The Championship gathered 39 athletes representing five nations: Argentina, Great Britain, Ireland, USA, USSR.
A first international event, which could be compared to a World Championship, was organised in 1927, as had been the case with Dressage. Efforts to revive this first attempt were made in 1939. After World War Two, in 1947, a similar event was held in Turin (ITA). By 1953, the FEI Eventing European Championships had come into being, with significant support from Great Britain where the first edition of the highly successful Badminton Horse Trials had been held in 1949.
Twelve years later, by 1965, the FEI had established the configuration according to which world championships in the Olympic discipline of Jumping were held every four years in the non-Olympic even years and continental championships were organised in odd years. This pattern is still in use today.
The first world championships in the two remaining Olympic disciplines of Dressage and Eventing were held in 1966.
The first FEI Eventing World Championship was organised in 1966 on the splendid estate belonging to David George Brownlow Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter. Styled Lord Burghley, he had an outstanding career in athletics becoming Olympic champion in 400m hurdles at the Amsterdam 1928 Olympic Games. Four years later, at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, he won a silver medal as a member of the British 4 × 400-metre relay team.
Equine infectious anaemia (EIA), also known as swamp fever, which is caused by a virus and can be potentially fatal, was rife in Europe at the time. The disease resulted in limited participation in the championship, since the British Ministry for Agriculture had prohibited the export and import of horses to and from the continent.
Only 39 athletes from five nations – Argentina, Great Britain, Ireland, the USA, and the USSR – were able to attend.
The demands of the Endurance phase were as follows:
A. Roads and tracks: 6,960m to be completed in 29 min
B. Steeple-chase: 3,600m and 10 jumps
C. Roads and tracks: 10,320m to be completed in 43 min
D. Cross-country: 7,650m and 31 jumps
E. Roads and tracks: 1,320m to be completed in 4 min.
Carlos Moratorio of Argentina became the first world champion riding Chalán. He had a comfortable lead over Richard Meade (GBR), who took the silver on Barberry and Ireland’s Virginia Freeman Jackson on Sam Weller in bronze. Ireland’s Major Eddie Boylan on Durlas Eile, who would become European champion the following year, placed fourth.
Although all five competing nations fielded teams, only two – Argentina and Ireland – were able to complete the competition.
Ireland, whose team consisted of two women – individual bronze medallist Virginia Freeman Jackson and Penelope Moreton (Loughlin) – and two men – Major Eddie Boylan and Thomas Brennan (Kilkenny) – were the team champions. The Argentinian team took the silver.
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