New Zealand has once again punched above its weight when it comes to the world rankings for event riders. While Michael Jung has taken out the No. 1 spot again at the end of the Northern Hemisphere season on 463 points, just 13 points behind him is Tim Price, which is an awesome effort.
Gemma Tattersall (UK) comes in third; she is on the same points as Tim but on the count-back (please don’t ask us to explain how this is all calculated), was ranked third.
American Phillip Dutton is fourth with Andrew Nicholson in fifth place.
Two English women, Rosalind Canter and Sarah Bullimore, are sixth and seventh. In fact, British women are dominant in the latest rankings, with Piggy French, Izzy Taylor and Nicola Wilson also making it into the top 20, with only one British male – Tom McEwen – joining them!
Sir Mark Todd would have been higher up if things had gone his way at Pau but finishing 10th in the world is still a huge achievement. Karin Donckers (Belgium) and Maxime Livio (France) make up the other two riders in the top ten.
Sitting in 25th place is Donna Edwards-Smith, which is an exceptional achievement for the hard-working New Zealand-based rider. So, too, is Samantha Felton’s 30th position. Both of them will be hoping to add to their points at this month’s Adelaide four-star event.
Other New Zealanders appearing high up in the rankings include Blyth Tait (49th), Virginia Thompson (51st), Caroline Powell (74th), and James Avery (99th).
Show Jumping
Americans are on top of these rankings, with Kent Farrington at number one and World Cup winner McLain Ward at number two. Frenchman Kevin Staut is in third place.
Sharn Wordley is the highest-ranked New Zealander (93rd), with Samantha McIntosh next (253rd) and Bruce Goodin not far behind in 287th. Samantha Morrison is the highest-ranked New Zealand-based rider, in 1249th place.
Dressage
Wendi Williamson is the only New Zealander in the top 100, coming in at number 97. Abbie Deken is next in 242nd spot, followed by John Thompson (286), Penny Castle (344), Vanessa Way (355), Jody Hartstone (368), Bill Millar (383), Julie Brougham (496) and Kate Tobin (580).
Endurance
New Zealand stars in the endurance world rankings are Jenny Champion (162nd), Ashley Cole (241st), Vanessa Tiffen (270th), Jenny Chandler (372nd) and Georgia Smith (450th).
