Tom McEwen and Gemma Stevens both made strong starts to Britain’s eventing World Championship campaign at Aachen in Germany today (13 August). Their performances mean the team sit in equal gold medal position, alongside New Zealand, on a score of 55.9 after two rotations of horses and riders.

Tom and JL Dublin, who was originally produced by Nicola Wilson prior to her career-ending fall, produced a score of 26.6, which also puts them in individual gold at this stage. While Gemma and Flash Cooley, a 14-year-old owned by Pru Dawes, were rewarded with 28, which puts them in sixth individually.

For Tom, the challenge was partly managing an atmosphere that proved even more electric than he had anticipated. JL Dublin – the 15-year-old gelding with whom Tom won European individual bronze last year – was “lit up” as soon as he entered the arena.

“There was a little bit more atmosphere than I expected,” Tom said. “He lit up straight away when I went in there.”

The pair nevertheless produced another highly competitive championship test, with the only major blemish coming in the final flying change on the centre line in a new test that is just four minutes long, meaning there is little time to re-group between movements.

Tom explained that flies have been an irritation for Dublin throughout the week and that they contributed to the loss of concentration at a crucial moment.

“He’s been annoyed by the flies all week, and I’ve really, really been struggling with them,” he said. “He lost all concentration coming on the final centre line before the last flying change – it’s a tough test and that was our one big mistake, which was a shame.”

For a rider who knows his horse is capable of producing scores in the low 20s, Tom was understandably a little frustrated, but he was also quick to focus on the positives.

“I know Dubs and I can come out of the dressage with a 21, 22, but honestly, coming out with a 26, I’m really pleased and it’s great for the team.”

Speaking of Saturday’s cross-country track, Tom is looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“It’s a cracking track,” he said. “I think it’s very fair. There’s lots of angle slices, lines, many, many decisions to be made, and we’ll probably start off with a plan that might change three times on the way around, depending on how you go.”

He expects the time to prove influential, while praising the going and the range of combinations throughout the course.

“There’s some amazing questions all the way around. They’ve done a fantastic job on the footing too, so thank you very much,” he said.

Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley at the 2026 World Championships

Gemma, meanwhile, had every reason to be delighted with Flash Cooley’s performance, despite a frustrating mistake right at the end of their test, in the same movement Tom and JL Dublin had a problem.

The grey gelding produced elegant and relaxed work and looked on course for an excellent finish before misunderstanding the final flying change on the centre line.

“I’m over the moon with all of it, apart from just that last centre line, which is such a shame,” Gemma said. “He thought we were halting. You know, it is hot today, and he probably had enough by then, and just came up the centre line at the end and went to stop, and I was like, ‘No, no, we’ve got to do a flying change,’ and then obviously we were completely muddled.”

The error was particularly frustrating because the movement has been going well while schooling at home.

“It was a real shame to lose that sort of last mark because that’s actually been a real highlight in training,” Gemma said. “But the rest of it was so good, and he was so relaxed and so with me and a real pleasure to ride.”

The performance represents the culmination of a carefully constructed plan for Gemma, who is back on a British championship squad for the first time since helping Britain to team gold at Tryon in the US in 2018.

“We’ve been working towards this,” she said. “To be honest with you, it’s been absolutely the plan set out since the beginning of 2025, and I literally worked out a plan for the whole of that year and then the whole of this year leading up, and it’s pulled off.”

In terms of the current standings, New Zealand’s Jonelle Price and Señor Crocodillo are in silver on 27.2, while France’s Alexis Goury and Je’vall are in bronze on 28.5 and the German team are four penalties adrift of joint-leaders Britain and New Zealand in bronze on 59.9.

The second day of dressage gets underway tomorrow at 8.30am UK time.

Images: © Tim Wilkinson

Related content