The brothers can look back on a fantastic weekend. On Friday, Thibault helped his team, St Tropez Pirates, to victory in the Global Champions League. On Sunday morning, he added another win in the CSI5*, presented by Qatar. Only a few weeks after finishing second in the Longines Global Champions Tour in New York, Thibault has now claimed his first win in the Champions League. What a debut!
While Nicola took the spotlight in the five-star Grand Prix in Tryon, Olivier was making his mark in China at the Beijing Masters, where he captured a memorable win. Jenny Krogsæter completed the family’s strong weekend with a third place in the Grand Prix of Oslo.
Once again, the Limburg riders proved that they truly belong on the world stage. From Rabat to Tryon and all the way to Beijing, the brothers showed their strength. On Friday, Thibault impressed by securing the decisive round for his team in the Global Champions League. After making his Global Tour debut only a few weeks ago in New York – where he just missed the win – he now led his team to victory. In the first round, he stayed clear with Quilano, and in the second, he did the same with Lyandro.
“I was the last rider to go, and I knew I had to stay clear to win,” said Thibault. “I didn’t think too much about it, just did my job and trusted my horse. That’s what I always try to do. Of course, it was amazing that we stayed clear and could take the win for the St Tropez Pirates.”
Thibault and his horses are clearly in top form. “The last few weeks have gone really well. The horses are in great shape, and I have a fantastic team around me, including my dad, who does so much for us. As brothers, we understand each other and work very well together. We’re enjoying it and just trying to keep going the way we are,” said Thibault.
Besides the team competition, Thibault also won the CSI5* on Sunday morning. “It was a difficult course, and I was one of the first to go. Quilano is a clever horse and naturally fast. We just did our thing, and the time was good enough to win. None of the other riders even came close.”
Just like Thibault, Nicola has also been in excellent form in recent weeks. He proved that on Saturday night by winning the five-star Grand Prix in Tryon with Gadget Mouche. In a jump-off with 13 combinations, he stayed clear again and set the fastest time.
“It’s incredible how much progress Gadget Mouche has made in the past few weeks,” said Nicola. “In Calgary, he jumped 1.60m fences for the first time and stayed very calm. In New York, he jumped clear again, and now he’s done it once more here. For such a young horse, that’s amazing. He works hard in training and learns fast. He’s starting to understand the big jumps and is naturally quick. And if you look at who we finished ahead of, those are some of the best riders in the world – Kent Farrington, the current world number one, who has already won eight Grands Prix this year. I’m proud of this performance. You don’t win a five-star Grand Prix every week.”
Nicola’s last victory at this level dates back to Mexico 2024. A weekend to remember for the family, filled with teamwork, trust, and great results on three different continents.
Olivier spent the weekend in China, where he competed in several classes riding local horses. “In the Grand Prix, I finished seventh and had one rail down in the jump-off. Our team also managed to win the team competition. I was able to get some good work done there and was happy with the horses I had. The overall level of competition in China has really improved in recent years.”
Representing Philippaerts We Live Horses, Jenny Krogsæter delivered an impressive performance in front of her home crowd. On Wednesday, she won a class with Quana van Klapscheut, and on Saturday she finished third in the Grand Prix riding Laurier. “It was great to be back home,” said Jenny. “I brought four horses with me, and they all jumped really well. The highlight was definitely the third place in the Grand Prix with Laurier. On Sunday, I competed in the World Cup class with Hipster. We had one rail down and finished in 20th place. Overall, I’m very happy with how the week went.”
