With just under two months to go to the FEI Eventing World Championships at Pratoni Del Vivaro, Italy from September 15th – 18th, tension is mounting for the riders aiming to compete for their country
Final selection trials will be taking place around the world in the coming weeks, with nominated entries due to the FEI on August 15th and definite entries on September 5th but in recent weeks we have been given a tantalising glimpse of what is coming up as Federations release their long-listed combinations from which they will eventually select five (a team of four plus one individual)
Great Britain
Pratoni has previously been successful for Great Britain at the 1995 and 2007 European Championships. The reigning World Champions have nominated 14 combinations, including the individual gold medallist from 2018, Ros Canter, with her Badminton runner-up Lordships Graffalo and Pencos Royal Jewel, plus the Tokyo Olympics gold medal trio, Tom McEwen, Oliver Townend and Badminton winner Laura Collett.
Team veterans Pippa Funnell and William Fox-Pitt are also on the list, plus rising star Yasmin Ingham with Kentucky runner-up Banzai du Loir.
Germany
World champions in 2006 and 2014, have listed 15 combinations in a four-tier system.
At the top is their Olympic team, the individual gold medallist Julia Krajewski (Amande de B'Neville), plus the 2010 World Champion Michael Jung (with fischerChipmunk FRH) and the 2014 World Champion Sandra Auffarth with her recent Aachen winner, Vaimant du Matz
Canada
World Champions in 1978 and silver medallists in Kentucky in 2010, have released a list of 10 riders and 12 horses, headed by the experienced five-star rider Hawley Bennett-Awad, a member of the 2010 team.
Italy
Susanna Bordone, who has been representing Italy at championship level, including in dressage, for 20 years, is the most experienced member of the host nation's squad, which also comprises Evelina Bertoli, Marco Cappai, Pietro Majolino, Emiliano Portale, Pietro Sandei, Arianna Schivo and Giovanni Ugolotti.
Olympic Champions at Pratoni in 1960 and three-times team gold medallists, but the country is yet to win a World Championship title.
Andrew Hoy, the individual bronze medallist in Tokyo, has won world team bronzes in 1986 and 2006 and finished a tantalising fourth individually in Tryon in 2018. Tokyo team silver medallist Shane Rose is also in a very good position for selection with three horses qualified
Several teams likely to be well represented that have not yet released long lists include New Zealand, the country that dominated both the 1990 and 1998 competitions (and Blyth Tait will be returning, this time as a spectator); USA, team gold medallists in 2002; France, five-times team silver medallists, including at Pratoni in 1998; Ireland, the defending team silver medallists from Tryon, and rising stars Switzerland, who reigned supreme at the Pratoni del Vivaro Test Event in May and won its second CCIO4*-S FEI Nations Cup Eventing in Avenches.
Information courtesy Pratoni 2022
Australia's Andrew Hoy on course at Pratoni 2020 Test Event
