The long-awaited 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships are just days away and horse and rider pairs from all over the country are settling in and getting the lay of the land at the beautiful Pratoni del Vivaro in Rome, Italy. The host site, which will also host the 2022 FEI Driving World Championships, was the venue for eventing at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome as well as the site for the cross-country competition at the FEI World Equestrian Games in 1998.
The Field
- There are 90 horse and rider pairs representing 27 countries hoping to hoist their country’s flag high at the end of the World Championship.
- Each country can send up to five riders – four team members and one individual. The best three scores will count for the team. The final four selected to represent the U.S. as a team will be confirmed after the first horse inspection at the Championship.
- Sixteen teams will contest the eventing team competition representing the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the USA.
- Eleven nations have single competitors representing them: China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Hungary, India, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, and Thailand.
- The U.S. Team is primed and ready to represent the American flag in Italy this week. Team members include Will Coleman and his own 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Off The Record (VDL Arkansas x Drumogoland Bay), Ariel Grald and Annie Elridge’s 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Leamore Master Plan (Master IMP IHR x Ardragh Bash), Lauren Nicholson and Jacqueline Mars’ 15-year-old Anglo-Arab gelding Vermiculus (Sazeram x Wake Me Gently), Boyd Martin and Christine, Thomas and Tommie Turner’s 15-year-old Trakehner gelding Tsetserleg TSF (Windfall x Thabana), and Tamra Smith and Alexandra and Ellen Ahearn and Eric Markell’s 16-year-old German Sport Horse gelding Mai Baum (Loredano 2 x Ramiro). Learn more about the U.S. team here.
- Great Britain are the defending champions and has a lineup of extremely talented riders representing: Badminton winners Laura Collett and the 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding London 52 (Landos x Vernante) who Collett co-owns with Keith Scott and Karen Bartlett; Badminton runner-up Ros Canter riding Lordships Graffalo (Birkhof's Grafenstolz x Cornish Queen), a 10-year-old British Sport Horse gelding owned by Michele Saul; world number one Oliver Townend and Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop, and Val Ryan’s 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Ballaghmor Class (Courage II x Kilderry Place); members of the 2018 gold medal team Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser (Diamant de Semilly x Ariane Du Prieure Ii), a 15-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by Fred and Penny Barker, Jane Innis, and Ali McEwen; and the 2022 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event runners-up Yasmin Ingham and the 11-year-old Selle Francais gelding Banzai du Loir (Nouma D'auzay x Gerboise du Cochet) owned by Janette Chinn and Sue Davies.
- Also boasting a strong team is Germany, whose standout rider is definitely eventing powerhouse Michael Jung with the 2022 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event winning mount FischerChipmunk FRH (Contendro I x Havanna), the 14-year-old Hannoverian gelding owned by DOKR, Klaus and Sabine Fischer, and Hilmer Meyer-Kulenkampff. Also joining Jung are top riders Sandra Auffarth with the 13-year-old Selle Francais gelding Viamant Du Matz (Diamant de Semilly x Heralina), owned by Nikolaus Prinz von Croy, and Julia Krajewski with Amande De B'neville (Oscar Des Fontaines x Perle De B’Neville), a 12-year-old Hanoverian mare who Krajewski co-owns with Bernd Heicke. Some fresh blood will be joining the German team for the first time at the World Championships: Christoph Walher riding Carjatan S (Clearway x Kajenna), a 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Walher and Lena Thoenies, and Alina Dibowski aboard Susana Dibowski’s 13-year-old Polish Sport Horse gelding Barbados 26 (Moravia x Babilonia Xx).
- You can view the full list of definite entries (which boasts other big names such as Andrew Hoy, Sam Watson, Astier Nicolas, power couple Tim and Jonelle Price, Felix Vogg, and more!) here.
The Facts
- The technical delegate is Marcin Konarski (POL) with Alberto Casolari (ITA) assisting.
- Christina Kilngspor (SWE) is President of the Ground Jury with Christian Steiner (AUT) and Peter Gray (CAN) assisting. Frances Hesketh-Jones Triulzi (ITA) serves as the jumping judge.
- Giuseppe Della Chiesa is the cross-country course designer.
- Uliano Vezzani is the show jumping course designer.
Competition Schedule
*All times are local time for Rome, Italy. Local time is six hours ahead of EST.
Wednesday, September 14
- 9:00 a.m. - Cross-country course opens
- 2:00 p.m. - First horse inspection
Thursday, September 15
- 9:30 a.m. - Dressage day one
Friday, September 16
- 9:30 a.m. - Dressage day two
Saturday, September 17
- 10:30 a.m. - Cross-country
Sunday, September 18
- 11:30 a.m. - Show jumping begins
- 2:30 p.m. - Top 25 show jump
- 4:00 p.m. - Medal Ceremony
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