Tim Price Reclaims Eventing World No. 1 as Collett and Meade Lead British Charge in June Rankings
New Zealand's Tim Price has surged back to the top of the FEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings, holding a narrow lead over Great Britain's Laura Collett and Harry Meade as the summer season heats up.
- British Equestrian Establishment
- Emphasizing their unmatched depth and viewing the No. 1 spot as a temporary loan to New Zealand.
- New Zealand Fans & Analysts
- Focused on leveraging their top-tier veterans to secure global dominance ahead of the World Championships.
- US High-Performance Program
- Celebrating the resurgence of US eventing and pushing to break the European stronghold permanently.
Perspectives this story doesn't cover
- Grassroots riders affected by qualification trickle-down
- Breeders of top-ranked horses
Key points
- Tim Price (NZL) reclaims the World No. 1 ranking with 525 points.
- Great Britain's Laura Collett (486) and Harry Meade (485) trail closely in second and third.
- Boyd Martin remains the top American rider, holding fifth place with 426 points.
- The rolling 12-month points system creates high volatility as older results expire.
- Standings carry heavy weight for World Championship team selections and event entries.
The race for the top of the equestrian world has a familiar face back in the driver's seat. New Zealand's Tim Price has officially reclaimed the World No. 1 spot in the latest FEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings for June 2026, amassing 525 points to edge out a formidable British chase pack.[1][3]
The updated standings, which track a rolling 12-month window of international results, highlight a fiercely competitive summer season. Price's ascent knocks the British contingent slightly down the ladder, though they remain mathematically dominant in the top tier of the sport.[1]
Sitting just behind Price is Great Britain's Laura Collett with 486 points. Collett, a perennial powerhouse and Olympic medalist, has maintained staggering consistency across her string of elite horses, keeping her within striking distance of the top spot.[1]
The margins get even tighter just one point below Collett. Harry Meade, also representing Great Britain, sits in third place with 485 points. Meade's resurgence over the past year, fueled by top-ten finishes at major five-star events, has made him one of the most reliable points-earners on the global circuit.[1]
Reigning European Champion Rosalind Canter ensures that three of the top four riders fly the Union Jack. Canter holds fourth place with 448 points, a testament to her deep stable and strategic scheduling, even as some of her massive 2025 results begin to age out of the rolling calculation.[1]
Breaking up the European and Kiwi monopoly is the United States' Boyd Martin, who holds firm in fifth place with 426 points. Martin made history last year by becoming the first American in 21 years to reach World No. 1, and his current standing proves that his top-tier status was no fluke.[1][2]
Breaking up the European and Kiwi monopoly is the United States' Boyd Martin, who holds firm in fifth place with 426 points.
Right on Martin's heels is another Brit, Tom Jackson, sitting in sixth place with 425 points—a razor-thin one-point margin that highlights the extreme volatility of the mid-table standings.[1]
The rankings reflect not just peak performances, but the absolute necessity of depth. To stay in the top five, riders cannot rely on a single superstar horse; they must campaign multiple mounts across four- and five-star competitions globally, banking points consistently month after month.
New Zealand's Samantha Lissington also continues her impressive climb, currently sitting in seventh with 404 points. Alongside Price, Lissington's presence gives the Kiwis two riders in the top seven, a crucial psychological boost ahead of upcoming team championships.[1][3]
France's Benjamin Massie holds eighth place with 373 points, while former World No. 1 Tom McEwen of Great Britain sits in ninth with 369 points. McEwen's slight drop illustrates the brutal math of the FEI system: when a major victory from exactly a year ago drops off the ledger, a rider must immediately replace it with a fresh triumph to maintain their rank.[1]
Further down the top ten, the standings reveal a shifting generational guard. American rising star Cosby Green has broken into the elite echelon, sitting in tenth place with 348 points. Her ascent underscores the success of recent US developmental programs and her own aggressive European competition schedule.[1][2]
The stakes for these standings extend far beyond bragging rights. The rankings dictate the order of entry for oversubscribed events, influence lucrative sponsorship bonuses, and often serve as a primary metric for national federations when selecting teams for the upcoming 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen.
As the eventing circuit moves into the grueling late-summer stretch—highlighted by massive points opportunities at upcoming five-star events like Burghley—the top five riders are separated by less than 100 points. For Price, holding the crown will require flawless cross-country runs; for Collett and Meade, a single victory could flip the leaderboard entirely.
How we got here
May 2025
Boyd Martin becomes the first American in 21 years to reach World No. 1.
Late 2025
British riders, including Ros Canter and Tom McEwen, trade the top spot in a period of intense national dominance.
June 2026
Tim Price reclaims the World No. 1 ranking with 525 points, edging out Laura Collett.
Viewpoints in depth
New Zealand Contingent
Focused on leveraging their top-tier veterans to secure global dominance ahead of the World Championships.
For New Zealand, having Tim Price back at World No. 1 is a return to the natural order. Kiwi analysts and supporters view Price's ascent, coupled with Samantha Lissington's rise into the top seven, as proof that their high-performance program is peaking at the right time. They argue that Price's ability to maintain a deep string of five-star horses makes him less vulnerable to the rolling points drop-offs that frequently plague riders relying on a single superstar mount.
British Chasers
Emphasizing their unmatched depth and viewing the No. 1 spot as a temporary loan to New Zealand.
British equestrian media and fans remain highly confident despite losing the top spot. With Laura Collett, Harry Meade, Ros Canter, Tom Jackson, and Tom McEwen all occupying spots in the top ten, the British camp argues that their sheer volume of elite riders makes them the undisputed powerhouse of the sport. They view the current standings as a temporary mathematical anomaly and expect one of their riders to reclaim the crown following the late-summer European events.
North American Contenders
Celebrating the resurgence of US eventing and pushing to break the European stronghold permanently.
The American perspective is one of hard-won optimism. Boyd Martin's historic run to No. 1 last year shattered a two-decade glass ceiling, and his firm grip on the top five proves US riders can consistently match the Europeans. US Equestrian supporters are equally thrilled by 24-year-old Cosby Green breaking into the top ten, viewing her success as validation of their overseas developmental grants and proof that the next generation of American riders is ready to challenge for the podium.
Sources
[1]FEIFEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings - n° 234
Read on FEI →
[2]US EquestrianUS High-Performance ProgramUS Eventing Riders Hold Strong in Global Top 10
Read on US Equestrian →
[3]Equestrian Sports New ZealandNew Zealand Fans & AnalystsTim Price Reclaims World Number One Spot
Read on Equestrian Sports New Zealand →
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