Signing off on GAT UK 2026 🇬🇧
What a way to finish an incredible week on our GAT UK Eventing Tour.
Our second GAT UK eventing tour for 2026 has come to a close in the heart of the English Cotswolds, and what a week it has been. New horses, new challenges, plenty of learning and a whole lot of fun along the way. From flatwork and gridwork to cross-country, a full training show and two days inside the gates of one of the world's great eventing venues, our GAT UK riders packed a lifetime of memories into just a few short days.
Heating Up in the Cotswolds
The GAT UK Eventing Tour got well and truly underway with our riders from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA getting stuck into an unforgettable week of horses, learning and adventure. Based in the postcard-perfect village of Bourton-on-the-Water, the group spent the week training under the guidance of international event rider and coach Daniele Bizzarro.
Dan set the tone for what makes this tour so special. As he puts it, “GAT is all about catering for a wide range of riders, and it is all about learning and having fun”. Throughout the week our riders experienced a variety of different horses, challenging them to adapt, build confidence and take something new from every ride.
Day one saw Dan sharing plenty of useful tips from his toolbox, working through the fundamentals with our New Zealand 4* event rider Shannon Galloway as training started to heat up. Then came a firm crowd favourite: cross-country day. Our riders headed out to the incredible facility at Lyneham Heath to test themselves over a full cross-country course, tackling everything from logs to hedges, steps to banks and water complexes, all while adapting to new horses.
A Little British Culture
Because a GAT tour has never been just about the riding.
The UK is famous for its pubs, and what better way to spend an afternoon than with a relaxed Q&A session with Dan over a classic pub meal. Our riders enjoyed good food and plenty of insights from one of the best, the perfect way to experience a little slice of British culture while still learning between sessions.
A Rare Look Inside a Top International Yard
Fresh from Aachen, where she climbed from 38th to 14th after a brilliant cross-country run at the FEI World Championships, British eventing star Caroline Harris opened her gates to our GAT UK crew. It was a rare look inside a top international yard, a chance to meet the horses, explore her systems and understand the mindset that takes a rider to the world stage. An incredible insight, and one our riders will not forget in a hurry. Thank you Caroline for sharing your team with us. 🙏
Training Show Time
After a week of training, it was time to put it all into practice as our GAT UK training show got underway.
Designed to replicate a real competition environment, the training show gives our riders the chance to bring together everything they have worked on across the week. It kicked off with dressage and cross-country, and there was plenty to celebrate after the first phase, with Kiwi rider Shannon Galloway taking the lead after dressage.
Then it was out onto the cross-country course, where our riders tackled a variety of questions aboard horses they had only met a few days earlier.
The Overall Podium
🥇 1st: Shannon Galloway and Rosie/Bart, New Zealand 🇳🇿
🥈 2nd: Abbey Wooster and Trooper, Australia 🇦🇺
🥉 3rd: Nyah Duncan and Freddie, Canada 🇨🇦
A huge congratulations to Shannon on taking the overall win, and to every one of our riders for a fantastic few days of competition. What makes it even more impressive is that these riders only met their horses a matter of days ago. Watching the partnerships develop, confidence grow and everything they had worked on throughout the week come together in the competition arena has been pretty special.
Two Days at Defender Burghley
To round out an unforgettable week, our riders swapped competing for spectating and headed to the legendary Defender Burghley Horse Trials.
There is nothing quite like watching the world's best event riders and horses take on a five-star course up close. From the sheer scale of the fences to the bravery, precision and partnership on show, it was incredible to see firsthand just how remarkable these world-class athletes truly are. For a group of riders who had spent the week building their own partnerships from scratch, there could not have been a more inspiring way to finish.
The perfect way to round out an unforgettable week. 🏆
Could This Be You in 2027? 🌍
Watching this week unfold, from first training session to overall podium to the roar of a five-star crowd, is a reminder of exactly why we do this. New opportunities, new countries, new friendships, and the kind of experiences that stay with a rider.
And the best part? You could be next.
GAT UK Eventing Tour 2027: Badminton
Back to the home of eventing, this time built around the world-famous Badminton Horse Trials. Same Cotswolds magic, same world-class coaching with Dan Bizzarro, all wrapped into a once-in-a-lifetime British eventing experience.
Our 2027 UK Badminton Tour is nearly sold out. If you have ever dreamed of walking a legendary course with your name on a GAT tour list, this is your sign.
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