Thibeau Spits (BEL) and Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z, seen here en route to team gold at last year’s senior European Championship in A Coruña (ESP), won the Fontainebleau 5* Grand Prix at the end of April to allow the Belgian to extend his lead in the FEI Jumping U25 Ranking. © FEI/ Benjamin Clark

FEI Jumping U25 Ranking: Spits widens the gap again

Thibeau Spits has extended his lead in the U25 Ranking and, with an end-April tally of 2,160, now has a 212-point advantage over Antoine Ermann (FRA). The Belgian, who has four European youth golds in his trophy cabinet, brought out his 2025 European senior team gold medal partner Impress-K van't Kattenheye Z to win the Fontainebleau 5* Grand Prix over the last weekend of April, which not only further solidified his place at the top of the youth division, but has also boosted him to 36th in the Longines Rankings. Ermann, who will have points from a third-place finish in the Shanghai 5* Grand Prix to add to next month’s total, now sits on 1,948, some way clear of the USA’s Skylar Wireman on 1,798. Ireland’s Tom Wachman (1,690) remains in fourth, but there’s a newcomer in at five in the shape of Jack Whitaker (GBR), who has moved up five slots on 1,480 points.

FEI Dressage World Youth Ranking - U25: Austria’s Simoncic takes over at top

Austria’s Felicita Simoncic and the stallion Four Legends have passaged their way to the top of the U25 ranking with 1,734 points, to take over the spot vacated by former Swiss leaders Tallulah Lynn Nater and Flynn FRH, who have dropped to 17th. Lara van Nek (NED) and All At Once are up two places to second on 1,707, with Sweden’s Cecilia Bergåkra and My Friend static in third on 1,688. Biggest movers in the top-10 are Austria’s Anna Schwarzlmüller-Kröpfel and Fuerst Charmeur PS OLD, whose 1,500 points have boosted them up from 49th to eighth.

FEI Dressage World Youth Rankings – Y, J, P, Ch 

Young Riders: Van Dulst increases lead

The Netherlands’ Anniek van Dulst and My First Choice – Dutopia are still the ones to beat in the Young Riders’ category on 1,846, but have increased the gap between them and second-placed Yasmin Westerink (NED) and Amphitryon OLD to 84 points. Denmark’s Anna Have Larsen-Ledet and Finnigan-Vitz hold onto third, and have boosted their points total to 1,740. Sweden’s Ellen Stymne and Kinetic S are 58 points behind in fourth after moving up from 13th. Most notable ascent comes from Yasmin Westerink (NED) and Fashion In Black NRW, who have shot up from outside the top-100 (104th) to 15th.

Juniors: Danish pair hold onto narrowed advantage

Denmark’s Rikke Maria Schoubye Johansen and Baunehoejens Carpaccio have held onto their lead in the Juniors with 1,797, but the battle for the top spot has tightened to just eight points, and it’s Isla Sully (GBR) and Vagabond de Massa who have moved closest to the leaders to take over second place from the Dutch pairing of Britt Kikkert-van der Linde and Jerenzo Texel, now third on 1,726. There’s another impressive climber in this group, with Annabell de Bock (NED) and Ostilio, previously some way down the order in 103rd, now sitting 11th on 1,594, just four points outside the top-10.

Ponies: No change in top two

Leni-Sophie Gosmann (GER) and Diamantini EA WE have held their lead in the Pony Rankings on 1,993 points, and there’s still the same 57-point gap back to second-placed Lilly Kasselmann (GER) and Nasdaq FH on 1,936. Fabienne Raijmakers (NED), granddaughter of 1992 Olympic Jumping team gold and individual silver medallist Piet Raijmakers, scored two wins with Wrong Is Right at last month’s French CDIP in Fontainebleau, to move up from sixth to third on 1,911. Raijmakers’ promotion comes at the expense of Steffanie Victoria Horsted Dyrlund (DEN) and Cosmo Callidus NRW, who have dropped another place to fourth on 1,882.

Children: Kasselmann’s lead shrinks

Lilly Kasselmann (GER) and Vodka Soda, who still haven’t returned to the international competition arena since notching up a run of five wins on home footing in Hagen (GER) and in Kronenberg (DEN) last season, are still out in front in the Children’s Rankings on 2,353. Their advantage has shrunk to just 36 points, however, with Shirley Vanerom (BEL) and Ogami van het Beukenhof boosting their tally to 2,317 after posting three wins in Tolbert (NED) last month. Juliet Guillebon (FRA) and Spartacus MSJ, previously fourth, have moved up a place to third on 2,019.

