The next generation is about to get its own world stage.

For the first time, the FEI Under 25 Eventing World Championships arrive this summer, with Millstreet set to host a championship that genuinely bridges the gap between young rider success and senior championship pressure.

So… who's ready?

Nicole Brown is joined by Diarm Byrne and Ali Barrett to look at the numbers, the standout performances, and the combinations already making noise at four-star short level. From established names like Calvin Böckmann and Alice Casburn, to emerging contenders from Australia, the US, Ireland, France and beyond, they start to piece together what this first edition could look like.

U25 Article: https://news.equiratings.com/stories/looking-at-the-major-contenders-for-millstreet-2026

Highlights

• The top Under 25 performances of 2025
• Who leads the High Performance Ratings
• Which nations look strongest on paper
• Early predictions for individual and team gold

Guests

• Ali Barrett – EquiRatings AI & Sports Media Analyst
• Diarmuid Byrne – EquiRatings co-founder

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Phillip Dutton is on the board.

The 2026 season opened at the LiftMaster Grand Prix Eventing Showcase presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services, and it was Phillip Dutton and Denim who walked away with the $100,000 win.

A brand new four-star test caused early drama. Rails reshuffled the leaderboard. And Jay Hambly's cross-country track built pressure right to the final rider.

Nicole Brown and Annie Bishop review the action from Aiken, from Humble Glory's podium climb to Elisa Wallace's statement performance, and what this result means as the road to Kentucky begins.

Plus, Annie chat's with Phillip on his Showcase win and what it means for the rest of the season.

Highlights

• Phillip and Denim's $100,000 victory
• The debut of the 2026 four-star dressage test
• Key rails in show jumping
• Jay Hambly's first Showcase cross-country track
• Elisa Wallace and Lissavorra Quality step up
• Sophia Hill and Humble Glory's podium finish
• Early-season signals ahead of Kentucky

Guests

• Annie Bishop – Host of the US Equestrian Open podcast

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Ownership in eventing rarely follows a straight line. For Alex Wakeley, it has been shaped by family history, a first tentative run at BE80, and a young grey bought quietly after the Rio Olympics who would go on to win at Le Lion d'Angers. In this episode of Through the Owners' Eyes, Nicole Brown sits down with Alex, owner of Cristal Fontaine and Chairman of the Event Horse Owners Association, to talk about what ownership really looks like.

From the highs of a six-year-old World Championship title with Kitty King to the realities of injury management, long seasons, and knowing when a horse owes you nothing more, Alex reflects on the full ownership journey.

• From first event nerves to owning a Le Lion d'Angers six-year-old World Champion
• Buying young, trusting instinct, and choosing the right rider
• The realities of injuries, longevity, and horse welfare at the top level
• Syndicates, access, and bringing younger owners into the sport
• The role of the Event Horse Owners Association, from hospitality to advocacy

• Alex Wakeley, event horse owner, Chairman of the Event Horse Owners Association

For more information on the Event Horse Owners Association, including membership, owner hospitality at events, and grassroots initiatives, visit the Event Horse Owners Association.

This episode is powered by EquiRatings Horse Sales,the data-driven way to find your next superstar. From performance metrics to potential and price, EquiRatings helps take the guesswork out of buying and selling horses. Find out more here.

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We've set the scene at Bruce's Field. Now it's time to turn to the field itself.

Nicole Brown is joined by Frankie Thieriot-Stutes, Annie Bishop and Diarmuid Byrne to break down the contenders for the $100,000 LiftMaster Grand-Prix Eventing Showcase presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services.

And the numbers matter here. Winners almost always come from the top three after dressage. No one has ever won with a rail down. And if you're leading after show jumping, history says you are very hard to catch.

So who fits that profile in 2026?

This is your full preview before the action begins in Aiken.

• What the data says about the winning formula
• Why show jumping could be the decisive phase
• Which horses are built for this tight, electric atmosphere
• How the $100,000 prize fund changes the mindset
• Full podium predictions from the team

Guests

• Frankie Thieriot-Stutes
• Annie Bishop
• Diarmuid Byrne

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

🎟️ Be there when it happens. Tickets on sale now.

The season starts here.

