to Germany and the historic CHIO Aachen grounds that exist as a veritable Disneyland for horse people.

Starting tomorrow (Wednesday), the eventing will get fully underway and we’ll be right here with you to keep you updated every step of the way. Our team this week consists of Sally Spickard and Tilly Berendt on site, Cheg Darlington handling live blogs, and Allie Heninger managing database updates and other odds and ends from home.

The best way to stay up to date with us here on EN is to keep this Ultimate Guide bookmarked, as we’ll update it at the end of each day with our latest coverage articles. You can also give us a follow on social media (@goeventing on Instagram, @eventingnation on Facebook) for more content all week long.

A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here.

FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Team Scores] [Live Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN’s Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Nations Form Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products]

The Schedule

Here’s a look at the eventing schedule for this week! Scattered among the official competition times are also availabilities for lunging, training, hacking/galloping and jump schools throughout the week. Each discipline is designated a specific area of Allianz Park for training or lunging, so if you’re attending in person you’ll want to keep an eye on the various schooling rings and warm-ups for a sighting of your favorites!

As for competition, here’s your timetable. Further drawn orders and ride times will eventually be available here.

Need help figuring out what the heck time the action is on in your area? We recommend WorldTimeBuddy as a handy tool for calculations to any time zone in the world.

Wednesday, August 12 — 9:30 am CEST / 3:30 am EST
First Horse Inspection, followed by Arena Familiarization starting at 12:30 pm CEST

Thursday, August 13 — 9:30 am CEST / 3:30 am EST
Dressage Day 1 [Timing and Scoring]

Friday, August 14 — 9:30 am CEST / 3:30 am EST
Dressage Day 2 [Timing and Scoring]

Saturday, August 15 — 9:15 am CEST / 3:15 am EST
Cross Country [Timing and Scoring]

Sunday, August 16 — 9:30 am CEST / 3:30 am EST
Final Horse Inspection

Sunday, August 16 — 1:00 pm CEST / 7:00 am EST
Show Jumping begins with first group; final group to begin at 3:30 pm CEST / 9:30 am EST, prizegiving to follow [Timing and Scoring]

How to Watch and Follow

There is only one live stream platform you’ll need for all of the action across disciplines, and that’s ClipMyHorse.TV which now houses FEI.TV. You will need a subscription to access both live and on-demand action, and so far we have not seen advertisement of an event-specific pass. Of course, if you’ve got a membership already (unfortunately, a connected free USEF Fan Account will not qualify you to access this stream), go ahead and log in to enjoy. You can view all options for viewing here.

Social Media

Social media can be expected to be heavily active all week long in our little corner of the internet, but here are a few key accounts to follow:

Aachen 26 on Facebook
Aachen 26 on Instagram
FEI Eventing on Facebook
FEI Eventing on Instagram
EN on Facebook
EN on Instagram

The Players

Secret Weapons and the Importance of Impact: EN’s Form Guide to the Nations of the 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships

View all definite entries here.

EN’s Coverage

COMPETITION COVERAGE

Day 1:

All 88 Horses Representing 27 Nations Accepted at FEI World Championships Horse Inspection

FEI World Championships Dressage: Judging Break Update – Day 1

Highs, Lows, and Heatstroke: Day One at the 2026 FEI World Championships

Day 2:

FEI World Championships Eventing: Friday Dressage – Judging Break Update

Jillian Giessen Has the Thoroughbred Bug at FEI Eventing World Championships

Nickel and Dimed: Julia Krajewski Takes World Championships Dressage Lead with Former Aachen Winner

‘You Have to Be Clever’: An Intro to Giuseppe della Chiesa’s FEI Eventing World Championships Cross Country Course

Day 3:

Cross Country Day Action at the FEI World Championships: Live Blog

Aachen, but Make It a Double: Michael Jung Tops Individual Leaderboard After Influential World Championships Cross Country Day

PRE-COMPETITION COVERAGE

[Click here to view all pre-competition coverage on EN]

Day 4:

All Presented Horses Pass World Championships Final Horse Inspection (But Not Without Drama)

Who Will Be Champion of the World? – Live Blog from the Eventing Finale at the FEI World Championships

Double-Double, Pole’s No Trouble for 2026 World Champions Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH