In Conversation with the U.S. World Number Ones

They’ve each had their own path - different decades, different horses, different wins. But Boyd Martin, Kim Severson, and David O’Connor all know what it takes to reach the top of the world rankings.

From Olympic medals to five-star results, these three champions spent years building careers at the highest level. In the newest Eventing Podcast, we take a look at how each of them became World Number One and what it really took to get there.

Boyd Martin: The Long Climb with the Right Horses

Boyd Martin, a four-time Olympian and consistent competitor for Team USA, is the current FEI Eventing World Number One. But it was his standout Kentucky performance, finishing three horses inside the top ten - a feat matched by only two other riders since 2008 - that pushed him from 10th to 1st in the FEI Rankings.

For Boyd, becoming World Number One was a personal goal years in the making but it didn’t come with fireworks or fanfare.

Despite the milestone, his day-to-day hasn’t changed much. He’s still up early, still grinding, and still chasing the next result. It’s a proud moment but not a glamorous one. And that’s exactly what reminds you: this is the equestrian industry.

This journey was helped along the way with a bit of Olympic inspiration from the greats. He watched the Sydney Olympics from the stands as a working pupil. He was supporting the Australian team and cheering with a beer (or two) in hand - never imagining that David O’Connor, who won gold that week, would one day become his mentor.

Fast forward 25 years and Boyd has not only competed at four Olympic Games, he’s now started 71 times at five-star level with 26 different horses - a record that puts him among the most prolific riders in the sport. But his position as World Number One wouldn’t have happened without one in particular: Fedarman B - or Bruno, to those who know him.

Many fans know the emotional backstory behind Fedarman B, yet many don't know the performance arc. Bruno didn’t start out as a world-beater - in fact, he was nearly rerouted to a show jumping career. But with patience, the right program, and a smart campaign through softer five-stars like Luhmühlen and Pau, Boyd built him up to a horse who could not only deliver at the Olympic Games, but contribute three of the six results that made up Boyd’s world number one ranking.

Kim Severson: Winsome Adante and the Confidence to Do It Again

Kim Severson's golden era in the 2000s is still etched into the history of U.S. eventing -  three Kentucky wins with Winsome Adante, a World Championship team gold in 2002, and Olympic silver and bronze medals in 2004.

Kim spoke about how success builds confidence - and how each horse adds something new to the process. That mindset is what delivered some of her biggest results and contributed to being named FEI World Number One in 2004. 

Now, she’s bringing through Cooley Corraghy Diamond, and she didn’t hold back when asked how he compares.

It’s a big statement — but one grounded in results. At just eight years old, Cooley Corraghy Diamond made his four-star debut this spring, finishing eighth at Aiken and then second at Tryon just weeks later. He’s still early in his career, but he is certainly one to keep an eye on.

David O’Connor: A Legacy Built on Your System

David O’Connor’s rise to World Number One came in a different era - before constant updates and digital scoreboards. The FEI rankings were still gaining traction when he was based in England in the early ’90s, and the system ran on yearly calculations, not monthly ones. David quietly climbed through the top ten, then the top five, and eventually reached Number One in 2000. The ranking was never the goal - it was the result of building a program that worked.

David made it to the top over a number of years with a string of top horses- most notably Custom Made and Giltedge. He helped the U.S. to team silver at the 1996 Olympics and won Badminton in 1997 with Custom Made, becoming only the second American rider to do so. He went on to win team bronze and individual gold at the Sydney Olympics - the same year he was named World Number One.

Today, David is still involved in horse sport as a coach, leader, and mentor within U.S. eventing. He sees the talent coming up, the support around riders, and the strength of a system that can carry more U.S. riders to the top. While he once stood alone on the podium, David never saw greatness as an individual pursuit. It is built on horses, on teams, and on people. His reward now is watching the next generation climb the rankings while knowing exactly what it took to get there.

A Shared Standard Across Generations

What ties the three together isn’t style or timeline - It’s the ability to keep persevering when it would be easier to quit.

Boyd, Kim, and David may have come up in different decades. But the top of the mountain still looks the same and it still demands everything to get there.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast

Hear the full chat with David O’Connor, Kim Severson, and Boyd Martin on the EquiRatings Eventing Podcast.
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