Between Christmas and New Year is always a strange pause. The horses still need doing, the calendar for next season is already filling up, and yet it's the one moment in the year where everyone takes a breath and looks around.

In this Christmas special, Nicole brings together an all-star panel to reflect on 2025, from personal milestones and big championship moments to confidence wobbles, comeback stories and the quieter wins that matter just as much. It's an honest conversation about perspective, community, and why eventing is as much about the people as it is the results, before attention inevitably turns to championship season and what's coming next.

Highlights

• Personal and professional highlights from 2025, including championship highs and lessons learned along the way
• How family, perspective and confidence shape performance at the top level
• British Eventing's year in numbers, participation growth and behind-the-scenes progress
• Why community matters, from grassroots riders to five-star finish lines
• Looking ahead to 2026, with world championships, goals, and renewed motivation
• A festive Q&A covering training basics, accessibility, mindset and enjoying the sport

Guests

• Lucinda Green – Six-time Badminton winner and legendary voice of experience
• Tom McEwen – Two-time Olympic gold medallist
• Rosie Williams – CEO of British Eventing
• Simon Grieve – Five-star rider and fan

Follow @britisheventing on Instagram to stay up to date with all the action.

Inspired to get more involved? Find out how you can support training, education and the eventing community: 👉 British Eventing Training Foundation 👉 Volunteer with British Eventing

As the countdown begins to one of the moments that really signals the start of the season, this episode turns its focus to the $100,000 Grand Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce's Field and the wider impact it continues to have on the sport. Central to that is the Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant, created in Annie's memory to support developing professionals across all disciplines as they take meaningful steps forward in their careers.

Nicole Brown is joined by Annie's father, Putter Goodwin, and this year's grant recipient, Elle Choate, to talk about what the grant was built to do and why it matters. Ellie shares where she's at right now, coming back from a serious injury, getting horses back into work, and trying to build something sustainable in a sport that isn't easy to break into. Putter reflects on Annie's connection to Aiken, the kind of people the grant is meant to support, and how the idea has grown into something that's already making a difference.

• Why the Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant was created and what it's meant to support
• Annie's connection to Aiken and the community that shaped her career
• Elle on recovering from injury and getting back in the saddle
• The realities of turning riding into a sustainable profession

• Putter Goodwin - Annie Goodwin's father and a driving force behind the Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant, created to honour Annie's legacy and support developing professionals across disciplines.
• Elle Choate - 2026 Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant recipient, developing professional based in Aiken.

Find out more about the Annie Goodwin Rising Star Grant and the $100,000 Grand Prix Eventing Showcase at Bruce's Field presented by Taylor, Harris Insurance Services.

👉 Learn more about the grant, the event, and how to get involved.

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This is one of those conversations that reminds you how quickly the sport can move when the right horse, the right timing and a lot of patience come together.

Lea Siegl joins the show to reflect on a career that has quietly turned into something pretty extraordinary. From being the youngest rider at the Tokyo Olympics to delivering Austria's best-ever European Championship result at Blenheim, she talks about the moments that shaped her, the pressure that didn't always feel like pressure, and the belief it took to keep going when things weren't straightforward.

At the heart of it all is DSP Fighting Line. The horse who taught her patience, trust and resilience. Lea also looks ahead to the next phase, with Van Helsing stepping into his moment and Aachen 2026 firmly in focus.

• The Olympic journey that came earlier than expected
• Why Tokyo changed everything, for both horse and rider
• DSP Fighting Line's story, from spooky youngster to championship star
• Five-star ambition, championship pressure and learning to trust the process
• Van Helsing's rise and what the next few seasons could hold

• Lea Siegl - Austria's leading event rider, Olympic competitor and European Championship top-five finisher, with multiple five-star performances to her name and a growing presence at the very top of the sport.

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.

In this Feed Room episode, Spike The Vet is back with Red Mills nutritionist Louise Jones to tackle a question that comes up again and again, especially through the winter months: how do you get energy from horses that already carry plenty of condition?

