‘Our hearts hurt’: five-star runner-up out of contention for World Championships

Samantha Lissington’s stable star Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ has been ruled out of contention for the New Zealand eventing squad at the 2026 World Championships (11 to 23 August).

The 15-year-old gelding, whom Samantha owns with husband Brayden and Pip McCarroll, recorded a career high when finishing second in the CCI5* at Longines Luhmühlen last year. This month, they were also runners-up to Tom McEwen and JL Dublin in Defender Bramham’s CCI4*-S.

Samantha has an exciting string and four-star form with several other horses, so this does not mean the end of her own journey to selection for Aachen. But it is a blow. At Bramham, she spoke of her hopes of getting to the worlds with Sooty, the horse who she owes “a lot of credit for my career”.

Yesterday (28 June), Samantha said that she was “heartbroken to share that Sooty has picked up an injury” and will not be making the trip to the eventing World Championships this year.

“A 10-year partnership together, taking on the world. The most genuine little sidekick I could have asked for, solid as a rock through the ups and downs of my learning curves,” she said.

“He gave us our first five-star podium last year in fantastic company, then showed all his class at Bramham a few weeks ago – our hearts hurt for what could have been in August.

“For now he will enjoy some well-earned rest in the field, we will see what the future holds.”

She added that Sooty is “happy and comfortable” and will “no doubt” enjoy bossing her retired five-star campaigner, Ricker Ridge Rui.

“A huge thank you to Pip McCarroll, what a journey we’ve had – it’s been an absolute privilege to ride him, and to have you by my side all the way,” she said.

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