World Equestrian Games: 17 fun facts
Get ready to baffle your friends with some fun facts ahead of this month's World Equestrian Games (23 August-7 September), from youngest to oldest, biggest to smallest, sibling rivalry and husband and wife team mates
Eventing
1. Jean Teulere of France will be the veteran competitor in Normandy at 60 years of age.
2. Conversely the youngest competitor is Ben Vogg of Switzerland, younger brother of Felix Vogg, making these two the only siblings in the eventing competition.
3. Will WEG prove to be marital bliss for husband and wife combo Tim and Jonelle Price? Both part of the New Zealand contingent, they have a strong chance of a medal.
4. Impressively WEG will be William Fox-Pitt’s 17th cap for Team GB — the most capped rider in the eventing at this year’s games (pictured above at WEG 2010).
5. Portersize Just A Jiff will be the smallest horse whizzing round the cross-country course for Ireland’s Camilla Speirs — he comes in at a mighty 15.1hh.
6. WEG 2014 will mark 36 years since Mark Todd‘s first ride in a championships — the first being in 1978 at Kentucky.
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Dressage
7. Hans Staub of Switzerland is the oldest dressage competitor at 55 years-old.
8. The youngest British team member is Michael Eilberg at 27-years-old. He also rides the biggest horse on the British team, 17hh Half Moon Delphi.
9. The youngest rider is 18-year-old Brazilian João Victor Marcari Oliva who rides the 16 year-old Signo Dos Pinhais.
Showjumping
10. The youngest showjumping competitor will be the huge talent of Bertram Allen who is just 19-years-old.
11. The oldest competitor is 67-year-old Ian Millar of Canada. Maybe there is still time for all of us to make it onto a team one day…
12. Britain’s youngest horse on the team is Joe Clee‘s Utamaro D’Ecaussines who is 10-years-old.
13. We dread to think of the total cost to WEG who have to fork out for the last four horses used in the “swapping” final — the organising committee must insure the horses and state in the programme the amount each horse is insured for.
14. Britain’s youngest rider will be 21 year-old Spencer Roe.
Para-dressage
15. The oldest para-rider this year will be 63 year-old Brazilian Vera Lucia Martins Mazzilli.
16. At the other end of the age-scale is 16 year-old Russian, Sergey Kulikov who is already ranked an inpressive 17th in the world.
17. Finally, we think Lee Pearson’s mount for WEG, Zion wins the best stable name award — Kevin.
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Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.