Great Britain won team gold and Cerys Macaulay secured individual silver at the first FEI Eventing Under-25 World Championships, staged at Millstreet in Ireland from 22 to 26 July. Germany finished second in the team standings, while host nation Ireland took bronze.
Cerys partnered the 15.1hh Kananaskis to an outstanding result, climbing from 12th after dressage to second overall. The pair added 12 time-faults across a demanding cross-country track before producing a showjumping performance that secured the individual silver medal.
British team performance
Jasmine Underwood and Indian Girl G finished fourth individually, while Tom Bird and Lenny placed 11th. Their scores, alongside Macaulay’s, delivered a decisive British team victory by 18.9 penalties over Germany.
Alice Casburn and Topspin had been leading the individual rankings after cross-country, having produced the fastest round of the day with only 2.8 time-faults. However, Casburn withdrew her long-term partner before the final horse inspection after deciding he was not fully comfortable, putting the horse’s welfare ahead of a potential individual gold medal.
Cross-country proves decisive
The cross-country course, designed by Mike Etherington-Smith, created major pressure: none of the 39 starters achieved the optimum time of 6 minutes 30 seconds, and only 21 combinations completed with a clear jumping round.
Britain moved into the team lead after this phase, while Casburn rose from 16th after dressage to the individual lead. Macaulay advanced to seventh, and Underwood remained among the leading contenders despite picking up time penalties.
Individual medals
Germany’s Calvin Böckmann and Altair De La Cense claimed individual gold after a clear showjumping round. Macaulay finished second, while American rider Olivia Dutton and Jewelent climbed from 26th after dressage to take bronze.
The United States ended fifth in the team contest, behind France, although its three highest-placed riders would have been enough to win team gold had they competed as the official national squad.
