November 6, 2026 
Sometimes, you just have to take things on a bit of faith, and hope against hope that they’ll work out for the best. That’s just the situation that Rodrigo Pessoa found himself in six years ago, in the fall of 2020.
Back then, Pessoa had been hearing tales about a special, then-7-year-old Belgian gelding who had been carefully produced by Ireland’s Greg Broderick, and was being campaigned that season by Michael Duffy (IRL) on the Sunshine Tour.
“I have never bought a horse without a trial before, so I was a bit nervous,” Pessoa admitted to World of Showjumping back in 2023. The Brazilian rider had good reason to be.
According to Duffy, Major Tom was “the purest jumper [he’d] ever ridden” but he wasn’t without his quirks. Duffy felt the sensitive horse needed someone who could be firm, but that he also wanted to cultivate a relationship with his rider; he wasn’t one you could simply ‘hop on and go.’
Duffy felt Pessoa could be the perfect partner for him, and after Major Tom passed the vet check, the three-time FEI World Cup Finals winner and 2004 Olympic Champion officially decided to take a chance on him. The gelding was imported to Pessoa’s farm in New York in mid-November of that year—naturally, in the middle of an epic Northeast snow storm.
Not only did Major Tom come off the truck with all four legs in the air, but it would be nearly two months before Pessoa could ship him down to Florida and sit on him for the first time—something he admits caused him a few sleepless nights. Fortunately, when the time finally did arrive for their first few jump-schools, the feeling Major Tom gave was just what Pessoa was hoping for.
“In the end, it was pure luck that he came to me,” Pessoa has said. “Today, horses like him are so rare, so when you get your hands on one, it’s just luck.”
So many years later, the results of Pessoa’s big leap of faith are clear for all to see.
Last week, the pair’s 12th -place finish in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ qualifier at the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) marked their seventh, consecutive, fault-free round in Grand Prix-level competition since June. According to Jumpr, the pair jump clear at a standout 64% in 11 rounds this year at 1.60m+.
“Tom, we are forever in awe of you!” the gelding’s co-owners, Artemis Farms, announced last month on Instagram. “Thank you [Rodrigo] for the excellent piloting.”
Indeed, October was a particularly impressive month for Pessoa and Major Tom, now 13, who led the Brazilian squad to a 2nd-place finish at Longines League of Nations Finals in Barcelona (pictured), dropping a single rail in the jump-off against Germany’s Richard Vogel and Claudio. Pessoa and Tom also earned a second place in the Grand Prix of the City of Barcelona that same week.
Managing the gelding’s big character and excessive blood is something that Pessoa says continues to require patience and finesse. But six years on, it’s clear their partnership is on the ascent—and, by the numbers, wrapping their best horse show season to date.
“I feel that now as some years have gone by, he’s really starting to mature and really be able to express himself the way that we always hoped,” Pessoa told the WIHS after their first 5* win in the same FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier back in the 2024.
“I think, for me, he’s one of the best horses that I’ve ever had,” Pessoa said, “but he really needed that time to get in his own space and be comfortable.”
