The first 43 eventing combinations took to the perfectly manicured lawns of Aachen on Thursday, which will now be in desperate need of a good watering – did I mention it was hot? It was steamy in the shade and no doubt toasty on the centreline, but it certainly didn’t affect New Zealand and Great Britain – who set the standard early in the program, with Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man (New Zealand) second into the arena, but first on the leaderboard for the morning session.
A beautiful and flowing test from Clarke for a score of 28.7 was soon bested by his teammate Jonelle Price aboard Senor Crocodillo, who delivered an equally accurate and polished display for 27.2 to hold interim second place.
If the memo from Team New Zealand to its riders was to ‘dominate day one’, then Samantha Lissington also followed orders, gliding into seventh place with Lucas Stone for a score of 29.7.
With both team members from day one comfortably within the top five, New Zealand has perhaps set an expectation for Tim Price (Falco) and Monica Spencer (Artist) to be in equally impressive form on Friday – which is no doubt their plan if they wish to maintain their current team lead.
But they don’t hold the provisional top spot alone; Great Britain placed their first foot on the podium, equalling New Zealand’s team score of 55.9 to share the team lead heading into Friday’s competition.
Gemma Stevens made her return to the British team for the first time since 2018, partnered with Flash Cooley, to be first out for the Brits – and she proved just why she is back on the squad. An elegant test clinched a desired sub 30 score for 29.3, with just the final centreline costing a few points when Flash Cooley very temporarily misunderstood the last flying change for an early halt.
Tom McEwen and JL Dublin kicked off yet another British championship eventing campaign Thursday afternoon, commanding attention from the crowd that Tom admitted was “A bit more atmosphere than expected!” This combination leads the field on a score of 26.6.
Home team Germany holds provisional third place on 59.9, inclusive of results from their two World Championship debutantes, Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Libussa Lubbeke – the former placing provisional fourth on 28.6 with Carlitos Quidditch K.
France’s Alexis Goury and Je’vall also produced an excellent test to be placed third on 28.5.
Australian debutantes shine
Australia had its own debutantes take to the World Championship stage, led into the dressage phase by Sophia Hill and her off-the-track Thoroughbred Humble Glory. “The dressage hasn’t come naturally to him,” said Sophia, “but he was just so with me and listened to me out there today, hopefully we can finish on that score.”
That score was 37.6, for provisional 33rd place. “I’m thrilled to be here on an Australian senior team. It’s surreal. I’m excited for the jumping phases and to show the world how amazing [Humble Glory] is,” she said.
Sophia credits much of her and Hughie’s preparation for Aachen to Monica Spencer of team New Zealand (and based in the USA), with whom Hughie has been staying since competing at Maryland CCI5*L in 2025. Sophia has also spent the previous two months in the States during her final preparations for the World Championships.
Fellow Aussie Sam Woods and SS Eight Count were the second combination to compete for the Australian team Thursday afternoon, at not only their senior team debut, but also their first ever competition outside of Australia. Sam’s aim for the rest of the Championship? “To finish on that!”, with ‘that’ being their dressage score of 37.4 for provisional 31st place.
“Just to get here is an honour,” said Sam. “I want to support everyone else on the team, go home with a smile and a happy horse.” A great sentiment and plan heading into the next three days of competition.
Olivia Barton and her homebred APH Sodoku were the final and individual combination to don the green and gold today, producing a personal best result of 30.6 for an incredible ninth place provisionally.
“I’m super pleased with him, I couldn’t have asked for more of him… we had a little mistake in the walk, but that is his weak spot, and its super cool to do a PB at the World Championships,” said Olivia.
Olivia has been based in Europe since 2023 and hopes that her and Sodoku’s experiences with international competitions can hold them in good stead ahead of the weekend and the cross country phase, which she acknowledges is “big, bold, technical and a time that is going to be very hard to get.”
Aussies in action on Friday
The other half of Australia’s team will take to the beautiful Aachen arena Friday, with Oliver Barrett and Sandhills Briar in the morning session, followed by undoubtedly the most experienced team member – and perhaps the most experienced eventing competitor in the entire field – Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos.
Friday, 14 August:
- Oliver Barrett with Sandhills Briar: 7:04pm AEST (11:04am local time)
- Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos: 11:26pm AEST (3:26pm local time)
With the highest ranked combinations for each team all completing the dressage Friday, both the team and individual results are sure to see an adjustment in both placings and counted scores. But with an incredibly tough cross country course and a time that will need constant chasing on Saturday, the 2026 FEI World Championships for eventing is certain not to be a dressage competition.
Watch the action live with ClipMyHorse.TV
One thing is for sure; the eventing lineup brings lots of action this year, making it a thrilling watch for all fans. The best way to watch the action live and on demand is with a CMH.TV Premium Yearly Membership. ClipMyHorse.TV Australia is currently offering a 26% discount on Premium Yearly Memberships with the code AACHEN26.
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