Friday, 19 September 2025
After day one at the Agria FEI Eventing European Championships, it was the now-familiar tussle between Great Britain and Germany that made the headlines, with both nations dominating the team and induvial podium placings. Today, it was the culmination of the dressage phase and the ground jury of Sandy Philips (GBR – President), Valerie Pride (USA) and Katrin Eichinger-Kniely (AUT) would be overseeing the action.
Tom McEwen would be the first rider for the British team, followed by debutante Bubby Upton as an individual competitor, with Laura Collett taking up the team anchor role. There was still all to play for between the white board, but who would head into the cross-country phase with the advantage?
Tom McEwen, Gloucestershire born and bred, has been a stalwart of the British team since making his debut in 2018. His first championship partner was the indomitable Toledo de Kerser, who he partnered to team gold at the 2018 World Championships, then team gold and individual silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
He came together with James and Jo Lambert and Deirdre Johnston’s JL Dublin in 2022, when former rider Nicola Wilson was forced to retire though injury and, once they gelled, they’ve never looked back, with podium placings at CCI5* level and Olympic team gold at last year’s Paris 2024 Games. The duo has continued their form into 2025, with two victories at CCI4* level, so have headed to Blenheim with high hopes.
The morning session of dressage didn’t impact the leaderboard, but the second group – with team riders for Austria, Belgium, Britain, Sweden, Germany, France and Ireland – certainly did. Third to go in the session, Tom and ‘Dubs’ trotted into the arena with an assured air, the rider giving his horse chance to take in the atmosphere and conditions. The start was bright and the first extended trot certainly had ‘wow factor’, with great activity and ground cover. The trot shoulder-in to half-pass was well executed, showing clear change of bend and lovely suppleness through the horse’s body.
Tom rode Dubs in great balance, which meant he could deliver supreme accuracy and ask for a bit extra to earn every mark possible. The canter flying changes were very correct, and the only slight blip was a miscommunication in the canter half-pass, when Tom had to reestablish the canter, but they finished well. Tom was quick to lavish praise on the horse who’d given his all in front of the thousands of supporters packed in the stands and around the arena. Tom looked round at the scoreboard as 26.2 flashed up. It was into the lead at that stage.
“Delighted – it’s [the test] quite hard work, especially for big moving horses. Everything’s quite quick and efficient – bang, bang, bang. It’s a shame to have the obvious mistake on the centre line but, do you know what, he was absolutely awesome. To have that mistake and still get his change in – I was so pleased with him. We finished up brilliantly, so I’m delighted with him,” declared Tom.
Tom is keeping his cards close to his chest on Saturday’s cross-country test; “I think there will be problems all the way around – there are so many little things and you’ve got to keep your wits about you,” he said wryly.
Newmarket-based Bubby Upton (26) could be considered a ‘product’ of the British eventing system, having won medals at each level up the youth pathway, and today she ticked another box by making her first senior championship appearance. Two serious falls, one in 2021 and another just two years later where she broke several vertebrae, have made her rise into the senior ranks less than simple, but Bubby has shown complete dedication and determination to return to the top.
Her equine partner at Blenheim is also a team debutant. Its Cooley Time, also known as ‘Finn’, is a huge character and has an equal amount of talent, but he’s been less than straightforward for Bubby to produce. Owned by The Five Time Syndicate and Bubby herself, Finn is just 10 and, owing to Bubby’s injury time out of the saddle, has very low mileage at this level. However, their potential – and Bubby’s faith in his ability – was realised when they won Bramham CCI4*-L in June, which put them on the selectors’ radar.
The Irish-bred grey really caught the eye, with his coat shimmering silver as he cantered around the arena, awaiting the judge’s bell to start. Ears pricked, Finn was really trying for his rider and doing his best to contain his clear excitement at the task in hand. The trot work was uphill, athletic and bold. There was a moment of angst when Bubby expertly rode the tight right turn to come across the arena for the halt over the centre line and Finn stumbled. Bubby was quick to react and kept him together to deliver a square halt. The canter flying changes were super, with great expression, and the test had an active, consistent rhythm throughout. It was a great debut – eye-catching, correct and free of major mistakes. The final score was adjusted to 28.9, putting them into the top three as things stood.
“He was fantastic in there,” beamed Bubby. “He’s a really sharp and sensitive horse, so the timing of the warm-up was really important today. We were lucky enough to have test practice at Burghley a couple of weeks ago, which was incredible. I feel like my coach Amy Woodhead and I really got it right today – I’m so grateful to her for everything she’s done. She’s seen him right through from the start and knows what we’ve been through to get here.
“The stumble into the halt was a real shame because that is a highlight normally for him – but it was no fault of his own, just one of those things. I’m just so proud of him, it’s such a fine line because of his sharpness and sensitivity so, overall, I’m thrilled with how he coped and how exciting it is for the future,” she said.
And what of her senior team debut moment? “It’s so special – it’s been a dream of mine forever. I grew up watching Pippa [Funnell] and Piggy [March] doing all the championships and I’ve been pushing like mad to get here. We’ve come close a few times and I’ve been a bit unlucky with the timing of accidents which have prevented the dream, so to be here is just incredible and on home soil is even more special – it’s a real honour,” she said proudly.
