"Best of Champions" - World-class riders swap horses in 's-Hertogenbosch

The “Best of Champions” competition in ‘s-Hertogenbosch will take place on Thursday evening, March 12. The riders each have three minutes to adjust to the unfamiliar horses, with which they then have to overcome a course with obstacles up to 1.50 meters high.

Willem Greve is back as defending champion. Last year, he won with the Comme il faut daughter Hadwyn van’t Ravennest against Philipp Weishaupt on Cupido (second place), Henrik von Eckermann with Calizi (third) and Maikel van der Vleuten on Lalique.

The world champion show jumper Henrik von Eckermann was supposed to take part again this year, following the world champion horse change model. However, plans have changed and Gilles Thomas (BEL) is now taking his place.

The European team champion and individual bronze medal winner at the 2025 European Championships will face last year’s winner, Dutch champion and leader of the World Cup rankings, Willem Greve, France’s World Cup winner and master trainer Julien Epaillard and individual European champion Richard Vogel.

Vogel: Demonstrate horsemanship

When the line-up for “Best of Champions” in ‘s-Hertogenbosch was announced, the participants were asked what they expected from the evening. Richard Vogel said:

“I hope we can demonstrate real horsemanship to the audience that evening. It’s a big challenge to build a connection with the horse in such a short time. The riders know each other. We know how to ride and we have to adapt to the horses, not the other way around.”

Incidentally, he prefers sensitive horses himself. “You can ride them very efficiently and with a lot of feeling. That’s why United Touch S suits me so well. He is a spectacular horse and I like riding him best of all the horses in the world.”

Epaillard: “Exciting idea”

World Cup defending champion Julien Epaillard says he is looking forward to the evening with anticipation: “I think it’s a fun and exciting idea. I’ve done it once before at a national tournament. The most difficult thing from my point of view is to build up confidence in such a short time. It’s also interesting for the spectators. They are part of the competition and can see how the riders try to build a connection with the horses and learn from it.”

Willem Greve: Challenge course

Willem Greve: “I’m sure everyone enjoyed the fact that the horse change was back last year. It was extremely educational for the audience – also thanks to Jeroen Dubbeldam and Harrie Smolders, who commented on the entire competition for the spectators, it was a fantastic evening.” The biggest challenge from his point of view: “Of course we are used to riding lots of different horses, but not an entire course. That is an interesting challenge.”

Gilles Thomas: Hopefully four different types of horse

Gilles Thomas is very self-confident: “Fortunately, I have ridden so many different types of horses that I can say I get on with almost all of them.” His strategy: “If you only have a short time to get to know a horse, I think you try to find out what type of horse you are dealing with and combine that with previous experiences.”

In his opinion, a good rider is one who can adapt to horses. “Secretly, I’m hoping for four completely different types of horse. I would really like to show the spectators that a good rider is not dependent on a single horse.”

Last year, he watched the horse changes as a spectator and reports: “Although people always expect a big spectacle, I think it’s great to see that they are all such experienced and good riders that everyone can adapt to the horses so quickly and sensitively.”

His strategy when riding other people’s horses: “Before I get on the horse, I watch how it jumps under its own rider. I learn a lot just by observing. Afterwards, I mainly feel how the horse moves, especially the size of the canter jump and the balance. Once again, during a horse change this happens ten times faster than I would do at home. But I try to stay focused and still do it as well as possible.”

Rolex Grand Slam stage and last World Cup stop

‘s-Hertogenbosch will be an extremely exciting show from March 12 to 15, and not just because of the Best of Champions. The dressage riders will have their last opportunity to collect points for the World Cup Final in Fort Worth. For the show jumpers, the “Dutch Masters” is another stage of the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping.

You can find all information here. Clip My Horse will be broadcasting the action live. We will report after the big competitions.