Reliving the Fort Worth FEI World Cup Finals 2026

A first-time location offering Texas-sized hospitality and outstanding performances by U.S. riders were highlights of the 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final and Zen Elite FEI Dressage World Cup Final competitions held April 7-12, in Fort Worth, Texas. U.S. jumper riders Kent Farrington and Katie Dinan placed first and third, respectively, and Christian Simonson (USA) delivered an emphatic second-place finish with Indian Rock in his first Dressage World Cup Final.

The Finals were contested in the heart of Fort Worth’s Cultural District with horses stabled in barns on the Will Rogers Memorial Center equestrian campus. The warm-up ring, competition arena, shopping and entertainment were all located in the adjacent, state-of-the-art Dickies Arena.

Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, home of the 2026 FEI World Cup Finals. Photo by Nancy Bryant/MacMillan Photography

Staged with a decidedly Texas flair, the World Cup featured live country music performances, a festive light show, and cowboys executing rope tricks and directing at-liberty horses, to open each competition session. Country barbeque, Tex-Mex cuisine and desserts featuring Texas pecans were served during Wednesday night’s draw order party. Sleek Euro-style meshed with Fort Worth’s “Cowtown” culture when all of the riders were gifted cowboy hats by Sole Rider and boots by Tony Lama.

The USA previously hosted the FEI World Cup Jumping Final 11 times (Baltimore, 1980; Tampa, 1989; Del Mar, Calif., 1992; Las Vegas, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2015, and Omaha, 2017 and 2023), and the FEI Dressage Final seven times (Los Angeles, 1995; Las Vegas, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2015, and Omaha, 2017 and 2023).

Farrington Flies to Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final Win

In jumping, 35 starters from 18 countries tried their hand at course designer Anderson Lima’s (MEX) track in Thursday’s speed class (Table C over a Table A, where 3 seconds were added to the time for each rail down). Then, on Friday all competitors who completed Thursday’s class were eligible to move forward to the next class (Table A against the clock with one jump-off) when they jumped in reverse order of standings from the day before.  

Kent Farrington aboard Toulayna during Thursday’s speed class, the first of the jumping classes. Photo by Kim MacMillan/MacMillan Photography

On Sunday there were two jumping rounds (A and B). In round A, the best 30 horse-and-rider pairs based on results from the previous two days competed. Then, the number was pared down to the top 20 competitors for round B (Table A not against the clock). The winner was the competitor with the fewest number of cumulative penalties. Countries with competitors were: Australia; Belgium; Brazil; Hungary; Germany; Georgia; France; Ireland; Japan; Mexico; New Zealand; Norway; Spain; Switzerland; the Netherlands; Turkey; the USA, and Uzbekistan.  

Total prize money offered over the series of four jumping classes was 1,300,000.00 Euros. Find the FEI World Cup Final jumper rules here.

In the end, it was “Air Farrington” all the way through. Currently number two in the FEI World Jumper Rankings, Kent Farrington (Wellington, Fla., USA) first piloted his and Rabbit Root Stables’ quick and handy 12-year-old Zangersheide mare Toulayna (Toulon-Parco) to top the speed class on Thursday, April 9. Then, since a one-time horse substitution is allowed, he gathered Greya’s reins to guide the classy, careful mare to win the second and third World Cup jumper classes on Friday, April 10, and Sunday, April 12. Greya (Colestus-Contender) is a 12-year-old Oldenburger Springpferde mare owned by Farrington.  

Both mares performed brilliantly with Farrington laser-focused on the plan with his horses. Greya dropped just one rail in Round A on Sunday to finish with only four faults total over her two days of jumping. After the final two rounds on Sunday, Farrington lifted the Longines trophy above his head to celebrate his first-ever World Cup Final win which added a missing piece to his already-impressive résumé.  

A very supportive home crowd cheered and hundreds of U.S. flags waved in the stands as Farrington and the other U.S. riders competed. His win helped the USA stay atop the list of countries with the most World Cup Jumping Final wins. The USA’s total is now a dozen wins over the history of the World Cup Jumping Final, keeping them two ahead of Germany which has 10 wins and six ahead of Switzerland which has a total of six.  

Farrington, who credited both Toulayna and Greya, talked about the achievement, “It’s important to note I rode two horses here and I couldn’t have done it without Toulayna on day one. I have two exceptional mares that put me in the position that I needed to win the title. This means a lot to me because the World Cup Final is what I grew up watching. I didn’t have access to major events and competitions where I grew up, but I had access to video tapes of every single year of the World Cup Final. I would study all the rounds and all the rides hoping I could ride like that, so to be here winning it today is really special for me.”  

Second was Daniel Deusser from Germany riding the 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion Otello de Guldenboom (Tobago Z-Caretino) owned by Stephex Stables. Deusser, who won the 2014 World Cup Final, talked about success in Fort Worth, “My expectations were high. That’s why I’m coming here. I had a very good start on day one, [but] one rail down that pushed me back a little on day two. Today, I have to say that [Otello de Guldenboom] really tried his heart out. He really tried his very best and I’m proud of him.” 

