July 21, 2026 
With the 2026 FEI Jumping World Championships in Aachen just around the corner, the show jumping spotlight is naturally focused on to the top, horse-and-rider combinations most likely to make this year’s national teams. Yet while less-experienced mounts may be on the back burner until September, there’s some promising 9-year-olds already showing flashes of brilliance this season on podiums around the globe.
As we’ve said before, it’s rare for a horse under 10 years old to win or podium in a 5*, 1.60m Grand Prix, let alone more than one. While a handful of 9-year-olds earned Grands Prix victories in 2025, only three horses did so 2024—among them the superlative Foxy de la Roque, who took home three in a single season.
So far, only one 9-year-old has cracked the code to victory this year, but three horses have earned multiple 5* Grand Prix podium finishes at the 1.55m/1.60m level. And if experience teaches us anything, it’s that we’ll likely be seeing more from them in the months to come.
Descartes SR
Kent Farrington’s Mexican-bred CCDM gelding set the benchmark for 9-year-olds everywhere when he won the Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) Grand Prix in Lexington, KY (pictured) in April and then took third in the MLSJ Grand Prix in Monterrey, Mexico, just weeks later.
A new ride for Farrington as of 2026, the Olympic team silver medalist has said the gelding has “a rare combination of attributes”—several of which were on display last month when the pair jumped 0/4 for Team USA in their Senior Nations Cup debut in Falsterbo. With three podium finishes already on their record—including a second place in a 4* 1.55m Grand Prix in Ocala this winter—Farrington and Descartes jump clear at 75% in four rounds together at 1.60m+, finishing on the podium 67% of the time they jump-off (Jumpr).
Fischerheros Z
Michael Jung may be the only three-time individual Olympic gold medalist in eventing in history, but he’s also one heck of a show jumper—and may have found his next great partnership in the Zangersheide gelding Fischerheros Z. Jung has been a steadfast in Fischerheros’ life since his first international classes and recently moved him up to the top of the sport, taking third in the 5* Grand Prix Audi in Bordeaux in February, and competing in their first 5* Longines League of Nations (LLN) competition in Rotterdam in June. Together, the pair jump clear at 40% in five rounds at 1.60m, but finish on the podium in 50% of their jump-offs at the same height (Jumpr).
For Space
Richard Vogel is the man-of-the-moment lately, looking like he may be on his way to cracking the World No. 1 position ahead of his 30th birthday. To do so, the reigning European Champion will need to rely on the younger members of his string as well as his tried-and-trues (see: United Touch S and Gangster Montdesir), among them the Hanoverian stallion, For Space.
In just three short months together, For Space—who came from Cian O’Connor’s (IRL) stable—has finished on two, 5* podiums, taking second in the 1.55m Kingdom of Bahrain Stakes for the King’s Cup at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May, and finishing third in the 1.60m+ Six-Bar competition in Rome just weeks later. The natural question: if this is what three months together looks like, what could a year bring?
