OUR planet's history is littered with empires that rise and fall, mirrored by eventing's microcosm. Six nations have dominated the sport – Britain, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and the US – and each has had their heyday. Right now though, Britain is sitting pretty on the throne.
While Britain and France may bicker over which gave birth to eventing, Badminton and Burghley have cemented Britain as the sport's heartland. Since Badminton began in 1949, Brits have won 49% of the world's CCI5*s, and since the 1960s, Britain has taken 18 of the 64 gold medals at world and Olympic level. Britain remains the nation to beat, on a run of two Olympic team golds. But look back to Tokyo just four years ago, when Britain hadn't won team gold…
