IRELAND has every chance to medal at next week’s FEI World Championships, when it returns to Aachen for the first time since 2006. Three of the four riders were on the Irish silver medal-winning team at the 2025 FEI European Championships at Blenheim Palace and the fourth needs no introduction. Crowd favourites Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue have a stellar record at five-star level, having won at Maryland in 2023 before going on to podium at both Burghley and Badminton in 2025. Details on the Irish riders can be found below.

Horse Sport Ireland High Performance eventing manager Sam Griffiths said the selection panel “had some incredibly tough decisions to make, which really reflects positively on the growing strength of Irish eventing.

“There were lots of combinations that could have made the team, but just missed it,” he said. “But, having said that, the combinations we have are very strong. I firmly believe that, if they can maintain their current form and compete to the level of their current form, we’ll be very competitive. We’ve got a really strong team. We know we’re going to be against some fierce competition, but we’re going with a lot of confidence and we’re all very proud to be able to represent the nation.”

Our biggest threat will be the ever-consistent British. Their squad is spearheaded by the trio who won team gold at the Olympics two years ago. Laura Collett (London 52) and Tom McEwen (JL Dublin), individual gold and bronze medallists at last year’s Agria European Championships, are joined by their Paris teammate Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo), who missed the Europeans owing to her pregnancy, but made a spectacular comeback at Mars Badminton Horse Trials in May with her third win there. The British horse ratings are also hard to argue with. Lordships Graffalo is ranked second globally according to EquiRatings followed by JL Dublin in third and London 52 in fourth. The remaining British riders are Caroline Harris and D Day and Gemma Stevens with Flash Cooley. Yasmin Ingham, who is reigning World champion, having won at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, in 2022 is not travelling to Aachen, but is named on the reserve list with Gypsie du Loir.

“As we head to Aachen with one of the most competitive teams assembled for an FEI World Championships in many years, our primary focus for all disciplines is securing qualification for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games at this first opportunity,” said Helen Nicholls, Performance Director for British Equestrian’s World Class Programme. “However, it would be remiss not to mention the medal potential of the horse and rider combinations that are representing Great Britain. We bring together a squad that balances championship experience and previous podium placings, with exciting new talents keen for success on the world stage.”

Home advantage

Germany will also be a force to be reckoned with, thanks primarily to the Michael Jung factor. Reigning Olympic champion Jung and FischerChipmunk FRH are the highest rated combination in the world and, in Aachen, they have somewhat of a home advantage.

The pair, who won Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2022 and 2025, scored individual glory at Paris 2024 and finished runner-up to Laura Collett and London 52 at last year’s Europeans. Two other combinations from last year’s victorious team at the Blenheim Europeans feature in the line-up: Malin Hansen-Hotopp with Carlitos Quidditch K and Libussa Lübbeke with Caramia FRH. Julia Krajewski’s form with Nickel 21 also gives Germany a threatening edge. Christoph Wahler with D’Accord FRH is the fifth German combination.

Rounding out my medal predictions is the United States. They field a strong contingent with much championship experience, led by world number-three rider Boyd Martin (Cooley Nutcracker, ISH), along with Will Coleman with Diabolo, Phillip Dutton with Denim, Caroline Pamukcu with HSH Blake (ISH) and Tamie Smith with Lillet 3. The squad includes three riders from the US’s 2022 world silver medal-winning team (Will, Tamie and Boyd), but no horses.

Meet the squad - eventing

Austin O’Connor

Horse: Colorado Blue, 17 (Jaguar Mail x Rock Kind)

Breeder: Kate Jarvey

Owner: The Salty Syndicate:

Form: A crowd favourite who needs no introduction, double Olympian ‘Salty’ was selected for the Paris and Tokyo games and won the Maryland 5* in Kentucky in 2023. He also pulled off an incredible podium double at Badminton (third) and Burghley (second) in 2025.

He was given a good break for the first half of 2026, his only international outing being Thoresby Park in April, where he was sixth. After this, it was confirmed he was being rested after a ‘minor setback’.

O’Connor recently confirmed his horse of a lifetime was back to fighting fitness and was raring to go, as evidenced by his double clear in the Advanced at Aston Le Walls at the end of July.

Austin O'Connor \ Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Ian Cassells

Horse: Millridge Atlantis, 12 (Dinan Cascaletto x Warrenstown You 2)

Breeder: Sean O’Loughlin

Owner: Ber, Fiona and Gerry Leahy

Form: One of the most consistent combinations in Irish eventing, Cassells and Millridge Atlantis were key members of Ireland’s historic European team silver medal-winning squad at Blenheim in 2025. The pair have built an impressive record at four-star level in recent years, including a team win in the 2024 Nations Cup in Millstreet. The pair have had two previous outings at Aachen and this season placed a very creditable sixth in the 4*-S at Ballindenisk International before putting in two stunning dressage tests at Bramham (30.3) and Millstreet (31.5) and at Tyrella in March they pulled off an impressive 20.9. Ian will approach Aachen full of confidence after a super win in the 2-*L at Millstreet with MGH Rioja.

Irish Field Eventer of the Year for 2025 Ian Cassells \ Lorraine O’Sullivan

Aoife Clark

Horse: Full Monty De Lacense, 11 (Quickly De Kreisker x Vesontio du Mesnil)

Breeder: SCEA du Noron

Owner: Ace of Spades Syndicate

Form: Clark returns to another major championship with the experienced Full Monty De Lacense, the horse with whom she helped Ireland secure European team silver at Blenheim in 2025.

The pair have been consistently competitive at four-star level, with ‘Monty’ renowned for his bold cross-country jumping. Their 2026 season has been carefully managed, highlighted by strong four-star performances resulting in fourth place at Bramham, Millstreet and at Hartpury.

Clark is no stranger to high pressure atmospheres having finished seventh individually at the London Olympics. She also represented Ireland at Paris in 2024 and has previously won at both Blenheim and Bramham.

Aoife Clark \ Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Georgie Goss

Horse: Kojak, 11 (Namelus R x Contender)

Breeder: H. Vos

Owner: Molly Fisher, Lucy Fleming and Samantha Wilson

Form: Aachen marks a first senior championship appearance for both Goss and Kojak, after the pair forced their way into contention with a series of eye-catching performances over the past two seasons. Having gained valuable experience at four-star level, they have continued their upward trajectory throughout 2026, with a string of competitive international results including a sixth at Chaumont en Vexin in France on the back of a 27.6 dressage score, and top 20 finishes at Burnham and Thoresby, where they had only time penalties in the jumping phases. The pair were also impressive to finish second to their Aachen team-mates Padraig McCarthy and MGH Zabaione in the super competitive eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S at Blenheim in 2024.

Georgie Goss receiving her second Armada Dish for completing Badminton five times \ Nigel Goddard

Padraig McCarthy

Horse: MGH Zabaione, 10 (Zavall VDL x Acobat II)

Breeder: Padraig McCarthy

Owner: Peter Cattell, Diane Brunsden and Padraig McCarthy

Form: McCarthy is a double world silver medallist, who brings championship experience in abundance, although this will be a first senior championship for the exciting home-bred MGH Zabaione. The 10-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise through the levels, winning the prestigious Blenheim eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S in 2024 before adding the Ballindenisk CCI4*-L title in 2025. He has continued to impress throughout 2026, with further strong four-star performances, including fifth at Thoresby Park and fifth at Aston Le Walls, so he is looking every inch a horse with a future at championship level.

McCarthy himself was also part of Ireland’s European silver medal-winning team at Blenheim in 2025.

Padraig McCarthy \ Equus Pix