They talk through good doers, honest workload assessment, body condition, forage choices, and why simply adding more feed is rarely the answer. There's also an important look at equine metabolic syndrome, including how it can affect competition horses as well as natives, and how feeding needs change depending on the job, from eventing to dressage.

Practical, clear, and grounded in real-world experience.

• Why good doers can be harder to feed than poor doers
• The impact of excess weight on energy and performance
• Simple ways to monitor body condition over time
• Equine metabolic syndrome beyond the "fat pony" stereotype
• Feeding low-starch diets without losing performance
• When targeted starch can help add expression and power
• The role of forage in managing energy and condition

• Spike The Vet — equine vet and regular voice on the Feed Room series
• Louise Jones — equine nutritionist with Red Mills, specialising in performance and metabolic management

📲 Stay Connected This episode is brought to you by Connolly's Red Mills. For expert advice, forage analysis, and feeding support, visit redmills.com or connect with their nutrition team directly. Proud partners of the podcast, Red Mills are here to help you feed your horse with confidence.

This episode is exactly why Strawmax Stable Chats exist. Adam Short pulls up a chair and we cover everything from championship pressure to jalapeño margaritas, dream dinner parties, and the horses in Tom McEwens yard who know they're the stars of the show. A brilliant glimpse into the person who keeps the whole operation ticking.

• The elite-sport job he'd choose outside horses
• Kris Jenner, Adele, Alan Carr and Serena Williams at his table
• The biggest main-character energy in Tom's string
• Why one-on-one trips create the "special ones"
• The portaloo incident he can't undo

• Adam Short, head groom to Tom McEwen.

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 2025 season on Instagram and Facebook.

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

Eventing is full of brilliant days and tough ones, which is why the people you bring with you matter just as much as the horses. In this episode of the Grassroots Show, we look at how friendship, shared experience and the right support crew can shape your confidence, your progress and your enjoyment of the sport.

Lucy Robinson, glowing, pregnant and still full of sharp humour, joins the show alongside her long time partner in crime, Jess Maye. From early yard meetups to shared show jumping disasters, team chasing memories and event day rituals, the pair talk about how they have built their community and why it has made the sport better at every level.

Highlights

• How Lucy and Jess first connected and the moment the friendship stuck
• The role of motivation, FOMO and healthy competition in moving up the levels
• Why shared lessons, shared lorries and shared disasters build real confidence
• Tips for eventing alone, from organisation to safety to asking for help
• How social media creates genuine community for grassroots riders
• The reality of juggling horses, work and children and how to make it manageable

Guests

• Lucy Robinson - Red Mills ambassador and the rider behind Footluce Eventing
• Jess Maye - Creator of Life on the Buckle

Presented by Foran Equine, part of the Connolly's RED MILLS family.

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 2025 season on Instagram and Facebook.

Chris Stone has been part of some of the most memorable chapters in modern eventing. Five star winners, a homebred hero, and one of the sport's most fascinating breeding stories. He and his wife Lisa also helped shape the Event Rider Masters era, bringing a new audience into the sport and raising the bar for how eventing was showcased.

In this episode, Chris takes us through the journey. From the early days of Harry the Hunter and a birthday surprise that became Chilli Morning, to the emotional rollercoaster of William Fox-Pitt's comeback, and the creation of a breeding programme that now includes three clones of a five star winner. It is eventing through the eyes of an owner who has lived every high and every heartbreak. And the next chapter is already unfolding.

Highlights

• The story behind buying Chilli Morning and how he became Lisa's birthday present
• Navigating the London 2012 Olympics cycle and the lessons learned
• William Fox-Pitt's recovery and the road to Badminton 2015
• Bicton 2021, the homebred triumph and a career milestone for Gemma
• How and why the Chilli Morning clones came to be
• The realities of ownership, the heartbreaks, the breakthroughs and the people who make it possible
• What the sport needs to thrive in the future and lessons from the ERM years

Guest

• Chris Stone, five star owner, breeder and long-time supporter of innovation in eventing

This episode is powered by EquiRatings Horse Sales,the data-driven way to find your next superstar. From performance metrics to potential and price, EquiRatings helps take the guesswork out of buying and selling horses. Find out more here.

