In a thrilling final day of sport, it was Great Britain who led from start to finish to defend their title at Bicton (GBR) and claim victory in the second leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ 2026 Series.
Bicton Park saw stellar crowds making the most of the great British sunshine this weekend as they watched top combinations representing their nations, giving the crowds an incredible display of sport.
Going into the cross-country phase with an unassailable lead, the British team of Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI, Tom McEwen and Shannondale Arnold, Laura Collett and Hester, and Tom Rowland riding LB Mettaphor all soared round Helen West’s cross-country track. Finishing on a winning score of 135.6, they secured vital points toward their ultimate goal of qualifying for the Series Final at Boekelo (NED) in October.
“I’m very happy with the team result,” Chef d’Equipe Richard Waygood said of their performance.
“This [result] was important for us. It’s always great to do well on home soil but we really wanted to win this time as we want to get to Boekelo, and this is a great start to securing our spot.”
In a repeat of 2025’s competition at Bicton, it was the USA who came closest to the British. The Americans were represented by a team of up-and-coming riders on talented young horses, including Quidley Kellermann on board Blakeneys Cruise, Alexandra Knowles riding Montpellier Scais, Tommy Greengard with That’s Me Z and Cassie Sanger with Fernhill Zoro, who finished on a final team score of 182.2.
The relatively inexperienced team at this level showed huge promise to impress Chef d’Equipe Leslie Law.
“This is a developing team, and the competition has been a great experience for everybody,” Law said of the result.
“I have to give a big thank you to the team at Bicton who have done an amazing job in producing good ground. The amount of work and effort that has gone into giving us this event is creditable. We’re really very grateful.”
A young New Zealand team put in a solid performance to take third place on a day where cross-country results were shifting the leaderboard throughout the competition. The team of Tayla Mason and E.G. Tiger Chilli, Vicky Browne-Cole riding Cutting Edge, Ginny Thomasen with Katchafire and Abby Jones on Henton Audacious, finished on a score of 199.5.
“They were a young team on inexperienced horses, and I think they did a really good job. The girls have pulled together for this competition and I’m very proud of them,” said Chef d’Equipe Jacky Green.
After a slightly tougher day in the office where the cross-country proved challenging for the Irish team, Molly O’Neill and Muckridge Quick Step, Susannah Berry with John the Bull, Danielle McCormack riding MGH Hildare Harlequin and Padraig McCarthy on MGH Zabaione finished fourth with a score of 309.9. However, they still earned crucial qualification points to hopefully secure a place at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ 2026 Series Final in Boekelo (NED) later this year.
FULL RESULTS here.
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