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 Worths 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 PhotographyStaged 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 nights draw order party. Sleek Euro-style meshed with Fort Worths 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 FliestoLongines FEI Jumping World Cup Final WinIn jumping, 35 starters from 18 countries tried their hand at course designer Anderson Limas (MEX) track in Thursdays 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 Thursdays 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 Thursdays speed class, the first of the jumping classes. Photo by Kim MacMillan/MacMillan PhotographyOn 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 Greyas 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 OldenburgerSpringpferdemare 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 rsum. 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 USAs 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 bothToulaynaandGreya, talked about the achievement, Itsimportant to note I rode two horses here and Icouldnthave done it withoutToulaynaonday one. I have two exceptional mares that put me in the positionthat I needed to win the title.This means a lot to me because the World Cup Final is what I grew up watching. Ididnthave 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 isreally specialfor 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. Thats why Im 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 Im proud of him.Daniel Deusser and Otello de Guldenboom. Photo by Allen MacMillan/MacMillan PhotographyThe USAsKatie Dinan(Wellington, Fla.)rodetheAmerican-bredmareOut of the Blue SCF, a12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare(Verdi TN-Cassini I)owned by Grant Road Partnersandbred by Spy Coast Farm, Lexington, Ky.,to third. Last year they werethe highest-placed American pair finishingeighthin the World CupFinalin Basel, Switzerland.Katie Dinan and Out of the Blue SCF. Photo by Mary CageImin 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 onlyU.S.bredjumper in the show jumping here, and I thinkthatsreally exciting. She was bred at SpyCoastand 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.Itsexciting torepresentmy country like that, especially at a World Cuponhome 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.)andInclenBH, 21st;Skylar Wireman(Bonsall, Ca.)andBarclinoB, 25th, and Kaitlin Campbell(Temecula, Ca.)and Cosm Castlefield Cornelious, 26th.US Equestrian Jumping Chef dEquipe Robert Ridland was enthusiastic about the week in Fort Worth. Its 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 DazzlesTo say that the 2026 Zen Elite World Cup Dressage Final competition was electric and filled with dazzling performances really isnt 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 isnt 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 crowds energy is reflected on the USAs Christian Simons smiling face during his Freestyle test with Indian Rock. Photo by Mary CageSixteen athletes from 13 countries competed in the 2026 World Cup Dressage Final in Fort Worth. At least seven of the human athletes, including the USAs 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-fivedressagerider in the FEI World Rankings,Great BritainsBecky Moody and her homebredJagerbomb, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (DanteWeltinoOLD-Jazz),came to Fort Worth hoping to dazzle the judges and win.Thatsjust what theydid;scoring 76.761 percent in the Grand Prix and a personal-best 88.33 percent in the Freestyle,dancingto a medley of Beatles songs,fortheir first World Cup Final win together.Moody andJagerbombwere 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 CupFreestyleand that missionwasaccomplished. Ithasntsunk in yet.All our horses are complete and utter diamonds, but todayBombwasabsolutely unreal, said Moody after their win.Moody admitted that shewasntsure howBomb would handle the exuberant crowd, but she wasecstatic with the results, The crowd was insane; it was just incredible to be part of such a cool competition.Iwasntsure how he would cope [with theatmosphere],but it turned out to be the perfect place for him. He could feelthe enthusiasm, and even though it was so electric and so technical, he stayed with me so well. I need to rent that crowd everywhereI 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 USAs Christian Simonsonand Indian Rock (83.810 inFreestyle and 75.413 in Grand Prix) andPolandsSandraSysojevaand Maxima Bella (80.770 in Freestyle and 71.696 in Grand Prix).Simonsonwas allsmilesthe 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 Centerandwho 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 spotonboth days of competitionwith theirscore in the Freestylea personal-bestandperformed to music from theRockymovie franchise.I dont have the right words to describe the emotions Im having right now. Im so happy to be here, and Im 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 placingI get tearyeyedjust thinking about him,he said after their runner-up overall finish.He also said that the crowds enthusiasmreflected something bigger happening in U.S. dressage. Thatswhat we need in thesportfun.Imsuper 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. Hes such a special horse; he deserves every bit of praise.I cannot believe it, said Polands 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. Im really, really happy and very proud of her. I was afraid of the atmosphereit was so loud and everybody was clapping. Usually she gets too excited, but today she was happy, and she liked it. Shes still young and getting so much experience at shows like this. That was very special for me. If it wasnt for the show, we would never have come to Texas. But the people are very friendly, and weve really enjoyed this 10day holiday here.Sandra Sysojeva and Maxima Bella. Photo by Allen MacMillan/MacMillan PhotographySwedens 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 Jewels 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., 67.717in Grand Prix and74.965in Freestyle) finishedinrespectable ninth and tenthplaces, respectively.US Equestrian DressageChefdEquipeChristine Traurigcommentedonthe week in Fort Worth.Weaccomplishedanother 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 withgood resultsin front of an enthusiastic crowd. Christians finishonthe podium in second place is a fantastic result for USA Dressage and continues to build momentum towards this summers World Championships and beyond.I am so proud of our riders, their horses, the grooms, their personal trainers, and our owners. It was trulya great weekto celebrate dressage here at home in the United States.Another significant happening during the World Cup Dressage Final was the official retirement of MorganBarbanons(FRA) competitionhorse, the 20-year-old Oldenburg stallionSirDonnerhallII (Sandro Hit-Donnerhall). The emotional retirement ceremony took place during intermissionof the Freestyle competition. They had competed together for 14 years and were members of Frances 2024 Paris Olympic Team. They finished 13th in Fort Worth, earning 68.956 intheGrand Prix and 72.46 percent in the Freestyle.Morgan Barbanon gratefully waves to the crowd after a final ride on Sir Donnerhall II OLD, aka Gus. Photo by Mary CageFEI World Cup Results & Replay on DemandTo find a complete set of results for both FEI World Cup Final sports, as well as orders of go and jumper course maps, visithere.More news from the Fort Worth Finals can be viewed by going to the official event site and on US Equestrians website.Find interesting facts and figures about the World Cup Finals, plus an explanation of how the competition works, in the FEIs 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 FinalsThe 2027 World Cup Finals for dressage, show jumping and vaulting will be heldat theScandinaviumin 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 Illustratedmagazine.Click here to subscribe!The post Reliving the Fort Worth FEI World Cup Finals 2026 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.