EquiRatings Eventing Podcast:

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There's something wonderfully chaotic about Horse of the Year season. Everyone arrives certain they know exactly who should make the list… right up until the episode actually starts. Then the memories flood back, the numbers begin to nudge opinions, and suddenly even the panel isn't quite as sure as they thought.

fischerChipmunk FRH. Lordships Graffalo. London 52. The heavyweights are here, the tactics are real, and the rules… well, let's just say they evolve by the minute. Nicole is joined by Diarm, Catherine, Spike and Annie for a full house and as they try to whittle the season down to eight. There are stats, strong opinions, rogue nominations, and one or two tactical plays that nobody is pretending to be subtle about. Settle in.

Highlights

• The five automatic selections and why the top three were never really in doubt
• Annie's case for fischerChipmunk FRH and the moment in Kentucky that changed her mind
• Catherine's pitch for Lordships Graffalo and why no one even bothered to argue
• Spike's "not tonight, I'm saving the spice" approach… until he wasn't
• D's fully tactical masterstroke that blindsided the rest of the panel
• The wildcard chaos: Cartania, Cavalier Crystal, Kiarado d'Arville, Commando 3, Qantas R
• The tightest tally we've ever had on the show, with three horses tied until the final vote
• The official quarter-final draw

Guests

• Diarmuid Byrne
• Catherine Austen
• Spike Milligan
• Annie Bishop

Vote now for your EquiRatings Horse of the Year🐴

The Feed Room is open and Spike has questions. Louise Jones from Red Mills is back and this time we are getting into the real nuts and bolts of feeding. Balancers, complete feeds, how they actually work, and when each one makes sense. If you've ever wondered whether a scoop of chaff and a balancer is really enough, or why some yards swear by mixes while others live by cubes, this is the episode that clears the fog.

Louise breaks down what a complete feed technically is, how the equine world uses the term differently, and why protein and amino acids matter more than people realise. There is even a moment where Spike learns feeds are cooked, and it changes his entire worldview.

A genuinely useful conversation with plenty you can take straight back to the yard.

Highlights

• What a complete feed actually is
• When a balancer works and when it simply does not
• Why protein and key amino acids often get overlooked
• The hidden calorie gap in low bucket feeds
• Mixes versus cubes and how they are made

Guest

• Louise Jones, Red Mills Senior Nutritionist, here to make feeding horses make sense.

📲 Stay Connected This episode is brought to you by Connolly's Red Mills. For expert advice, forage analysis, and feeding support, visit redmills.com or connect with their nutrition team directly. Proud partners of the podcast, Red Mills are here to help you feed your horse with confidence.

The end of a season always brings that odd mix of relief, exhaustion, and the moments you can't quite shake. And 2025 gave us plenty of those. The highs that made you grin. The heartbreaks that stopped you in your tracks. And then the moments that shifted the sport itself.

It's the washing machine of emotions you only get in eventing, and we're diving straight into the ones that defined the year.

Settle in. There's plenty to talk about.

• The Kentucky win that became Annie's moment of the year, and the Morven Park rail that broke half the media tent.
• Badminton's razor-thin margins and how Cooley Rosalent nearly rewrote the script.
• The cross-country moment that convinced Dee that Lordships Graffalo is something we haven't really seen before.
• Boyd Martin's world number one milestone and why that 26.0 in the rain changed everything.
• Harry Meade, inside the time, and the long road to the top spot.
• The emotional backdrop of Ros Canter's season and why Badminton meant more than just another title.

• Diarmuid Byrne, EquiRatings Co-Founder
• Annie Bishop, fresh from the US Open circuit with the stories you didn't see on camera.