The Go Eventing Podcast

We're checking in from Germany at the 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors at the storied Aachen venue, which hosted the 2006 World Equestrian Games. As we hurtle towards cross country day, EN's Sally Spickard sat down for an in-depth interview with course designer Guiseppe Della Chiesa, who you may recognize as the designer for the 2022 World Championships at Pratoni in his home country of Italy.  Listen in as Guiseppe dives in to his cross country course, allllll of the alternate routes that exist -- and what his role as a course designer means for the broader picture of the sport.  It's a candid conversation and we think you'll leave it as big of a fan of Giuseppe's as we are.  ----more---- This episode and EN's coverage of World Championships is supported by Kentucky Performance Products, your one-stop shop for science-backed nutritional support. Learn more at kppusa.com.  Visit EventingNation.com to catch up on all of our coverage.  #GoEventing The Go Eventing Podcast powered by Eventing Nation is your front-row seat to the heartbeat of eventing. From exclusive athlete interviews to behind-the-scenes insights, we bring you closer to the horses, riders, and stories that make our sport unforgettable. Our vision: Celebrate the stories of eventing while connecting fans, riders, and supporters worldwide. What makes us different: Rider-first conversations  Honest, unfiltered stories  🧑‍🤝‍🧑 A community-driven approach

“Where Eventing Lives” Welcome back to Go Eventing, the podcast where the heart, soul, and stories of the eventing world come to life. This week, we're going to Aachen, so ride along with us! The 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships are here, and there may be no venue in the sport that carries more weight, more history, or more atmosphere than Aachen. Whether you're watching from the stands, following along from home, or just trying to understand why everyone in the eventing world gets a little misty-eyed when this city comes up in conversation, this episode is your complete guide to what's at stake, what's come before, and what to watch for this weekend. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 🔎What’s Inside Season 2, Episode 11? Host Sally Spickard is joined by EN British correspondent, journalist, photographer, and amateur eventing encyclopedia Tilly Berendt for a deep dive into the 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships at Aachen. The first half of this discussion unpacks the history and legacy of this iconic venue, with Tilly unearthing many lesser-known storylines, details, and defining moments from the last time the world descended on Aachen: the 2006 World Equestrian Games. After dipping into the past, Sally and Tilly look to the near future of this weekend: the entries to watch, the course design philosophy shaping this year's competition, and the broader movements — in media, horse welfare, and social license — that are redefining what a World Championship means for the sport in 2026. 🔥In This Episode, We Cover... 01:46 - One Big Thing: All About Aachen Sally sets the stage for the Championships, walking us through the significance of Aachen as a venue, the course design choices and challenges that define this particular site, and what makes this year's field compelling. She and Tilly explore the legacy of the short format, the cultural shift toward European dominance in eventing, and how the sheer atmosphere of Aachen — the crowd, the history, the pressure, the twisty-turny cross-country track — shapes what happens on the field of play. [EN’s Ultimate Guide to the FEI Eventing World Championships] 19:41 - History Time with Tilly: Aachen, WEG, the Olympics, & Riders from the Past Tilly reaches back to the 2006 World Equestrian Games at Aachen and brings to life the storylines, characters, and moments that shaped the sport's trajectory. She traces the longevity of the sport's great partnerships, the trailblazers who changed what was possible for riders from smaller nations, and the ways in which Aachen's history is inseparable from that of eventing. 52:57 - Storylines to Follow at Aachen 2026 Pivoting to the present, Sally and Tilly break down the entries, partnerships, and narratives worth tracking across this coming weekend. They point out established names chasing records alongside emerging talents making their first major championship appearances, under-the-radar stories that don't always make the preview coverage, and make the case for why this year's competition is one of the most fascinating ones we've staged in years. The influence of trailblazers like Noor Slaoui, Phillip Dutton, and others threading through the current generation comes into focus here as well. [S1, E12: Go Eventing with Noor Slaoui] 01:19:10 - Modern Movements & Social License The conversation broadens into the forces shaping eventing's present and future. Sally and Tilly discuss the evolving media landscape and what it means for how Championships like Aachen and the Olympics are covered and experienced by fans around the world. Horse welfare takes center stage as they explore the scientific research being applied at Aachen, the growing importance of transparency in the sport, and why social license — the sport's relationship with public trust — has become one of the most constant and important conversations in eventing. The role of data and technology in advancing welfare standards, and the challenges smaller nations