August 25, 2026 
Three days ago, Thibeau Spits wasn’t on anyone’s Aachen 2026 podium bingo card.
The Germans were having a banner week. The Brits were delivering. And while the Belgian team was strong, a host of big names stood between Spits and the top of the individual leaderboard.
Course designer Frank Rothenberg had a vision for the Final and it was ruthless: only one rider, the world champion, would jump five rounds clear.
So when Spits, the world No. 1 ranked U25 rider, had a rail in the second qualifier on Friday, he thought his individual hopes were over. A top ten might still be salvageable, but a podium? That seemed a distant hope.
And he was riding one of the favorites.
The 11-year-old stallion Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z has been in the Spits family since age two. Thibeau and his three siblings all ride for their parents’ 200-horse breeding operation in Mechelen. It was Thibeau’s father who discovered the horse at the Woodlands Auction—and issued an ultimatum: he wouldn’t even attend unless he could buy the stallion he’d spotted in the field.
At three, Impress was started under saddle just as Spits finished school and began working full-time on the farm. He took over the ride. The stallion was slightly weak behind and a little lazy, but his scope was apparent from day one—and made the Spits family think there was something worth keeping.
The economics of horse sport are always a challenge: put enough money on the table and every horse is for sale. As Spits and Impress started to compete, the offers started to come in.
And so did the results.
They won their first five-star Grand Prix together at Riesenbeck in 2024. Team gold followed at the 2025 European Championships. Then came a second place finish in the Rolex Grand Prix at the Dutch Masters in March, followed by a victory at Fontainebleau in April this year.
The belief was no longer speculative—it was proven.
But with 5.60 penalties on the board heading into Sunday’s individual final at Aachen in 15th, the pressure was off Spits.
“I knew that there were a lot of possibilities,” he said.
“The second day with the rail, I was a little bit devastated. I thought I lost everything I wanted for a fault that didn’t have to happen. After the [silver] team medal on Friday, I could enter without pressure, and I really just tried to enjoy [the day]. I went in with the feeling that I really couldn’t really lose anymore and trusted [Impress] on his talents.”
In Round A they laid down the first clear of the day—and brought the wind back in his sails.
“He just gave me so much trust,” Spits said of Impress. “He felt great actually day by day, just riding on the flats. He started to feel better, like dropping his head, loosening his back. So I felt he was ready for it, that I just needed to give him the right ride. It just gave a lot of confidence.”
As rails clattered, Spits and Impress-K steadily climbed the leaderboard. Going into Round B, they were in fifth place. The podium suddenly in sight. The pressure at an all-time peak.
His family was watching from the stands. Spits’ grandfather, donning a striped Belgian cowboy hat, had the whole Turkish Airlines section of the grandstands cheering for his grandson. The kiss and cry, full of tense anticipation.
And Impress and Spits delivered. One of only three double clears on the day. A testament to a partnership years in the making. A performance that belied their experience and age.
“If you asked me a couple of years ago, it wouldn’t be realistic to win a silver medal in Aachen at the World Championships.” said Spits.
And yet, that’s exactly what they did.
Emotions were high as they exited the ring.
“I can’t believe it. I’m buzzing literally! It’s not normal. I thought I was in a completely lost position but no, I can’t believe what just happened! Silver at the World Championship in Aachen. It is unreal, it’s not really getting into me yet.”
His horse of a lifetime delivered a result of a lifetime—and Spits knows it.
“I can never give back to him what he has done already to me. Without him I wouldn’t be here, so no words for him.”
For this 25-year-old reserve World Champion, the future is brimming with possibility—even if the present feels impossible to top.
“It’s maybe a bit dangerous because my career only started and it’s not getting much better than this. But this is unbelievable. I never really dared to dream of it.”