Daniel Deusser and Otello de Guldenboom. Photo by Allen MacMillan/MacMillan Photography

The USA’s Katie Dinan (Wellington, Fla.) rode the American-bred mare Out of the Blue SCF, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Verdi TN-Cassini I) owned by Grant Road Partners and bred by Spy Coast Farm, Lexington, Ky., to third. Last year they were the highest-placed American pair finishing eighth in the World Cup Final in Basel, Switzerland. 

Katie Dinan and Out of the Blue SCF. Photo by Mary Cage

“I’m in awe of my horse Out of the Blue. She was spectacular every day. I owe everything to her,” Dinan said. “Out of the Blue is the only U.S.‑bred jumper in the show jumping here, and I think that’s really exciting. She was bred at Spy Coast and they have done an amazing job increasing U.S. breeding. This is a mare that did her whole young horse career in the U.S. It’s exciting to represent my country like that, especially at a World Cup on home soil.” 

The USA had three more combinations in the top 12. Aaron Vale (Williston, Fla.) and Carissimo 25 were seventh overall, Lillie Keenan (New York, N.Y.) and Kick On finished 10th overall, and Jacob Pope (Columbia, Md.) and Highway FBH were 12th overall in their first World Cup Final. Also competing for the USA were: Laura Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) and Tres Bien Z, 18th; Mimi Gochman (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Inclen BH, 21st; Skylar Wireman (Bonsall, Ca.) and Barclino B, 25th, and Kaitlin Campbell (Temecula, Ca.) and Cosm Castlefield Cornelious, 26th.  

US Equestrian Jumping Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland was enthusiastic about the week in Fort Worth. “It’s always great to win the World Cup Final, but never better than on home soil! Most impressive though was that we showed a lot of depth this week with five U.S. riders finishing in the top twelve placings. Across the board, our riders all rode extremely well, and finally, kudos to the organizers for producing a world-class event and to Anderson Lima who built masterful courses all week.”   

Dynamic Dressage Dazzles

To say that the 2026 Zen Elite World Cup Dressage Final competition was electric and filled with dazzling performances really isn’t enough to do it justice. Even without a few of the usual top contenders this year, it was spectacular. And, the crowds in Fort Worth loved it. In true Texas fashion, they often clapped, whooped and hollered during tests as one might expect for a Western reining competition, but isn’t really traditional for dressage-watching etiquette. Yet, many competitors commented post-ride that they thought the enthusiasm was great for the sport and, in several cases, it helped their horses perform to an even-higher level.  

The crowd’s energy is reflected on the USA’s Christian Simon’s smiling face during his Freestyle test with Indian Rock. Photo by Mary Cage

Sixteen athletes from 13 countries competed in the 2026 World Cup Dressage Final in Fort Worth. At least seven of the human athletes, including the USA’s Christian Simonson (Ventura, Calif.) riding Indian Rock, were competing for the first time in a World Cup Final. Countries represented there were: Australia; Austria; Belgium; Ecuador; France; Germany; Great Britain; Lithuania; Morocco; Poland; Sweden; the Netherlands, and USA.  

World Cup Dressage Final competition comprises two days, one using the FEI Grand Prix test and the other the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle. All athletes who score better than 60 percent in the Grand Prix test are allowed to move on to compete in the Freestyle, and this year all 16 horse-and-rider combinations scored well enough to compete both days. Scores from the Grand Prix serve as the qualifier, with scores from the Freestyle determining the final placings. Total prize money for the World Cup Dressage Final Fort Worth was 275,000.00 Euros.  

Find the rules for the 2025-26 Dressage World Cup series here. 

Number-five dressage rider in the FEI World Rankings, Great Britain’s Becky Moody and her homebred Jagerbomb, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Dante Weltino OLD-Jazz), came to Fort Worth hoping to dazzle the judges and win. That’s just what they did; scoring 76.761 percent in the Grand Prix and a personal-best 88.33 percent in the Freestyle, dancing to a medley of Beatles songs, for their first World Cup Final win together.  

Moody and Jagerbomb were also members of the bronze-medal British Team at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She commented that she was hoping for a personal-best score in their World Cup Freestyle and that mission was accomplished. “It hasn’t sunk in yet. All our horses are complete and utter diamonds, but today ‘Bomb’ was absolutely unreal,” said Moody after their win.   

Moody admitted that she wasn’t sure how Bomb would handle the exuberant crowd, but she was ecstatic with the results, “The crowd was insane; it was just incredible to be part of such a cool competition. I wasn’t sure how he would cope [with the atmosphere], but it turned out to be the perfect place for him. He could feel the enthusiasm, and even though it was so electric and so technical, he stayed with me so well. I need to rent that crowd everywhere I go now so they can come cheer,” she said with a huge smile.  

Also scoring above 80 percent in their Freestyle tests to finish second and third, respectively, in the World Cup were the USA’s Christian Simonson and Indian Rock (83.810 in Freestyle and 75.413 in Grand Prix) and Poland’s Sandra Sysojeva and Maxima Bella (80.770 in Freestyle and 71.696 in Grand Prix).  