face in keeping pace with the sport's evolving demands, round out a wide-ranging and genuinely important discussion. [Read More: FEI and Signify join forces on online safeguarding for FEI World Championships Aachen 2026] [Read More: FEI World Championships: “Horse welfare is at the heart of the event”] [About the CHIO Aachen Scientist Circle: an initiative for the well-being of sport horses] 01:43:35 - Finish Flags A huge thank you to Kentucky Performance Products, who are supporting this week’s coverage. You can learn more about Kentucky Performance Products’ science-backed nutritional solutions here. Follow along with Eventing Nation at the FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors (Aachen, Germany): [Website] [Tickets] [Definite Entries by Country] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [Official App – Apple] [Official App – Android] [EN's Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage] [Support Our Sponsor: Kentucky Performance Products] Like this episode format and want more like it? Hated it and want us to stop rambling on and taking up two hours of your life that you'll never get back? Send us your feedback at [email protected] and tell us what other topics you'd like covered. 🎧 Tune In to Eventing Everywhere with EN Head over to EventingNation.com to read all the latest from all levels of eventing across the globe. Connect with us @goeventing, or you can reach us anytime at [email protected]. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review Go Eventing wherever you get your podcasts! Let's keep building this community together. #GoEventing #EventingNation #WhereEventingLives __________________________________________________________________________ The Go Eventing Podcast powered by Eventing Nation is your front-row seat to the heartbeat of eventing. From exclusive athlete interviews to behind-the-scenes insights, we bring you closer to the horses, riders, and stories that make our sport unforgettable. Our vision: Celebrate the stories of eventing while connecting fans, riders, and supporters worldwide. What makes us different: Rider-first conversations  Honest, unfiltered stories  🧑‍🤝‍🧑 A community-driven approach

“Where Eventing Lives” Welcome back to Go Eventing, the podcast where the heart, soul, and stories of the eventing world come to life. This week, we're sitting down with someone whose fingerprints are on some of the most consequential chapters in American eventing history — as a horsewoman, a leader, and a tireless advocate for the people and animals who make this sport run. Eventing is easy to love from the outside. From the inside, it is a sport held together by people who care deeply, work extraordinarily hard, and think long and hard about its future. Have a seat and tune in to a conversation with one of the most influential of those people. This episode is supported by Sentinel Horse Feeds _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 🔎What’s Inside Season 2, Episode 10? Host Sally Spickard sits down with Max Corcoran — recent USEA Wofford Cup recipient, former USEA President, and current USEA Board of Governors member and USEF Eventing Elite Program & Team Facilitator — for one of the most wide-ranging conversations the podcast has hosted yet. Max's career began with a formative role alongside Karen and David O'Connor, before evolving into leadership roles as a groom, leader, mentor, and advocate of the sport. She brings that full arc to this conversation — the horsemanship, the strategy, the institutional knowledge, and the sharp perspective on where the sport is thriving and where we still have work to do. 🔥In This Episode, We Cover... 0:22 - News & Notes: FEI Eventing World Championship Teams & Clayton Fredericks' Adelaide Sally brings listeners up to speed on the nominations and team selections taking shape ahead of the 2026 FEI Eventing World Championships for Seniors in Aachen, breaking down who is in contention, what the selection process looks like, and what a World Championship field at this venue truly means. She also covers the U25 World Championship in Millstreet — an event highlighted as a meaningful marker for the next generation of eventing talent, and a competition worth following closely for anyone interested in who is coming up through the ranks. Sally guides us on a dive into the Adelaide 5*, where newly-appointed course designer Clayton Fredericks is bringing a fresh design philosophy to the Southern Hemisphere's most crucial event in the sport. Listen in to snippets from an interview with Clayton, where he reveals what his design choices signal about the broader direction of cross-country course design and how the philosophy behind a course shapes what we actually see from athletes on competition day. [EN Database: All Current Entry Nominations for the FEI Eventing World Championships] [Read It on EN: Stars of the Future Set to Make History at Millstreet] [Read It on EN: Clayton Fredericks Named as Cross Country Designer for Adelaide Equestrian Festival CCI5*] 14:23 - One Big Thing: Lessons from the Sport's System Max opens with memories from both Aachen and the World Championships (the event formerly known as the World Equestrian Games) — touchstone experiences that shaped her understanding of what elite eventing looks and feels like at its very best — opening a conversation about what it takes to build toward that level, both as an individual and as a sport. Max walks through her philosophy on the development