They are only eight or nine years old, but are already competing at the highest level. Whereas horses used to make the transition to the highest level around the age of ten or eleven, today we see a generation that is ready for the top much sooner. Thanks to the Hippomundo Rating (HR) ranking, we can accurately identify these precocious talents.
The subject of this article came about when we noticed that a very young horse was at the top of the HR ranking while analyzing it.
A 9-year-old at the top of the Hippomundo Ratings
That young star is Qalista DN, the nine-year-old mare by Emerald, bred by Wim De Nul. With an impressive Hippomundo Rating of 135p, she ranks among the absolute world elite.
In 2025, Qalista DN had an exceptional season under the saddle of Gilles Thomas, with multiple podium finishes in the Global Champions Tour.
Topresults:
1° CSI5* GCT/GCL GP – Jersey City (1.60m) 1° CSI5* GCL – Monte Carlo (1.60m) 2° CSI5* GCT/GCL GP – Rome (1.60m) 2° CSI5* GCT/GCL – Valkenswaard (1.60m) 2° CSI5* GCT/GCL – London (1.60m) 3° CSI5* GCT/GCL GP – Valkenswaard (1.60m)
With such results at the age of nine, Qalista DN is among the absolute best of her generation. And that got us thinking: are there any other young horses that are already performing at such a high level?
To find out, we dug deeper into the Hippomundo Rating rankings: We filtered out the horses that are already performing remarkably well at a young age: 8-year-olds that can handle 1.55m or 1.60m, and 9-year-olds that are already jumping Grand Prix classes. These young top horses embody the future of show jumping — and show that the next generation of champions is not far off.
9-year-olds with Grand Prix quality
Qalista DN may be the star pupil, but she is by no means alone. Our analysis shows that no fewer than 104 nine-year-old horses will already be competing at 1.60m level in 2025 — a figure that illustrates how rapidly the sport is evolving. Although not all of these horses have yet shown the same consistency as Qalista DN, they all confirm their exceptional potential.
To give an idea of the most outstanding talents among this young crop, below we list the Top 10 highest-rated 9-year-olds according to the Hippomundo Rating:
| Horse | Breeder | Rider | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qalista DN | Wim De Nul | Gilles Thomas | 135p |
| Golden Boy Dk | EARL Haras d'Ick | Simon Delestre | 114p |
| Qonquest de Rigo | Ulrik Goossens | Bertram Allen | 108p |
| Qiara De Kalvarie | N.V. Stal De Kalvarie | Gilles Thomas | 101p |
| S & L Quatro Van De Meerputhoeve | Van Uytvanck - Vervaet | Mario Deslauriers | 97p |
| Qannando B & V | Bart Van Poucke & Valentijn De Bock | Alessandra Volpi | 97p |
| Lyandro MDB | M. de Boer | Thibault Philippaerts | 97p |
| Gadget Mouche | Roland Bellet & Charlie Tesnieres | Nicola Philippaerts | 97p |
| Calvaro 71 | Reimer Detlef Hennings | Abdel Said | 97p |
| JM Just a Dream | Jimmy Lawler | Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann | 97p |
Certified by Hippomundo © 2025
Click here to see the full HR ranking of 9-year-olds with a 1.60 level.
Cornet Obolensky produces most 9-year-olds at 1.60m level in 2025
Clear breeding trends are emerging within this group. Certain stallions remarkably often produce offspring that are ready for the toughest work at a young age. Cornet Obolensky is by far the most influential sire with twelve 9-year-old offspring at 1.60m level, followed by Kannan (6), Emerald (4), and Comme il Faut (4).
8-year-olds on the brink of the top
We are also seeing a remarkable shift among the 8-year-olds. In 2025, seven horses reached the 1.60m level, and no fewer than 31 horses reached the 1.55m level — figures that illustrate how exceptionally fast this generation is developing.
Seven 8-year-olds will already be jumping 1.60m in 2025
| Horse | Breeder | Owner | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock'n Roll MXL | Pieter Merckx & Maria Linander | 96p | |
| Stakkatol Blue PSZ | Are you the breeder? | Luka Zaloznik | 93p |
| Mon Faut-Tren | H. Wilms | Arturo Parada Vallejo | 88p |
| Haristo du Gue | SCEA D'Arcy | Arturo Parada Vallejo | 76p |
| Horizon Des Partages | Daniel & Clothilde & Marine Petit | Nicolas Sers | 75p |
| CF Edelweiss | Are you the breeder? | Gabrielle Chugg | 74p |
| HNG Hot N Cold | Greg Broderick | Jean Luc Mourier | 60p |
Certified by Hippomundo © 2025
Leading this group is Rock'n Roll MXL, a BWP gelding who attracted attention at a young age. He was discovered during the Jumping Mechelen Auction for 2-year-olds (photo), where he went under the hammer for €36,000.
Through Dutch top rider Jur Vrieling, with whom he qualified for the final of the World Championships for 7-year-olds in Lanaken, the gelding eventually ended up with Czech rider Sara Vingralkova, with whom Rock'n Roll MXL made an impressive leap forward: in 2025, he recorded two placings at 1.60m level in the Global Champions Tour (see results).
The KWPN horse Mon Faut-Tren is the strongest climber in the Hippomundo Ratings, recently winning the 5* GP of Monterrey La Silla in Mexico.
Click here to see the full HR ranking of 8-year-olds with a level of 1.60.
From early breakthrough to lasting success
It is striking that more and more young horses are finding their way to the top, but the question remains how sustainable these early successes are. Can Hippomundo data show that these early stars continue their development in the longer term?
The performances of this young generation raise an interesting question: How early did the greatest ever start their Grand Prix careers?
We'll find out in the next Hippomundo Research article!
