Welcome to Horse & Hound’s live reports from the eventing World Championships in Aachen. We will be bringing you all the news you need to know as it happens. The first horse inspection is at 8.30am (UK time, 9.30am local time) on Wednesday 12 August, followed by two days of dressage (13-14 August) and cross-country (15 August). On Sunday 16 August is the final horse inspection, showjumping phase and medal ceremonies.
Our eventing editor Pippa Roome will be in the Aachen mixed zone interviewing the riders after their performances, so if you want to know their initial reactions to their scores and more at the eventing World Championships, we are here to bring that straight to you.
Pippa will be supported by H&H team members back in the UK, who will be following the live stream and sharing useful insights and analysis of the action, so we look forward to sharing the highs and lows of the 2026 FEI World Championships with you here.
The Brazilian trio are through – watched on by team trainer William Fox-Pitt.
Coloured horse lovers look out – we don’t see too many skewbalds at the top levels of eventing and this one catches the eye (cool name too): Fluorescent Adolescent, ridden by Jessica Phoenix as an individual for Canada.
She’s accepted.
(Image credit: Future)
Even trot-ups need breaks. They’re raking the sand and rolling with a machine to make it picture-perfect for the next set of competitors.
A reminder that the five-strong British squad is set to trot up at 9.45am UK time.
The ground jury – Anne-Mette Binder (Denmark), Peter Gray (Canada), Joanne Jarden (Ireland) – have not been too busy so far. There have been a handful of horses asked to trot twice due to shenanigans, and just one horse to the holding box (Czech horse Qaid), and all accepted.
The Aussie women are sporting a sort of girl-scout look with a loose scarf and short blue skirts. Andrew Hoy, coming to his umpteenth championship at the age of 67, is in baseball cap and stripey tie. His ride Vassily De Lassos celebrates his acceptance with an exuberant buck.
Some of these horses have had a long journey from the southern hemisphere, or at least the US, but they look fit and raring to go, with the applause setting them off.
And all five are accepted.
There’s a lot of cantering going on for a trot-up here.
Alex Hua Tian – green jacket, tie, sunglasses – has to repeat Chicko’s trot at a more sedate pace after cantering down the runway. But he’s accepted.
Czech horse Qaid is back from the holding box to be represented – and passes! Phew, Czech do have a team of three to go forward.
Japan have just the three combinations. A bit of drama for them...
Ryuzo Kitajima’s ride Feroza Nieuwmoed looks a little wild as he spooks at the start, then veers off at the end, trashing the pretty flowers.
Kento Nagura’s ride grand old campaigner Vinci De La Vigne has to trot up twice.
But all three pairs (rounded off by Toshiyuki Tanaka’s Jefferson JRA) are through to the next stage.
Poland’s Armin De Monsieur – presented by individual rider Joanna Pawlak – is very on his toes. He’s listed as a stallion on the start sheet (sometimes these details change!), which is still a rare thing in eventing.
Anyway, he's been accepted.
Spain only brings forward one combo, Esteban Benitez Valle riding grey mare Ultera AA.
Esteban’s rocking the casual look with a baseball cap and white jeans, jacket, no tie – for those who care about the sartorial details.
And they’re through.
The two individual riders for Thailand, Weerapat Pitakanonda and Komtawat Samran – clad in suits – are through the inspection without incident.
I have to say the US horses look fantastic as they begin their bid to improve on their team silver four years ago in Pratoni.
Their quintet, Diabolo, Denim, Cooley Nutcracker, HSH Blake and Lillet 3, are all accepted.
Ooh, Diabolo is fancy for the USA! Will Coleman’s ride would be one of the favourites on the back of his Kentucky CCI5* win in April. He flies through.
The USA team look slick, in polo shirts and chinos for the men, white jeans for the ladies.
First horse into the hold box! It’s Quaid for Czech Republic, ridden by Matěj Sukdolák. A reminder that three scores need to count for a team, so with only three riders forward for this nation, they’ll have no leeway.
His two team-mates have passed, though Miroslav Trunda was asked to trot Mellevue Van Rechteren twice for the ground jury.
The three-strong, all-male Czech team are next up.
They’ve adopted the casual look with a padded gilet over a white shirt.
Pavel Březina’s ride Turin is asked to re-present – in trot – after cantering back down the strip. But he’s been passed.
New Zealand bring forward five. The guys (Clarke Johnstone and Tim Price) look very dapper in jackets and ties, while the girls (Jonelle Price, Monica Spencer and Sam Lissington) are corporate smart in short jackets and trousers.
Clarke’s ride Rocket Man lives up to his name and launches off the end of the strip in response to applause (he passed).
Bless Tim’s ride Falco with his tongue hanging out – he had his front teeth removed before the start of this season.
And the Kiwis are all through!
And we’re off!
First up is the Austrian squad – the men patriotically clad in Lederhosen, of course. Katrin Khoddam-Hazrati (Renegade) wears a dirndl, a traditional Alpine dress, while Lea Siegl (Watermill Giorgio RS) is in waistcoat and skirt. All very Austrian.
They have just four combinations, which means their team is all set, with no individual.
Daniel Dunst’s ride Cavalier 97 wasn’t desperate to go down the strip, but got going and all passed.
Grandstand viewing: the trot-up strip ready for action. It’s on the side of Stadium 2, where the eventing dressage will take place
(Image credit: Future)
Hello team-mate! British squad horses Lordships Graffalo and D.Day meet and greet while having a pick of grass in Aachen
(Image credit: Future)
First horse inspection (team and individual): Wednesday 12 August
Hello, I’m Martha Terry, H&H features editor, and I’ll be here to bring you all the action as the eventing World Championships kick off with the first horse inspection in Aachen.
The first horse – Harald Ambros’ ride Vitorio Du Montet for the Austrian squad – heads down the runway in half an hour (8.30am UK time).
Competitors will present their horses within their nations, so all the Austrians go, then all the New Zealanders, and so on.
The Brits have been drawn towards the end of the order, the fourth-last nation. Ros Canter’s ride Lordships Graffalo is scheduled to trot up first for Britain at around 9.45am UK time.
It’s similarly hot in Germany to back in the UK, with forecast temperatures of about 30ºC this afternoon. However, the trot-up will be done and dusted by mid-morning (8.30am–10am UK time), peaking at a very pleasant 24º.
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