Royal Windsor Horse Show is delighted to announce a sensational line-up of international Show Jumping and Driving entries for the 2025 Show (15 – 18 May). This stellar list includes five of the world’s Top 10 Show Jumpers who will contest the CSI5* classes, and a world-class field of 22 competitors for the CAIO4* FEI World Cup™ Driving Qualifier in Horse Four-In-Hand Driving.
Event Director, James Shaw, said: “We are so pleased to be able to welcome such an exceptional group of horse, rider and driver combinations to the Show this year. The fact the very best want to come and compete here year on year is a testament to the Show, and we cannot wait for another year of top-level sport in both Driving and Show Jumping.”
Show Jumping
CSI5* Show Jumping action commences on Friday 16 May with The Pearl Stakes and concludes on Sunday 18 May with the pinnacle class – the Rolex Grand Prix – providing an extraordinary three days of international competition in one of the most exquisite venues in the world.
Royal Windsor Horse Show is delighted to announce a sensational line-up of international Show Jumping and Driving entries for the 2025 Show (15 – 18 May). This stellar list includes five of the world’s Top 10 Show Jumpers who will contest the CSI5* classes, and a world-class field of 22 competitors for the CAIO4* FEI World Cup™ Driving Qualifier in Horse Four-In-Hand Driving.
Event Director, James Shaw, said: “We are so pleased to be able to welcome such an exceptional group of horse, riderand driver combinations to the Show this year. The fact the very best want to come and compete here year on year is a testament to the Show, and we cannot wait for another year of top-level sport in both Driving and Show Jumping.”
Robert Whitaker riding Vermento in the Rolex Grand Prix at Royal Windsor Horse Show @RoyalWindsorHorseShow/PeterNixon
Returning to the Show with the aim of defending his Rolex Grand Prix title for the third year in a row, is World No.7 Martin Fuchs. The Swiss rider brought just one horse to Windsor in 2024, the ever-reliable Leone Jei, and their precision and trust proved unbeatable. Following Royal Windsor, the pair continued their exceptional form and went on to win the CPKC ‘International’ Grand Prix, presented by Rolex at the CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament, along with the highly prestigious Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final at the CHI Geneva in December. With a recent win in the second round of the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Basel, Fuchs will be returning to the Show brimming with confidence.
Swiss representation will be further bolstered by Steve Guerdat – individual Olympic gold medallist at London 2012 and individual silver medallist at Paris 2024 – who will be making his return to the top level of sport following an injury earlier this year.
British fans will be thrilled to see a sensational home line-up, headlined by current World No.4 Ben Maher, who will be joined once again by his Paris 2024 Olympic teammates Scott Brash, Harry Charles and Joe Stockdale. While they may have stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the Olympic stage, in Royal Windsor’s iconic Castle Arena they will become rivals, each vying for victory at one of the most prestigious Shows on the global calendar.
Maher, a past winner of the Rolex Grand Prix with Explosion W in 2021, will face stiff competition from Brash – the only rider in history to have won the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping – and two of Britain’s brightest young stars. Charles, who has been based in Florida this winter, picked up a CSI5* win earlier this year in Wellington, and Stockdale played a crucial part of the British gold medal-winning Nations Cup team in Sharjah.
Charles will be joined by younger sister Sienna, and Stockdale by fellow Royal Windsor Horse Show ambassador Jack Whitaker, who has secured multiple Grands Prix victories this year. Making it a true family affair, his uncle John Whitaker and two of his cousins, Robert and Donald Whitaker, will also be competing. Robert, who placed fourth in the Rolex Grand Prix at the Show last year, remains a crowd favourite – and whenever a Whitaker enters the ring, the atmosphere at Windsor is electric. In total, 13 British riders will be in action across the Show, with other notable home contenders including Matthew Sampson, Championship team regular Tim Gredley, Will Funnell and Jessica Mendoza.
Joining this formidable field is America’s Laura Kraut, known for her bold, forward-riding style. She will be joined by compatriots Lillie Keenan and Eve Jobs – two of the most exciting talents in the sport. Brazil’s Yuri Mansur, a regular on the international podium, will also make the journey to Royal Windsor, serving as the sole Brazilian representative this year.
Representing Germany is an impressive list of elite riders, led by World No.8 Richard Vogel and the former World No.1 Daniel Deusser. The duo, who are two of the most respected figures in the sport, are joined by a number of talented compatriots including Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann and Philipp Weishaupt.
Rounding out the truly international field is Belgium’s Nicola Philippaerts and Gregory Wathelet – who return to the Castle Arena alongside Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and World No.9 Max Kühner from Austria. Adding further depth to the field is Dutch legend Harrie Smolders – one of the most consistent riders on the circuit – his teammate Kim Emmen, and France’s Pénélope Leprevost.
Driving
Boyd Exell winner of the CAIO4* FEI World Cup™ Driving Qualifier at Royal Windsor Horse Show @RoyalWindsorHorseShow/PeterNixon
This year, Royal Windsor Horse Show welcomes some of the sport’s biggest and best names to Windsor Castle’s Home Park Private for three days of intense, fast-paced competition. With a spectacular list of international Driving entries, the class is anticipated to showcase unprecedented levels of skill and horsemanship from the world’s elite.
Entries for the CAIO4* FEI World Cup™ Qualifier are headed up by World No.1 Boyd Exell. The Australian continues to dominate the discipline and recently secured his 11th FEI Driving World Cup™ title in Bordeaux. However, he will face strong opposition from some of the world’s most experienced and successful Drivers, including the third, fourth and fifth-ranked athletes, namely Dries Degrieck, Ijsbrand Chardon and Koos de Ronde.
Degrieck pushed Exell all the way in Bordeaux to claim second place, while Dutch veterans Chardon and de Ronde – both crowd favourites – will be aiming to use their experience to apply serious pressure.
America’s Chester Weber and Belgium’s Glenn Geerts also join the field, both renowned for their competitive edge and precision driving. British fans will be cheering on home favourite Daniel Naprous, who is sure to receive a warm reception across all three phases of the event.
Adding to the international flair will be Jérôme Voutaz from Switzerland, Fredrik Persson and Axel Olin from Sweden, and French competitors Anthony Horde and Maxime Maricourt – all of whom are expected to make their mark.