The $100,000 LiftMaster Grand Prix Eventing Showcase presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services returns to Bruce's Field, and with it comes one of the most unique tests on the calendar.

This episode is a behind-the-scenes preview of how it all comes together. Course designer Jay Hambly and Event Director Joanie Morris explain how the track is built, how the format is structured, and how Bruce's Field transforms into a spectator-driven production that feels closer to a championship arena than a traditional cross country field.

• How the Showcase format works and why it is different from a standard advanced
• Jay Hambly on designing within Mark Phillips' blueprint and making the time influential
• Key features to watch, including the Bridge, the Brushes and new track adjustments
• Joanie Morris on building a two-day event that blends top-level sport with packed crowds
• Why the $100,000 prize fund raises the stakes at the very start of the season

• Jay Hambly – Cross Country Course Designer
• Joanie Morris – Event Director

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

🎟️ Be there when it happens. Tickets on sale now.

What happens when you look beyond the feed room door?

Across three episodes, this series takes listeners inside Connolly's Red Mills. From the grain stores of rural Ireland to world championship warm-ups, it follows the journey of a brand built on one idea: better performance through better nutrition.

In this episode, top riders including Tom Rowland, Kirsty Chabert, Alex Bragg, Aoife Clark and Sam Watson step inside the mill to see the process for themselves. They talk about clean sport, confidence in testing, the scale of the operation, and what it means to stand behind the product you feed your horses every day. There are surprises along the way, yes, including camel feed, but the consistent theme is attention to detail and a culture built around solving problems for horse performance.

From grassroots riders to five-star champions, the message is the same. Quality matters. Trust matters. And the details count.

• Inside the Red Mills story, from 1908 to today
• Riders reflect on clean sport and laboratory testing
• How nutrition impacts performance at every level
• The scale of a global operation rooted in rural Ireland
• Sam Watson on performance, marginal gains and long-term partnership
• Why attention to detail keeps coming up in every conversation

• Tom Rowland – British international event rider and producer of horses through the levels.
• Cameron Beer – British event rider and coach producing horses and riders through the grassroots and performance pathways.
• Kirsty Chabert – Five-star British event rider with experience producing horses from youngstock to championship level.
• Alex Bragg – International event rider known for producing competitive horses through to five-star.
• Aoife Clark – Irish Olympian and five-star event rider based in the heart of horse country.
• Sam Watson – Irish Olympian, performance analyst and co-founder of EquiRatings.
• Gareth Connolly – Director of Connolly's Red Mills and fourth-generation member of the Connolly family.

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

It starts with a seed. It ends with a bag. Every stage in between matters.

In Chapter 2 of the documentary series, Nicole Brown steps inside Connolly's Red Mills to follow the full journey from raw ingredient to finished feed. From seed plants and grain stores to laboratories and production lines, this episode shows how consistency is built long before a product ever leaves the mill.

The people behind each stage explain what their roles really mean. Grain is grown with trusted local farmers, tested on arrival, analysed again before release, and tracked through a system designed to remove uncertainty. Technology supports it, but detail drives it. If something does not meet the standard, it does not move forward.

The scale is global. The operation is local. And everything still comes back to the same place where the story began.

• From seed selection to harvest, how the raw materials are sourced
• The intake process that tests every delivery of grain
• Inside the lab screening for nutrients, contaminants and prohibited substances
• Technology that supports consistency across every batch
• The logistics behind supplying more than 80 countries worldwide
• Why full in-house production remains central to the philosophy

• Gareth Connolly – CEO of Connolly's Red Mills and fifth-generation family member
• Martin Bolger – Seed Plant Manager at Connolly's Red Mills
• Mike Shields – Chief Technical Officer overseeing quality and compliance
• Paul Connolly – Project and Systems Engineer
• John Connolly – Chief Operating Officer responsible for operations and logistics
• Jane Davis – Head of Marketing at Connolly's Red Mills

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

What does it take to build a global equine brand from a small village in rural Ireland?

In Chapter 1 of this three-part documentary series, Nicole Brown sits down with CEO Gareth Connolly at the heart of Connolly's Red Mills in Goresbridge, County Kilkenny. From a bakery in 1908 to a world leader in equine nutrition, this is the story of how a family business evolved through innovation, adversity and a relentless focus on performance.

