Harry Meade has been named as the new eventing world number one, the first time he has held pole position in the rankings.
Harry heads a one-two-three for British riders; Tom McEwen retains his world number two spot and Ros Canter climbs to number three.
His achievement comes after a stellar spring five-star season, during which he finishing third (Et Hop Du Matz) and fourth (Grafennacht) at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event and fourth (Cavalier Crystal) and sixth (Superstition) at Mars Badminton Horse Trials.
“It’s a great honour to be world number one, and a real milestone,” said Harry. “It’s particularly rewarding for the wider team behind me – they are so invested, and their hard work and support has led to this. I’m proud of all of them. I think my 11-year-old son is most excited about it though – he’s been following the rankings over the past year and was the first to call it!”
He added: “I’ve followed eventing since before I could walk – it’s the sport I love. There are still mountains in front of me that I want to climb, but for a brief moment in a life where you rarely stand still, we’ll take a moment to pause, look back, and feel some pride in what everyone has achieved.”
Asked about the key to his recent success, Harry said: “It’s about producing horses in a ‘softly-softly’ way and making sure they enjoy their job. My focus is always on each horse’s development, both mentally and physically, with their longevity in mind. I’m always learning, and the key to ongoing success is being able to do it with all kinds of horses.
“Our owners and sponsors have fully bought into our way of doing things. They have faith that it works and are in it for the long term. My aim is to do them justice.”
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Harry Meade takes over the world number one position from US rider Boyd Martin, who held the top spot for one month. Before him, British three-time Olympic medallist Tom McEwen was world number one from August 2024 until April 2025.
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
