When Equestrian Canada announced its eventing entries for the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, one detail stood out immediately. Rather than naming a full team of three or four horse-and-rider combinations, Canada selected just two individuals: Jessica Phoenix and Fluorescent Adolescent, and Michael Winter aboard El Mundo.
For some observers, the announcement raised questions. Why send only two combinations when Canada’s stated objective is to qualify a team for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles? Why was Michael Winter selected despite several Canadians sitting ahead of him in the FEI rider rankings?
According to Equestrian Canada, the answer lies in a selection policy intentionally designed to be more demanding than the FEI’s minimum standards. The goal wasn’t simply to send eligible riders, it was to send combinations capable of producing a top-seven finish, Canada’s first opportunity to qualify a team for Los Angeles.
“Our goal is always to send a competitive team,” said Dr. Emily Gilbert, Chair of Eventing Canada’s High Performance Advisory Group (EHPC). “But we only had two combinations that qualified; hence, two are going.”
Raising the Bar
To be considered for Aachen, combinations first had to satisfy the FEI’s Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs). Equestrian Canada then added another layer, requiring combinations to demonstrate both championship-level performance and consistency. Riders not only had to achieve the FEI’s MERs, they also had to record either a score of 50 or better or a High Performance Rating (HPR) of 75 at a CCI4-L (or an MER at CCI5-L), while earning MERs in at least half of a minimum of three qualifying starts.
“We made the criteria really aligned with what the goal was,” Gilbert explained. “The goal is a top-seven placing and an Olympic qualification and to achieve as many top individual placings as possible. We set criteria that would ensure those going had the ability to contribute to a team finish and were proven four-star and five-star combinations, ready to take on the World Championships.”
An HPR is an EquiRatings metric that measures how competitive a specific horse-and-rider combination is against international championship standards. Unlike the FEI world rankings, which rank riders across all of their horses, an HPR evaluates the performance of a single partnership and is used by Equestrian Canada as one indicator of championship readiness.
This approach made sense to Colleen Loach, an international 5* event rider who rode for Team Canada at the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games and was the Paris Olympic team reserve. “It is reasonable and advisable to me to take into account the suitability of a certain rider and horse combination for a specific venue, specifically for the cross-country phase,” she said. “I believe that performance and reliability are very important when choosing a team as well as soundness.”
The qualifying period ran from January 1, 2025, through June 22, 2026. Riders were required to compete at multiple FEI four- and five-star events, earn MERs in at least half of those starts and achieve additional Canadian performance benchmarks before becoming eligible for selection. The result was a remarkably selective process. “We had 15 riders declared and two met the criteria,” Gilbert said. “The FEI criteria only asks for minimum eligibility results, our criteria was more competitive than the FEI criteria.”
Why Jessica Phoenix and Michael Winter?
Jessica Phoenix’s selection came as little surprise. One of Canada’s most accomplished event riders, she and Fluorescent Adolescent have consistently delivered reliable performances at the highest levels of the sport. Michael Winter’s selection prompted more discussion. His FEI rider ranking sits well below several other Canadians, leading some to question why he earned one of only two championship berths.
“The FEI rankings are not a part of our selection criteria because they actually don’t take into consideration the performance of a combination.” ~ Dr. Emily Gilbert
The answer, Equestrian Canada says, is that FEI rankings measure riders, not horse-and-rider combinations. “The FEI rankings are not a part of our selection criteria because they actually don’t take into consideration the performance of a combination,” Gilbert explained. “They take into consideration the collective results of an athlete on potentially multiple horses.”
Instead, selectors focused on proven championship performances at the four- and five-star level. “Mike and El Mundo delivered last year at Luhmühlen the most competitive five-star result Canadian eventing has had in over a decade,” said EC Director of High Performance James Hood. “Jess and Fluorescent Adolescent are the most reliable cross-country combination that we have at the four-star and five-star level. Ultimately, they are proven, experienced partnerships ready to take on the World Championships.”
Winter agrees that this year’s process was less about subjective selection than objective qualification. “There really wasn’t any selection,” he said on a video call from his home in England. “I think it was more about qualification and preparedness. The criteria was built to try and make sure that we were sending prepared, proficient horses at the level.”
Beyond Rankings: Data-Driven Selection
Modern eventing has become increasingly data-driven, and Canada’s selection process reflects that evolution. Alongside competition results, selectors evaluate High Performance Ratings (HPRs), EquiRatings analytics, veterinary assessments and performance trajectory. The emphasis is not simply on who produced the best score once, but which combinations consistently demonstrate they can deliver at championship level.
“The advancement in the metrics that are available for eventing… gives more clarity to the athletes and the program,” Hood said.
