Which studbooks produce the most successful international show-jumpers in 2026? A current analysis of Hippomundo data shows a tight race at the top: Selle Français leads the ranking ahead of BWP and KWPN. At the same time, the data show that the top position is not carried by just a few exceptional horses.
Key Findings
- Selle Français leads the ranking with €16.78M in prize money.
- BWP and KWPN follow with about €13.7M each and are separated by only a small margin.
- The three leading studbooks are represented by internationally successful 1.60 m and 1.65 m horses.
- BWP even has a top-three horse at the 1.70 m level with Hello Jefferson.
How does Hippomundo proceed?
The ranking is based on international competition results recorded in the Hippomundo database and the prize money those horses earned by studbook. The values refer to the current data status in 2026 and should therefore be seen as a snapshot. Hippomundo connects results, horse profiles and pedigree data in one database. The full studbook ranking is available directly via the Hippomundo Rankings.
Results: Selle Français at the top
With €16,779,008, Selle Français clearly leads the ranking. Behind it are BWP with €13,781,564 and KWPN with €13,728,862.
This puts BWP and KWPN almost level – there are only about €53,000 between the two studbooks, a figure that can change over the course of a weekend.
| Place | Studbook | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SF (Selle Français) | €16.779.008 |
| 2 | BWP (BWP) | €13.781.564 |
| 3 | KWPN (KWPN) | €13.728.862 |
| 4 | Z (Zangersheide) | €13.709.402 |
| 5 | OS (Oldenburger Springpferd) | €9.518.713 |
| 6 | Holst (Holstein) | €7.956.827 |
| 7 | Westf (Westfalen) | €4.561.743 |
| 8 | Hann (Hannover) | €4.302.697 |
| 9 | ISH (Irish Sport Horse) | €4.090.004 |
| 10 | sBs (Le Cheval de Sport Belge) | €2.432.623 |
Certified by Hippomundo © 2026
Notable is the strong density at the top: four studbooks already exceed the €13.7M mark. Zangersheide sits just around €72,000 behind BWP with €13,709,402 — a tight contest between the Belgian and Dutch studbooks.
Selle Français: Led by the 1.60 m horse Gangster Montdesir
The most successful representatives of Selle Français are headed by Gangster Montdesir, Diriyah and Enjeu De Grisien.
Diriyah stands out in particular: the 2013-born daughter of Baloubet du Rouet reached the 1.65 m level and earned €509,855. Gangster Montdesir tops the list with €665,412.
BWP: Extremely strong at the top
BWP totals €13,781,564, coming in just behind Selle Français. Especially interesting is the top end of the ranking: Hello Jefferson reached 1.70 m, the highest level reported among the three leading studbooks.
| Horse | Sire | Level | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pallieter Vd N.Ranch | Cornet Obolensky | 1,60 m | €533.695 |
| Otello De Guldenboom | Tobago Z | 1,65 m | €488.481 |
| Hello Jefferson | Cooper van de Heffinck | 1,70 m | €438.249 |
Otello likely increased his value further with the successful performance at the recent World Championships in Aachen with his rider Daniel Deusser. Together they won team gold and also placed highly in the individual ranking.
KWPN: Only just behind BWP
KWPN ranks third with €13,728,862. Here, too, there is a broad distribution across different sires.
The selection is led by Farrel, Finn Lente and Hello Mango.
What does the picture look like beyond the top 3?
Notable results are also found behind the leading studbooks:
- Zangersheide, with €13.71M, is only slightly behind KWPN.
- Oldenburger Springpferd exceeds €9.5M.
- Holstein tops €7.9M.
- Westfalen and Hannover follow with more than €4.3M each — meaning four German studbooks are in the top 10.
- Irish Sport Horse reaches €4.09M and thus sits ahead of the Belgian sBs.
This underscores the dominance of European warmblood studbooks: nine of the top 10 come from France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany or Ireland.
What does this mean for breeders?
The ranking should primarily be interpreted as a sporting snapshot. Higher total prize money does not automatically mean a studbook produces better horses. Population size, number of internationally competing horses and age structure can influence the result.
A more interesting question is which studbooks regularly produce horses that reach the highest international levels. This is exactly where the combination of Hippomundo pedigree and performance data provides additional context to the pure prize-money ranking.
FAQ
Which studbook leads in prize money in 2026? Selle Français leads the Hippomundo ranking with €16,779,008.
Which studbooks follow Selle Français? BWP is in second place, followed by KWPN and Zangersheide.
Which of the top three studbooks has a horse at 1.70 m level? BWP: Hello Jefferson is listed at a 1.70 m level.
Is the ranking an assessment of breeding quality? No. It shows the international prize money recorded by Hippomundo for horses by studbook and should be interpreted as a sporting snapshot.
Where can the current studbook rankings be found? The complete and continuously updated data are available in the Hippomundo rankings.