Laura Collett and London 52, owned by Karen Bartlett and Keith Scott, are quite simply British eventing royalty. In eight years together, they’ve been part of teams at Olympic, World and European championships, collecting a string of medals along the way, including back-to-back Olympic team gold. Plus, they’ve topped the podium at 14 international events, including three CCI5*-L events, most notably Badminton in 2022.
From a young horse who found cross-country intimidating to one of the sport’s most consistent competitors, ‘Dan’ simply loves to perform and, in Laura, he has the perfect partner to make best use of his talents. Today provided the ideal conditions, as the Blenheim crowds flocked to the arena, standing 10-deep to catch a glimpse of him and Laura in action, and no one was disappointed.
The Gloucestershire-based duo cantered up the centreline as straight as a die, halted square and still, appearing obliviously to the weight of expectation on them. A super extended trot announced their arrival, drawing an audible gasp from the crowd, and Dan knew he had an audience to perform for. The shoulder-in and half-pass were well ridden by Laura, who made excellent use of the arena. There was suppleness and regularity, which the judges rewarded with eights and nines – the first time the nine button had been used. The halt was good, with excellent immobility. While Dan slightly dropped his poll in the rein-back, the steps were regular, which helped the marks.
The walk tour was relaxed and regular and the canter work really pulled in the marks with straight, expressive changes and good ground cover. As they turned down the centre line, Dan appeared to want to halt a little early, but Laura coaxed him right down to in front of the judge at C, where he planted square. It was good, but how good? As they left the arena to rapturous applause and Union flags aplenty, Laura gave a punch of the air and pointed at Dan to encourage the crowd in their praise for the 16-year-old bay, her diamante-covered hat and smile sparkling in the mid-afternoon sunshine. All eyes were on the giant scoreboard, and they didn’t have long to wait – 20.6 flashed up and the competition had a new leader, while Britain had an excellent score in the team contest.
“He felt so with me and so rideable – he had a smile on his face, enjoying being in front of the people, at the Palace, where he thinks he belongs. I’m over the moon with him,” declared Laura.
She explained; “I had a lesson on Tuesday with him and I lost every change and had a complete meltdown – it was a complete disaster, but my trainer Ian [Woodhead] said ‘don’t worry, I’ve ordered 20 [changes] off Amazon on special delivery!’. He’s [London 52] still a character – he goes in and performs like that, but he’s still cheeky. He’ll test me, but I have to trust the system, and he knows to perform when it matters.
“I’m relieved because there’s huge expectation on him to go in and perform as he has done. He doesn’t do a ‘wow’ test unless there a people to watch him and that’s a great quality to have. He needs them to show off.”
Seven years on from their last Blenheim appearance together, when Dan was third in the young horse class, what’s Laura’s impression of Captain Mark Phillips’s cross-country test? “It’s a serious, challenging cross-country course and the time is going to be tight. I’ll be at the end of the day, so I’ll know a bit more about it. You’ve just got to get stuck in and get it done,” she responded.
At the end of two intense days of dressage at the Agria FEI Eventing European Championship, it’s Germany atop the podium, but just 1.4 penalties separate them and Great Britain. France is some 15 penalties adrift in third.
The team placings are:
The individual standings look like:
At the end of the day, the British contingent gathered for a reception to honour our loyal and generous owners for their unwavering support. While they were being recognised, it was also a fitting moment to award Bubby and Caroline their British team cross-country silks – a ‘rite of passage’ in eventing and something that many young eventers dream of achieving. Each silk carries a unique number to denote where that person sits on the roster of athletes who’ve represented their country. Now, forevermore, Bubby will be number 198 and Caroline 199.
With the white board action done, the focus tomorrow turns to the iconic 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown-landscaped parkland surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Blenheim Palace. Captain Mark Phillips has set a true championship cross country test, which makes use of the undulations and features around the park. Expertly built by David Evans and his skilled team, the 5710-metre course comprises 31 fences with an optimum time of 10.01 minutes.
Phillips has declared that this will be his final high profile course and it’s clear that his swansong has got the riders thinking. Not only are the jumping efforts going to require plenty of skill and bravery, but getting close to the optimum time will be key in staying at the sharp end of the leaderboard. It promises to be an exciting day where medal chances will be increased or lost.
The British riders start times are:
Following the action
You can catch up on all the action from every phase of the Agria FEI Eventing European Championships on FEI.TV, powered by ClipMyHorse.TV. The weekend’s action will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website – Saturday’s cross-country will be livestreamed from 10:45 to 15:55. Find times and results on the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials website, plus everything you need to know about the British squad and the competition is on our online Eventing Hub.
In addition to the Agria FEI Eventing European Championships, the Agria Blenheim International Horse Trials plays host to the dedicated GFS Saddles 8- & 9-year-olds class – and there’s a bumper entry. Could we see the 2027 European champion amongst the runners? Follow the competition live on Horse & Country TV to find out.