After a career defined by volume, grit and longevity, Izzy Taylor sits down to reflect on evolution, perspective and what still drives her heading into 2026. She talks openly about stepping back from being "Busy Izzy", reframing success, and learning when change is not a threat but a necessity.

Izzy reflects on injury, recovery and mindset, the realities of motherhood at the top of the sport, and how experience reshapes the way she trains, competes and builds a team. There's a close look at the horses shaping her season, led by Barrington Alice, and why heart, brain and trust still underpin everything she believes about eventing.

Highlights

• Reframing ambition and stepping away from being "Busy Izzy"
• Injury, recovery and the mental side of coming back
• Motherhood, longevity and evolving priorities at the top level
• Barrington Alice, Bramham and shaping a 2026 campaign
• Why heart and brain still matter more than raw talent

Guest

• Izzy Taylor – British five-star event rider, championship team member, and one of the sport's most experienced producers of elite event horses.

Sponsors:

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

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The first big preview show of 2026 is here, and it's all about the US horses you might not be talking about yet. Nicole is joined by Annie Bishop and Diarmuid Byrne to dig into the four-star pipeline, the age profiles that matter, and the combinations quietly putting their hands up as LA edges closer.

From familiar names with depth in their strings to genuinely under-the-radar horses flagged by the data, this is a season-setting conversation about where US eventing is heading and why now is the moment to start paying attention.

How Paris Proved the Power of Data in Eventing: Lessons for LA 2028: https://news.equiratings.com/stories/how-paris-proved-the-power-of-data-in-eventing-lessons-for-la-2028

Highlights

• Why four-star is the proving ground for future championship horses
• The age groups that historically point toward Olympic success
• Under-the-radar US combinations with standout data profiles
• East Coast and West Coast storylines worth following
• How the US Equestrian Open is changing the way fans track form

Guests

• Diarmuid Byrne, EquiRatings co-founder
• Annie Bishop, producer and US eventing specialist

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

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The Eventing Podcast inbox has been overflowing, and since we couldn't get to them all during the last episode, here's a full listener-powered question episode for you. From season plans and LA 2028 predictions to Badminton memories, German dominance, and the rising stars reshaping 2026, nothing is off-limits. It's opinions, insight, and a few unfiltered tangents from the people who see every side of the sport.

Highlights

• What 2026 could mean for the world number one battle
• Who the team are backing for LA (and why the case isn't straightforward)
• Early-season plans for Rocket, Goldman, and the horses coming through
• The British vs German storyline heading into Aachen Worlds
• Rising nations, U25 strength and the next generation of medal contenders
• The big events they'd actually choose to spectate this year
• Plus a few listener curveballs… from profile pictures to strange foods

Guests

• Diarm Byrne, co-founder of EquiRatings and data analyst for elite sport
• Sam Watson, five-time senior championship rider for Ireland
• Spike Milligan, FEI team vet with decades of championship experience
• Hosted by Nicole Brown

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

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The A-Team is back and somehow January already feels long. Between Diarm's medical misadventures, Spike's family odyssey to Cape Town and Sam getting ID'd at 40, it's a suitably unhinged reunion… before we finally get to the sport.

From why flag penalties moved from 15 to nine, to what really separates a championship horse from a five-star horse, to Ireland's new high-performance era under Sam Griffiths, it's a state-of-play start to 2026 with perhaps more questions than answers...

Listeners sent in plenty of those questions, so this is Part One - the Q&A show follows next!

Guests

• Nicole Brown (Host)
• Sam Watson, five-star rider and EquiRatings co-founder
• Diarm Byrne, EquiRatings co-founder
• Spike Milligan, FEI team vet with decades of championship experience

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

On today's episode of When Nicole Met, supported by Bedmax, we sit down with five-star rider and producer Kate Rocher-Smith to unravel a career built as much in the sales yard as in the start box. From a first Badminton to eight- and nine-year-olds at Aston le Walls and a stable full of rising prospects, Kate explains how Dassett Eventing has become one of the sport's most influential pipelines for top horses and top riders.

Highlights

• Badminton 2025 and the first-five-star learning curve
• How Dassett Eventing reshaped the sales + production model
• The traits that matter most in young horses today
• Why team culture drives performance and longevity
• Ones to watch for 2026 and the next generation

Guests

• Kate Rocher-Smith, five-star rider and founder of Dassett Eventing
• Hosted by Nicole Brown

This show is kindly supported by Bedmax, purpose-made, natural horse bedding designed to protect respiratory health, support hooves, and provide a clean, comfortable stable environment.

On today's Connolly's Red Mills Special, we've got a brilliant double act: former European Champion Tina Cook and one of the most exciting young names coming through, her daughter Izzy. With the 2026 season in sight, we look back on a year that included Boekelo, Young Rider medals and a first full run at four-star, and ahead to under-25 Worlds, Bramham ambitions and the next crop of homebreds coming through the yard.

