We take a look back at some of the highs and lows, best interviews, event highlights and top training tips of 2015 from the world of international eventing, month by month, in our series of articles. Click on the highlighted text to take you to any of the articles mentioned to read in full
UK Event Coverage
The stars were out in force during the August Bank Holiday weekend - Andrew Nicholson had plenty to smile about at Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire while Mary King took her beautifully bred babies to Calmsden, Oliver Townend was all over the place, Kevin McNab scored some wins and Nicola Wilson continued her winning ways at Burgham, Calmsden and Little Downham
Festival of British Eventing, Gatcombe
Oliver Townend also had a good competition at the Festival of British Eventing where he cleaned up in the Novice and Intermediate Championships but Andrew Hoy was holding him at bay in the British Open Championship however the top ten looked very different after a challenging cross country day. It was still an Australian on top of the podium in this class while 19 year old Noah Brook and his stunning Deo Volente III won the inaugural Corinthian Cup with ease
Not surprisingly, many of the top riders flock to this prestigious event in Gloucestershire - find out why .............
Hartpury
William Fox-Pitt celebrated his first win at Hartpury since 2008, France's Thomas Carlile won with another young superstar and Caroline Harris was just buzzing after her win on Bumble Bee!
Australia
The cross country course at Tamworth International Eventing's August CIC event was generally thought to be tough but did it really take 35 minutes to get around? The eventual winner Jess Rae certainly rose the challenge, winning the Grant Family CIC2* on San Suki, but it gave Jessica a bit of shock when she discovered that she had been eliminated on cross country after what she thought had been a lovely round. Needless to say, that was an error of recording .....
Wooroloo
Over in Western Australia, the Prestige Loans and Wealth Creation Wooroloo 3 Day Event kicked off despite a soggy start and the competitors were taking no prisoners (well, maybe 16)
Emily Gray won the CCI3*, qualifying her for the CCI4* in Adelaide the 21 year old, who juggles riding with studying physiotherapy at University, admitted that ‘once I knew I was leading after the cross country I really wanted the win’
One of the most challenging obstacles at the event was the quarry jump - take a look at the 3* course and the jump where the riders felt like Simba the Lion King!
Triequithon
We talked to course designer Ewan Kellett and winner Rob Palm at the Racing Victoria Off the Track Triequithon which took place during the Memsie Stakes program at Caulfield Racecourse. It was a cold, wet Melbourne day but that didn't deter the organisers of the event, which is looking to spread its wings throughout Australia next year, or the riders who had a good time and went home $15,000 richer
International
Rio 2016 Test Event
Just days before the Aquece Rio equestrian Test Event the organisers advised of a case of the disease glanders that had happened in April at the site of the equestrian events for Rio 2016
But despite that, the Test Event kicked off in the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Deodoro, with 18 national horses from Brazil passing the eventing first horse inspection and being declared fit to compete
Marcelo Tosi (BRA) performed the winning dressage test but decided not to ride the leading horse Briefing in the cross country phase however he was still in the hunt with another horse Glenfly, in second place after their run around the 20-fence 3.2km cross country course designed by Pierre Michelet.
In the lead was Marcio Jorge (BRA) riding Coronel MCJ, who were popular and convincing winners of the Aquece Rio International Horse Trials, the Rio 2016 test event on the final day
FEI European Pony Championships 2015
The British eventing team made it a hat-trick of 2015 British team victories at the FEI European Pony Championships 2015 in Malmo, Sweden
Former international event rider, Gary Parsonage, was the third British Chef d’Equpe to have plenty to celebrate at the end of the eventing team competition when Phoebe Locke (Quay), Harriet Wright (Foxtown Cufflynx), Saffron Cresswell (Cuffesgrange Little Ric) and Thomas Tulloch (Spirit Vl) came out on top. They headed the silver medallists from France by almost 16 penalty points while Sweden earned the bronze
Aachen CICO
"Be part of it" was the motto of the 2015 FEI European Championships in Aachen and on the first night of this glamorous equestrian festival 40,000 people gathered to be part of the spectacular opening ceremony
Eventing was not part of the European Championships here but the teams were ready, despite a couple of last minute changes, for the FEI Nations Cup CICO3* and the competition was always going to be fierce.
