Horse News From Around the World Today: 8 November 2026
Britain’s Ben Maher and Scott Brash are among the leading riders competing at Verona today as the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup reaches its third Western European qualifier of the season. Both have previously won the Italian fixture, while home favourite Piergiorgio Bucci hopes to make history. Elsewhere, British Showjumping has announced a new rider wellbeing initiative, and attention is turning towards Stuttgart, where the next major international indoor competition begins this week.
Read on for the horse news today round-up.
Ben Maher and Scott Brash among Verona World Cup contenders as €250,000 Grand Prix approaches
British Olympic gold medallists Ben Maher and Scott Brash are among the international stars entered for today’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier at Jumping Verona, where a €250,000 prize fund is on offer.
Maher, who won the Verona World Cup competition in 2023 aboard Dallas Vegas Batilly, returns to a venue where he has previously enjoyed considerable success. Brash is another former winner, having claimed the 2019 qualifier with Hello M’Lady.
Their participation adds a strong British interest to Sunday’s 1.60m competition, which is scheduled to begin at 14:30 Italian time, or 13:30 GMT.
The field also includes Germany’s world number one Richard Vogel, fellow German Daniel Deusser, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann and France’s Julien Epaillard.
Epaillard arrives following his victory in the Lyon World Cup qualifier on 1 November, where Maher finished fourth aboard Point Break. The French rider subsequently won Friday’s five-star 1.55m competition at Verona with Donatello d’Auge.
Italy’s Piergiorgio Bucci will be hoping to achieve something no Italian rider has previously managed: victory in his country’s only FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier.
Bucci finished fourth at this summer’s World Championships in Aachen aboard Hantano, narrowly missing an individual medal. His current competition string also includes Pallieter vd N.Ranch, who has already secured two five-star Grand Prix victories this year.
For Maher and Brash, today’s competition provides another opportunity to accumulate points towards the 2027 World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden. Their involvement also gives British supporters two established championship contenders to follow as the European indoor season progresses towards London in December.
The FEI’s official Verona preview confirms the leading entries, while the organiser’s World Cup roll of honour records Maher’s and Brash’s previous victories.
Verona’s final day follows strong performances from Epaillard, Deusser and Vogel
The closing day at Verona follows a competitive opening to the five-star showjumping programme, with several of Sunday’s leading contenders already producing notable performances.
France’s Julien Epaillard won Friday’s 1.55m class aboard the 13-year-old Donatello d’Auge, continuing a successful return to competition for the experienced horse following a summer break.
Simon Delestre finished second aboard Crazy Daisy 13, with Germany’s Daniel Deusser taking third on Navarro van het Eelshof.
World number one Richard Vogel also secured a top-five placing aboard Cherano, an eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Cascadello.
The performances demonstrate the depth of the field assembled for Sunday’s World Cup qualifier. Epaillard is particularly well placed after winning the previous leg at Lyon, while Deusser has the added confidence of being Verona’s defending World Cup champion, having won in 2025 with Otello de Guldenboom.
Saturday’s programme included a 1.50m competition with €28,200 in prize money and a 1.55m two-round contest worth €105,500.
The latter represented the weekend’s most valuable competition before Sunday’s World Cup Grand Prix, although the final Saturday placings could not be independently established from the accessible official results at the time of preparation.
The official FEI Verona event page carries the competition schedule and results links.
British Showjumping announces free rider wellbeing webinar with Riders Minds
British Showjumping has announced a new online wellbeing session designed to help riders recognise stress, build confidence and better support their mental health.
The free webinar, titled The Person Behind the Performance, will take place on Tuesday 24 November at 6.30pm.
It will be led by Grant Payne, Wellbeing Coach at Wellbeing People, alongside Sylvia Bruce, Mental Health Consultant at Riders Minds.
The session will examine how skills developed through working with horses, including patience, adaptability and understanding, can also be applied to personal wellbeing.
Participants will explore ways to recognise signs of stress, respond constructively when plans do not work out, develop confidence and understand the importance of supportive conversations.
The initiative is relevant to riders across all levels of equestrian sport. Competition demands, training setbacks and the responsibilities of caring for horses can create pressures that extend well beyond time spent in the saddle.
While equestrian organisations have increasingly focused on horse welfare, the announcement reflects the importance of supporting the people responsible for horses as well.
The session was announced on Friday 6 November, with registration available through British Showjumping’s official announcement.
Stuttgart prepares for World Cup dressage and showjumping as European indoor season continues
The international indoor season moves to Stuttgart, Germany, this week, where leading riders and drivers will compete from 11 to 15 November.
The Stuttgart German Masters includes FEI World Cup competitions in showjumping, dressage and four-in-hand driving, making it one of the most varied fixtures on the European indoor calendar.
For dressage riders, the event offers another opportunity to collect qualification points towards the World Cup Final in Gothenburg next March.
Germany’s Isabell Werth has already demonstrated her strength in the series this autumn, winning the Lyon qualifier with Viva Gold OLD on a personal-best Freestyle score of 87.890%.
The showjumping programme follows Sunday’s Verona qualifier, with the Western European League continuing through Madrid and La Coruña before arriving in London for the British leg on 21 December.
Stuttgart also provides another stage for the FEI Driving World Cup, a series that has attracted particular attention following Anna Sandmann’s historic victory at Lyon, where she became the first woman to win a four-in-hand World Cup leg.
For British equestrian supporters, the coming weeks will be important in establishing which riders are best positioned to pursue qualification for the spring finals.
The FEI’s official Western European League calendar confirms Stuttgart’s dates and the remaining jumping qualifiers, including London. Individual British entries for Stuttgart have not yet been verified for this edition.