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Scene One: Cross-country day at the equestrian world championships in Aachen, Germany. We are surrounded by horse-people from six continents. At the start of play, 0.8 points separate Britain and Germany. There is a group intake of breath as each horse jumps a hanging log into the water, to angle over a skinny corner. When they jump out over a huge wooden duck, every nation cheers. We have come to watch the best combinations in the world take on a tricky course at what is known in equestrian circles as “the greatest show on earth”, and it doesn’t disappoint. As the day races past, there are thrills and spills. Gemma Stevens, riding first for the Brits, is eliminated at fence 8; one of the fancied Americans falls off; Korntawat Samran for Thailand is clapped all the way back to the stables after a fast clear round. There’s a roar as Julia Krajewski, the Tokyo Olympic champion, jumps cleanly through the water. A German lady turns and hugs me. She’s in tears. “I looked after Nickel [Julia’s horse] when he was three. His owner, the professor, is watching from hospital,” she says. The British team ends the day comfortably on top. Scene Two: A starry night in the centre of Aachen’s old town. The 14th-century town hall is obscured by a giant screen. We’re watching the finals of the freestyle dressage that is taking place in the main stadium in front of a 40,000 sell-out crowd. Charlotte Fry on her black stallion, Glamourdale (Glammy), who has already won individual gold for Britain in the Grand Prix, dances to Welcome to Ibiza. The audience claps to the beat as they sashay up the centre line, in a complex half-pass passage, each hoof landing perfectly in time.After the final halt and salute, Fry collapses to hug Glammy’s neck. Germany might have won the team competition, but Fry and Glammy have clinched both individual golds. Scene Three: High in the stands, watching the final jumping phase of the eventing. On my left, there is a lady wearing a bucket hat with the face of British team member Tom McEwen printed on it. Fractions of a point separate the top three: Paris 2024 Olympic champions, Michael Jung and Chipmunk; Ros Canter on Lordships Graffalo, who earlier this year clinched a record-breaking third Badminton win, and European champion Laura Collett on London 52. London tips a pole and Graffalo jumps clear. Britain has secured team gold. Jung can not afford to be even a second over the time allowed. As he clears the final fence, the stadium rocks. Even a woman in a Union Jack dress stands to cheer. In recent years, it’s not been easy to be a fan of equestrian sports. There have been scandals and tragedies, in a world of vocal scrutiny. Many fear that equestrian sport – the only Olympic disciplines in which men and women compete on equal terms – is doomed. Yet over the past week, folded into a rainbow coalition of horse people, it’s been possible to revel in the generosity and athleticism of horses, the bravery of riders, and the extraordinary bond of trust between human and animal. Back in the main stadium, the showjumping is the final hurrah. Every seat sold as soon as they dropped. So far, in the headline disciplines, Germany and Britain have snaffled all the golds. The German showjumping team took the win on Friday night. Now the individual medals are up for grabs. The winning combination will need to jump five faultless rounds. Heading the leaderboard going in: Daniel Deusser for Germany and Steve Guerdat for Switzerland. Ben Meyer for Britain, Tokyo individual champion, is a fraction of a point behind in third. It will be tight to the last jump, but one thing is certain: whoever triumphs will be celebrated by all, along with their magnificent equine partner. Sign up to newsletters from The Observer View more For information about how The Observer protects your data, read our Privacy Policy Photograph by Rolf Vennenbernd/DPA/Alamy Live News