Young British rider Holly Woodhead attracted attention for all the right reasons in her debut on a British Nations Cup team but superstar Ingrid Klimke held her at bay on home ground and if the drama on Thursday unfolded early with the withdrawal of Chris Burton, there was plenty of it at the very last minute on cross country day
For the rest of the equestrian stars at Aachen there was more to come and we took a look at more sights, sounds and behind the scenes and found out why Carl Hester shouldn't hang out with the eventing crowd
FEI European Eventing Championships for Juniors
Germany claimed three of the six medals on offer at the FEI European Eventing Championships for Juniors 2015 at Bialy Bor in Poland Johanna Zantop claimed the individual title for Germany with FBW Santana’s Boy ahead of Victor Levecque from France, while Hanna Knuppel further underpinned German strength when slotting into bronze medal spot. This helped Team Germany to secure a massive winning margin of almost 30 points over France who took team silver while Britain lined up in bronze medal spot.
Johanna Zantop (GER) and FBW Santana's Boy, double gold European Champions
Le Grand Complet
In France, Le Grand Complet had a year off in 2014 due to the WEG, however it was full steam ahead again in 2015 at the beautiful venue of Haras du Pin where international competitors gathered again for the annual 3 Day Event
Richland Park, USA
Buck Davidson was a busy man at the Adequan USEA Gold Cup at Richland Park, USA but it was not optimal conditions for him and his five CIC3* rides when the times were moved up due to the impending weather, and he had to ride every 18 minutes. In addition, he was riding through quite a bit of pain after a fall from his CCI2* horse the previous day
“I'm not joking when I say I usually let Ballynoe Castle RM go at his own pace, but today I was just too sore to go that fast" said Buck who still managed to win the CCI3*
European Eventing Championship for Young Riders
In Strzegom, Poland there was a massive reshuffle in the classification of European Eventing Championships for Young Riders after all 56 riders completed the dressage test but there was no doubt about the dominance of the British after the cross country phase.
The winning team - Great Britain's Will Furlong, Ella Hitchman, Emily King and Bella Innes Ker
They held a commanding lead with Will Furlong and Sophie Beaty in first and second places and the British team sealed a great weekend by claiming the team title along with individual gold and silver
Videos
This will get you ready to gallop - a stunning and unique view of William Fox-Pitt in training at home
Oliver Townend took first and second place in the Dodson & Horrell British Novice Championship and also won the Smith & Williamson British Intermediate Championship on Note Worthy and placed fifth on Power Drive. This is how he did it while you can check out how the challenging new CIC3* course for the 2015 British Open Championship at the Festival of British Eventing rode here
Not eventing but just for fun! Dutch dressage champion, Anky van Grunsven, won her first FEI reining medal at Aachen but who remembers her first surprise demo at Kentucky in 2010?
Ingrid Klimke's sponsor SAP, one of the major German technology companies, took an innovative look at many of Ingrid's rides; here's one from her cross country ride at Aachen
We all know that there is a special bond between an eventer and their horse - this video from Wooroloo 3 Day Event sums it up perfectly but it's not just about the horses... it's about the shopping, the lifestyle and the dogs at Burghley! A selection of man's other best friend at The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials 2014 with some familiar voices you might recognise
Interviews
In a possible first, Australian eventing riders and brothers Murray and Warren Lamperd were both competing at this year's Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials - how did they feel about it?
“I thought without doubt that I would be there to just make up the numbers” says Alex Postolowsky as she tells us of her first time competing in the British Open Championship but her top ten finish proved her (happily) wrong
Eleanor Osborne and Highborne Rocker
Eleanor Osborne - the 32 year old Queenslander who has ‘High’ in her horses’ names also has high hopes of one day making it to the very top of international competition but believes that it can still be done from Australia
News and happenings
Equestrian Australia announced the new national squads for eventing organised in accordance with new criteria which aligned more closely with the high performance strategy of the Australian Institute of Sport as well as the the 2015 Recognition Squads with categories throughout the senior and developmental stages including youth
Karen Stives, one of the USA’s most decorated equestrian athletes and generous supporter of the USA eventing team, passed away in August and six years of FEI-funded research was presented at the at a special two-day equine surfaces forum held at the FEI headquarters in Lausanne in order to form a basis for developing performance standards for Jumping surfaces
Top blog of August
Equine vet Chris Elliott had just returned from Rio and he filled us in on the vet’s eye view of the Test Event and what is coming up in 2016
Top photo gallery
For the first time ever we were allowed access behind the scenes at Aachen and Libby Law brought us some candid shots you loved!
