Sport
Max Kühner and EIC Up Too Jacco Blue won a fast jump-off to take the first 20 points of the Western European League, with the Final in Gothenburg in March 2027.
The indoor jumping season is under way, and the first leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Western European League 2026/27 went to Austria. At the Agria Oslo Horse Show on Sunday 11 October, Max Kühner and EIC Up Too Jacco Blue won a fast jump-off to take the maximum 20 points in the opening qualifier.
A tight jump-off
Forty combinations started over a first-round course by Swedish designer Fredrik Malm: 13 obstacles, 16 jumping efforts and a 72-second time allowed. Nine went clear and came back for a twisting nine-fence jump-off, and six of them went clear again, so speed decided the result.
Kühner, riding his long-term partner, added a stride on the long distances and caught up in the turns. He stopped the clock in 40.52 seconds, almost a full second faster than anyone else. The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders and the 17-year-old gelding Monaco, first to go in the jump-off, set the target and finished second in 41.51. Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs and Fortjump du Beaumenil were 0.02 seconds behind them in third, on 41.53.
Early standings
After one leg, the FEI’s league table reads:
Max Kühner (AUT): 20 points
Harrie Smolders (NED): 17
Martin Fuchs (SUI): 15
Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann (GER): 13
Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) and Mathieu Bourdeaud’Hui (BEL): 12 each
It is very early. The league has 13 qualifiers in 10 countries, and only each rider’s best seven results count towards a place in the Final.
The road to Gothenburg
The next qualifier is in Lyon on 1 November 2026. The 2026 legs then continue in Verona, Stuttgart, Madrid, A Coruña, London and Mechelen. After the turn of the year the tour moves to Basel, Leipzig, Amsterdam, Bordeaux and finally Helsinki, the last qualifier.
The Final takes place in March 2027 at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. That brings the series back to where it started: Gothenburg hosted the first World Cup Final in 1979.
Where to watch
The FEI’s World Cup series are streamed on FEI.TV, which now runs on the ClipMyHorse.TV platform. Warner Bros. Discovery also holds broadcast rights to the Western European League in many European markets. See our competitions calendar for the watch-live link for each leg.
Why it matters for buyers
The World Cup indoor season is the busiest time of year for the top end of the jumping market. Horses that go well in the autumn qualifiers get noticed quickly, and good results in a five-star jump-off can change a horse’s value. If you are looking at jumpers, the FEI’s results and the start lists for these legs give you a free, up-to-date view of which horses are competing well at the top level. Breeders also follow which stallions appear in the pedigrees of the horses placing in these classes.
If you are buying, remember that a horse’s results are only part of the picture. Ask for its full competition record, which national federations and the FEI publish, and always arrange your own vetting.