FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses

World Championship, Show Jumping Breeding and International Significance

The World Championship for Young Show Jumpers brings show jumping breeding and sport together in a particularly visible way. According to the WBFSH, some of the best young horses from the participating studbooks come together here under uniform conditions. The championship is held for 5-year-old show jumping horses, 6-year-old show jumping horses and 7-year-old show jumping horses, making the event an important benchmark for training, quality and future potential in international show jumping.

In 2026, the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses will take place from 17 to 20 September in Lanaken, Belgium. The venue, Domein Zangersheide, has been closely linked to the event for many years and makes the championship a permanent meeting point for breeders, riders and the wider equestrian community. That is exactly why the World Breeding Championship matters far beyond the competition itself: it shows which young horses in the sport already demonstrate scope, carefulness, rideability and the potential for higher-level sport at an early stage.

Watch the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship Live

Anyone who wants to follow the development of the sport’s most promising young talents will gain a comprehensive insight in Lanaken into the future of show jumping breeding and international sport.

Watch the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses 2026 live and on demand on ClipMyHorse.TV/FEI.TV, including entries and the schedule. There, you can follow all classes for the 5-, 6- and 7-year-old horses and experience the performances of some of the world’s most promising young show jumpers first-hand.

Lanaken and Zangersheide as the Centre of Young Show Jumpers

When the World Championship for Young Show Jumpers is mentioned, the road almost automatically leads to Lanaken. This is where the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses takes place at Domein Zangersheide, a venue that has been closely linked to international show jumping breeding for many years. According to the WBFSH, the rising generation of young show jumping horses has been coming together in Zangersheide since 1995.

It is precisely this close connection between venue, breeding and sporting development that makes Lanaken so special. The World Breeding Championship is not just another competition here, but a fixed meeting point for breeders, riders and industry professionals who want to see young horses in direct international comparison. The ClipMyHorse magazine also describes Lanaken as the central stage for the jumping discipline of the World Breeding Championships.

For many, Zangersheide is therefore far more than just a venue. In show jumping, the name stands for performance breeding, an international outlook and an environment in which it becomes clear at an early stage which young show jumping horses have the quality for higher-level sport. The fact that the championship is held here underlines the event’s ambition to bring breeding and sport in show jumping together at the highest level.

5-, 6- and 7-Year-Old Show Jumping Horses in Sporting Focus

The FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses deliberately focuses on the stage at which a horse’s talent, scope and future potential can be assessed particularly well. Only 5-, 6- and 7-year-old show jumping horses are eligible to compete. These age groups are exactly what make the World Championship for Young Show Jumpers so compelling, because the event is not only about results, but above all about identifying which horses can develop sustainably with international sport in mind.

For breeders, riders and the wider equestrian community, the championship is therefore more than a traditional performance comparison. At this stage, young show jumping horses are assessed on the combination of scope, carefulness, technique, canter quality, mentality and age-appropriate training. Precisely because the horses are still at the beginning of their sporting careers, the championship has particular significance for international show jumping breeding and for the search for future prospects for top-level sport.

Video tip: Eoin Brennan’s round on Augustus Z in the final jump-off (1.45 m) of the 2025 7-year-old World Championship.

New Requirements and Course Heights from 2026

With the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses, an important part of the sporting framework will change in 2026. According to the official WBFSH information, the FEI and WBFSH have introduced Minimum Eligibility Requirements for the championship and, at the same time, adjusted the fence heights for 5-year-old and 6-year-old show jumping horses.

In concrete terms, this means that for the 5-year-old show jumping horses, the qualifying classes will now be held at 1.20 m instead of 1.25 m, while the final will be contested at 1.25 m instead of 1.30 m. For the 6-year-old show jumping horses, the new heights will be 1.30 m in the qualifiers instead of 1.35 m, and 1.35 m in the final instead of 1.40 m. According to the WBFSH, there will be no changes to the existing format or heights for the 7-year-olds.

This is particularly relevant when assessing the event, because these adjustments show how strongly the World Championship for Young Show Jumpers is now aligned with age-appropriate requirements. The WBFSH explicitly explains the changes as the result of ongoing discussions between the federation, the FEI and other stakeholders in the sport, as well as a stronger focus on age-appropriate demands, horse welfare and greater clarity within young horse classes.

For breeders, riders and the wider equestrian community, this makes the World Breeding Championship even more meaningful. The performances of the young show jumping horses are not only evaluated in terms of scope and quality, but also under conditions that take each horse’s stage of development more clearly into account. In this way, the championship remains an important benchmark for breeding and sport in show jumping, while still keeping appropriate and sustainable training firmly in view.

Why the World Championship for Young Show Jumpers Matters So Much for Breeding and Sport

The FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses is far more than an international young horse championship. For show jumping breeding, it serves as a benchmark for which bloodlines, training approaches and breeding objectives prove themselves in direct international comparison. That is exactly why the World Championship for Young Show Jumpers holds such particular relevance for breeders, riders and the wider equestrian community: it shows which young show jumping horses not only possess talent, but are also able to confirm that talent under true championship conditions.

The sporting value of the event lies in the fact that 5-, 6- and 7-year-old horses come together on a stage that is recognised worldwide as a reference point for the development of young sport horses. The WBFSH describes the jumping edition of the World Breeding Championships as a fixed annual date in Lanaken, hosted by Studbook Zangersheide, while Zangersheide itself presents the championship as a meeting point where top-level sport, breeding and business come together. This makes it clear that the event is not only about results, but also about future prospects, quality and international comparability.

Particularly in show jumping, this close connection between breeding and sport is especially meaningful. A horse that proves itself in Lanaken must combine scope, carefulness, technique, canter quality and mentality, and show those qualities in an age category in which development and training are still ongoing. This makes the World Breeding Championship an important benchmark for horses with the potential for top-level sport and for those young prospects that may later become competitive at a higher international level.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About the Event

What is the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses?

The FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses is the international World Championship for young show jumping horses. It brings together selected 5-, 6- and 7-year-old show jumping horses from recognised studbooks and combines sporting competition with international show jumping breeding.

Where does the World Championship for Young Show Jumpers take place?

In 2026, the championship will be held in Lanaken, Belgium, at Domein Zangersheide. The venue has been closely linked to the event for many years and is regarded as a fixed point of reference for the international young horse scene.

When is the event held?

The FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses takes place from 17 to 20 September 2026.

Which horses are eligible to compete?

Eligible horses are 5-year-old, 6-year-old and 7-year-old show jumping horses. The championship is therefore clearly focused on young horses in international show jumping.

Why is the event so important for show jumping breeding?

The World Breeding Championship is regarded as an important international benchmark for breeding and sport in show jumping. It shows which horses in their respective age categories already demonstrate scope, quality and future potential for higher-level sport. This assessment is based on the event’s official positioning as a link between breeding and sporting comparison.

What is new in 2026?

According to the WBFSH, Minimum Eligibility Requirements have been introduced for 2026, and the fence heights for 5-year-old and 6-year-old horses have been adjusted. For the 7-year-olds, the existing format remains unchanged.

Where can you watch the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses live?

The event will be streamed on ClipMyHorse.TV. You can watch it there live and on demand.