Kent Farrington has a new horse

Wellington is not the only place in Florida where the season opened last weekend. There was also jumping in Ocala, where the location with the ambitious name “World Equestrian Center” hosted the only US leg of the FEI League of Nations. The highlight of the weekend was a national Grand Prix in which the current number one in the world rankings, Kent Farrington, presented a new horse – and won straight away.

A good tip

Kent Farrington and the nine-year-old gelding Descartes easily left their five competitors behind in the jump-off for the 75,000 dollar Grand Prix of Ocala last weekend. They were the last pair and Farrington didn’t have to ask much of his four-legged partner to leave the US rider Tracy Fenney on MTM Apple and the Canadian Sean Robin with Grande Dame DK behind.

Farrington said: “He has a huge scope and a super canter. I just trusted that and then did my round.” A trust that was based solely on training experience, as Farrington had never ridden the gelding at a show before. On the last day of 2025, Descartes officially became the property of the world number one.

Farrington followed a tip when he discovered the horse. “Francisco Pasquel called me and said he had an incredible horse for me in Mexico. I had to come and try it out. So I flew to Mexico to ride the horse and now we’re here.”

Francisco Pasquel, himself an international show jumper who has also competed in Europe, was not exaggerating. Descartes showed that in Ocala. Farrington confirms: “He has incredible ability and a lot of power. He has already gained a lot of experience in Mexico on clay and grass courts. They have a lot of great courses there and similar obstacle material as here in the WEC. So I was confident about jumping him here this weekend.”

A philosopher from Mexico

Born in Mexico, named after a French philosopher, took his first steps towards top-class sport with a Danish rider and is now competing under the US flag with the most successful show jumper in the world at the moment – that is the still young career of the nine-year-old gelding Descartes in a nutshell.

Although he is registered as a Mexican sport horse, his pedigree is primarily Holstein and Dutch, based on a Trakehner mare line. Before Descartes moved to Farrington, he belonged to Rancho Santa Rosa. This is why he has an “SR” after his name. Rancho Santa Rosa is a highly modern stud farm with a sports stable and adjoining veterinary clinic in Mexico, which has been in existence since the 1980s. There are 450 horses here. The stallion station works together with the Dutch VDL Stud and Zangersheide Stud. It also offers TG semen from stallions such as Diamant de Semilly, Emerald van’t Ruytershof and Uricas van de Kattevennen. And from the Holsteiner Caramelo by Clarimo-Con Air.

This Caramelo, also known as Clean Air, is the sire of Descartes and was himself internationally successful with Patricio Pasquel, among others. Descartes’ dam is the KWPN mare Wida Jana by Oklund-Ahorn from the employer’s Trakehner family. Wida Jana herself was internationally successful up to 1.60 meters and has only two offspring, Descartes and his full brother Santa Rosa Fenix, who is two years younger.

When Farrington talks about his new arrival’s wealth of experience, he is probably referring to national experience, as Descartes has barely made an appearance internationally to date. Last year, he was presented by the Dane Nikolaj Hein Ruus in five competitions (from 1.35 to 1.45 meters) at three shows.