Gareth traces the journey from canal trade routes and grain monopolies to the chance conversation with Paddy Mullins that changed Irish racing history. There are sliding doors moments along the way. Two world wars. Foot and mouth. A devastating fire. Covid lockdowns. And through it all, each generation stepping up as caretakers rather than owners.

At its core, the philosophy remains simple. Put the animal first. Never compromise. And make sure what's on the bag is in the bag.

This is where the Red Mills story begins.

• The 1908 origins of Connolly's Red Mills
• How a bakery became a national feed manufacturer
• The Paddy Mullins moment that shaped Irish racing
• Innovation through adversity, from war to Covid
• Why every product is still manufactured in County Kilkenny
• The meaning behind "no compromise" nutrition

• Gareth Connolly – CEO of Connolly's Red Mills and fifth-generation member of the Connolly family.

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

A new season. A new host. A fresh start.

Cameron Beer steps in to lead the 2026 Grassroots Show, bringing his experience as a British eventing coach and self-confessed grassroots enthusiast to a series built around practical tools for real riders.

In the first episode of the year, Cameron is joined by fellow coach and five-star rider Jo Rimmer to tackle one of the most important parts of eventing that often gets overlooked - planning. From setting honest long-term goals to working backwards from key events, they discuss how to structure a season, how to cope when plans change, and why developing your own "system" is the foundation of consistent performance.

And this season, you are part of it.

At the end of every episode, Cameron will set a weekly training task for listeners to try at home. This week's jumping exercise focuses on rhythm and control through a simple three-cavaletti line. Try it, post it, and tag your efforts using #GrassrootsChallenge so the team can follow along.

• How to plan a season by working backwards from your goal
• Tactical vs technical skills and how to identify your weaknesses
• What "sticking to your system" really means in competition
• Managing nerves and building mental resilience
• This week's jumping training challenge

• Cameron Beer – British event rider and coach focused on developing riders through the grassroots levels
• Jo Rimmer – Five-star event rider and one of British Eventing's lead regional coaches

Presented by Foran Equine, part of the Connolly's RED MILLS family.

Listen to our last Grassroots Show with Lucy Robinson and Jesse Maye here.

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast: Follow the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast for more data-led insight, top-tier guests, and everything you need to keep up with the 2025 season on Instagram and Facebook.

Don't miss The Red Mills Rider Bursary 2026 — a chance for two amateur riders to receive a year of performance support from the Red Mills team. Head to redmillshorse.com/become-the-2026-red-mills-rider/ for details and to apply.

Valentine's Day on the Eventing Podcast means one thing. Power couples, a quiz, and very little mercy.

We've teamed up with the USEA Podcast for the annual Valentine's Special as eventing couples Ryan and Lillian Wood, and Sam and Brayden Lissington go head to head across general knowledge, eventing trivia, and the questions that really matter, how well they actually know each other. With flags flying for Australia, the USA, Britain, and New Zealand, expectations are low, rules are flexible, and bragging rights are firmly on the line.

For the latest in U.S. eventing—competition highlights, rider interviews, expert insights, and more—follow the USEA and subscribe to the USEA podcast channel to stay up to date!

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After a career defined by volume, grit and longevity, Izzy Taylor sits down to reflect on evolution, perspective and what still drives her heading into 2026. She talks openly about stepping back from being "Busy Izzy", reframing success, and learning when change is not a threat but a necessity.

Izzy reflects on injury, recovery and mindset, the realities of motherhood at the top of the sport, and how experience reshapes the way she trains, competes and builds a team. There's a close look at the horses shaping her season, led by Barrington Alice, and why heart, brain and trust still underpin everything she believes about eventing.

Highlights

• Reframing ambition and stepping away from being "Busy Izzy"
• Injury, recovery and the mental side of coming back
• Motherhood, longevity and evolving priorities at the top level
• Barrington Alice, Bramham and shaping a 2026 campaign
• Why heart and brain still matter more than raw talent

Guest

• Izzy Taylor – British five-star event rider, championship team member, and one of the sport's most experienced producers of elite event horses.

Sponsors:

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.