of young riders and horses, with a strong emphasis on process, patience, and the kind of strategic planning makes careers. Mentorship sits at the center of that philosophy, and Max speaks on what meaningful mentorship looks like in eventing, what the O'Connor Method taught her about horsemanship and leadership, and how she tries to bring that education forward in her current roles. The conversation turns to some of the sport's most pressing structural challenges: entry number downward trends, athlete migration, and the broader question of what eventing needs to do to retain the riders it grows and attract the ones it hasn't yet reached. Max addresses these with the candor of someone who has sat in enough rooms and read enough data to understand the picture clearly. She and Sally also dig into the operational side of the sport — the challenges facing event organizers, the realities of land management and venue sustainability, and the funding and support models that Max believes hold the most promise for keeping competition opportunities alive at every level. The episode rounds out with a discussion on areas where Max sees genuine progress alongside continued opportunity: sponsorship, how bringing owners deeper into the fabric of the sport creates investment and longevity, and the continued evolution of safety technology and course design. 1:48:45 - Finish Flags Follow along with Max: IG: @mmc338 Email: [email protected] Learn more about the USEA Grooms Program: IG: @useventinggroomsprogram Website: USEventing.com/membership/grooms 🎧 Tune In to Eventing Everywhere with EN Head over to EventingNation.com to read all the latest from all levels of eventing across the globe. Connect with us @goeventing, or you can reach us anytime at [email protected]. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review Go Eventing wherever you get your podcasts! Let's keep building this community together. #GoEventing #EventingNation #WhereEventingLives __________________________________________________________________________ The Go Eventing Podcast powered by Eventing Nation is your front-row seat to the heartbeat of eventing. From exclusive athlete interviews to behind-the-scenes insights, we bring you closer to the horses, riders, and stories that make our sport unforgettable. Our vision: Celebrate the stories of eventing while connecting fans, riders, and supporters worldwide. What makes us different: Rider-first conversations  Honest, unfiltered stories  🧑‍🤝‍🧑 A community-driven approach

“Where Eventing Lives” Welcome back to Go Eventing, the podcast where the heart, soul, and stories of the eventing world come to life. This is a big one! We are in full world championship season and Sally is joined by her favorite co-conspirator — Eventing Nation's European Correspondent and The Athletic contributor Tilly Berendt — for an unfiltered, wide-ranging conversation that covers the five star season so far, the road to the FEI Eventing World Championships at Aachen, the growing mainstream spotlight on equestrian sport, and what it will take for eventing to seize this moment. Buckle up. We have thoughts. 🔎What’s Inside Season 2, Episode 9? Host Sally Spickard and Tilly Berendt pick up right where they left off — from two different countries, at their respective computers this time, which is both more professional and arguably less entertaining than their last recorded episode barreling down a highway in England at 11 PM. Some upgrades come at a cost. Sally and Tilly dig into a full recap of Luhmühlen, with Tilly just off the ground there, before pivoting to the state of the five-star season at large — and the horses and riders who've captured their attention heading into the championship stretch. The conversation then broadens into the terrain Tilly and Sally know best: what eventing's growing visibility in mainstream media actually means, what the sport must do to capitalize on it, and a candid look at transparency, officiating, and the role of eventing media in all of it. 🔥In This Episode, We Cover... 0:00 — Tilly Berendt Is Back  Sally and Tilly reunite for the first time on mic since the infamous moving-car episode at Burghley, which Sally confirms was genuinely car-sickness-inducing and, inexplicably, one of their best-received episodes. They set the scene for a world championship season that is moving impossibly fast. 2:12 — Luhmühlen Recap: The Fairy Tale Forest, Great Butt, and D-Day's Masterclass Tilly paints a picture of Luhmühlen — the Lower Saxony woodland setting, the sponge-like ground that absorbs flash floods and delivers perfect footing, and the Hanoverian foal auction that provides some of the championship season's more memorable naming moments. She then breaks down the performance of the weekend: Caroline Harris and D. Day, who became the only pair to make the time on cross country — 18 seconds inside it — on their way to victory. Tilly recounts her conversation with Caroline, who said she genuinely couldn't explain how it kept happening. They also discuss Emily King's competitive weekend and look ahead at what the five-star season's results are telling us about form heading into August. 24:00 — The Five-Star Season at Large: What We've Learned Broader reflections on a season that has felt unusually compressed — past what feels like a starting gun, already approaching selection deadlines for World Championships. The duo discuss which horses and combinations have made the strongest case for themselves across the year's major five-star results, which performances they're watching most closely, and why this particular championship year feels different from others. 