From the call that cost an individual medal at Strzegom to the seven-year-olds they both hope to take to Le Lion, the Cooks open the door on what's to come.

Highlights

• Four-star lessons, Boekelo and the Young Rider Europeans
• Team orders, pressure and delivering under championship conditions
• Under-25 Worlds: why the pathway matters and how riders get selected
• Breeding, bloodlines and the next generation of Cook horses
• Horses to follow in 2026: Mexican Law, Moony and the seven-year-olds

Guests

• Tina Cook - Former European Champion & Red Mills Ambassador
• Isabelle Cook - U21/Young Rider medalist & Red Mills Ambassador

Presented in partnership with Connelly's Red Mills

Sponsors:

Connolly's Red Mills are offering 15% off Foran Equine products to Eventing Podcast listeners! Use the code EquiRatingsPodcast15 to receive your discount. View the full collection here.

Note this does not apply to the already discounted Pre-Fuel & Refuel combo packs.

If you have any other questions regarding feeding click here to ask the Connolly's RED MILLS experts.

Welcome back to the Eventing Podcast. We have teamed up with the USEA and for this New Year special, we're taking on one of the biggest conversations in equestrian sport: social license. What it is, why it matters, and how every one of us plays a role in the future of eventing. Olympic champion, five-star winner, USEF Chief of Sport, and USEA EA21 Director of Coaching David O'Connor joins the show to unpack trust, education, safety, and responsibility, and how the sport can evolve while keeping its core values at the center.

For the latest in U.S. eventing, competition highlights, rider interviews, expert insights, and more, follow the USEA and subscribe to the USEA podcast channel to stay up to date!

EquiRatings Eventing PodcastDon't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Andy Heffernan steps into the stable and we go well beyond course plans and CV lines — from winter escapes and family life to AI fence drawings, Olympic dream seats, and why Bramham still means everything to him.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Why winter never really slows him down
• Using AI to turn fences into drawings
• The advice from Andrew Nicholson that shaped his career
• Why Bramham is still his favourite event
• Olympic finals, jump racing, and skiing envy
• "More tolerant than I used to be" - summing himself up in a few words

GUEST

• Andy Heffernan - international course designer, coach, and rider

To find out more about Strawmax bedding and how it could work in your yard, head to: https://www.strawmax.co.uk

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast Follow the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast for more data-led insight, top-tier guests, and everything you need to keep up with the 2026 season on Instagram and Facebook.

Today on When Nicole Met, supported by Bedmax, we meet someone whose life has touched every corner of eventing. From growing up in a family steeped in eventing history to carving out her own path in advertising, creative production and now commentary and podcasting, Annie Bishop talks storytelling, sport, and why fresh voices matter. She also gives an inside look at the US Equestrian Open podcast, working alongside riders across dressage, jumping and eventing, and how the Open format is helping develop combinations and build fans in the lead-up to LA.

Highlights

• Parents who rode at Olympic and World Championship level
• Advertising, production and crisis comms, and what eventing can learn
• Commentary, data and storytelling as gateways to the sport
• The rise of the US Equestrian Open and why the series matters
• Representation, female voices and growing US commentary talent
• Hopes for 2026 and building new fans for equestrian sport

Guest

• Annie Bishop – Producer, commentator and host of the US Equestrian Open Podcast. Part of the EquiRatings team, working across eventing, jumping and dressage.

This show is kindly supported by Bedmax, purpose-made, natural horse bedding designed to protect respiratory health, support hooves, and provide a clean, comfortable stable environment.

After closing out 2025 as world number seven, Sam Lissington sits down to unpack the season that changed everything and the road ahead. She reflects on the pride of consistency across Luhmühlen, Burghley, Blenheim and Strzegom, the satisfaction of finally showing what long-term horses like Sooty can do, and the analytical approach behind improving weaknesses and speed through the winter.

Sam also tackles the tougher side of the year: Badminton heartbreak, late injuries to key horses and rebuilding horsepower for 2026–27. Plus, an inside look at Lucas Stone's rise and what data, instinct and market context really mean when buying for championships.

Highlights

• World number seven and a year built on consistency
• Sooty's Luhmühlen podium and Billy Alberto at Burghley
• Injuries, resilience and refocusing for 2026
• Lucas Stone, New York and future championship horsepower

Guest

• Sam Lissington – International event rider for New Zealand and 2025 world number seven.

Team Lissington Open Farm Day 2026

Team Lissington is opening it's doors on the 18th Jan! Bring a friend and watch some Winter horsey action with mulled wine and nibbles 🍷🐴 They will run through training priorities, plans for the year ahead and a no-strings-attached overview of the various ownership opportunities and models in eventing. Please RSVP for catering purposes ➡️ link in Sam's bio

Want to find out more about EquiRatings Horse Sales? Visit the website here.