Simonson was all smiles the entire week as he enjoyed his first World Cup Final experience with “Rocky”, a 13-year-old KWPN stallion (Apache-Vivaldi) owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center and who he has ridden for only the last 14 months. He said he was taking it all in and praised his coach Adrienne Lyle for her guidance. They finished in the second-place spot on both days of competition with their score in the Freestyle a personal-best and performed to music from the Rocky movie franchise.  

“I don’t have the right words to describe the emotions I’m having right now. I’m so happy to be here, and I’m so proud to represent my country. What a fun night. Rocky is one in a million. To take me to the World Cup and now a double podium placing—I get teary‑eyed just thinking about him,” he said after their runner-up overall finish.  

He also said that the crowd’s enthusiasm reflected something bigger happening in U.S. dressage. “That’s what we need in the sport—fun. I’m super fortunate that Heidi [Humphries] and Zen Elite have been such a big part of building up dressage in the U.S., and you could really feel that tonight with the excitement in the arena.” 

Simonson said that competing in the World Cup was one of his aspirations. “When I was around 13, I wrote down all my biggest dreams. One of them was the Pan American Games, and one of them was the World Cup Final. This whole week has been a childhood dream come true, which feels very surreal. Looking up and seeing this wall of people standing and applauding Rocky was super special. He’s such a special horse; he deserves every bit of praise.”  

“I cannot believe it,” said Poland’s Sysojeva who was visiting the U.S. for the first time in order to compete Maxima Bella, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare (Millennium-Christ), in Fort Worth. “We did not expect this, but my horse behaved so well today with no big mistakes. I’m really, really happy and very proud of her. I was afraid of the atmosphere—it was so loud and everybody was clapping. Usually she gets too excited, but today she was happy, and she liked it. She’s still young and getting so much experience at shows like this. That was very special for me. If it wasn’t for the show, we would never have come to Texas. But the people are very friendly, and we’ve really enjoyed this 10‑day holiday here.” 

Sandra Sysojeva and Maxima Bella. Photo by Allen MacMillan/MacMillan Photography

Sweden’s Patrik Kittel and Touchdown, who won the 2025 World Cup Final in Switzerland, finished fourth overall (80.260 in their Freestyle and 72.869 in the Grand Prix). The ever-popular, US..-based rider from Ecuador, Julio Mendoza Loor and his Jewel’s Goldstrike, a.k.a. “Goldie,” took fourth place in the Grand Prix (72.000) and sixth overall with a score of 78.645 percent in the Freestyle. World Cup Final rookie from Germany, Raphael Netz riding SP Dieudonne, moved up to the fifth-place overall spot after a spectacular Freestyle test earned them 79.245 percent.  

U.S. riders Kevin Kohmann and Duenensee (Wellington, Fla., 68.674 in Grand Prix and 76.730 in Freestyle) and Benjamin Ebeling and Bellena (Wellington, Fla., 67.717 in Grand Prix and 74.965 in Freestyle) finished in respectable ninth and tenth places, respectively.  

US Equestrian Dressage Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig commented on the week in Fort Worth. “We accomplished another goal we set for this year, which was to have our riders finish in the top ten. Ben and Kevin both have World Cup Finals experience, and they rode great tonight with good results in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Christian’s finish on the podium in second place is a fantastic result for USA Dressage and continues to build momentum towards this summer’s World Championships and beyond. I am so proud of our riders, their horses, the grooms, their personal trainers, and our owners. It was truly a great week to celebrate dressage here at home in the United States.” 

Another significant happening during the World Cup Dressage Final was the official retirement of Morgan Barbançon’s (FRA) competition horse, the 20-year-old Oldenburg stallion Sir Donnerhall II (Sandro Hit-Donnerhall). The emotional retirement ceremony took place during intermission of the Freestyle competition. They had competed together for 14 years and were members of France’s 2024 Paris Olympic Team. They finished 13th in Fort Worth, earning 68.956 in the Grand Prix and 72.46 percent in the Freestyle.  

Morgan Barbançon gratefully waves to the crowd after a final ride on Sir Donnerhall II OLD, aka Gus. Photo by Mary Cage

FEI World Cup Results & Replay on Demand

To find a complete set of results for both FEI World Cup Final sports, as well as orders of go and jumper course maps, visit here.

More news from the Fort Worth Finals can be viewed by going to the official event site and on US Equestrian’s website.

Find interesting facts and figures about the World Cup Finals, plus an explanation of how the competition works, in the FEI’s press kit here.

Replays of the competition, plus athlete interviews, are available by subscription on FEI TV via ClipMyHorse. Find the competition link here. 

2027 FEI World Cup Finals

The 2027 World Cup Finals for dressage, show jumping and vaulting will be held at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden, March 24-28. This event also marks the 50th anniversary of the Gothenburg Show. For more information, visit here.

This recap of the 2026 Fort Worth FEI World Cup Finals is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!