35:00 — World Championships Preview: GB & US Team Picks Tilly puts forward her British senior team — Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo (her pick without hesitation for best event horse in the world right now) obviously make the cut, and there may even be a surprise or two on her list. Sally then lays out her US team predictions: Will Coleman and Diabolo (Kentucky winner, effectively a lock) and some others make the cut.  56:00 — Eventing's Mainstream Moment: The Athletic, Faultless, and What Comes Next Sally and Tilly discuss the broader renaissance currently happening in equestrian sport's mainstream visibility — led largely by show jumping and the Rolex Grand Prix series — and what it means for eventing. Tilly shares how she came to be writing for The Athletic, covering the Rolex series with journalist Gemma Redrup, and how she's been pitching features with the explicit goal of steering the platform's editorial attention toward eventing. Sally discusses Faultless, the new Rolex-backed documentary now streaming on Roku, and what eventing could learn from its Formula One-esque storytelling approach. If you see any equestrian content from Tilly on The Athletic, click it. Open it in five tabs. The numbers matter. 1:03:00 — What Eventing Can Steal from Other Sports: Transparency, Broadcast, and the Flag Rule One of the meatiest stretches of conversation in recent podcast memory. Tilly makes the case for bringing transparency in officiating decisions into the broadcast product — using the example of a referee body cam at the World Cup as a model for how decisions can be explained in real time rather than leaving audiences and journalists guessing. Sally adds the technology gap angle: the Morven Park flag review delay as a case study in how slow footage retrieval undermines the broadcast and the official review process simultaneously. Both agree: if something exists in our sport, we should be able to explain it. If we can't, that's worth paying attention to. 1:15:00 — Social License, Transparency, and Eventing's Relationship with the Public A candid discussion about the tension between protecting the sport's image and actually building public trust — and why those two things are increasingly in conflict. Tilly argues, persuasively, that the sport's relationship with the public is more like a tricky romantic relationship than anyone in administration would probably like to hear: trust is built most in the moments where things go wrong and the response is honest, not defensive. Sally raises the specific challenge of visible incidents on course — blood rules, horse welfare checks — and asks whether more transparency in those moments would actually help the sport's reputation, not hurt it. Both agree the answer is probably yes, and that fear of showing anything imperfect may be doing more damage than the imperfections themselves. 1:31:00 — Eventing Media: What It Takes, What's at Stake Sally and Tilly turn the lens on themselves — and their profession. What does it mean to be eventing media right now? What responsibilities come with the trust that officials, riders, and venues extend to journalists? Integrity, both argue, is the whole job. 1:39:37 — Finish Flags Tilly's next stop is Millstreet in Ireland for the inaugural Under-25 World Championships — her first time at the venue, and very nearly her first time at an Irish eventing event since Tattersalls 2019. Sally and Tilly will next see each other at Aachen. There is an open bar in the Champions Circle. That's all the motivation anyone needs. Sally previews two upcoming podcast series: a deep dive into the economics and business side of equestrian sport, and a series on the Thoroughbred in eventing. Stay tuned. 🎧 Tune In to Eventing Everywhere with EN Head over to EventingNation.com to read all the latest from all levels of eventing across the globe. Connect with us @goeventing, or you can reach us anytime at [email protected]. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review Go Eventing wherever you get your podcasts! Let's keep building this community together. #GoEventing #EventingNation #WhereEventingLives __________________________________________________________________________ The Go Eventing Podcast powered by Eventing Nation is your front-row seat to the heartbeat of eventing. From exclusive athlete interviews to behind-the-scenes insights, we bring you closer to the horses, riders, and stories that make our sport unforgettable. Our vision: Celebrate the stories of eventing while connecting fans, riders, and supporters worldwide. What makes us different: Rider-first conversations  Honest, unfiltered stories  🧑‍🤝‍🧑 A community-driven approach

