Watched on by an 8,000 spectators all on the edge of their seats, Willem Greve won the fourth qualifier for the 2025/2026 Longines FEI Jumping World CupTM in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle. In doing so, he bagged not only 20 valuable points on the way to the World Cup Fort Worth (Texas/USA) from 8 to 12 April 2026 but also 66,000 euro prize money. “I was under pressure and had to take a risk and take a stride less before the diagonal. It was all or nothing. I’m grateful to have won one of the world’s toughest competitions.”
Second was the Portuguese Rodrigo Giesteira Almeida in the saddle on the ten-year-old KWPN mare Karonia.L after the couple stopped the clock when going clear in 45.08 seconds. “It was fantastic competing against the world’s best riders. I knew that my time could be beaten as I was a little slow at the start of the jump-off.” His performance earned him 40,000-euro prize money and 17 World Cup ranking points.
The Swede Peder Fredricson, team Olympic champion in Tokyo and individual European champion in 2017, and his Selle-Français gelding Alcapone des Carmille were also faultless in the jump-off to place third with a time of 45.29 seconds. He was nevertheless highly satisfied: “The spectators and atmosphere here motivate me every year.”
The horse show director responsible for the jumping classes, Andreas Krieg, praised the work of the course designer: “She has done a fantastic job. Pity only that there wasn’t a German rider in the jump-off.”
Upcoming in the Western European League until the end of year are the shows in: A Coruña (ESP/5 to 7 December), London (GBR/17 to 22 December) and Mechelen (BEL/26 to 30 December). The final will take place, together with the dressage, from 8 to 12 April 2026 in the Dickies Arena Fort Worth (Texas/USA).