FEI Eventing U25, Young Riders & Juniors World Rankings 

U25: Böckmann still out in front

Paris 2024 Olympic travelling reserve Calvin Böckmann added another 3* win to his seasonal tally when claiming the honours at Oudkarspel (NED) with Kasparow FRH, to finish the month on 276 points at the head of the U25 rankings. The German’s chief rival, Oliver Barrett (AUS) has moved closer, however, after posting his first 5* win in Adelaide on the home-bred Sandhills Briar, and now sits on 230 points. Alice Casburn (GBR), who picked up a 4* second with LSS Ile de Re in Ballindenisk (IRL), is third on 202, while Isabelle (Issy) Cook is up five places to fourth on 174. Germany’s Libussa Lübbeke, whose six runs to date this year include a second-place finish with Daroca de Rioja FRH in last month’s German 2* at Radolfzell, has leapt up nine slots to sixth on 137 points, the same total as Verane Nicaud (FRA) in fifth.

Young Riders: Cook follows in her mother’s footsteps

Issy Cook, daughter of British multi-medalled Tina Cook, earned a top-10 finish at last month’s Kentucky 4* when claiming seventh with Cymoon ''F'' Z. The 21-year-old, who won team bronze with Mexican Law at last year’s Europeans in Strzegom (POL), has now boosted her points to 174 to take over the lead in the Young Riders rankings. Compatriot Jasmine Underwood, who slotted Indian Girl G into second in the Irish 4* at Ballindenisk, is also on the ascent, climbing up from seventh to second on 134. Rounding out the top-three is another Briton, Elizabeth Barratt, down one in third with 129, five clear of Lamoza Velisha (AUS), up from 11th to fourth on 124.

Juniors: Howard holds on out front

There are quite some changes in the Juniors’ top-10, but Ella Howard (GBR) is still well out in front on 110 points after adding two wins on the British circuit last month with Marchwood at Thoresby Park and Kelsall Hill. Pia Sophie Schreiber has moved up a place to second on 72 points, 10 ahead of fellow German Jona Isabell Heine, up from fourth. Just three points off the pace, New Zealand’s Tessa Bradcock has moved from 19th to fourth after a sixth-place finish in last month’s Adelaide 3* with Ceremony.

FEI Para Dressage U18 World Individual Ranking: Walsh untouchable in U18s

Ireland’s Grade I athlete Clodagh Walsh has extended her lead in the Para Dressage U18 rankings after two seconds and a third with Chantal in Aachen (GER) last month. Her total of 1,185 leaves her an impressive 445 points ahead of newcomer in second, Carla Onrubia Roman (ESP), *who competes in Grade IV following a reclassification in May 2025. Dropping down a place to third, Elan Williams (GBR, Grade I) is on 712 points after notching up a hat-trick of seconds with Nalique in Hartpury last month, while former third-placed Hong Kong rider Lok Yee Louie Lam (Grade II) is also down one place in fourth on 608.

*Correction

FEI Endurance Junior/Young Riders World Ranking: UAE takes over top two ranks

The UAE’s Essa Rashed Mohammad Saeed Almazrouei, winner at last October’s Asia Youth Games in Sakhir (BRN) with SW Kapelia, has taken over at the helm of the Junior/Young Riders world ranking, and is now leading on 712 points. Fellow countryman, Ali Abdulla Ali Bin Zayed Alfalasi has moved up two places to second with 679, just four points ahead of Bahrain’s Faisal Hameed Dakeel Al Anezi, down a slot in third. Jiahe Sui (CHN), previously in sixth, has gone up two places on 633 after finishing fourth in the Spanish 3* 160-kilometre ride at Tordera with JM Kriptonita. Finland’s Saana Nieminen, who headed the end-March rankings, has dropped down the order to fifth on 614.

FEI Endurance Junior/Young Riders Combination World Ranking: Louhichi and Karawene Carthage take over at the top

The Tunisian combination of Rayan Louhichi and Karawene Carthage have moved up into the lead in the youth combination rankings after improving their points tally to 356 with a fifth at last month’s French 3* 160-kilometre ride in Saumur. The nine-year-old stallion also tops the separate youth horse rankings. The UAE’s Rashed Mohamed Atiq Khamis Almehairi and Shardell Jaeger have comfortably cantered up from 16th to second on 310 points after the pair were sixth in the 3* 160-kilometre ride in Dubai towards the end of last month. Also new into the top-three are Bahrain’s Sultan Abdulaziz Mayoof Alromaihi and Haqtar du Carrelie, up from 11th on 302 points, ahead of former world number one combination, Dekheel E D Almutairi (KUW) and Follow Me Font Noire in fourth with 293.

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