“Where Eventing Lives” Welcome back to Go Eventing, the podcast where the heart, soul, and stories of the eventing world come to life. This episode marks the debut of our new Go Eventing In Focus format — a series of deeper conversations designed to explore the topics, challenges, and questions shaping eventing beyond the headlines. Alongside our interviews and conversations, we're excited to create more space for thoughtful discussions, expert perspectives, and community-wide issues that affect the future of our sport. This week, we're stepping away from the upper levels and shining a spotlight on the foundation that supports the entire sport: grassroots eventing. From local horse trials and volunteer crews to organizers balancing budgets and competitors deciding where to direct their entry money, this conversation explores the realities shaping eventing at the ground level. To speak plainly, the future of eventing won't be determined by 5* winners or championship medals — it will be shaped by whether local events can continue to run, volunteers continue to show up, and new riders continue to find a place in our sport. This episode takes an honest look at the challenges facing grassroots eventing today and what opportunities we must chase to strengthen it for tomorrow. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 🔎What’s Inside Season 2, Episode 8? Host Sally Spickard welcomes Emily Holmes — event organizer, USEF 'R' Technical Delegate, and eventing advocate — to this Go Eventing Podcast deep-dive into what is happening behind the scenes, in the show office, and out on course at your local events. Drawing on years of experience running horse trials and working within the sport, Emily shares valuable insight into participation trends, the rising costs of hosting events, volunteer recruitment, sponsorship realities, and the regional differences shaping eventing across the country. Sally and Emily open a candid discussion on what it actually takes to put on a horse trial in today's environment. They discuss the financial pressures organizers face, where entry fees really go, and why community involvement remains one of the most important — and often overlooked — factors in keeping events viable. Whether you're a competitor, organizer, volunteer, owner, or passionate supporter of the sport, this reality check and roadmap offers thoughtful ideas on how we can help create a more sustainable future for the sport. 🔥In This Episode, We Cover... 0:20 - News & Notes: Bromont, Nations Cup at Bicton, & Upcoming Luhmühlen A quick rundown of some upcoming major events with the MARS Bromont CCI4*-L this week, which will see EN with boots on the ground in Quebec. Sally covers results from the recent FEI Eventing Nations Cup at Bicton, and looks forward to our next 5* in Luhmühlen later this month. [Red, White, & Gold Fundraising Party for the Canadian Eventing Team] [Watch It Live: MARS Bromont on ClipMyHorse.tv] [MARS Bromont on YouTube] [Read It on EN: Defender U.S. Eventing Team Takes Silver at FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ Great Britian CCIO4*-NC-S] 14:10 - One Big Thing: Grassroots Eventing in the Wild Emily breaks down the current state of grassroots eventing in the United States, including participation trends, entry numbers, and the regional differences she's seeing across the country. She discusses how event attendance has shifted in recent years and what those trends may indicate for the future of the sport. The conversation then turns to the economics of running horse trials with a behind-the-scenes look at event budgets, including the rising costs associated with officials, facilities, insurance, prizes, equipment, and labor. She explains why many organizers are facing difficult financial realities and how those pressures ultimately affect competitors. Sally and Emily also dive into volunteerism — one of the most critical components of any successful event. They discuss strategies for recruiting and retaining volunteers, why volunteer culture varies regionally, and how event organizers can better engage their communities. Finally, they explore the role of sponsorships, the challenges of attracting new partners, and why grassroots eventing may need to think differently about community engagement, accessibility, and long-term sustainability if the sport is to continue growing from the ground up. [FEI's Key Event Requirements (KERs) System for Competition Venues] [FEI's Eventing Education System for Eventing Officials] [The FEI Event Organizer's Guide] [Watch Jon Holling get dunked by Zach Brandt] 1:39:07 - Finish Flags Follow along with Emily on Facebook. Follow some of Emily's events: Florida Horse Park: Website | Instagram Flora Lea Horse Trials: Website | Instagram Horse Park of New Jersey: Website | Instagram Rocking Horse Stables: Website | Instagram Poplar Place Horse Trials: Website | Instagram Majestic Oaks Horse Trials: Website | Instagram Interested in learning more about grassroots eventing or supporting your local events? Start by volunteering, spectating, or reaching out to organizers in your area — you might be surprised how much impact one person can have. 🎧 Tune In to Eventing Everywhere with EN Head over to EventingNation.com to read all the latest from all levels of eventing across the globe. Connect with us @goeventing, or you can reach us anytime at [email protected]. 📌 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review Go Eventing wherever you get your podcasts! Let's keep building this community together. #GoEventing #EventingNation #WhereEventingLives __________________________________________________________________________ The Go Eventing Podcast powered by Eventing Nation is your front-row seat to the heartbeat of eventing. From exclusive athlete interviews to behind-the-scenes insights, we bring you closer to the horses, riders, and stories that make our sport unforgettable. Our vision: Celebrate the stories of eventing while connecting fans, riders, and supporters worldwide. What makes us different: Rider-first conversations  Honest, unfiltered stories  🧑‍🤝‍🧑 A community-driven approach