When ‘Rising Talent’ Rises Faster Than the Results Sheet
This week’s “Future Star” award went to a rider with more eliminations than clear rounds, because apparently ambition now trumps results. After 15 starts and seven walk-of-shames, two soft wins were enough to spark dreams of Aachen 2026. If this is the future of eventing, buckle up.
Yesterday, there was one of those prize award shows in an European country that have brought home plenty of championship medals in various disciplines over the past years.
The Rising Talent-award went to an eventing rider. Sounds fun now doesn't it?
But if this is considered the future for eventing, or any other discipline for that matter, someone please dim the lights.
Because our newly crowned prodigy managed 15 starts during 2025. In those 15 starts no less than 7 led to eliminations!
Also seven were the amount of starts on CCI3* and CCI4* level. Of those seven starts, four led to elimination.
That's not performance, that's a cry for help!
But fear not...
There were indeed two wins strapped down under the belt.
Two wins at the softest of soft events, the kind where half the field is made up of like juniors, retirees, and horses that think cross-country is a light jog with decorative furniture.
For sure a win is always a win, but to see the true genius of these wins one really have to squint hard.
And now?
Well, now "we’re" apparently heading for the World Championships in Aachen next year. Full steam ahead!
Forget the eliminations.
Forget the rails.
Forget the runouts.
Why let actual performance and experience get in the way of ambition? If self-belief were a dressage coefficient, this rider would be scoring like a 9.5.
Even more worrying, this is indeed the current state of eventing.
This is not an isolated, and non self reflecting, mindset that only this rider suffers from. This is a general mindset amongst the go getters.
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Order NowGo getters as in:
Go get quick qualifications on easy events.
Go get quick fixes to get the next level.
All leading to season wrap ups that reads more like a training log from the books of I swear I’m ready, or Start before you're ready, than the one of Future stars in the making.
To sum things up, the drain of the sport has not just been reached, we’ve already gone down it.
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Horzing Around
Horzing Around