EquiRatings, widely used by leading international federations, allows selectors to compare combinations using predictive analytics that account for factors such as strength of field, course difficulty and reliability. For example, Rebecca Howard, the Equestrian Canada’s Eventing Chef d’Équipe, works closely with athletes using those metrics throughout the season.
“[Riders] know what their predicted scores are going to be at the five-star level,” Gilbert explained. “Those athletes can log in themselves and see how their numbers are tracking.”
Hood added that all national team athletes have direct access to their own performance data. “They can look at any point in time and become more familiar with the metrics that are used in selections.”
It’s this kind of transparency, Gilbert believes, that has helped athletes understand exactly what is expected.
Communication Over Controversy
Unlike Dressage, where the 2024 Olympic selection process sparked significant debate and ultimately led to revisions of the selection criteria, Eventing has experienced relatively little controversy over the criteria themselves. Gilbert credits that, in part, to communication. “We’ve worked really hard on clear communication,” she said. “The riders understood why the criteria was in place this way… There really was no pushback from the athletes because of how we messaged it.”
Loach would agree with Gilbert’s assessment. “Having been involved with team Canada in eventing for several years now I would have to say that strong efforts have been made to improve selection criteria with an emphasis on increasing transparency and the athlete’s understanding of the criteria,” she added. “In my opinion this has aided in the athletes having more confidence in the system and in creating a more cohesive group of athletes.”
To ensure the messaging was loud and clear, the evening process now includes athlete town halls, annual debriefs, regular communication with national team riders and even simplified “cheat sheets” for the riders that highlight the most important elements of the selection criteria. “Our biggest change has been this communication piece,” Gilbert said.
Learning from Past Appeals
All this transparency doesn’t mean Canada’s Eventing program has been free of selection disputes.
In 2022, Lisa Marie Fergusson appealed Equestrian Canada’s decision to replace injured team member Colleen Loach with Dana Cooke at the FEI World Championships. The Selection Panel concluded Cooke’s horse, Mississippi, showed a stronger upward performance trajectory and would benefit more from championship experience. The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) upheld the decision, finding the panel had reasonably applied the published criteria and was entitled to exercise its discretion.
Two years later, Lindsay Traisnel challenged her designation as second alternate for the Paris Olympic team, alleging selector bias and questioning the committee’s reliance on EquiRatings. Again, the SDRCC dismissed the appeal, concluding the selection process was reasonable and that the committee was entitled to rely on expert performance analytics.
Together, the decisions established an important principle: while athletes may disagree with the outcome, arbitrators will generally defer to the expertise of the Selection Panel provided it follows the published criteria and reaches a reasonable decision.
Canada Compared with Other Nations
When it comes to selecting a team for international championship events, Canada’s approach also differs from several of its major competitors. Great Britain, a global three-day powerhouse, relies more heavily on selector discretion, allowing its panel to weigh criteria differently depending on championship objectives. The United States falls somewhere in between, using designated selection trials while still giving selectors considerable latitude.
The bigger story isn’t who was selected. It’s why Canada currently has only two combinations ready for the sport’s biggest stage.
As discussed in this article, Canada, by contrast, places greater emphasis on objective qualification standards before discretionary decisions begin. By setting performance benchmarks above the FEI minimums, Equestrian Canada attempted to ensure only combinations capable of contributing to a top-seven finish would become eligible for selection.
Looking Ahead
For Winter, however, the bigger story isn’t who was selected. It’s why Canada currently has only two combinations ready for the sport’s biggest stage. “Nobody can deny that eventing in Canada… has been hollowed out over the last 25 years,” he said. “The pool gets smaller and smaller until the upper levels have completely evaporated. I think that is a real challenge.”
He points to fewer advanced competitions in Canada, some severe injuries to riders and injuries to several experienced horses this season as contributing factors as to why only he and Phoenix qualified for Aachen. At the same time, he credits the High Performance Advisory Group for investing in venue development, athlete support, coaching and education to rebuild the pipeline.
“The fact that Canada is sending only two individuals to the world championships is telling of two main problems we are faced with,” echoes Loach. “Firstly, a lot of us had bad luck this year with injuries to ourselves and/or our horses, and secondly, we have quite a few good riders in Canada but are lacking horsepower. It is incredibly difficult to find and finance a large string of upper-level event horses.”
Winter also hopes the focus remains on celebrating those who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada. “At this point we should be celebrating the athletes and horses that have dedicated their lives and hard work and ambition to becoming the best… rather than worried about who was biased.”
Without a team, Canada must wait for the 2027 Pan American Games to qualify for Los Angeles, but the message behind this year’s selection is clear. The federation chose not to lower its standards to field a full team. Instead, it sent only the combinations it believed had demonstrated they were ready for one of the toughest championships in the sport. The target for the Eventing HP will be to acheive strong individual placings, and to focus on supporting up-and-coming combinations in the lead-up to LA2028.
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